| Author | Message | ||
| sonofa_lembic
Junior Username: sonofa_lembic Post Number: 18 Registered: 5-2014 |
Maybe it is age. Maybe it is from experience. Or maybe it is from just plain laziness, but I have found myself using a Spoiler or Essence predominantly on live gigs these days. I felt a discussion on the merits of Alembic's simpler bass circuitry is long overdue. Many perspective Alembic buyers/collectors shy away from what they perceive as inferior circuits found in the more affordable instruments. This may be the biggest mistake for the working player who wants true Alembic tone without the hassle. There is nothing inferior or of lesser tonal quality where the simpler Alembic circuits are concerned. A top of the line Series II circuit is a wonderful thing to behold, but the Spoiler circuit can offer just as many positives. Plug and play simplicity is a strong one in my mind. Another is battery life. How about the fact that you can make on the fly adjustments to your tone with only one switch and one tone knob? These are all qualities I treasure as a busy working musician. Does the lowly Spoiler circuit suffer from lack of tonal possibilities? Not really. You may not have quite the wide range of variation that a Series II provides, but you still have a huge range to play with, and what you do have is 100% usable. I don't need a circuit to mimic the quack of a duck or the sound of Godzilla taking a dump. Just to sound like the best bass in the World. In the real world of live performance, an Essence or Spoiler circuit is exactly the tone you want. It cuts through, is full, and you always know it is an Alembic. Ron Wickersham never cuts corners, and he put just as much love and science into the more basic circuitry to insure a quality Alembic caliber sound and product. The long and short of it is, never turn your nose up at two knobs, a switch and a pickup selector. You would be missing out on what a 35 year career as a bassist has taught me…simple ain't so bad. Oh, and just in case you are thinking of taking me to school on Alembic electronics, I have been there and done that having owned about 50 Alembics with just about every circuitry combination you can think of. Just remember, every Alembic circuit is a work of art and a technical marvel, and all are worthy of your acceptance. | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 3844 Registered: 5-2009 |
Trevor , Yes , agreed ! I love my Series I&II BUT my Distillate and Essence are also loved very much. I actually play them quite a bit . I concur with your statements . I love them all . | ||
| terryc
Senior Member Username: terryc Post Number: 2283 Registered: 11-2004 |
Trevor..I agree although I have one more filter and Q switch than you it is more than enough!. There are so many posts on this forum about what setting you use as well, it gets a bit anal for me at times! And remember it is all about the playing as well, the position of the plucking hand, the dynamics etc. I have more than enough tone without too much stress of which knob(s) should I adjust for this song..oh hell too late, they have already finished it! | ||
| flpete1uw
Senior Member Username: flpete1uw Post Number: 428 Registered: 11-2011 |
Trevor, Man I was just thinking this last night when I was restringing my Series 1. I Love this Bass but when it comes down to it I pick up my Distillate. Which is essentially a Spoiler with 2 extra tone switches. I struggle with my Series slender taper 30" neck with a ton of maple in getting the lows sounding right. When I finally get it its great. However the Distillate just nails it every time with little effort so I can concentrate (Which I really need to do ;)) on what I'm playing. Good Post and something that's been on my mind for a while now as well. Peace, Pete | ||
| keith_h
Senior Member Username: keith_h Post Number: 2129 Registered: 2-2005 |
I've always thought the Europa was a great performance bass due to its single filter and quick tone change switches. I've also found with my EMW fretless Orion I generally get the bass and treble controls set and then forget them. If I make any tonal changes after that it is generally with the filter and Q-switch. Then again I am not really a tweaker so even on my V/V/F/F basses I generally set it an forget it using the Q-switches for quick tonal changes. Keith | ||
| growlypants
Intermediate Member Username: growlypants Post Number: 112 Registered: 3-2011 |
