Should I sell my Alembic?

[lbbc]

I know we have all sold basses and regretted the sale. I have had a 1986 Alembic Persuader cocobolo for years and love it. It plays so smooth but I never play it out. So, my fellow bass constituents....should I sell or just hold on to it. It has Fretfx lights and a flight case.

 

[bobyoung53]

I never sell a bass unless i have to.

 

[mdogs]

The question is, why don’t you ever play it out???

 

[Gorn]

You listed one determining factor. Not a lot to go on.

 

[alembicbones]

Unless you really need the money, I would keep it. It's a really cool bass and I think you might regret selling it. It looks like a nice specimen.

Best Wishes,
Bones

 

[Lownote38]

No way! Tons of people can only dream of having an Alembic. I say keep it and play it!

 

[dr_gonzo]

I, for one, would sell it. If you're not playing it, why keep it? Then again, I'm a "one bass" kind of guy (my hoarding problems are reserved for pedals).

 

[Mark76]

What's your other bass that you love so much you neglect the Alembic?

 

[cynelli]

I sold mine years ago. My biggest regret. That and selling an amazing 69 jazz bass that just sang. Don't sell it.

 

[Josh Kneisel]

unless you have daunting expenses that need to be taken care of I wouldn't. That thing looks sexy

 

[bassbenj]

Don't sell. I'll never sell my Alembic even though right now I'm not playing it hardly at all. Point is when I need it it's there. Replacement value would be very high and who knows. by the time I wanted another one, perhaps you couldn't even get one. That's just the way life works. So if you aren't desperate for cash, I say no way. And I urge you to play it out when it fits. Yes, I understand getting all paranoid in a scruffy venue and I watch mine like a hawk, but if it does the job (like only an Alembic can) then that is just the "cost of doing business".

 

[garp]

The question is, why don’t you ever play it out???

This.

...love it. It plays so smooth...

Hmm. [Puts on psychologist's hat.] If for some reason, you construe the lights as training wheels, then by all means, get rid of it. But if there's something deeper going on here, do tell.

 

[Mark76]

Here's what I recommend.

Get a friend you can trust to lock you in a room with the Alembic and a bass amp cab/combo and tell him/her the following

"Love is the only thing that can save this poor Alembic, and I am going to convince it that it is loved even at the cost of my own life. No matter what you hear in there, no matter how cruelly I beg you, no matter how terribly I may scream, do not open this door or you will undo everything I have worked for. Do you understand? Do not open this door."

And stay in there until a bond of love and trust has developed between the two of you.

 

[J Gold]

You should sell it to me for $200 plus a quart of my homemade matzoh ball soup.

 

[CaseyVancouver]

No. You said you love it.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

Yes, -by all means- sell it... to ME!

Just kidding. I am actually saving up a little pile for an Alembic, but I'm looking for a vintage Series I, and fretless if possible.

If you want my advice, (as someone who has a couple...) hang on to it. Right now especially, prices are down, even on mint condition stuff. Watch Reverb and eBay for a month... everything is asking top dollar and nothing is selling.

That said, a cocobolo-topped Persuader isn't commonplace. Not uber-rare either, but definitely more desirable than more standard wood selections.

I'd keep it.

 

[Tom Magri]

Just play it out. What's the point in having something nice if your not going to use it. Keep it.

 

[Brother Goose]

Those are wonderful basses- I would find an excuse to start playing again.

I owned a '90 Persuader 5 which sounded wonderful but lacked the playability I needed for a primary bass

I still miss her

 

[mesaplayer83]

I never sell a bass unless i have to.

Yup - my policy, too... I've flipped several instruments and amps in the past that I really wish I had back, so these days I keep anything that's really good...

 

[MEKer]

I think a 1-word answer will suffice:

NO