Author Topic: Mark King Deluxe (Read 208 times)

shpanker · « **on:** February 18, 2005, 01:49:05 PM »

Forgive me if this post seems disjointed, I'm still in shock.

This just walked through my office door about an hour ago - A fellow employee, who knows I play bass, dropped by to show me his Alembic 'wall art'. He doesn't play, the bass just hangs on the wall. Anyway, brings it in today, I open the case and there lies an Alembic Mark King Deluxe Signature. It's beautiful and looks near-mint (it only has one ding that he showed me).

He asks me if I'd like to take her home for the weekend for a little bit of clean up (fingerprints and dust) and playing. I can't answer 'yes' fast enough. I confirm with him five times that it's okay that I take it home. He's sure.

Okay, now the questions start -
What's the history of this? I've already found that it was made in 1991 with the help of the Alembic website. It's still an available model according to them, but the pictures on the site don't quite match what I have here.

What's it worth? Would you considered an investment? He said he paid $1000 when he bought it.

Here are the quick and dirty pictures...

www.nightshaderocks.com/bass/mk1.jpg
www.nightshaderocks.com/bass/mk2.jpg

Thanks guys!
Brian

gare · « **Reply #1 on:** February 18, 2005, 02:49:08 PM »

Brian
Post the serial #..prehaps Val or Mica could give you the build history on it.

flaxattack · « **Reply #2 on:** February 18, 2005, 02:51:24 PM »

its beautiful...
i wouldnt sell it- inless o on e plays it and you need some cash
post the serial number and alembic will post its history
sell it???
only to me please-lol
other members know resale values

flaxattack · « **Reply #3 on:** February 18, 2005, 02:56:38 PM »

its beautiful...
i wouldnt sell it- inless o on e plays it and you need some cash
post the serial number and alembic will post its history
sell it???
only to me please-lol
other members know resale values

David Houck · « **Reply #4 on:** February 18, 2005, 04:53:21 PM »

Welcome Brian! That's an excellent Mark King; and it certainly looks like a Deluxe. I'm not sure why you think the pictures on the Alembic site don't match what you have. If your friend bought it for $1,000, he got an incredibly great deal. Some of the other guys do a better job of keeping up with current market prices; but I would guess if this were on Ebay it would go for more than 2,000. As a general rule, used Alembics don't trade anywhere near their new prices, but they do hold their used prices.

Here's a Quilted Maple Mark King Standard w/ LED's that went for $2,295 recently:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=4713&item=7300082374&rd=1

And here's another Quilted Maple Mark King Standard that went for $2,850:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=4713&item=3780807241&rd=1

Mark King's don't trade often, so it's hard to get a good fix on what it could go for. But these recent trades should give you a rough idea.

shpanker · « **Reply #5 on:** February 18, 2005, 05:38:32 PM »

Thanks for the info Dave. I guess my statement about the bass not looking like the other ones on the Alembic site was misleading. The main differences I noticed were that the control knobs were different and most of the Mark King photos and descriptions had LEDs in the neck.

First 15 minutes of impression so far - Man, this thing has some heft to it. It tends to neck dive when strapped on and I'm not paying attention. I didn't get a chance to hear it's voice yet (battery is dead) so, I'll prep and clean it up tomorrow.

Thanks again,
Brian

kungfusheriff · « **Reply #6 on:** February 18, 2005, 06:34:42 PM »

Hello again
Alembic changed knobs not too many years after your friend's bass was built, if I remember right, and the LEDs are among those pricy options I mentioned elsewhere.
Get thee to the hardware store and pick thee up some nine-volts, Yoric, and prepare to be amazed by the preamp. If you get lost, my e-mail's in my profile. And if you put a wide suede-bottomed strap on the bass, the friction against your shirt will reduce the neck dive and the width will help distribute the weight.
BTW, does your screen name refer to a certain band from Texas? I was wondering.
KFS

kungfusheriff · « **Reply #7 on:** February 24, 2005, 11:36:21 AM »

You guys think that bass put him in a coma (laughing)?

lothartu · « **Reply #8 on:** February 24, 2005, 04:39:33 PM »

Yep. I think he put new batteries in it, plugged it up, played a couple of notes and has been sitting in the same position with his jaw hanging open for the last 6 days.

Now he's got to figure out how to convince his buddy that doesn't even play that it's in the best interest of maintaining the harmony of the universe that he let him buy that bass off him.

- Jim

bob · « **Reply #9 on:** February 24, 2005, 09:57:10 PM »

The harmony of the universe is very important. We should help in whatever way we can.

Anyone near Zion, PA, that could go knock on his door and make sure he's okay?

tom_z · « **Reply #10 on:** February 24, 2005, 10:51:35 PM »

Oh man - I cant' stop laughing. The visual of someone sitting in a room with a bass on their lap - slack-jaw and tone-dazed strikes me as very funny. . . wait a minute . . . that was me for a week after my Alembic arrived.

Tom

jacko · « **Reply #11 on:** February 25, 2005, 04:55:43 AM »

I'm still like that ;-)

Graeme

gare · « **Reply #12 on:** February 25, 2005, 05:56:42 AM »

Brian ! Ya ok ?
The space time continuum hasn't been disrupted..they were just kidding..really !
Uh oh..CLEAR !
And if you hold an Alembic up to a mirror you really won't see images of Susan or Mica in the grain pattern..that's just a rumor..well I didn't see them anyway.