I have only owned 1 Alembic Bass, unlike most of you on this forum. But I'm absolutely astounded by the wide tonal range of possibilities... and it's not even a Series bass! Good post, Trevor!! | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 4362 Registered: 6-2002 |
I agree the standard Europa electronics are the easiest of all of my basses to utilise live even though I'm pretty adept with two filters now. Like Terry reminds us, there is a lot of tone available from choosing where to pluck the strings even without moving the controls. That said there are times when I use that bass and reach for a second filter to get a sound that isn't there. | ||
| briant
Senior Member Username: briant Post Number: 691 Registered: 12-2004 |
My Essence is the only bass that comes to gigs 99% of the time. It sounds like heavenly thunder and I can very quickly make massive adjustments to the tone with just the filter and pickup balance. Hard to believe I've had it for nearly 4 years already. | ||
| sonofa_lembic
Junior Username: sonofa_lembic Post Number: 20 Registered: 5-2014 |
Tonal variation for me comes into play in two situations. "Jaco" or "Marcus", and adjusting the bass to the venue. Most of the time I can set the bass for "Marcus" and get through the entire night with never touching any controls again. My main adjustments are during sound check. I have to assess the room for its acoustic properties, and then adjust the bass and or F2B to optimize what will be heard out in the audience. Like many of you have concurred, the simple circuits are usually spot on for tone, so very little tweaking if any is involved. On the rare occasion when I play at a club with metal walls, (Amigos in Ventura comes to mind), I have to take into account the echo factor and edginess, so I will try to keep the extreme highs and lows out of the mix. In most other situations, the tone is all the way up, the Q switch is off, and I am ready to go to work. | ||
| sonofa_lembic
Junior Username: sonofa_lembic Post Number: 21 Registered: 5-2014 |
Trevor Lindsey's Latest Quiver. Mostly Simple Circuit Basses.  | ||
| flpete1uw
Senior Member Username: flpete1uw Post Number: 429 Registered: 11-2011 |
Trevor, That's freaking awesome! Simplicity at its best! Pete | ||
| sonofa_lembic
Junior Username: sonofa_lembic Post Number: 22 Registered: 5-2014 |
I knows what I likes! | ||
| hieronymous
Senior Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 1436 Registered: 1-2005 |
So, I wrote what ended up being a VERY long post, went to post it, and… the site was down! Fortunately I was able to save it. Basically I wanted to share some recent thoughts on this subject, very much in agreement with Sonofa_lembic assessment of some of the “simpler” Alembics. Here it is: I am very fortunate in that I've been able to own/be a caretaker for a variety of Alembic electronics varieties. My first was a 32" Spoiler, the doubleneck is Series I, my Stanley Clarke 5-string started out Signature, now it's Anniversary. Plus, I have two Activator-equipped Fenders - the Telembic has a standard P, my AlFeMbic is PJ with the 3-position Q-switch added. I got some great trebly sounds with the Spoiler, though in my limited use of it with a band I wasn't 100% happy with the low end, though I think it is because of lack of experience that I later acquired. I will say that I have never gotten that punchy yet snappy sound with any of my other Alembics. One of my theories about the seeming lack of bottom end is this: Alembic pickups give a much more even and balanced frequency response than classic passive pickups - traditional pickups have a very colored sound - think P-bass with that midrange bump that is often perceived as low-end. Two pickup basses like the Jazz or Rickenbacker 4001 give a more scooped sound with clearer high-end and seemingly-boosted bass. I think this is what many think of as an "Alembic sound." But an Alembic pickup doesn't lack bass - it's just giving a much more accurate picture of the whole range of the sound instead of coloring the sound. That's what the filter is for! Well, amp/outboard preamp too. So one approach is to take just the neck pickup, no Q boost, filter set all the way open. Adjust your amp/outboard preamp to boost the bass - the frequencies are there, they just need to be brought out. If you subtract some midrange you get even more pronounced bass, just need to turn up a bit louder! ;) This is actually the simple Alembic circuit - it's in every filter-equipped Alembic, from Spoiler to Series II. With no Q-boost, you can adjust the filter to cut off wherever you like - way low for a flatwound kind of sound, around the midrange for some more growl, wide open for some more clang or snap. One thing I discovered with my two Activated basses is that the Q switch is very useful, because it allows you to have no Q! On my Telembic with the one P-pickup, it sounds great with the Q boosted (hardwired at +9!) in the low frequencies, but if you set your amp to that and want to change the filter frequency, then you are losing the low end that you were boosting so the sound will be a lot thinner. That's why I like to let the preamp/amp do the bass-boosting, so that I am free to adjust the Q without affecting the bass. Maybe we can think of it as a no-Q mode of thinking. With my AlFeMbic which has a 3-position Q-switch (+0/+6/+9), I use this approach and can go from fat flatwound P to a grindier midrange P to mid-scooped PJ, with high end or without. If I REALLY want some high end, I can set the Q-switch to +6 and boost one of the higher frequencies. I have to admit, I do love the sheen of the highest range on the Alembic pickups - the bright switch on the F-2B really brings it out! And this is all with what I consider a "simpler" Alembic setup. The key is NOT using the Q boost. Just let the pickup sense the strings in a balanced way, but cut off where you like, where you want to emphasize something. The sound I used to go to for with my Anniversary-equipped (the closest you can get to Series without being Series) Stanley Clarke was this: Q-boost the low frequency I like (that I have found with my Activated basses) with the neck pickup, then blend in the bridge pickup for the midrange/high end boost I want, in my mind with the Q boosted here as well. This would presumably give me the midscooped sound that I like in a Jazz or Rick. But at some point, due to a comment from Mica that she likes the single pickup setup, I've just been using the neck pickup the way I described above for the no-Q mode. And so far I love it! In a way, it feels like maybe I'm not taking advantage of the potential power of the bass, but I have been so happy with it this way - sometimes it almost gets that P-Bass growl, or I can go super-deep. Actually, I am a fairly recent convert to the flatwound sound - I have several basses strung with them - and I feel like I have found it in this bass, though I have the potential to get the roundwound sound too, since it is still strung with rounds. Reading back through this essay (!!!) that I wrote, I guess I am saying this - Sonofa_lembic is right, the "simpler" Alembics are incredible instruments in their own right, even if they don't allow all the options of some of the more "advanced" electronics packages. But part of me wishes that my Stanley Clarke was prepped for Series - I am realizing that the variable Q is actually an intriguing idea - it allows you to explore the more subtle area of a lower Q-boost, like +3, that isn't available in Series I/Anniversary/Signature models... | ||
| sonofa_lembic
Junior Username: sonofa_lembic Post Number: 23 Registered: 5-2014 |
Yes, the wonderful Alembic "sheen". I have found exactly what you describe. No Q gives that great low end mixed with just the highest of highs for an amazing sparkle. I do often use my Q switch live if I am trying to be heard in an acoustically challenging venue, but my preference is no Q. Variable Q is the best way to go, but so far I have only had it with a Series II circuit. Maybe something to consider as an addition to the simpler circuits??? | ||
| hieronymous
Senior Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 1437 Registered: 1-2005 |
Wow - that is an incredible array of Alembics! Awesome! "Sheen" sounds good to me - it's not what I'm after at this time, but love to know that it is out there within reach via of Alembic! | ||
| adriaan
Moderator Username: adriaan Post Number: 3182 Registered: 6-2002 |
Pretty sure it would be a fairly simple conversion to your Anniversary package to have 3 position Q switches with 0, 3 and 6 dB settings. Had the same thing done to my Spoiler, and it took the Q boost, which at 8 dB sounded harsh to my ears, into useable territory (for me). With the filter wide open, the 3 dB boost indeed adds a wonderful sheen, and the 6 dB some shimmer. So indeed even 3 dB increases are already pretty subtle. The other modification was even more significant though - adding a pan pot. Master volume and a pickup switch is just plain crude, at least to me. I will be acquainting myself with CVQs in the near future, but that deserves another thread.  | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 4363 Registered: 6-2002 |
