Thanks for any help whatsoever.

Value is subjective ? what's it worth to you? Whatever you paid and or traded/did/promised and then some I will wager.It looks like a really nice one.  If you want a monetary value it would help to have a serial number and more pics, backside, headstock, neck and a description which includes any small imperfections, if any. Do pickups electronics work well, does it have a case; what kind of case, etc.  Any history?
 
I am going to say it's worth between $3,000 and $4,200 give or take a coupla hundred. If you want to sell it, price it around 3K and see what happens. if you want top dollar you will likely wait a while unless it is EXACTLy what someone is looking for, I think.
 
Someone else may chime in and give you a more precise estimate. Very nice! Welcome to the board.
 
drr

An '81 Distillate with standard body just sold on e-bay for $2300.  Whether the Scorpion body would raise or lower the value would, of course, depend on the buyer.
 
Peter

That's cool! Can't be many of those I wouldn't have thought. I really like the look of Distillates generally though. What is the balance like on a typical Distillate?

Really nice bass, what's the headstock?

I'll test the waters, I guess... Here's a link for the fleabay auction I just listed. I would kill the auction for a member or trades? The listing has a ton of cool pics. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=014&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=330136806445&rd=1&rd=1

The prices you guys are quoting are pretty high relative to the value of the bass as a player and with the electronics package.  That kind of money should buy you a newish Signature bass or a or a 20 year old Series instrument.  The Distillate isn't much more than a Spoiler with purpleheart in the neck and quick tone switches.  For these things to sell more than $300-500 above the cost of a Spoiler makes little sense to me.
 
With regard to this bass, the unusual body style and condition could give it more value.  The rarity also would make it a collectible piece as there are few Scorpion bodies out there and maybe a handful of them would be Distillates.  
 
If I were to value the bass, it would be at around $1800 for average condition up to maybe $2300 for mint condition.  This would modify upward for the body style by maybe a few hundred to put it into the $2200-2600 overall range, but $4000?  You can get a lot more bass than this for $4000.  Heck, I couldn't get $2000 for the '82 Spoiler I just sold with Signature electronics.  Same vintage and a more expensive/valuable electronics package.  
 
If I had $4000 to spend on an eBay bass today, it would either be 76-286 or the $2900 cocobolo Essence.  The latter would leave me $1000 to send it to Alembic for an electronics upgrade if I wanted one.
 
I'm not saying this isn't a great bass, just that I think the price is out of line.  If it sells at this kind of price, it will be on the body style more than anything else.  I have always said that the best ROI option you can add to an Alembic is an unusual body style.  Exploiters have always sold for a premium over regular Spoilers higher than the cost of the body option.  The Scorpion shape may do the same, but $1500 above the cost of a regular Distillate?

As I said before, I'm just testing the waters and that's why the auction is being offered as a best offer type auction listing. I think  it's a super cool bass.

Bob:
 
ROI?
 
Really Organically Important?
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Red Orange Indigo?
Rare Or Intriguing?
Reasonably Offensive Incarceration?
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Research Only Indians?
Radical Ombudsman Invesitgations?
 
?
 
Bill, tgo

Return On Investment
 
...man...you'd think a lawyer would know that
:-)
 
Ken

It kind of looks like someone saw JPJs Triple O and Greg Lake's Scorpion and married them together in a more affordable 4 string version....I like it. In fact, if I hadn't already put my name on something else, I may have been making an offer, although I agree the current price is maybe a little steep, judging by the Buckeye Triple O 5 which recently sold on here for not much more. What's the weight like, just out of interest?

Not to derail the thread, but my point was simply that a couple years ago you could add the exploiter body shape to a bass for about $400 list.  Not sure what that option goes for today.  80's Spoilers made in the Exploiter shape were selling for $1500-2500 when standard Spoilers were doing $900-1200.  That's a resale value increase larger than the cost to add that option to a new instrument.  
 
As far as I can tell, there's no other option you can add to your custom Alembic that will give you 100% or more of the upgrade cost back on resale.

Ken:
 
I ain't the kind of lawyer who knows all the financial stuff.  Now if you start talking 420, THC, CBD, GCMS, that I'll understand.
 
Bill, tgo

there goes mr bob rain on your parade see again....
bill
its 4.20 somewhere!
15 minutes!! in oakland
i have 4 tix for mets-a;s friday night
cmon out!

Running On Interminably?
 
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