I bet you'd be the only person on your block with one of these:
https://reverb.com/item/98423372-alembic-8-string-custom-short-scale-early-2000-s-coco-bola?bk=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJqdGkiOiIwNDhiNzY3Yi05NGNkLTRjNDAtYThiYS1mNmMzNzJmNTRmYTciLCJpYXQiOjE3ODE5NTc3MzIsInVzZXJfaWQiOiIiLCJzZXNzaW9uX2lkIjoiZDM2MmQzODctYTA3MS00MmE2LTg0YTktOTRmNzQ5NTA3OTdkIiwiY29va2llX2lkIjoiNmUzZTU4NDQtM2U1MC00ZWQxLTljODYtMTdjMDA4ODI5MjZlIiwicHJvZHVjdF9pZCI6Ijk4NDIzMzcyIiwic291cmNlIjoiTk9ORSJ9.A0741plncrKyH-TNB8HPA8xY0UaJXu9FlWsNVbR5S_c
Damn she's pretty.
That cocobolo doesn't look to be run of the mill. The 2002 date makes me wonder if this top didn't come from that mythical quilted cocobolo tree.
some interesting instruments showing up on reeverrb all of a sudden. got a dragon wing. an 8-string. some nice series basses.
but no long scale 5-string fretless unlined board side LEDs stereo output. the search continues. good luck to all!
Beautiful, and a fun design (short scale-8). :D
OK, take my kidney!
After, ai could die happy../
Heavy price tag. And Coco Bola! :)
QuoteHeavy price tag. And Coco Bola! :)
guess i missed the asking price first read thru. Whooo00OO00ooo!
of course, if it checked
all my boxes for the bass i'm looking for, then i'd be sweating bullets right about now. as in when does UPS get here?
good luck to all!
Quote from: BeenDown139 on June 22, 2026, 12:59:32 PMQuoteHeavy price tag. And Coco Bola! :)
guess i missed the asking price first read thru. Whooo00OO00ooo!
of course, if it checked all my boxes for the bass i'm looking for, then i'd be sweating bullets right about now. as in when does UPS get here?
good luck to all!
I have noticed that many of the Alembics on Reverb over say 10K are sitting there for years.
QuoteI have noticed that many of the Alembics on Reverb over say 10K are sitting there for years.
gadzooks! another one of my treasured dead horses has arisen for another round of beaings!
kinda like the price of reaL estate real estate here in the mile high city. you can ask whater ya want for it, it's only worth what someone's willing to pay for it.
hence, we have a bounty of 600 ft
2 (US) townhomes listed at something north of $600k USD, not a buyer to be found. not even an offer. likewise a plethora of used series i's and II's all listed at north of $20k USD on reeverb, some have been listed for 3 years or more.
so as the owner of an dinky 500 ft
2 (US) east denver townhome that any realtor around here would list at $450k and what i'd like to think is a unicorn SII that's probably at $30k USD given what i'm seeing on reverrbb, this is a subject near and dear to my heart.
however, the reality of the situation is, oncet i kick the bucket, the house'll go for about $250k to the first flipper that makes an offer and the bass'll probably get maybe $10k when my kids unload my gear at guit@r centre hoping for a quick payday now that the old man is gone.
maybe i should begin starting my day with a wake-and-bake again. where's the tylenol? somebody answer the phone, that ringing's making me nuts! good luck to all!
Quote from: BeenDown139 on June 23, 2026, 08:48:51 AMlikewise a plethora of used series i's and II's all listed at north of $20k USD on reeverb, some have been listed for 3 years or more.
I guess if you drop over 10K on an instrument you will want a total custom build. Maybe that's one of the reason that these don't sell? And the fact that only very few people want to spend that much on an instrument in the first place.
Quote from: Barend on June 24, 2026, 02:40:31 AMQuote from: BeenDown139 on June 23, 2026, 08:48:51 AMQuotelikewise a plethora of used series i's and II's all listed at north of $20k USD on reeverb, some have been listed for 3 years or more.