From personal experience the CVQ is a great asset and most of my use of it is very subtle, rarely open as far as 1/4 of it's range unless I'm want to use those wonderful hollow nasally tones you can get in the higher positions. I'm sure I've seen documented on the forum somewhere that Ron will not approve alembic putting CVQ on any bass other than a series II. So you may be thwarted in getting alembic to do this for you. | ||
| edwardofhuncote
Intermediate Member Username: edwardofhuncote Post Number: 150 Registered: 6-2014 |
New Years resolution - sometime this year, I'm hoping to expand my experience with the Alembic electronics from the simple Volume/Pan/Filter/3-pos Q of my Persuader, to Signature electronics. I'm *still* amazed at the tonal possibilities available with the aforementioned, but if one filter is awesome, I can't help but believe two filters would be at least one and a half times better. =) | ||
| wfmandmusic
Intermediate Member Username: wfmandmusic Post Number: 151 Registered: 1-2012 |
Trevor, hmmm, seems like you are missing a Distillate. I know where you can get one.... | ||
| sonofa_lembic
Junior Username: sonofa_lembic Post Number: 29 Registered: 5-2014 |
With the $15K bass in the picture, it may be a few before I can swing the Distillate, but I never say never. I am always working on acquiring my next Alembic. | ||
| gearhed289
Junior Username: gearhed289 Post Number: 36 Registered: 5-2004 |
I've got an '86, 34'' scale Distillate, and I really like the control layout. I DO want to change the pickup selector to a pan knob though. So many tonal options missing with just a switch... I like simple. I haven't found myself using the Q switch much. Bass switch is always in boost mode, and I've been experimenting with using the treble boost (usually set flat) instead of the Q switch. It sounds SO much like my Ric sometimes it's freaky! On the flip side to simple - I recently acquired a SF-2 Superfilter. What a BEAST! Two channels of CVQ and then some. I'm honestly having a hard time seeing the need for 2 channels, but experimentation continues. =) I'm currently running my Ric 4003S with HB1 humbuckers through it to great effect. | ||
| glocke
Senior Member Username: glocke Post Number: 1008 Registered: 9-2002 |
I've owned a Series I and a Series II, and a SCSD all at the same time. Currently, I only have the SCSD, sold the series basses over the past couple of years. While the Series basses sound incredible, I've found that all of my tonal needs are met with the SCSD. Add in a SF2 and the possibilities are endless. Even without the SF2 I feel that all my tonal needs are met with the SD electronics. | ||
| sonofa_lembic
Junior Username: sonofa_lembic Post Number: 45 Registered: 5-2014 |
The Superfilter is basically like having a Series II circuit on steroids. I remember when Alembic was first prototyping the SF2. I begged Susan and Ron to make them available to the public. It took a few years, but they finally did it, and I was likely one of the first people to buy one. It is a great tool for getting the most out of any bass, and it gives you total control of your tone so that you can dial in to any venue or recording situation. | ||
| flpete1uw
Senior Member Username: flpete1uw Post Number: 449 Registered: 11-2011 |
Agreed, the Superfilter breathed new life into my Distiilate and brought low end into my Short Scale lots of Maple Series 1. I'm a huge Fan of simple, especially when I know it's going to be a long night. My Distillate is still the Bass I go with just for that reason. Simple! One filter and quick tone switches makes for effortless tone changes. However when all the Stars are aligned and I've had enough time to practice and dial in the tones a Series is untouchable. With that said, a Series and a SF-2 is 4 filters. And when a 1/16 of a turn generates huge tonal differences it can get a bit distracting when performing. However I'm working on it. ;-) | ||
| rv_bass
New Username: rv_bass Post Number: 1 Registered: 2-2015 |
I agree with keith_h. After about a month or so I found the tone I like, now I rarely tweak it and just use the Q-switch when needed. Rob |
