| Author | Message | ||
| white_cloud
Senior Member Username: white_cloud Post Number: 544 Registered: 11-2007 |
Obviously when you buy into the Alembic brand you are purchasing the perfect combination of breathtaking woodworking and incredible electrics - but which of these two factors would you say excites you more??? Come on folks, lets hear you - exotic wood or electrics???? (we all know you got both but hey, its a bit of fun!) What turns you on more???? | ||
| new2alembic
Intermediate Member Username: new2alembic Post Number: 115 Registered: 9-2008 |
Alembic guitars and basses are beautiful works of art. The woods are incredible, but others can find and use exotic woods. The sounds might be imitated but never duplicated. My vote is for the electrics. Carl | ||
| u14steelgtr
Member Username: u14steelgtr Post Number: 93 Registered: 7-2003 |
It is always the electronics and not the wood that drives the desire for Alembics. My alembic is dull/bland to look at. -- Eugene | ||
| pierreyves
Advanced Member Username: pierreyves Post Number: 313 Registered: 11-2006 |
THE Alembic sound provide from woods AND electronics, I vote for both combination ! | ||
| 3rd_ray
Intermediate Member Username: 3rd_ray Post Number: 152 Registered: 2-2008 |
I vote for the woods, but only because I'm kind of a minimalist when it comes to electronics. Other luthiers use the same woods, but they don't necessarily use them in the same way. So when I say I vote for the woods, it's more of a vote for the woodworking. Mike | ||
| pclifton2004
Junior Username: pclifton2004 Post Number: 30 Registered: 4-2004 |
Of those choices, electronics. But if you modified 'wood' to include 'shape/style' I go 60/40 for aesthetics over electronics. And I can qualify that opinion - put Series II electronics in Fender Precision, it still wouldn't be to my taste. Put emgs in a Standard Point or Small Alembic body though, and I would happily parade it before the world. I guess I am shallow lol | ||
| mike1762
Intermediate Member Username: mike1762 Post Number: 197 Registered: 1-2008 |
Electronics... Several vendor's woodwork approaches that of Alembic, but the electronics are truly unique. | ||
| white_cloud
Senior Member Username: white_cloud Post Number: 545 Registered: 11-2007 |
For me its always the woodwork that excites me - probably because woodworking is my passion! Pclifton - you are not shallow at all...I totally agree with your sentiments! | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 2105 Registered: 3-2004 |
I have always said that it is the electronics that make Alembic instruments unique. Alembic is second to none with their construction and materials, but they are clearly number one when it comes to the guts of the instrument. -bob | ||
| jacko
Senior Member Username: jacko Post Number: 2032 Registered: 10-2002 |
Alembic started out in electronics so the wordworking should come second but they're so nice to look at and hold. Can't choose so I'll vote for the sum of the parts. Graeme | ||
| keavin
Senior Member Username: keavin Post Number: 1529 Registered: 12-2002 |
alembic has produced some very sofisticated electronic packages as well as some very delicious looking samiches,so with me it's a 50-50 split! | ||
| dddavison
Junior Username: dddavison Post Number: 12 Registered: 12-2007 |
The wood and super cool body styles first attracted me to Alembic basses. So my vote is for the wood. | ||
| keavin
Senior Member Username: keavin Post Number: 1530 Registered: 12-2002 |
this six string has an awsome electronic setup  this pic is club member rory's alembic collection, however he sold this beautiful custom six string shortly after having it built to purchase a conklin seven string!!! (Message edited by keavin on December 16, 2008) | ||
| white_cloud
Senior Member Username: white_cloud Post Number: 547 Registered: 11-2007 |
Wow - very very nice collection! I just love wood so much, the touch/feel, the individual character of each piece - gorgeous and unpredictable material. When you read the wood bank section here at the club and see so many members enthusing over the choice available I guess a lot of members agree with me! For the record I believe the Alembic electrics to be the absolute pinnacle...Ron is a genius (although I am sure he would not admit to THAT title!) | ||
| terryc
Senior Member Username: terryc Post Number: 652 Registered: 11-2004 |
For me it is both, they are musical pieces of fine furniture with the best tranducers and pre amps on the planet. | ||
| bassman68
Member Username: bassman68 Post Number: 68 Registered: 10-2007 |
To me, Alembic established themselves making custom circuits. When i think of Alembic, it's the tone, the combination of exquisit woods & comprehensive eq ( the entire package ). So i'd have to sit on the fence & say both! | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 1297 Registered: 6-2002 |
