| Author | Message | ||
| basso
New Username: basso Post Number: 1 Registered: 3-2004 |
Hi everyone,just got my first alembic,she's a Eic 5 string,made in 95 i believe,i very pleased with it,just a few things maybe you could help me with,what is the small pot inside cavity on the the bass control for?are you supposed to touch this,or is it factory set,i can't see any setup/action info,it plays well,but if i change strings i might need to adjust the neck,what action can/should i expect,thanks,guys.  | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 1169 Registered: 9-2002 |
Hi Brother Julian, welcome to the club. You're in very good company in the UK believe me! (Where's that AUKC gathering goin'on???) About your technical questions ...there ARE answers here on the club. Alembics are VERY easy to set up. As well the neck as the bridge or the nut. Some brothers and sisters are VERY good at it and I would plead to become your own technician. The piece of advice I would give you: work SLOW, with tiny-teeny-weeny adjustments. An Alembic is responsive in all the menaings of that word! It's a VERY nice bass BTW!!!! Paul the bad one | ||
| davehouck
Senior Member Username: davehouck Post Number: 442 Registered: 5-2002 |
Hi Julian, welcome to the group. I posted an earlier response but somehow it disappeared. That's a very nice looking top wood on your bass; I'm guessing it's Walnut. If you are talking about the little blue box with the whilte dial in the control cavity, that is a gain control with which you can adjust the amount of signal going to your amp. It has no effect on tone except that if you turn it all the way up it may overdrive some amps. Generally, you can set the geometry up for just about any action you want. There are a number of detailed posts in this group on adjusting the truss rods, bridge and nut. Here's a couple of them: http://alembic.com/club/messages/393/7798.html http://alembic.com/club/messages/393/4623.html And here's the owner's manual: http://www.alembic.com/support/care.html | ||
| bracheen
Advanced Member Username: bracheen Post Number: 296 Registered: 11-2003 |
Hello Julian, welcome. Very nice bass! I have a 4 string Epic. The trim pot in the electronics cavity is for pick up gain. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. It is set from the factory but you can make some adjustments if it suits you. Sam | ||
| bassman10096
Advanced Member Username: bassman10096 Post Number: 221 Registered: 7-2003 |
Welcome Julian! Nice bass. Glad you dropped in... Bill | ||
| the_mule
Junior Username: the_mule Post Number: 27 Registered: 1-2004 |
Hello Julian, very nice bass, I love the walnut top. It's the wood I prefer anyway, and not only because my Orion has a Walnut top (but it helps I guess). | ||
| senmen
Advanced Member Username: senmen Post Number: 234 Registered: 7-2003 |
Hey Julian, welcome to the club and great that you posted a pic. Otherwise you had been heavily requested to do so. Have fun with your new bass. Oliver (Spyderman) | ||
| basso
New Username: basso Post Number: 3 Registered: 3-2004 |
Hey guys,how nice to be welcomed so well into the Alembic club,thankyou all very much for the reply's,and all the great info,yes it is a walnut top,it has such a nice grain showing,it sounds amazing,at the moment it is strung with M/Miller signature strings,they need to be changedsoon,and i am thinking maybe of Elixers,but any info would be great,thanks again to all of you,Julian.  | ||
| bracheen
Advanced Member Username: bracheen Post Number: 297 Registered: 11-2003 |
Asking for a string recommendation will get you as many answers as there are people asked. I just put a set of Dean Markley Blue Steels on mine and love them. I've not had any string loyalty up till now but think I'll stick with these. Sam | ||
| mint_bass
Member Username: mint_bass Post Number: 59 Registered: 1-2004 |
welcome welcome your epic looks great i to live in the uk and have an epic mine is a 97 and has a bubinga top i got her from the bass centre in manchester i have not adjusted mine so cant help you there im afraid but welcome to the club | ||
| goatfoot
Junior Username: goatfoot Post Number: 18 Registered: 12-2003 |
duplicate post deleted. (Message edited by goatfoot on March 15, 2004) | ||
| goatfoot
Junior Username: goatfoot Post Number: 19 Registered: 12-2003 |
Hi Jullian, I have a 5 string Custom with a walnut top and the same electronics as your Epic. I just love DR HI-Beams on this bass. The sound is bright but not harsh and they last a good long time. Still, I've been thinking of trying out Sunbeams the next time I change the strings because I have noticed some fret wear up around the 22-24th fret. And I'm not slap-monster! Enjoy your bass and welcome to the club. Kevin | ||
| basso
New Username: basso Post Number: 4 Registered: 3-2004 |
Hi kevin,thanks for your welcome,my bass has M/Miller signature on it right now,they are going dull and the B is the worst at the moment,thanks for your advice i will consider these sunbeams,also wonder if anyone has tried Elixers on this bass,and how they liked them,thanks to everyone for the reply's they have posted,Julian. | ||
| henri_lopes
New Username: henri_lopes Post Number: 8 Registered: 2-2004 |
Julian, Welcome aboard. I have an epic that looks very similar to yours. Question to my fellow bros. : is there a difference between walnut and flame walnut ? Henri | ||
