| Author | Message | ||
| scarbee
New Username: scarbee Post Number: 9 Registered: 2-2003 |
Hi, I have nowned owned my Alembic Mark King Signature for 6 months and have tried to adjust it to fix fretbuzz in the middle of the bass. I now have given up. Even if I loosen the truss-rods completely I get fretbuzz even with the lightest touch. If I raise the bridge very high I still get fret buzz. Very depressing. I live in Europe and sending it to alembic in US must cost a fortune. Too bad it went like this. | ||
| groovelines
Member Username: groovelines Post Number: 83 Registered: 4-2003 |
Very sorry to hear that. There was a useful discussion a few months ago regarding truss rod adjustment, it's inside the 'Archived thru June 4 folder' within this area. I don't know if its too late be of any use, but here it is: http://alembic.com/club/messages/393/4623.html?1052553747 good luck, Mike | ||
| scarbee
New Username: scarbee Post Number: 10 Registered: 2-2003 |
Hi Mike, Yeah - saw the topic. I will give it a last chance by letting another bass repair guy look at it. I'm affraid it has a neck twist or something. I use DR-Strings- hi-beam 105-45. I feel so stupid buying such an expensive bass and not being able to use it... There are no Alembic guys in Denmark to go to for help. Originally I had planned to use 90-30 strings to use the bass for Mark King/Stanley Clarke kind of stuff, but I can't even make it work with the 105-45 strings - that's bad! | ||
| jerome
Junior Username: jerome Post Number: 35 Registered: 10-2002 |
I would'nt sell , ship it back to alembic and pay to get it fixed , at least you know it will get done ....... | ||
| groovelines
Member Username: groovelines Post Number: 84 Registered: 4-2003 |
Maybe not in Denamrk, but what about Belgium? If I've been paying attention, Paul (TBO) might know of someone that could help you out with all things Alembic, worth a try, no? Paul, sorry if I spoke out of turn, consider it part of the global pay it forward/good kharma plan... Mike | ||
| muller1007
Junior Username: muller1007 Post Number: 36 Registered: 5-2002 |
Try emailing Edwin van Huik in The Netherlands, who runs the "Bass Connection" bass store in Hilversum. He is a true Alembic connaisseur and official Alembic distributor. I'm sure he'll be able and willing to help you out somehow. bass@connectionbult.com Don't give up yet. Good luck. Duncan | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 1059 Registered: 6-2000 |
I agree with Duncan, contact Edwin. To me it sounds like your bass requires a procedure called a "heat bend" which we can perform for you if you get the bass here. You said you've had the bass 6 months, did you buy it new and what year is the bass? | ||
| scrub
New Username: scrub Post Number: 6 Registered: 7-2003 |
I bought a bass once that was some off brand lowbuck bass, but it was beautiful, neck-through and the wood was an exact match for a Kawai guitar that I had picked up at a pawn shop (the pawn shop sold the Kawai to me for $120 after I convinced them that the electronics were fried...then I took it home and put in a new battery...that Kawai guitar had more knobs and tones than an early Alembic, I think Kawai had peeked inside an Alembic before they made that one, but that's another story). Anyway, this bass developed a buzz problem that would not go away, and it was obvious that it had developed a slight backwards(!) bend, in the lower (towards the head) 1/3 of the neck. I took it to Valley Arts Guitar and they said it needed a heat bend and that they would also have to do some refinishing to the neck after the heat bend. I really didn't want to spend much on a lowbuck bass, so they said they could try a "cold bend" where they clamp the neck in a jig and let it sit for a few months, but they were pretty sure it wouldn't last. I never really played the bass much, I just liked the look of it sitting on stage next to its little sister guitar, so I didn't mind leaving it there for months, and the cold bend was so cheap I figured it was worth a try. I went ahead and had the cold bend done. It was there for 4 or 5 months as I recall, and the neck was fine for maybe 6 months after that, but the warp came back. In the meantime, I had met another luthier who handmade classical guitars and talked to him about it, and he said that