This shape is super rare and with these woods and awesome aged cream covers is simply gorgeous!
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1986-Alembic-Persuader-Vector-Bass-32-inch-scale-/271600536146?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276
 
~Taylor

Looks in great condition.
 

Yea, that's a beaut'! In all of my Alembic dorkery I didn't know the vector headstock is the same as the Elan...cool.
 
Semi-unrelated question....where did the name Elan come from and what does it mean??? Anyone?? Bueller? Bueller?

Yea, that's a beaut'! In all of my Alembic dorkery I didn't know the vector headstock is the same as the Elan...cool.
 
Semi-unrelated question....where did the name Elan come from and what does it mean??? Anyone?? Bueller? Bueller?

Yeah, that is a real cool looking Bass.  
I may be off base here but when looking at the great offerings of the pictures it almost looks like there may have been some repaired neck damage? the center line 1/3 down from the head stock is a pronounced line and some wavering a little further down. Another probably non inconsequential point is the line on the Mahogany back. The head stock has some pronounced although cool looking laminates.
 
As always this is what 1 1/2c brings to the table.
Cool looking Bass though
Pete

I seem to remember that there's a couple of Lotus sports cars that have lent their name to some of the basses - Elan, Europa, Excel.

Adriaan thanks! I would have never figured that out.... I'm poor.
I thought Europa was named after the princess that was kidnapped by Zeus for the last. 20 some years Lol!
 
Could you tell me what Elan means and/ or where it came from from lotus?

I thought Elan had to do with the customer who first specified the body shape.

Elan means energy, style, and enthusiasm. It's also a cool Lotus car. When my parents met, my dad was driving a Lotus Europa.

I actually knew that... well, the first two anyway, but because I was a car enthusiast a long time ago. (before I discovered bass!) But the third sounds like a very cool story as well... Alembic trivia. =)
 
That Vector body is nice... one of my pals on another forum had a Persuader Vector in really beautiful walnut. Tan (or is that butternut?) pickups? I like 'em, just never seen them.

Ahah
 
I have long wondered about the Alembic - Lotus nomenclature.  
 
VMG

I dunno, Pete - I think the wavering is an optical illusion caused by the grain patterns.  And I'm sure the line on the back is grain.
 
Peter

Thanks Pete,
I've been known to be optically illusued before.  
It's just the line up of the Mahogany marking, wavering, and that neck line seam to aligned. Worth asking, what's the worse that can happen?
 
Pete

As a Persuader the price is a little bit above average, but since it's an unusual shape, I am surprised someone hasn't stepped up. If the auction had a best offer option, someone would probably offer $2K. If I were rolling in dough, I'd pick it up. Looks like a really cool gigging bass.
 
I thought Lotus cars were cool back in the day. I ended up driving the Isuzu sports car for a couple years that had a Lotus-designed suspension. That thing really held the road.

quote:I thought Elan had to do with the customer who first specified the body shape.
According to the Evolution of Body Shapes page, The first Elan was made for a customer in Japan that wanted a very Jazz looking bass (the H in the Elan serial number is for Hojin).