| effclef
Member Username: effclef Post Number: 64 Registered: 1-2004 |
Basso's Epic is Walnut. Very nice walnut. THIS, however, is FLAME walnut. Oh my goodness...IS IT flame walnut!!!!!!!! <http://www.bassnw.com/special%20order%20basses/basses/alembic/alembic_series_ii_flame_walnut_5_st.htm> EffClef PS the Epic is my least favorite body shape but I think in a dark colored wood like Walnut, they look nice. | ||
| basso
New Username: basso Post Number: 5 Registered: 3-2004 |
Hi effclef,i'm not sure if my bass is flamed walnut,but when i looked at the link you posted and compared it with my bass,it seems to have a very simular appearance?i do like the body shape and what is more it's nice and light,great for long gigs!Julian. | ||
| effclef
Member Username: effclef Post Number: 66 Registered: 1-2004 |
Julian, it's hard to tell from just a picture. If you were to hold a bass with flame maple, and rock it back and forth in the light, you'd see wavy patterns that change color. Yours probably does not have large areas that do that - which makes it "plain" walnut, which is still beautiful. (Check out a Rickenbacker 650 Dakota guitar in walnut sometime.) I agree about the small and light perspective. Wish more beginners were steered toward set neck Alembics than neck thru Ibanez basses of any price range!!!!! EffClef | ||
| henri_lopes
New Username: henri_lopes Post Number: 9 Registered: 2-2004 |
I can see why some people don't like the epic shape, it is sort of weird looking, but that's probably why I love it so much. | ||
| basso
New Username: basso Post Number: 6 Registered: 3-2004 |
Hi Guys,can someone tell me if the electronics in my Epic 5 string are used in any other models?and do Alembic do any upgrades should you wish to fit them?thanks,Julian. | ||
| adriaan
Intermediate Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 142 Registered: 6-2002 |
Hi Julian, Nice Epic! I for one cannot understand why people dislike the shape - it's less gothic in nature than some of the other designs, and so it can show off the beauty of the top wood rather than drawing attention to itself. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, just a matter of taste and opinion - I can appreciate both. Even with the 'lesser grade' standard wood choices, they always make sure that the wood grain complements the body shape. On your Epic, I really like the wave of the grain pattern growing out of the bookmatch-to-center. It may not be "superb flame walnut", but it certainly looks like flame walnut to me. The standard electronics on an Epic are the same as on the Orion - the only difference between those two is the shape of body and headstock. It's not really clear from the site, but I think they're now fitting the Excel with an MXY and a FatBoy (instead of two MXYs) and the same electronics. As always with Alembic, you can order pretty much any combination of features - within reason: they'll tell you if something cannot be done. For an electronics upgrade, you need to understand that not everything will fit into the cavity, and also the holes already drilled may not match the new electronics. With the Epic package, you have vol/pan/bass/treble. If you upgrade from that, you also get into a different type of tone control. The basic upgrade would be the Essence package, vol/pan/filter - for which I'd recommend adding the Q-switch. If you look at this month's Featured Custom, you'll see that they've added the filter and Q switch to the Epic electronics. This probably won't fit into the standard cavity, so you'd need to send the bass to the factory for the upgrade. Next up from that would be the Europa/Rogue package, which is the same as on the Essence, plus a Q switch and two boost switches for bass and treble. Next up from that you get to the Signature package, and I'm pretty sure that's when the control cavity must absolutely be enlarged. Adriaan | ||
| basso
New Username: basso Post Number: 7 Registered: 3-2004 |
Hi Adriaan,thanks very much for the info on the upgrades,it's nice to know you can rely on people on this site to help and give info,i like the bass very much,but in time, i might want to upgrade,or possibly get another Alembic,i saw a S/clarke signature for sale recently over here in the UK,i was tempted,but i was unsure if the 30" scale would effect the tone/sound of the bass,what do you think?most people seem to go for the 34"scale,thanks,Julian. | ||
| adriaan
Intermediate Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 144 Registered: 6-2002 |
Hi Julian, An Alembic with a shorter scale will still give you a decent low end. I have a 34" Epic that I had defretted a while back, and a 32" Spoiler - obviously one is a neck-through and the other a set-neck, so it's comparing apples and oranges. But I think it's safe to say that the shorter scales are better suited to percussive playing styles. That is not to say that you can't slap/pop on a 34" - just that the slightly lower string tension on the shorter scales helps a lot. I think Mark King plays mostly 32" (the Status KingBass model is also 32"). Stanley Clarke plays 30.75". I played a short scale SC Signature years ago, and it felt a little strange - and also remotely familiar to a Hofner violin bass (scale and neck size). |
