Ed Roman is at it Again

[ajdover]

Folks,
 
   Ed Roman Guitars has a Spyder listed on Ebay for $7500.   I own Spyder #7 of 50, purchased through authorized Alembic dealer Bass Central.  (Ed Roman Guitars is an authorized dealer from what I understand as well)  Don't want to give away what I paid, but suffice to say, what Mr. Roman is asking is too much, even for a work of art like a Spyder. Just wanted to let those of you considering a Spyder know.  You can see the ad at:  
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=3729719512&category=4713
 
Alan
Spyder #7 of 50
 
P.S.  BTW, Mr Roman's ad says the spider web inlays are brass.  They aren't.  They're sterling silver.
 

[ajdover]

All,
 
Also, there are no fingerboard LEDs.  There are, however, side LEDs in red.
 
Alan

[bassman10096]

Same old, same old...with Ed.
 
Bill
 

[zappahead]

Considering this is the same guy who used 9-11 as an excuse to start selling guitars on ebay (which he used to bash in bizarre rants which were obviously grounded in the fact that it took business away from guys like himself) and then used the same 9-11 excuse to sell cheap foreign guitar models even after bashing the same exact guitars time and time again on his site and telling us how incredibly stupid it was to buy such guitars, it doesnt surprise me to see that hes gouging the prices of these guitars.
 
Look at some of his custom handmade guitars and you can see he is selling stuff he bought from closed down factories from makers like Steinberger and BC Rich and passing it off as high end custom made guitars with very high price tags. Even the Viking line from Moonstone is clearly an attempt to sell his own guitars under someone elses brand name. Those guitars that he sells for like 4k are the same bodies he uses on his own abstract label.
 
He sells some very nice instruments and I do like to browse his site from time to time, but people with a keen eye are gonna see a lot of the stuff as hucksterish. His store is amazing though, if you go to Las Vegas you should check it out, his selection of guitars is amazing.

[kmh364]

If you spend any time on his site, you'll find rant after rant about how the rest of the world sucks, and he is the greatest, blah, blah, blah. I gave him the opportunity to furnish a bid to order my Custom Orion from his shop after reading how great he is and how he'll beat anybody's legit price. Despite following instructions NOT to call, and to write with all the pertinent contact info, my solicitation was ignored. I tried a couple of times after that (they're real busy, at least according to Ed's site), but gave up. His ludicrous pricing on the Alembic's he's posted on Ebay just underlines the fact that he is A BS'er without equal.
 
(Message edited by kmh364 on June 11, 2004)

[ajdover]

 
 
(Message edited by ajdover on June 11, 2004)

[ajdover]

Like Zappahead, I like to browse his site from time to time - he does have a great selection of instruments if you will, to include Alembics.  But it is a bit hucksterish.  And of course, there are pictures of him with famous players on the site, which, speaking only for myself, doesn't impress me a bit.  I don't care if he is the personal bass maker to the stars (I thought Alembic was/is!), if the instrument is overpriced, it's still overpriced.  Bass Central has the list for a Spyder on their site at about $8600 - if Mr. Roman is starting the bidding at $7500, I can only assume he's trying to get as close to list price or better for the Spyder.  While I recognize a business' desire and need to make a profit, this seems excessive to me.
 
My guess is no one's going to bid on it, like it was the last time he had the Spyder listed.  Buyer beware, I suppose.
 
Alan

[bsee]

Demand seems to be light for the Spyder basses.  As I understand it, Alembic has not yet made the 50 they are willing to create.  Until at least 51 people want a Spyder, the street discount will be the same as for any other Alembic.  
 
Ed seems to think he should be able to get a premium today because of the limited number of these instruments combined with the star association.  Thus far, he has proven to be mistaken.  He will either find someone that doesn't know better, or he won't sell the instrument.  He certainly won't make a sale to anyone that frequents these boards.

[kayo]

Well - I am glad I am not alone in my sentiments about Mr Roman.
 
I became aware of this vendor via a reference (here in the Alembic Club) to an outstanding piece of Alembic carftsmanship (then again, which Alembic is not an outstanding piece of craft?) that included a link to his website about a year ago.  I was pleased to see that there was a large variety of product lines available under one supplier with a somewhat robust sampling of each luthier's axes.  
 
It was as a result of this that I got turned onto Ritter basses - and though I am as avid an Alembic enthusiast as the next guy, I am also not a purist by any means - and am always open to eccentric, unusual, and otherwise quality material from whatever source it may stem.  As a matter of fact, just when I was about to either buy another Alembic (or setle for a beater-upper so I don't have to drag my precious custom Rogue around to every gig that doesn't warrant it) I now am waiting for my custom Ritter to be deliverd hopefully in time for Xmas.
 
Anyhow - make a long story short - I did not have a good experience whatsoever with Ed over the phone.
 
He was arrogant, rude, condescending, patronizing.... and though I certainly do not have a frail ego - I also am not one to give my busines to someone who does not value me as a customer or respect me as a person.
 
At the end of the day  - I gave my $5,500 to another dealer.

[kmh364]

Me too: I gave my money to Steve Frank @  Superbass.net (Alembic bass) and Beaver Felton @ Bass Central (Eden amp stack). Both places are tops to deal with. Highly recommended!

[smokin_dave]

I too am here to sing the praises of Bass Central and the great Beaver Felton.I had a very pleasant experience last Aug.securing a deal over the internet to bring my Rogue to it's final home.Steve at Superbass was equally pleasant to work with as I tried my best to get the Seismic bass but alas,not enough cash on my part.Not that he was asking an unfair price but the Rogue that Beaver found was right in the ballpark for me price wise.I highly recommend either dealer.  

[bassman10096]

Seems like lots of us have had good experiences with Steve and Beaver (as well as others mentioned elsewhere).  I had a fantastic experience with Beaver over my new bass.  
 
Given the frustrating subject of this thread, it's great that there are some really good dealers out there, too.
 
Bill

[ox_junior]

Once again, I will continue to endorse the unparallelled services of Beaver Felton and crew at Bass Central.  They gave me a very fair price for my Spyder, and threw in a freebie set of Rotosounds when I noticed a small discrepancy in my final bill.  They even put a photo of me and my Spyder up on their website.  How cool is that??
 
I've heard nothing but nasty things about Ed Roman, who claimed to be a close personal friend of John Entwistle and was going to build a custom line for him.  Yeah, uh huh.
 
Simply put - if you want to be treated like the discerning customer you are when investing in an Alembic, go to Bass Central.
 
Mike Bisch

[88persuader]

I've had good dealings with Bass North West AND Washington Music in Maryland. I'd do business with both again.

[stoney]

I can't say enough about Beaver, Grasshopper and Gard from Bass Central...Also Bass Nortwest was a pleasure to deal with. Washington Music is right in my back yard and I've been buying from them since 1977...they've got people working there today that were there then and that speak volumes about a business.  Can't say I've had any dealings with Ed Roman but thanks for the warning!