I've been eyeing this 1983 spoiler at the Local Guitar Shop for quite a while now & finally have the cash to pick it up..
First off this bass has the best tone of any I've ever played & were talking lots of basses here.
The thing that scares me is there a small crack right were the laminate is glued at the valute area, under the nut, that can be felt but hardly seen, the piece inside is not cracked or broken..
I figure the bass had been bumped or even dropped once in it's 31 year trip to where it is right now..
Also I might even be able to smooth it out & fill the crack with some of the stuff from Stewart McDonald.. It also has a small bit of glue on the bass side of the fretboard near the 1st-2nd fret but doesn't appear to have been repaired there & could easily be removed, someone may have tried in the past to glue this crack?
The spoiler is a 4 string with four knobs & Birdseye top & peghead laminate & can be aquired for $1299 or less if I really want to complain to the owner of the store about the crack & general condition of the bass maybe even less?
I may be at their store tomorrow as my youngest son is Gonna get himself another Guitar..
I currently don't play out anymore & have a Charvel 2B & a Kramer Duke bass with an aluminum neck & have always wanted an Alembic..
I'm REALLY Scared about the small crack around the laminates & it just may be the deal breaker.. What say you all out there?? i would never be able to afford to send it to the mothership & do all my own repairs etc anyhow..
I figure this is a $2000-$3000 bass used without this crack & it plays great & sounds even better.
If someone could answer me quick Thanks as my Son wants to get an early start in his search for his next Gibson or whatever..
Here's a pic of the bridge of this bass showing the birdseye top.. I couldn't get a good pic of the crack with my phone.
Gary aka Hk