a heat bend usually worked fine, but sometimes it didn't work 100% (maybe he was too "gentle"?), and occasionally, it had to be done more than once, before all of the warp was finally eliminated. After the cold bend didn't last, I took it to this luthier to do the heat bend. Once again it was fine for a while (a year or so I think) but once again the warp came back, but not nearly as much as it was before. I would say that the warp which returned after the heat bend was much less than half of the original warp, so the heat bend had done -some- good. Ultimately, rather than do another heat bend, I had him remove the fingerboard and shave the neck a bit and then all was well. Again, some minor refinishing was required. One of the reasons that I opted for the neck shave, was that the bass had a maple fingerboard, but the Kawai guitar had rosewood. Since the fingerboard had to come off for the neck shaving anyway, I had the fingerboard replaced with rosewood. At that time I also installed better pickups, tuning machines, electronics and a Badass bridge. I figured that since I had put it through so much pain, it deserved it. It was really a very nicely behaved bass after that and I used it a lot for practicing. Unfortunately, both it and the Kawai were stolen one night by a burgler who climbed in my kitchen window. I never got either one back. That's my one and only experience with a heat bend, and unfortunately, in that case it didn't work 100%. | ||
| scarbee
Junior Username: scarbee Post Number: 12 Registered: 2-2003 |
Hi all! Thanks for helping me out. I read and studied the setup of the bass and tried it but still got a lof of fretbuzz. I took the bass to an autorized fender repair guy and he looked at it and will try to set it up. We changed the strings from DR Hi-beam 45-105 to Ernie Ball 40-95 set. He thought that the DR steel strings may be to "lively" on the Alembic. He could'nt see any twist but agreed that the D-string paticulary was very buzzy - even with a very soft pick. So let's see next week what happens. | ||
| thebass
Member Username: thebass Post Number: 53 Registered: 3-2003 |
Hi Scarbee, just read this. I had the same problems with my MK STD than you have and started the mentioned thread ("Truss Rod Adjustment ..") above. It took me some time to find out that my MK seems to be "alive" somehow. Sometimes the string action is lower or higher depending a bit on humidity and temperature. The neck geometry is very tall and slim which makes it more sensitive to environmental changes. I guess there is no cure for this and you need to work with it unless you have a high string action where the changes are not noticeable. It's the nature of this instrument and I have learned to use it for my playing. But the buzz should be cureable. First I was using 90-35 HiBeams as well but found that these strings are to thin for the Alembic (they sound great on my MM Sterling). After some experimenting I am using 100-80-60-40 HiBeams now. The playability is the same as the ligther strings on the Sterling and the sound really has balls now. With the fatter strings I was able to lower the action again to approx. 2,5 - 3,0 mm (US: 1/8 inch) measured at the 24th fret without any buzz. If this will also not work consider using the PLEK-Service (www.plek.de) offered by a luthier in Berlin/Germany. He adjusts the neck and frets with a CNC machine to 0,01 mm (0.0004 inch) accuracy and achieves absolutely perfect results. He is the only one in the world offering this. Don't give up, man. It will take some time to get used to this bass. This rose has some thorns as well but the love will be for a lifetime ;-) BTW: If you need help of a luthier please contact Rainer Dobratz (founder of LeFay basses) in Hamburg. He is the next one to Denmark I know of and you may be able to visit him directly. He is literally a bass maniac and knows everything about basses one man could know. He also familiar with Alembic basses and loves them too (second to his own basses of course ;-) Werner | ||
| zitologist
New Username: zitologist Post Number: 5 Registered: 7-2003 |
