How would you grade this bass?

[tbz]

Hey folks. Wanted to get the hive minds consensus on this one.

Purchased a used Alembic Epic on Reverb recently. Was advertised as “Used - Excellent” with one mark noted on the back.

Bass arrived today and I’m having a hard time accepting that the seller has acted in good faith. On top of the bass having a distinctive, offensive, mold/mildew odor it has very badly pitted, scarred and tarnished brass hardware and a ton of surface scratches and bumps.

Am I wrong for starting the refund/return process?

 

[two fingers]

I would call that "good", not excellent. I don't think anyone subjectively would call that excellent (in good faith). In my view you are well within your rights to ask for a return.

If the bass reeeeeeeally speaks to you you can ask for a discount. Either would he appropriate in my view.

But, no, that isn't excellent to me either.

 

[Jazz Ad]

Brass always tends towards looking like this. You need to polish it quite often.
What I see on and around the volute look to me like wood features, nor defaults.
Most of these scratches can all easily be buffed out of popped with steam.
Nothing really bad but this is good to well used state, not excellent in any way.

 

[jd56hawk]

Excellent?
No way!
Very good?
I don't think so.
Good?
An honest description.

 

[Oddly]

It's certainly not what I'd call 'excellent', but what would really have me annoyed is that only one mark on the back was noted.
Even if all the other marks are easily buffed out, that's not the point.
The point is that you were deceived.
I'd say you were justified in looking for return/refund, if that's how you choose to proceed.

 

[PennyroyalWe]

The smell alone, if previously undisclosed in the ad, would have me starting a return. There’s no reason one should be blindsided by the smell of a bass.

 

[UpperBout]

I'd say it's in "Good" condition, but not "Excellent" condition. Of course these are somewhat subjective terms. Reverb provides guidance here, and according to that information, the bass you bought could be considered "Very good". The seller definitely overstated the condition.

That being said, Alembics are totally overbuilt and much of what is there can be restored quite easily. I had an fretless Epic V which I wish I had never sold and redid all the brass, detailed here.

 

[g-dude]

The smell alone, if previously undisclosed in the ad, would have me starting a return. There’s no reason one should be blindsided by the smell of a bass.

This.

The only time you should be making a “what’s that smell?” face with regards to a bass is when you play something so funky, you just can’t help it.

 

[Ostie]

How old is it? I would not list it as EXC but that seems like normal wear and tear for a ten to thirty year old bass.

 

[OptimalOptimus]

Excellent maybe not. To me it was to be expected it would have mark here and there.

the smell though … if it wasn’t stated would be a deal breaker

 

[Beej]

@UpperBout beat me to it, but copied from Reverb:

Good: Good condition items function properly but may exhibit some wear and tear.

Very Good: Very Good items may show a few slight marks or scratches but are fully functional and in overall great shape.

Excellent: Excellent items are almost entirely free from blemishes and other visual defects and have been played or used with the utmost care.

 

[tbz]

Thank you for all of the replies so far.

At this point for my own peace of mind I’m going to just assume the seller has poor eyesight and either lacks a sense of smell or just is immune to this odor.

Started the refund process about 20 minutes after I received the bass. It definitely does not speak to me enough for me to want to deal with any other potential issues it has.

Seller has dragged his feet on responding so far, but I sent him the pics above. Hopefully they will do the right thing.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Hey folks. Wanted to get the hive minds consensus on this one.

Purchased a used Alembic Epic on Reverb recently. Was advertised as “Used - Excellent” with one mark noted on the back.

Bass arrived today and I’m having a hard time accepting that the seller has acted in good faith. On top of the bass having a distinctive, offensive, mold/mildew odor it has very badly pitted, scarred and tarnished brass hardware and a ton of surface scratches and bumps.

Am I wrong for starting the refund/return process?

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Not here. No bonus points for the relic job.

