Somebody needs to rescue this one... it needs to *not* be me.   

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=381692867203&alt=web

Anyone here got a clue what they've done inside? (see pics of control cavity)

I'd love to take that on...I'd tell the girls:
"It's a Rescue bass" 

It's weirdly tempting. I'd have to sell something first, though....

It looks like it started off as a Distillate based on the controls and power LED by the output jack. I wonder if it was converted to a Series 1 as I can see where one of the original holes was plugged and fits with where a Distillate filter would have been. It would be nice to have shots of the back, edge (5-pin XLR?) and electronics cavity. If it has been converted and the electronics are functional $895 wouldn't be too bad for a rescue bass.

I swear it looks like they mounted an Alembic guitar pickup in between the bass pickups, and maybe the controls too, in addition to, but independent of the Distillate controls. 

There are pictures of the control cavity in the description. It's hard to tell for sure what they did, but I don't think these are Series electronics. Happy if not eager to be corrected. 

* is it possible they used the odd pickup as a hum-canceller?

Nope, not series guts. wow, what an ambitious hack job.

Clearly we have a game of Hack-a-Mole here. You guys probably can tell all this from the pictures too:

There appears to be original Distillate electronics in there, but there's obviously some heavy modification. Two pots, a switch, a battery, and an extry pickup.

I think the jack tore out and they added the brass plate around the jack.

The extra pickup is pretty hacky. Hopefully these are all humcancelling pickups. The middle pickup is simply an AXY molded pickup with the mounting holes hacked off.

I think the filled holes on the face have nothing to do with original mounting holes, positions don't really add up correctly. Just a little Swiss-cheese with your bass!

The broken switch is a Gibson type but it's broken - so maybe it's stuck in the on position if all the controls affect the tone. One of the original Distillate switches was replaced (we didn't use a blue switch).

It looks like a well-played, and well-explored bass. Surprisingly the bridge looks pretty darned clean! And even though they are mounted on differing diagonals, the original pickup positions seem to have the normal upper and lower screw mounting.

People do weird things sometimes. 

I just wonder how many of the 49 bidders think it's a Series I... If anyone had told me last night this poor bass would be up to $1200 in less than a day, I'd have offered them odds. Man alive...

(Ed of H is a sentimental fool for things like this... as if you couldn't tell)

$1200?! I'm out.

Yikes !

Howdy, y'all! I'd have to pass on it, in that the seller does state the bass needs to be tuned....

Yeah, I was surprised to see it went up that high. Thanks but no thanks. Under a grand would be reasonable.

Yes, the auction header is totally misleading. That is not right.

FWIW, I did advise the seller this was not a Series bass, but a very modified Distillate.

Too bad there is no way to advise the potential buyers who may not have a clue what they are actually bidding for... In defense of the seller at least he has provided many pictures of the carnage including the cavity with the electronics.