Hello! I'm on the lookout for an used Skylark....
interested to see and hear what's out there.
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area
email: jay.dickinson@sbcglobal.net (mailto:jay.dickinson@sbcglobal.net)
Jason:
Welcome to the club! I also live in the Bay Area (Montclair/Oakland), though at the moment I'm in NY. If you haven't played a Skylark before, my advice is head up 101 to the Hearn Ave. exit in Santa Rosa and go visit the factory. You'll get a chance to play a Skylark, as well as a few other instruments. The folks at Alembic are VERY friendly and helpful. Just give them a call and they can let you know what's hanging in the front room at the moment, give you directions, etc. I'd offer to let you play mine, but I don't have a Skylark. I have an '83 Electrum, a '76 Series 1 on the way from L.A., and a custom Further being built. If you decide on the Skylark, keep an eye on this site. Used ones come up every once in a while, and more often than on eBay.
Bill, the guitar one
Thanks for response Bill! I have had the good fortune to play one briefly, awhile back. I was blown away. I've been a Les Paul guy up till now, but decided it's time to take the leap. Doesn't hurt that I'm a big Dead fan I suppose. I'll be watching for an used one.
Oh, and I will most definately go up north to see what they have. Might just blow off a day at work next week even....
Not sure if you are familiar with Vintage Guitar magazine, but a dealer called Lizard On a Leash Music has run an ad for a used Skylark for the past several months. The ad reads as follows:
Alembic Skylark, Sunburst. Active electronics. Jerry sound! Used - HSC. $2500.00. phone number is (310)306-3437, email at kbrown@mandkconsultant.com (mailto:kbrown@mandkconsultant.com).
I've been tempted to call on this several times as it appears from their ad they are willing to deal some. However, I'm not the biggest fan of sunburst and $2500 seems about $500 too high. If you are interested, you might want to give them a call. By the way, I had the pleasure of playing a Skylark for the first time about 4 months ago at a dealer in Northeast Ohio. It sounded and played better than any guitar I've ever had in my hands. Good luck!!
Thanks!
I would agree with honky lips, 2500 is a bit steep. Maybe they will bargain. I also agree that sunbusrts is not my particular favorite. I sold one at ~2000 that was in mint shape not long ago, so you may wish to hold out.
Orion's may be a bit more common, and should not be discounted for their comparatively simple electronics. They are sweet little guitars.
The new Vintage Guitar Mag showed up in my mail Saturday. Lizard on a Leash Music has dropped the price of their Skylark to an even $2k. See contact info in my previous post. Thought I would pass that along as there seems to be tons of interest in used Skylarks lately (combined with a bunch of non-motivated eBay Skylark sellers).