| Author | Message | ||
| treader
New Username: treader Post Number: 1 Registered: 4-2009 |
Hi, This is my first post. I bought a nearly unused 1989 Alembic 4-string 6 years ago, without a manual. It has 3 knobs, and one 2-way switch. [Question: Why not a 3-way to use both sets of pickups?] I couldn't find any information in Alembic's Bass Manual link beyond basic use and care instructions. Correct me if I'm wrong, or, if you have any comments or suggestions regarding how you adjust your settings, feel free to reply. I figure there is a Volume, Tone, and Q filter and the switche selects bridge, or neck pickups. It seems, however that the Q filter acts differently on different pickups. I'm primarily a mandolinist, and guitar player, so bass is a stretch for me. I do most of my bass practicing on a nice, but cheap Squier. For recording (in home) I pull out the Alembic, and try to dial in a good sound, but I'm not real consistent, and haven't arrived at a signature sound, because, in a way, all the sounds are good - to great, IMHO,in spite of the tremendous tonal range of the instrument. Also, I'm a little familiar with Q filters, usually using them to broaden or lessen the width around the selected frequency. Are these any different? Sorry for such simplistic questions, but I hope you can clarify for me what's up, or point me to a link where I can get more in-depth information. Thanks, Treader | ||
| cozmik_cowboy
Senior Member Username: cozmik_cowboy Post Number: 459 Registered: 10-2006 |
Welcome to the board, Treader. Your controls are probably volume (just what you'd think), pan (blend between p/ups in place of a selector) low-pass filter frequency (sets a frequency from, IIRC, 350Hz-6KHz, above which it rolls off at 12 dB/octave) & Q switch (off & on for a boost, 8 dB I think, at the cut-off frequency.) The letter in your serial number denotes the model - a chart is here. Descriptions of each model's controls are here. And of course, we'd love it if you posted pictures in the Showcase section. Peter | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 7954 Registered: 5-2002 |
Hi Treader, welcome to the board! From your description it sounds like you probably have an Elan, which is not listed on the page Peter linked (I just haven't done it yet); but Peter's description of the controls is accurate. Volume Pan; you don't have a pickup selector switch, the Pan control pans from full bridge pickup all the way to full neck pickup. Filter; this control adjusts a low-pass filter tunable from about 350Hz - 6KHz. Where you tune the filter is the cutoff frequency. Only frequencies below the cutoff frequency are passed. Q switch; the Q switch is on when you flick it down. When the Q switch is on, it boosts the cutoff frequency of the filter by about 8dB. You can hear the effect by sustaining a note while rotating the filter back and forth when the Q switch is on. You should hear a distinct "wah-wah" sound when rotating back and forth. You won't hear much affect if you flick the switch up and down while sustaining a note since the filter's influence is mostly on the attack of a note. Play a passage you are good at repeating well and try the same frequency setting with the Q switch on and off. Listen to the start of each note to hear what the Q switch does. It's a subtle but musically useful control. [Filter and Q switch descriptions taken from Mica's description of Spoiler controls.] | ||
| 57basstra
Senior Member Username: 57basstra Post Number: 881 Registered: 4-2005 |
Welcome to the club. | ||
| terryc
Senior Member Username: terryc Post Number: 797 Registered: 11-2004 |
Treader..if it's any consolation it took me 6 months of continuous experimentation(when I played my Alembic of course) to master the filters. The higher end Alembics(Series I & II) have three way Q switches and variable sweep controls. The Alembic Q switch is THE most powerful tone control as when applied you can mimic all electric basses. Follow dave's advice and any others that contribute..there is an absolute wealth of valuable information here on this forum. Oh yes welcome to our world. | ||
| treader
New Username: treader Post Number: 2 Registered: 4-2009 |
Hi, Thanks for the warm welcome, and for all the sage advice. The combination of posts here will help immeasurably in figuring out the electronic setup. I can get a great tone - of any kind, by fiddling with the knobs, but now, at least, I'll know what I'm doing. I should have mentioned, I have a 4-string Elan made in 1989. Previously I (being used to the short scales of mandolins and guitars) I bought a short-scale bass that could have had "Bogus" written on the headstock logo, then I played an Elite in 2002 at a jam session on the Big Island. Best bass I'd played up to that point. Immediately I began searching for an Alembic by gooling and bidding on eBay for weeks, but the Google hits were either out of date, or too much money. On