Scarbee, If the buzz is in the middle of the neck, it is possible that you have too much relief in it. I keep my necks fairly straight,with very little scoop, but that is my personal preference. Another possibility is that you may just have a misbehaving fret or two, and just need to check the levelling. It happens, even on high end basses. I have had trouble with my Epic. In my case the two truss rods don't seem to work equally. If I attempt to match the relief on the B string side to the G string side, the upper truss rod seems to affect the G string side equally, so that it straightens out too much. loosening the rod on the g string side does not compensate for the dominant truss rod. Also, it is a fretless, and it definately had high spots straight out of the factory. I had the fingerboard levelled, and now I can set the action low and get a uniform growl over the entire surface. Moral: even an Alembic can be twitchy. It's kind of like a Harley Davidson motorcycle. For those who love them, there is no other bike, even if it has some quirks. | ||
| bigredbass
Intermediate Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 135 Registered: 9-2002 |
I simply refuse to believe that nowhere in the EU resides anyone who cannot get a neck straight, the frets level, the nut and bridge heights correct on an ALEMBIC. If I can maintain my five-string SPOILER, it could certainly be done by a QUALIFIED guitar tech. While a green (newly-built) bass still may have some further 'settling-in' to do, I would NEVER EVER consider selling a bass because it buzzes in the middle of the neck ! This is the kind of problem that's just too easy for someone qualified to fix. As a reason to dump a bass on a scale of one to ten, this is an 89. A laminated neck, slab-ebony fingerboard, dual truss rod, adjustable nut and bridge instrument is way too easy to control for someone who knows what they're doing. It's VERY easy to throw out of control for someone who doesn't know. ALEMBICs are like race cars: Small changes in the wrong place EASILY throw the balance off. It's easy to spin off into the tire barriers ! While wood is vexing because of the variation from piece to piece, as Mica says," it WILL dawn on the wood it's NOT a tree any more" and it will settle down, IF that has ANYTHING to do with this particular axe. Now, if you're just aggravated and NOTHING is going to calm you down UNTIL you get rid of it, so be it. But believe me, you're making a big mistake without first having a good guitar tech go over this instrument. Best of Luck, J o e y | ||
| mattheus
Junior Username: mattheus Post Number: 34 Registered: 5-2003 |
Never give up. Neck problems with an Alembic can't be too difficult. But don't let some unexperienced repairman fool around with it. To be sure, go to Alembic. Otherwise, perhaps Holland is near enough. I know a few guys here who can do an excellent repair and tuning/adjusting job. Or, even better, contact the Bass Connection in Hilversum. Edwin, the owner, himself is also built by Alembic (at least I think so) and he can give you a good advice or help you in another way. Good luck, Mattheus tDo | ||
| scarbee
Junior Username: scarbee Post Number: 13 Registered: 2-2003 |
Thanks again. It's soon Thursday and I am curious to see if it has been improved. I will go a long way now to make it work - afterall I looked at this bass for 4 years wanting to get it! I will contact Edwin van Huik in The Netherlands if I need to. PS. I managed to restore and sample a Fender Rhodes and now George Duke is playing it - so I don't give up so easily! Right now I am restoring a Wurlitzer 200A and will sample this too. If anyone is interested go to mt website at www.scarbee.com | ||
| scrub
Junior Username: scrub Post Number: 12 Registered: 7-2003 |
WOW! Scarbee, what a great way to make some money! Brisa Scarbee is awesome. It's amazing what a good wizard can do with samples today. Speaking of the Rhodes; I used to have one of the original cast-iron Boss Chorus stompboxes. One day, it blew up, so I got another one. Then one night I opened up the broken one, and there was a resistor that had exploded. So I cut out the blown resistor and soldered in a jumper across it. MAN! Now my chorus was the most awesome distortion! I mean it sounded really good. One night in recording, a keyboard player wanted a chorus for his Rhodes, so as a joke I gave him the hacked chorus/distortion. He loved it! His Rhodes sounded like Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top). He liked it so much, he stole that