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A VERY SAD STORY-ALEMBIC CONTENT-QUESTION

#21
I'd get it refinished... Burningskies has a great point, Michael Dolan does great work... even Pat Wilkins or the cats from Sage guitars (they used to be finishers at a reputable guitar company from the northeast).

Enjoy it, play it and cherish the fact that it came back to you.

OTOH: I had an exotic bass come back to me after 14 months, luckily in the shape in which it left... But, with the horrible vibe/kharma that surrounded the bass, financial issues and a deteriorating marriage, I felt compelled to sell it. I actually feel better about it being out of my life.

.... so there is argument for either action.
 
#22
Call Mica at Alembic and tell her your story. They're as passionate about their guitars as you (and the rest of us) are. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they offer you something for it. Send her the S/N and those images and ask what the refin cost would be.

It's my opinion that restored to stock form, you have a real winner with a ton of history.

Sorry about your misfortune. What a complete shame. People are capable of anything.
 
#26
M.R. Ogle said:
That bass is perfect for someone... someone who really wants the Alembic sound, but done in a specific color (and so the current finish is not important), and may not want to pay the big bucks for a more pristine example.
This may not be YOUR dream bass anymore, but it IS someone's: "Man If I could just find a real Alembic with a screwed-up finish to re-do for less bucks...."
That buyer is out there.
Click to expand...

Those buyers(plural) are out there(in here) and are reading this. I cannot imagine how it feels to have a bass of this quality stolen and trashed but there are many of us here who would GLADLY spend hours and $$$ of our own to be able to own an Alembic.
 
#29
I'm dead certain Alembic has restored much worse cases than that. The great thing about wood is that it can nearly always be restored. My 2c is to figure out whether you can afford Alembic (preferable) or someone else (perhaps more practical), and get it up to snuff. Then sell it if you want to move on.

One lesson I've learned the hard way is to make sure you have the piece of gear at operational spec before you decide to move it. That avoids a bunch of expensive mistakes.

BTW, nice variant with the Europa bod.
 
#31
Keep it and get it refinished if you can, If not, play it anyhow, it can be a good reminder of what you went through with that bass in a positive way, and a great story to tell when someone compliments you on your playing and what drives you to play the way you do.

Now go get your baby, strap up and play out all the anger. Then play something sweet and soulful, and be thankful you still have a bass, let alone an Alembic.

Finally if you have a pic of the person who took it, post it here so we all can see it!

Peace!
 
#35
buzzbass said:
care to share the story about how it was lost & recovered ?
Click to expand...
Sure,
It all started with the bass having very low output suddenly. A relative of mine(through marriage, not blood)suggested that I have his friend fix it, which I flatly turned down based upon my knowledge of proprietary Alembic electronics and the fact that there was bound to be some shady people involved. My plan was to set-up a day and drive up to Santa Rosa and do it right, I loved this bass.
This relative took the bass from my house without my permission, his claim later was that he was doing me a "surprise favor", sort of like that show where they "steal" somebody's car and complete restore/customize it and give it back to them. From there it appears that his "friend" took control of the bass and split town, making an attempt to disguise it so he could sell it, pawn it or trade it for drugs. The Alembic badge and serial number plate was removed, there was actually a block of wood placed in the neck pick-up routing slot with double sided tape and a 4 string split-coil pick-up was screwed into the block, it was atrocious.
I still didn't have the bass and was unaware of the trauma it had sustained, or was currently sustaining. I couldn't bring myself to involve the police as it would've ruined my relative's life which was already in pieces, and after all it was only a bass. He probably would have been charged with a felony and prison does not help people get well.
Several weeks passed and he got the bass back, laying a lot on the line to do so. Because he had basically stolen a week or two worth of drugs from this guy he had to lay low and end associations with quite a few people, he had a lot of people looking for him after that. It's possible he may have actually sold/traded the bass to this person and stolen it back for me.
At any rate, it's very likely that the need to disassociate himself with this group(out of fear for his physical well being) was the springboard he needed to get his life back on track, get clean and become productive again. For this I'm thankful and I think a lot of us would trade a mere bass to see loved ones suffering from illness get well.

I appreciate all the comments and advise I've received, this has been very therapeutic for me and I thank you.

If I end-up selling the bass I'm thinking I will sell it as it sits, that way whoever were to buy it has more options available to them.
 
#38
lowphatbass said:
Many years ago my 1992 Alembic Elan was stolen. An attempt to "disguise" the bass was made, the best I can tell somebody removed much of the thick "dipped in glass" finish and sprayed or rubbed something dark over the entire bass. It looks like the time was taken to remove hardware, mask the fretboard, etc. The finishing touch is a satin-ish clear coat, very obviously out of a spray can.
When I recovered the bass and open the case I felt physically ill. I've honestly had a hard time even looking at or thinking about this bass for the last 15+ years. I was doing some cleaning/reorganizing a few days ago and decided the open the case. Strangely enough I did not suffer the intense anger and anxiety that I always have. A strange peace came over me. I'm ready to let this bass go. I've grieved long enough, it's time to get it into the hands of somebody who is going to play it. Even if I had this bass restored, it wouldn't see enough action to justify ownership.
The bass has maple wings, quilted maple top and back(including headstock) with walnut trim, the usual PH stringers and an ebony fretboard. Luckily I think I have all the pieces. This bass was a stunner.

I know that Alembic owners/players can be kind of a different breed(I was one, I don't mean this in a negative sense) and I'd like to hear from some of you on this. I'm wondering if I should sell the bass as is, or try to get it back to original form first and get more money for it. I would have to pay somebody to do this, I'm not bad with wood, but possible bad enough to make the situation worse.

I've included a couple of current pics so you can view the extent of the carnage, as well as get a feel for what the bass used to be like.

Any thoughts you may have are welcome!!
Thanks,
LBP
Click to expand...

As an Alembic owner, I can tell you that even if you have it restored, you probably won't get out of it what you put into it. Alembics lose a lot of their value the minute they leave the shop; the good news is they rarely go below a certain level moneywise. That your bass, unfortunately needs a lot of work to bring her back means you'd have to put out a lot of cash, and you may not recoup it. Better to sell it as is and have someone else put that amount of money into it.

This being said ...

If it has sentimental or other value to you, the investment and time may be worth it. If you plan on keeping it ... then by all means contact the elves in Santa Rosa and ask them how much it will cost.

BTW, if you're considering selling it, let me know! :smug:

Best of luck,

Alan
 
#39
If you do sell the bass, sell it as is - this seems to be your mind set as well. I state this from the perspective of someone who, 7 years ago bought a beautiful, but trashed, Elan off of eBay and sent it to Alembic for a full restore/refinish. Also, as others have said, you have my sympathies, the whole situation sounds like a really sad episode. Congrats to your relative for coming out of it a better person.
 

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