Explosion on My Exploiter

[peabody]

I have been searching for a few years for a mid 80's Alembic Exploiter.....the Entwistle look. They come up for sale every once in a while, but they always seem to elude me.

A little over a week ago one came up on eBay. It looked like it was in pretty good shape, so I decided to make a play for it. I figure I'd go as high as $2700 because it was in such good shape.

The auction ended last night and the winning bid was over $3900....ouch.

They are cool basses, but there is no way I'm paying that much for one. I guess this means an Exploiter will be coming off my GAS list.....unless of course my Powerball numbers come through.

[bassteban]

eBay generates ridiculous numbers sometimes.

[GBassNorth]

Originally Posted by peabody

I have been searching for a few years for a mid 80's Alembic Exploiter.....the Entwistle look. They come up for sale every once in a while, but they always seem to elude me.

A little over a week ago one came up on eBay. It looked like it was in pretty good shape, so I decided to make a play for it. I figure I'd go as high as $2700 because it was in such good shape.

The auction ended last night and the winning bid was over $3900....ouch.

They are cool basses, but there is no way I'm paying that much for one. I guess this means an Exploiter will be coming off my GAS list.....unless of course my Powerball numbers come through.

I'd keep your eyes peeled for a re-listing of that one. IMHO the buyer over bid, it was a $3500 bass tops. He might have buyers remorse and bail on the sale. eBay is so much fun (not). Good luck in your hunt.
I just got a mint 2005 Alembic Dragons Wing (see post #67)
Alembic GAS!
I've looked at many Exploiters in the past, great basses in the $3000 to $3500 range maybe more if celeb owned. Dont give up.

[peabody]

Originally Posted by GBassNorth

I'd keep your eyes peeled for a re-listing of that one. IMHO the buyer over bid, it was a $3500 bass tops. He might have buyers remorse and bail on the sale. eBay is so much fun (not). Good luck in your hunt.
I just got a mint 2005 Alembic Dragons Wing (see post #67)
Alembic GAS!
I've looked at many Exploiters in the past, great basses in the $3000 to $3500 range maybe more if celeb owned. Dont give up.

One just hit eBay with a BIN of $3550...and this is different from the one that sold last night. Still out of my price range...so I guess we'll see if someone takes it.

I know you have to take what you find in the Vintage Guitar Price Guide with a grain of salt (and the last issue I purchased was the 2010 guide), but their pricing on these was around $1800-$2200 if I recall correctly.

I can understand the high price demanded for a Spyder, or even a Series II Exploiter, but the Series I's, while unusual, aren't that rare. Crazy...

[GBassNorth]

Originally Posted by peabody

One just hit eBay with a BIN of $3550...and this is different from the one that sold last night. Still out of my price range...so I guess we'll see if someone takes it.

I know you have to take what you find in the Vintage Guitar Price Guide with a grain of salt (and the last issue I purchased was the 2010 guide), but their pricing on these was around $1800-$2200 if I recall correctly.

I can understand the high price demanded for a Spyder, or even a Series II Exploiter, but the Series I's, while unusual, aren't that rare. Crazy...

eBay is nutz sometimes. I often wonder how many of their sales are shills and just used to drive the price up on some gear. Here's a couple of year old link to a lesser Exploiter (but with celeb history) that really makes you wonder what's going on at eBay. http://springfield-illinois.olx.com/...a-iid-92572059
I'm always looking, if I see anything interesting I'll fwd to you. Good luck.

[peabody]

Originally Posted by GBassNorth

eBay is nutz sometimes. I often wonder how many of their sales are shills and just used to drive the price up on some gear. Here's a couple of year old link to a lesser Exploiter (but with celeb history) that really makes you wonder what's going on at eBay. http://springfield-illinois.olx.com/...a-iid-92572059
I'm always looking, if I see anything interesting I'll fwd to you. Good luck.

Thanks for the link. To be honest, I tried to buy that Exploiter back in June of 2010, but the ad was a total scam.

The seller tried to convince me that we could work the deal through eBay...without an actual auction. He said I would get an e-mail from eBay with instructions on how to pay...and since it was through eBay, I was "protected." It was a total scam. The e-mail had misspelled words, grammatical errors, bad graphics, etc...and my payment had to be sent by MoneyGram.

I was really bummed at the time because I thought I had finally found an Exploiter at a reasonable price. As they say, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is....

[Instagator]

Yep...it was on my watch list as well..ended at $3946..man!!

Or you could build a Warmoth...I'm happy with mine.Body and neck were purchaced right here on TB.





Cheers.

[Bob Growler]

Check out my "Essence Exploiter Value" post from April. I just gave it a bump.

[peabody]

Pretty cool...even the headstock looks like an Alembic.

In addition to the normal Explorer-type basses out there (Gibson, Epi, etc.), I also came across a Moonstone Exploder that was kind of cool too.



If nothing else, it sure is fun to look....

[peabody]

Originally Posted by Bob Growler

Check out my "Essence Exploiter Value" post from April. I just gave it a bump.

Thanks for bumping this. I did come across your thread in a search I did.

That's kind of where I was at with price....and where I thought they should be. That's why when this one sold for $3946, it blew me away.

I'll find one someday....

[peabody]

...and to put an end to a perfect day, someone just hit the BIN of $3550 on the Exploiter that was listed today. Crazy....

[Bob Growler]

Cheer up. My buddy still has his....... PM sent.

[GBassNorth]

Originally Posted by peabody

...and to put an end to a perfect day, someone just hit the BIN of $3550 on the Exploiter that was listed today. Crazy....

Not exactly an Exploiter but very cool anyway...
http://www.guitarcenter.com/In-Store...56-i2568237.gc

[Kmonk]

I've seen items on ebay that have had bids higher than you could pay for new. Sometimes I wonder what people are thinking when they bid. I have had found some good deals on Amazon. Last year I bought an American built SVT6PRO, new in the original unopened box for $600.

Try Alembic's website. There is a section with for sale ads. You might be able to find one there.

[wilfred]

Originally Posted by Instagator

Yep...it was on my watch list as well..ended at $3946..man!!

Or you could build a Warmoth...I'm happy with mine.Body and neck were purchaced right here on TB.





Cheers.

Thats really cool lookin!

[peabody]

Thanks to BG (and his buddy Mike), I got an Exploiter heading my way. I can't wait. Now if I could just sell my '73 Precision, I could pay back the money I borrowed out my savings account before my wife finds out....

[BassManPatsFan]

Sweet! Post pictures when she's in your hands.

[GBassNorth]

Originally Posted by peabody

Thanks to BG (and his buddy Mike), I got an Exploiter heading my way. I can't wait. Now if I could just sell my '73 Precision, I could pay back the money I borrowed out my savings account before my wife finds out....

FANTASTIC! Can't wait for the pics. Be sure to join the Alembic club when you get it.

[peabody]

Here are the "pre" pics...taken by the current owner. I'll post some more of my own when it arrives. It looks like a beauty....

[Aussie Player]

I had one in the late 80's for a few years. Swapped a Spoiler for it as it had the Distillate electronics. When I sold it, I was scratching to get $1700 for it.