Alembic Guitars Club
Alembic products => Alembic Basses & Guitars => Topic started by: synapticgroove on April 27, 2017, 02:21:09 PM
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Hi all,
I've been lurking recently and almost have the boss (read: wife) talked into letting me add another to the stable. The Alembic I had was a gorgeous Epic that I hastily got rid of to fund a boire` W. Dolphin Pro 1. Since that time, I've been itching to add another Alembic to the toolbox.
I've been searching for a decent Series I or II, but a few Distillates with surprising electronics packages have popped up recently.
Will I regret not pulling the trigger on a Series and going with a Distillate? As of late, I'm not playing out and just recording when time permits, so weight is not an issue.
Any/all thoughts will be more than appreciated!
Note: tonal clarity is more important to me than 'growl'. I love the Dolphin, but I want a solid recording bass. DI straight to pres straight into UA is the preferred setup.
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I haven't played a Distillate, but I would think a Series II straight in for recording would have great tonal quality and more tonal options with the onboard electronics.
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A Distillate is a very flexible instrument in the tone department with intuitive controls.
I have never spent a lot of time with any of the Series instruments (at a Gathering and briefly through Edwin's generosity before his gig) but know they are monsters in the tone/ electronics department. The controls appear to require more intimate fiddling time to understand the full spectrum of tonal possibilities/ potential . . . sadly no one has let me take their Series bass home so I could spend more time with it. ??? :D
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I had a Distillate before I got my Series bass. The Distillate was a fine instrument and sounded really good but to my ears the Series bass sounds way better and has much more tonal variation. I found the Distillate to sound a bit thin to the point that I always had the bass boost on but that may have been related to the amp I was using at the time. The Distillate is still one of my favorite Alembic models but if I had to choose between the two a Series bass would get the nod. Part of the reason is the single coil pickups which IMO sound more "rounded, open and deep". I also think for recording you can't beat the way a Series bass records and sits in the mix. Good luck with the search!
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Wow! Many thanks for all of the insight guys!
Yeah, I'm leaning towards a Series instrument. I remember tracking with the Epic and usually had the bass rolled nearly all the way up.
The search begins (continues, evolves, etc.). Again, really do appreciate the feedback!
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I have a short scale Series I and have no particular idea what the knobs do, but that doesn't stop me!!!
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I think I might have found my first Series instrument...
https://reverb.com/item/5058814-alembic-series-1-omega-1978 (https://reverb.com/item/5058814-alembic-series-1-omega-1978)
I'm waiting for the seller to get back to me so I can confirm the history with Mica.
What do you guys think?
(https://reverb-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/s--KfYcdS7y--/a_exif,c_limit,e_unsharp_mask:80,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_south,h_1600,q_80,w_1600/v1493334209/vvxmvo5zjxj6ufnhr2xx.jpg)
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Nevermind. That sold in 3 hours!
I hope it went to a club member.
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Beautiful bass, sorry you missed it. This looks like a nice one that is still out there:
https://reverb.com/item/4553559-alembic-series-1-1978-natural-medium-scale-32-beautiful-from-my-personal-collection
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There are a lot of series basses looking for new owners at the moment on-line so I doubt it will be too long before you find another one that meets your taste.
Gtrguy I presume you are partly jesting with your statement but I know what that feels like. It took me an ages to understand the two filter system on my signature bass and after a while it clicked so working a series became easier. What I do know is that when you find a sound you want there is only a short amout of range on the filter to keep in the ball park of that particular sound so fine tweaking around that position is really rewarding and works but move the filter a fraction too much and you are onto another great sound altogether but not the one you wanted. Being a tweaker works. :-)
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Beautiful bass, sorry you missed it. This looks like a nice one that is still out there:
https://reverb.com/item/4553559-alembic-series-1-1978-natural-medium-scale-32-beautiful-from-my-personal-collection
Thanks mate!
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Jazzyvee,
That sounds brilliant! I am definitely a tweaker (into synths as well and built analog effects for a long time), so I think I can appreciate that aspect of finding the tone and then making the music.
I was a Warwick player forever, stumbled on my very first Alembic, an Epic, quite by accident and tracked with it for several years. Eventually, GAS got the best of me and an '89 boire' Dolphin came up. Much like my first Alembic, I'd never seen one in real life and knew that the only way I'd get a chance to try one out was to procure it. I still have it and still enjoy it, but I truly miss having an Alembic.
I'm fairly certain that if I enjoyed the Epic, a Series instrument is going to knock me on my butt! ;D
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Yep I'm confident you will be impressed by a series bass. They are something else and whilst they can sound impressive when you play them for the first time, once you understand the way the controls work and you can find the sound you want easily then it all makes sense, the sound gets better and your smile gets bigger!!