 

[BassFalcon]

Excellent is a bit much, if you bought this from a store I would have less tolerance than from a dude. But if you bought this from a dude then…well…you bought a used bass. It’s used I don’t think any of that is abuse, it looks like honest wear from being played a LOT. That would be a clue to me that it’s probably a great bass. That’s the thing about used basses, and I’m sure there’s a fancy word for this, but if you ask 10 people to grade that bass you will get 10 different answers. Maybe dude is a clueless slob and legitimately thinks it’s 10/10 and he overlooks the small stuff because emotional attachment or whatever. I’m not saying you’re wrong to send it back, you’re well within policy and your rights to do it, especially if it’s not what you thought. But for me, buying a used anything I have to realize not everyone shares my standards. I think the best bet to get the quality you want is to see it in person first. Hope the return goes smoothly for you and you can find an decent epic at a price you like!

 

[CryingBass]

While I think that a smelly Alembic wins over most sweet-smelling brands, geez - it is an Alembic. I would have cleaned that up before I even posted it for sale, let alone shipped it! But I have to say that I see a lot of basses listed "above their weight" lately.

 

[Williethump]

Hey folks. Wanted to get the hive minds consensus on this one.

Purchased a used Alembic Epic on Reverb recently. Was advertised as “Used - Excellent” with one mark noted on the back.

Bass arrived today and I’m having a hard time accepting that the seller has acted in good faith. On top of the bass having a distinctive, offensive, mold/mildew odor it has very badly pitted, scarred and tarnished brass hardware and a ton of surface scratches and bumps.

Am I wrong for starting the refund/return process?

View attachment 4638305 View attachment 4638306 View attachment 4638307 View attachment 4638308 View attachment 4638309 View attachment 4638310 View attachment 4638311 View attachment 4638312 View attachment 4638313

Must have graded that bass on a scale.

 

[dave hope]

Hey folks. Wanted to get the hive minds consensus on this one.

Purchased a used Alembic Epic on Reverb recently. Was advertised as “Used - Excellent” with one mark noted on the back.

Bass arrived today and I’m having a hard time accepting that the seller has acted in good faith. On top of the bass having a distinctive, offensive, mold/mildew odor it has very badly pitted, scarred and tarnished brass hardware and a ton of surface scratches and bumps.

Am I wrong for starting the refund/return process?

View attachment 4638305 View attachment 4638306 View attachment 4638307 View attachment 4638308 View attachment 4638309 View attachment 4638310 View attachment 4638311 View attachment 4638312 View attachment 4638313

I’m not a great reference for this because I never cared that much about the looks of a bass.
But if you got a great playing bass for a decent price, who cares about dings or age wear.
If you buy and sell to make money, and playing is secondary. Then yes, send it back.
But im a player, once i have a great feeling/sounding bass in my hands. I don’t care if it’s “school crossing guard” yellow. I wish you well in your adventures in bass playing.

 

[JW56789]

Up to you what you can and can't live with, but by the tone of your post, I'm feeling it probably needs to go back. You'd have to make the mental calculation as to whether you feel you got it cheap enough, relative to the prices for nice ones, for the bumps and bruises this little guy is wearing.

FWIW, the brass bits on any Alembic (save for the 'bird' tailpiece', the only brass on one that's clear-coated for some reason), can easily be polished right back to like new with a little time and the right products.

 

[Standalone]

Reverb grading — which is generous — puts that at “Very Good.”

I tend to like instruments with dings and discounts. But if I paid excellent money for an excellent condition Bass, I’d share the same concerns you have.

 

[9c1ny]

I bought a bass that was described as " mint" , I emailed the seller and asked clarity on condition, I was told " perfect" , so when I got it and had a good look in good lighting I discovered 2 small dings on the HS and clear cracking all over the neck joint. I allowed it to be called " shipping damage" although I bet it was preexisting. The seller filed a claim on Reverb and I waited the better part of 2 weeks to be offered a couple hundred off. Ultimately I decided against it as adjusting truss rods on vintage Rics requires flexing the neck manually and likely cracking the clear more. He received the bass back last Thursday and I had to follow up on my refund as my affirm payment was due. I finally got a refund. He told me I "stole" from him and wished misfortune upon me. Not every buy is a winner I can empathize with him but I feel as though it's between him and Reverb. As far as the Alembic I'd say ask for enough back that you're happy, otherwise return it, in my situation Reverb wasn't a great help and I had to keep on them to get any resolution