My son who is 16 has been playing bass for 2 years. He seems to be very talented ( he plays regular gigs with a jazz and blues band, plays the double bass can sight read and is taking a college level course in Music Theory. He would like a significant upgrade from the basses he owns (Highway 1 Fender Jazz, Cort Curbow Fretless and an Epiphone Thunderbird). We recently saw a 1987 Alembic Pursuader which seems to be in excellent condition. It had incredible tone and a comfortable fast neck (so he tells me). The price is $1300. I wonder if anyone has any experience with this bass. Thanks and sorry for being so long winded.
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1987 Alembic Pursuader?
- Thread starter Larry13
- Start date
You can consider 1100-1400 for an Alembic Persuader (depending on the state it's in) as a normal price. It's an awesome instrument!
Alembic has several lower-end models, they are not all as ridiculously expensive as the Series I and II. I don't think $1300 is absurd for a persuader but make sure it isn't stolen first.
$1300 is a good price as long as the electronics are intact and the finish is in good condition.
The average price of a used Persuader is about $1500 and they can run up to $2200 depending on the top wood and body shape.
PM me if you have any specific questions.
I own(ed) a dozen Alembics and several Persuaders.
The average price of a used Persuader is about $1500 and they can run up to $2200 depending on the top wood and body shape.
PM me if you have any specific questions.
I own(ed) a dozen Alembics and several Persuaders.
MaddAnthony_59
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Larry,
There is only one problem with getting into an Alembic. Your son will likely fall in love with it and it will begin a lifelong affinity to these instruments. Bank accounts can seriously be drained when you decide on having a custom built down the road.
In all seriousness, the price seems reasonable for a Persuader in good condition. If it's not your son's cup of tea, it can always be sold for a similar price.
I hope your son joins the ranks of a very cool club. Check out alembic.com and link to the Alembic Club. A very cool community with tons of info on Alembics.
Best Wishes,
Bones
There is only one problem with getting into an Alembic. Your son will likely fall in love with it and it will begin a lifelong affinity to these instruments. Bank accounts can seriously be drained when you decide on having a custom built down the road.
In all seriousness, the price seems reasonable for a Persuader in good condition. If it's not your son's cup of tea, it can always be sold for a similar price.
I hope your son joins the ranks of a very cool club. Check out alembic.com and link to the Alembic Club. A very cool community with tons of info on Alembics.
Best Wishes,
Bones
Can I hijack this thread for a moment? I'm interested in Alembics, but do not know much about them. Lately, I've been looking at the Epic model. Can someone list the models in order of...for lack of a better word, status? Where does an Epic sit compared to a Persuader?
Thanks. Sorry for the hijack.
Thanks. Sorry for the hijack.
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[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
The Epic is one of their budget models (if you consider a list of $4800 to be "budget" - but look at the rest of them). I got my Epic 5 used for about $1200 three or four years ago. Apparently they do not make the Persuader any more.
Pecking order for "new" Alembics is
Even though several models are no longer listed on their menu of products or their price list, Alembic will make them new, because they still have all the templates.
As for the original poster's question, where does the Persuader fit in the food chain, I'd slot it in the same area as the Essence. The Persuader and the Spoiler were Alembic's least expensive neck-thru models when they were active models. Used prices for Persuaders and Spoilers should probably fall somewhere slightly below used prices for Essence. The Distillate, also "discontinued", should probably fall somewhere just under used prices for Signature Standard basses. They have similar construction and electronics content.
Just my experience and observations.
Peace,
James
- Excel, Epic, Orion
- Essence
- Rogue
- Signature Std.
- Europa
- Signature Deluxe
- Series I
- Series II
- Custom orders (usually based on Rogue and higher models)
Even though several models are no longer listed on their menu of products or their price list, Alembic will make them new, because they still have all the templates.
As for the original poster's question, where does the Persuader fit in the food chain, I'd slot it in the same area as the Essence. The Persuader and the Spoiler were Alembic's least expensive neck-thru models when they were active models. Used prices for Persuaders and Spoilers should probably fall somewhere slightly below used prices for Essence. The Distillate, also "discontinued", should probably fall somewhere just under used prices for Signature Standard basses. They have similar construction and electronics content.
Just my experience and observations.
Peace,
James
First off, I'm a very enthusiastic Alembic fan and I think that they are the best bass FOR ME. For $1,300, I'd say that Persuader is a great deal.
Other than that, if I had $1,300 and the the portfolio of basses your son has, I would also consider...
- A used Lakland Skyline
- A used Peavey Cirrus USA
- A used Roscoe LG or SKB (may have to save a little more for that one)
- An MTD Z series bass
I'm sure there are others, but that would be my short list.
Peace,
James
This may surprise a few, but I've found Rickenbacker 4003's to be similar in may ways - neck thru construction, dual truss rods, medium scale, quality attention to detail, unique sound, ...
Still, I can't think of a better bass in that price range for jazz than an Alembic Persuader or Spoiler. I wish I was talented enough to play Jazz, but I use my Persuader to play rock and blues.
Thanks so much. I oroiginally posted because my knowledge of basses is rather limited and $1300 is a chunck of money for me (duaghter in college, 2 in high school, etc.). I just wanted to say the response to my original post is far greater than I expected. What an excellent forum this is. I've turned my son onto it and expect he will be an active member. Thanks again to everyone for their advice/feedback.
If your son every decides he doesn't want the Persuader, you should be able to sell it for what you paid (if not more). Older Alembics tend to go up in value every time Alembic raises the prices of their new instruments.