I bought an immaculate left handed epic cheaply a while ago to sell on and was seriously impressed with the sound of it. If it was a right handed bass I would most likely have kept it.
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Thanks Jazzy!
The hunt is certainly part of the fun. I've checked out your YouTube clips on the series electronics and I was impressed! Thank you for taking the time to make and upload them.
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I currently own five Alembic basses - a Series II 5-string, a Europa 5-string, a Stanley Clarke Sig Deluxe 4-string, a custom 4-string with Signature electronics and a Rogue 4-string. I have also previously owned a Spyder.
Of the five, the Series II is by far and away the best sounding bass, but it requires some exploration to find the perfect tone for a given purpose. This is not an issue if you have the time to dial it in - and, rest assured, you WILL eventually get the tone you're seeking. I've used it live with great success, but the tonal range that was required for the performances when I used it was pretty narrow, so I was able to pretty much set it and forget it - bumping the treble PU volume a bit if I needed to cut through and bumping the bass PU volume a bit if I needed more girth.
The Europa and the Rogue are the easiest to pick up and just play - I don't have to mess around too much to dial in a wide range of tones that would work for everything from country to rock to funk to pop. The Europa electronics, which are standard on both models, are a breeze to use in a live setting.
The two basses with the Signature electronics (and the Spyder with Anniversary electronics) fall somewhere in between. They are little more tonally versatile than the Europa electronics, but require a little more adjusting to get to where you want to be.
Re: choice of Alembic for you - I would advise approaching it from the standpoint of how you intend to use it. If you are primarily going to be playing in a controlled environment and recording - get a Series. IMO, there is nothing better out there for that purpose.
If you are primarily going to be playing live - I'd strongly consider a Europa or a Rogue. In addition to allowing easy access to a wide variety of tones, they are also very balanced and comfortable instruments to play when standing for long periods of time. Example: during my most recent bass gig, I played standing for almost three hours straight (with no break) and suffered no repercussions from using my Europa 5.
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5a,
Thank you graciously for your insight! Yes, I think a Series instrument, or perhaps a combination of a Distillate and Alembic rack mount gear, is probably the way that I'll go in the future. Either way, I'm excited about all future possibilities and for earning my stripes to be a 'real' member of this unique club.
Many thanks again for sharing your experience. It is most appreciated!
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The thing about the "which Alembic?" conversation is that it is a bit of a rabbit hole. Any Alembic that feels good to you will be far superior in versatility to any other bass. I feel like my "plain old" Stanley signature standard can do virtually anything compared to my other basses (which are pretty nice basses). Find one you like to play. You'll be able to make it sound great. That's my view anyway. Apologies to those who think you need to hold out for a Series bass.
R.
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hankster,
I wish I lived in an area where I could try more of them out, but the only one I've ever stumbled across, I bought almost immediately! You're right, it wasn't one of Alembic's higher end models, but it sure smoked a lot of other basses I've had, in terms of feel and sound. Super fast neck, nice even sound across the strings and up/down the entire fretboard. It was a solid recording bass to boot.
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For a point of comparison, I currently own: 2 Series I basses; 1 Custom and 1 Standard Signature Deluxe; 1 6-string Europa and my 1st Alembic was a Distillate. Other than indicating that "I got the fever" this has provided me with the chance to compare a lot of Alembic equipment. Based on that I can say that...
(1) It is true that no two Alembics are alike. Example: I LOVE my short scale Series I with a small SC body but don't enjoy playing my Standard Point medium scale Series I anywhere near as much. It's not the body size that makes a difference or the scale length but rather a very significant difference in the thickness of the neck;
(2) Although there are certainly reasons to purchase a vintage Alembic, there are a number of advantages to the newer ones which seem, at least to me, to play a lot easier. And by newer I don't mean "new" but rather 1985 and more recent;
(3) It's a real bonus to have an Alembic with an adjustable nut;
(4) There are very real differences between the sounds/tone of Series vs. non-Series basses, but...I've been told by others that its really hard to tell when I'm playing live. What others have indicated about the difference being more apparent in the studio rings true.
(5) If you acquire an Alembic Superfilter (SF-2) you can get quite close to the sound of a Series bass with any of Alembic's thru neck basses and the right set of strings.
To reinforce what others have told you, it's clearly worth the time to take even a 5-6 hour drive each way to play a set of Alembic basses and really figure out what suits you the best.
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Are the Mark King Balance K bodies becoming more popular?
(Did I just hijack?)
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Hammer,
Thank you for sharing your experience and for the insight!
wick5, no worries man. This seems to be a good thread to get some questions answered by those in the know! :)