I agree with bassman68 that its the whole package I go for. I'd love to get a series bass but I don't really take to the large body style of the series basses on four string basses, to me they look a bit overweight. The Epic does not appeal to me and nor did the Excel until I saw a pic of one with what looked like a coco bolo top that looked gorgeous and very tempting. If money wasn't in the equation I'd go for Series electronics in an SC, Europa or Elan or even Orion body style would be my favourite choices. For the six string bass the Series Omega styles start to come into their own but i don't think I need a 6 stringer at this point in time. As for woods, I love the look of Coco Bolo best and other darker woods with contrasting sandwich slices. I'd love to see an alembic bass with a very dark and streaky madagascar ebony top. Saying that if a series bass came around at the right price then I don't think I would really worry too much about the shape. Alembics are quite beautiful works of art that you can use and have great sounds and electronics. | ||
| mike1762
Intermediate Member Username: mike1762 Post Number: 198 Registered: 1-2008 |
Hey Keavin I'm sitting here playing Rory's old Maple Series I (back left in the pic). | ||
| 3rd_ray
Intermediate Member Username: 3rd_ray Post Number: 157 Registered: 2-2008 |
Can I vote again? I've had a new MK Deluxe for almost a week now, and I've been playing around with the sounds and comparing it to my other basses. I found that if I crank up the treble on the bass and the amp and let go of the strings, all of my basses put out a high pitched buzz... except the Alembics are dead silent. I have Signature electronics, Europa electronics, and Excel electronics. On the basses that buzz, some are worse than others. Does anyone know what makes them buzz? Anyway, I'm pretty much sold on the Alembic electronics now. That's a huge difference. Mike | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 2034 Registered: 6-2002 |
Mike - basically Alembic just shields the electronics the proper way. There's no magic, it's not at all expensive, and you wonder why other manufacturers don't. | ||
| white_cloud
Senior Member Username: white_cloud Post Number: 549 Registered: 11-2007 |
Mike, of course you can vote again - it is a mbass players perogative after all! Congrats on the new MK Deluxe..happy Xmas  | ||
| 3rd_ray
Intermediate Member Username: 3rd_ray Post Number: 158 Registered: 2-2008 |
Adriaan, I was thinking about this some more... you're right about the shielding, but I think the low pass filters might have something to do with it too. Anything above 6kHz on the Alembic gets rolled-off by the filter. The cut-off on the other basses must be a lot higher. Mike | ||
| hendixclarke
Advanced Member Username: hendixclarke Post Number: 340 Registered: 6-2007 |
Wood is the soul and spirit, where electronics are the rational -- the logical reasoning of sound. The spirit is of God, directly. Logic/reasoning = Free will. As an wise Owl knows for himself, The wood is king. | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 2035 Registered: 6-2002 |
Mike - now if you had said "hiss" instead of "buzz" ... There's the roll-off starting at 6kHz, but there's also quite a bit of a BOOST around the roll-off frequency, which would accentuate any hiss. Remember that a hiss doesn't really have any single frequency, in fact it has a wide range. Another big factor is of course the quality of the components! | ||
| 3rd_ray
Intermediate Member Username: 3rd_ray Post Number: 159 Registered: 2-2008 |
Hiss! I couldn't think of that word yesterday I'm not that great at describing sounds. Mike | ||
| jacko
Senior Member Username: jacko Post Number: 2037 Registered: 10-2002 |
"I'm not that great at describing sounds" reminds me of a couple of old guys sitting in their nursing home having a discussion.. "It's Whoooom!" says one. "nope - it's Whuuurrruumm!" says the other. "actually it's womb" says the young nurse. to which one of the old guys says " how the hell do you know what a charging elephant sounds like"? Graeme ;-) | ||
| bkbass
Intermediate Member Username: bkbass Post Number: 192 Registered: 11-2003 |
In response to the wood/electronics question, I believe it to be the synergy of both. The high frequency hiss could very well be the grounding in the house wiring. Make sure the grounding cable is bright and tight against clean pipe. | ||
| hydrargyrum
Senior Member Username: hydrargyrum Post Number: 424 Registered: 3-2004 |
Take the electronics out of an Alembic, and it is no longer an Alembic (IMHO). Drop Alembic electronics into a non-Alembic, and it becomes Alembicised into something more than it was. I think that answers the question from my perspective. Stunning as the woodworking may be, it was the introduction of studio quality tone-shaping in the guts of the guitar that really set Alembic apart. | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 3437 Registered: 7-2004 |
Remember, modifying other instruments with Alembic guts came before Alembic instruments. Bill, tgo |
