Alembic evaluation - help needed ASAP!

Started by albertorigoni, October 05, 2026, 08:00:24 AM

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Barend

#15
Quote from: albertorigoni on Yesterday at 06:42:48 AMThanks! But what would be the difference between battery and 5 pin supplier in terms of tone? thanks!

Don't think there is much (if any) difference in sound. If so, someone will correct me. Normally the ones with the 5 pins (series basses) are stereo but this one isn't.

I have an EvH 4 string myself (think it's a Deluxe because it has the same back wood as top wood and neck laminates). The one you posted is the second/later EvH model. I have the first (more classic looking) model. Really like it. Just posted this video below of it. I Have more videos of it on my YouTube. Good luck with the trade!
https://club.alembicguitars.com/alembic-basses-guitars/alembic-evh-signature-video-four-finger-slapping/

Third solo album Barend Tromp ft. King Crimson members:
https://barendtromp7d.bandcamp.com/album/odd-time-concepts

JimmyJ

No difference in sound between battery and external PSU - except the battery won't die. ;) 

My guess is that this bass was modified to include the 5-pin jack (maybe not done at the factory) so that the owner could easily switch between this bass and another Series I or II.  It is wired to use only the + side of the external supply (and that would be +15-20VDC) and to send the mono output signal down what is normally the neck pickup wire.

You certainly don't need external PSU, 5-pin cable, etc. as these instruments were designed and built to run off the one 9V battery.  It's an option for you, but it would cost you about a lifetime's supply of 9V batteries.  :D

We hope you really enjoy this bass!!
Jimmy J

JimmyJ

I'll just add - although you probably already know - that the bass is "on" whenever the 1/4" jack is plugged in.  So unplug when you're done playing to save that battery.

Let us know how you like it!
Jimmy J

mica

Took a closer look at this. Jesse looked up the electronics and the 5-pin was not original, so my hunch that it was added later checks out. Dad confirmed the wiring of the 5-pin should be functional (there is a decent sized cap to the right of the ferrite bead). However, there's no difference in voltage in this case; this just uses the bass output on the DS-5 and is dropped to 9V just like using a battery, but of course you don't have a battery to worry about. This is great if you have another Alembic with a 5-pin, then you can use the same cable, or if you are very worried about the battery going dead, this fires it. 

A couple of other things that dad and I noticed as we were looking at the cavity is that the treble pickup Q-switch seems to have sprouted an additional capacitor. This may have been done for a personal preference for the Q settings. The threaded inserts do not look right (except maybe the one below the battery). Dad suspects the original screws were lost and metric were tried and may have torn out the original threaded inserts. The ones that aren't original look to be installed upside-down compared to the way our are installed. 

The other thing I can't explain are the little black lever-looking things on the wire side of the 3-pin connectors on the filter boards, and the tail on the solder side of the treble pickup filter board. I just can't tell what they are. 

Anyway, these basses all live their own lives after they leave here, and they sometimes gain experience (and components). Overall this bass looks like it was well loved so far.