box from me. (It was okay, I stole it from someone else.) Something about the tone bars in a Rhodes just goes good with distortion. And now, since I have seen your site and I see what you do, I have a suggestion for something for you to find and sample: The Hohner Clavinet! Ever since I was corrupted by Billy Preston I just can't get the funk on without a Clavinet in the mix. I even did some homework for you: A page about buying a used Clav. http://www.melmusic.com.au/articles/Clav.html A page with some real audio of Clavs - including a chunk of Billy Preston's Outta Space; using a Clav with a Wah-Wah! Oh yea baby! It just don't get funkier than that! It's better than Porno Movie Funk! (Yes, I am a freak, when most people see a porno, they're paying attention to the funk on screen, while I'm checking out the funk coming from the speakers.) http://www.gti.net/junebug/clavinet/sounds.html (click the link at the bottom to get to a good Clav page) | ||
| scarbee
Junior Username: scarbee Post Number: 14 Registered: 2-2003 |
Hey Scrub, The Clav will be just after the Wurlitzer - it will be a nightmare though, because the output is very quiet - and noisy! But - yes it is very sexy instrument... Check out the "demoes" in the menu - lots of bass and Rhodes demoes - all done by midi. It's fun doing bass like this - and you actually learn new stuff in a funny way. | ||
| jake
Junior Username: jake Post Number: 36 Registered: 3-2003 |
it seems to me, that if you've only had the bass for 6 months, and that the neck is so f*cked up already, alembic should take it back and fix it for free. | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 1078 Registered: 6-2000 |
Jake, I'm not sure from scarbee's posts if the bass he bought was new or used (scarbee - can you clarify?). If you check my response to his original post, you'll see where I did offer to repair his bass. | ||
| jake
Junior Username: jake Post Number: 37 Registered: 3-2003 |
ok, good. sorry for sounding annoyed. i didnt see. | ||
| scrub
Junior Username: scrub Post Number: 14 Registered: 7-2003 |
You know, speaking of Hohner, I thought I would mention that my very first bass was a Hohner. Not Hofner, Hohner - as in harmonicas and Clavinets. The bass was a true freak; the neck was a copy of a Fender Telecaster bass neck, but the body was a copy of a Telecaster guitar body! I don't mean it was a large version of a Tele guitar body, it was the same size as a Tele guitar body. Big neck, small body. I've never seen another like it. I remember I traded an Applause guitar (plastic guitar with machined aluminum neck - HORRIBLE) and $60 and got the bass new, with a gig bag, strap and a 1/4" cable. I was 16 years old (I'm 42 now). | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 536 Registered: 9-2002 |
HI there "I'm back" (as i say my Alembic bass smashing through a door and grinning through the hole). I was out to bring my daughter to Finland (Turku) where she'll finish (ha) her law-studies (well ...6 months of them). Anyway. About that neck thing. When I entered this club about a year ago (I missed all the Yahoo-fun) I wrote in a thread somewhere that "the thing is alive". To be honest" I have my S2 5str about 7 years now. I have to "fine-tune" the neck 4 times a year at least!!!! However!!! I admit that this happened BEFORE I read HOW TO DO IT PROPERLY. What was indicated by Brothers as Bob and Joey (mainly Joey) who has written a procedure that can be considered as a "Standard Thread" in how to adjust a neck. It's rfeally "step-by-step". When I started to follow that (WITH the feelers) I AGAIN made the mistake to try it QUICK. Brother: It doesn't work "quick". Now -after doing tiny-teeny-weeny-ytsy-pytsy tweakings- an regular basis my bass is SLOWLY getting to a stable neck that feels comfortable and STAYS comfortable. I don't blame it to Alembic. Mica once said to : "it will take some time but after some years the tree will be convinced he's a guitar now!!!" Please: be patient! Do it slowly and gives the guitar weeks to adjust. It IS temperature/humidity sensitive and here in Europe (II passed Denmark 4 days ago) the climat is A LOT different than in that far away california. It mujst be taken in account. So I guess it will ends up with tiny season-adjustments I guess. Paul the bad one (also a sequel) |