I guess if you drop over 10K on an instrument you will want a total custom build. Maybe that's one of the reason that these don't sell? And the fact that only very few people want to spend that much on an instrument in the first place.
My presumption that this is exactly it. When you get into the $10K++ range, you don't want to settle on anything. Unless someone else had exactly the same vision as you, buying a second-hand custom is going to involve a degree of compromise.
My theory is that a significant other said,
"You've got too many of those things around the house and you need to get rid of one."
"Okay hon, I'll list it on Reverb."
"Darn honey, no one is even making an offer on my bass, I cant understand why (wink-wink)."
"I'll keep it up there anyway because I know you want me to sell this one.
I don't deny Brian's postulate exists, but I'm having trouble profiling the bassist who first custom-orders a short-scale 8-string Alembic also having the type of S-O who would suggest they thin their collection out, then begins with that.
Maybe it's a case of which came first, the chick, or the bass? 🤔
Lawd, I 'pologize for that right there... that was just uncalled-for...
I acquired 4 basses over the years here in the Seattle area with Insane lowball pricetags! I finally asked an owner at BassNW Why these were so cheap? The customer stated his wife would only let him own 6 instruments. If he wanted another, he had to sell one off first. He got into Fodera's so out went the Dingwall & Rick & Zon etc. A year later I was in Sheldon Dingwall's shop and told him about the 6-string I bought. He was incredulous and asked me what was wrong with that bass? It was a custom order, the bass was the photo of his website's home page....and the guy sold it 4 months after delivery. We got a good chuckle and I own a 6-string fanned fret spalted maple beauty.
I wouldn't survive a relationship that forced me to sell instruments. Fortunately, my SO is musician and a gear junkie too.
Quote from: hammer on June 25, 2026, 01:49:46 AMMy theory is that a significant other said,
"You've got too many of those things around the house and you need to get rid of one."
"Okay hon, I'll list it on Reverb."
"Darn honey, no one is even making an offer on my bass, I cant understand why (wink-wink)."
"I'll keep it up there anyway because I know you want me to sell this one.
:) Priced to keep!
well i guess YMMV because my bass playing and accompanying gear collection were a contributing factor in both my divorces. even though they knew i was a (performing) musician when we got together.
nowadays in hte house it's just me, the golden retriever, my basses and my demons. a little skinny
on the companionship side but a whole lot less stressful. nobody b!tches when i hit a clam, either.
that dragon wing's also still waiting for a home, btw. it calleth my name. must. resist.
good luck to all!
Quote from: Nova Constellatio on June 25, 2026, 10:32:29 AMI wouldn't survive a relationship that forced me to sell instruments. Fortunately, my SO is musician and a gear junkie too.
Same. My wife enabled me to buy 4 Alembics in the first 6 months of this calendar year. The first one because she survived cancer and we both needed something after that. The other three because she is the worst enabler on the planet. To be fair, I AM selling off a number of other basses, but only because I simply don't play them anymore and I hate being "that guy" with a bunch of instruments for the sake of having a bunch of instruments.
She's a keeper.
Gary's story reminds me of how I ended up with my Distillate Exploiter. A former owner had it sent to the mother ship for a complete refurb around 2017, then sold it. :o It ended up with Tim (BeenDown), then he sold it to me. I feel bad if there was a financial crisis involved, but I sure am happy to have this bass.
. :o It ended up with Tim (BeenDown), then he sold it to me. I feel bad if there was a financial crisis involved, but I sure am happy to have this bass.
yeah that was quite the (mis)adventure. that was such an awesome bass but the medium scaleness drove me over the brink, so off it went. wasn't the first alembic i couldn't bond with either, btw. the sale paid for my hot tub (which i still have) and paved the way for the eventual acquisition of my SII (which i also still have). i show pictures of that bass to my bandmates and they shake they heads not believing i'd willingly part with a monster like that, especially since i'm in an 80's cover band these days.
but it all worked out in the end. good luck to all!