How would you grade this bass?

[BassFalcon]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this situation and the others people referenced in the thread are the reason that I both do not buy used, and also do not sell to private parties. On the rare occasion I sell gear, I walk in my local GC and walk out with a pocketful of bills and a smile 20 min later, the difference between what they give me and what I could’ve made in a private sale I consider a convenience fee I pay to completely avoid these types of situations.

 

[g-dude]

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 View attachment 4638537View attachment 4638537 View attachment 4638542 View attachment 4638543

Nice to see that your attempt to help the guy was met in the spirit of charity and good will.

 

[g-dude]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this situation and the others people referenced in the thread are the reason that I both do not buy used, and also do not sell to private parties. On the rare occasion I sell gear, I walk in my local GC and walk out with a pocketful of bills and a smile 20 min later, the difference between what they give me and what I could’ve made in a private sale I consider a convenience fee I pay to completely avoid these types of situations.

I find Music Go Round to be better, but you're 100% right.

 

[GeorgesEric]

Aside from cosmetics - how does it play? Excellently?

 

[tbz]

Aside from cosmetics - how does it play? Excellently?

The smell makes playing it an unpleasant experience to even consider.

 

[Lenny JG]

W/ a grading system

 

[Whale]

Whenever I purchase a used instrument online I automatically assume it is going to have more issues than the seller lists. This way I am rarely disappointed.

Be that as it may, the one thing your thread clearly points out is that it pays to be as honest and as forthright as possible when selling online.

 

[Cutter8]

There’s no reason one should be blindsided by the smell of a bass.

True dat!

 

[MD]

I'm thinking a virtual scratch-n-sniff would be helpful here.

 

[tbz]

I'm thinking a virtual scratch-n-sniff would be helpful here.

At this point I’m legitimately lamenting the fact that smell-o-vision does not exist.

I feel like that alone would make the case.

 

[GeorgesEric]

I smelled my basses - I get nothing! What’s up with this Alembic? I never heard of a bass that stinks before, what would cause a bass to smell anyway? (Just wondering)

 

[mongo2]

I'd return that one.

 

[tbz]

I smelled my basses - I get nothing! What’s up with this Alembic? I never heard of a bass that stinks before, what would cause a bass to smell anyway? (Just wondering)

I’m hoping the case it shipped in just has some water or liquid damage.

Had that happen with a rare finish Stingray I bought 7 or so years ago. Someone had spilled beer on the case. It had gotten into the lining and the bass stank pretty badly.

That bass was fine after a good cleaning, and after it had a few days to air out.

Outside of that, a few of my case queen Spectors have a “new bass” kinda smell. But that’s a very pleasant scent.

Currently airing this one out, hopefully it’ll respond well.

 

[Nuage420]

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.

To be fair, if the smell is thst permeated into the wood the seller has probably been smell blind to the funk for a very long time. Like, years...

 

[jmattbassplaya]

That’s more of a “good” in my book.

To be fair, there will always be some level of ambiguity between the way individuals rate basses. The best you can do when buying used is to ask for quality pictures. If someone can’t or won’t provide them then I won’t purchase from them.

 

[svlilioukalani]

That is as great bass despite its issues. The brass will clean right up. Alembic says to use Fitz metal polish. Even the badge on the head stock will shine right up.

The marks on the wood are a different story. They effect the value. And may be something you are not able to tolerate. Many Alembic owners would not want a bass with those marks. I would call that bass good to very good.

Personally I would not care about the marks if, if I didn’t over pay. The smell issue is beyond anything I have dealt with. You could call Mica at Alembic and ask her what to do. They are cool people there. Your part of the family now.,

 

[Fender_Bender]

You didn’t give the age of the bass, but if it’s 20+ years old I would give it a “very good” condition considering the age. Many of the marks you circled are pretty much insignificant or even natural wood colour aberrations. Many of them could be filled with clear and sanded and buffed. Brass will oxidize unfortunately. Maybe Alembic could provide some advice on refinishing the metal. A few days hanging out in the sun (case too) would likely take care of the smell.

 

[MasterMonkeyMan]

I have used this on stinky guitars and it does help. Along with airing out.
I put it in the empty case to deodorize it then put it carefully where I could fit it in the case with the instrument - headstock area. I doubt I'd want it to spill out. A couple hours at a times for a few times really helped.
Maybe the seller lost his sense of smell from COVID!

 

[Thehound]

That bass is “kijiji mint”

 

[COYS]

Reverb's item condition definitions would say that is not Excellent. It's Very Good.

That's normal used guitar/bass stuff for me, and nothing to be concerned about if it were listed Very Good and priced accordingly.

An odor though is a non-starter for me, I'd be sending it back.

I bought an amp once with that mildewy smell on it, as if it'd been stored in a damp basement. I did everything possible, including completely disassembling it down to the bare wood parts and enclosing it in a small area with an ozone generator, which will destroy almost any odor under normal circumstances, and it only got marginally better. Unfortunately for me it was a Craigslist buy and I ended up trading it away at a loss. I will never neglect checking for odors again!