eBay I was constantly outbid. Nearly ready to give up, one day I was lucky with a google, as a bass shop in Texas just posted the Elan for sale. Price was right-on! (Sorry, can't remember - about $1500 delivered to Hawaii).I called the nice man at the shop and told him "Sold!" Later he confided in me that he should have thought about it more, and put a much higher price on it. Great for me! It was basically an under-the-bed Elan. Except for the brass darkening somewhat, it was perfect. I moved to Thailand in 2003, and mold and mildew attacked the finish during a recent 6 week trip away from my home, So I had to have it refinished. The guy did an excellent original-looking job for the equivalent of $200! Now the brass is shiny too. I have to re-line the case though, but I've done that myself before, and, and, with a quality black velvet, it should look nicer than original. This might amuse you. Just after I bought it, I took it back to the jam session, and everyone was admiring it, including the Elite owner. One guy, who was also a bass player, while examining it, lifted it up to look at the body, and hoisted the head stock right into the spinning ceiling fan! What a klutz! It totally destroyed the ceiling fan, but not a mark was on the Elan. (It threw it out of tune a little). Later, when I came to Thailand, a professional Thai bass player was examining it, and lifted it up into a steel roll-up door. Klutz! This left a slight mark on the headstock. I immediately decided to buy a Fender Squier for all future jam sessions. The Elan 4 string is a great bass! I have absolutely no plans of buying another, at all. This one completely fills my need for a bass. I've played on 5 and 6 string basses since, and 4 is best for me. The tonal range of the Alembic is nearly impossible to imagine. In the long run the good price I got on the Elan forced me to spend some money for a decent Bass head and Cab. So, I have almost $3,000 invested with the bass an SWR 350 Pro, and a David Eden 2X10. The only thing I might do is add a 2nd bass cab with a 15" speaker, as the SWR seems to be able to over-drive the Eden speakers. Again, thanks for answering my question. Thought I'd add a few details. Also, sorry I didn't respond earlier. I'll check back and see if any of you respond more regularly. Thanks! Treader | ||
| gtrguy
Intermediate Member Username: gtrguy Post Number: 197 Registered: 9-2004 |
Yeah, I would never let anyone handle my basses for that reason. You might try the SWR 4x10 goliath cab instead of the 1x15. I think it moves more air and sounds better overall. Congrats!!! Dave | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 1446 Registered: 6-2002 |
Dave, I'm in your court there, I don't let anyone play my any of my guitars in anything like a gig or jam session. I've let a couple of very good friends whom I trust completely play them at my home. I would dread the thought of anything like Treader's situation happening to my instruments. As for a cab, I've not been a gigging bass player for very long so have not had the pleasure/pain of going through lots of rigs to get an idea of what is good and bad. I went for Mesa because they were the best all round sounding cabs that I was able to try out when I went looking for gear. That said, mine cabs are all Mesa boogie power house and can highly recommend the 4x10 powerhouse or a 1x15 powerhouse cab. I find them both very clear and meaty on the bottom, the 4x10 especially sounds very punchy and warm. I got a 2x10 first then added a 1x15 then only got the 4x10 for a bargain off ebay. The seller had GAS, having bought it new and then changed it because it didn't match the look of his mesa diesel cabs. It was only 6 weeks old, still with the sale ticket on it and for a song...!!! Jazzyvee | ||
| terryc
Senior Member Username: terryc Post Number: 809 Registered: 11-2004 |
Bloody hell!!!..I would have seriously caused them guys damage if they did that to my bass..mind you they say nothing short of drivng a truck over an Alembic destroys them, unless you are unlucky as one poster showed the broken headstock of his Alembic to which they succesfully repaired. | ||
| tmoney61092
Member Username: tmoney61092 Post Number: 93 Registered: 9-2008 |
I suggest the Ampeg SVT-1540 bass cab, it has 4x10 and 1x15, it is incredible( I use it with my Hartke 3500 Mosfet hybrid bass head( which has a low and high pass filters built in!!!!) that it what I would highly suggest, my whole rig was about $900, so not really expensive either. ~Taylor Watrerson | ||
| hg30904
Junior Username: hg30904 Post Number: 16 Registered: 6-2003 |
"Bloody hell!!!..I would have seriously caused them guys damage if they did that to my bass" "Yeah, I would never let anyone handle my basses for that reason." World's finest basses, as we probably all agree. But...they are still only instruments. They can be repaired. They can be replaced. Never love an item. |
