Alembic Guitars Club
Alembic products => Alembic Basses & Guitars => Topic started by: RobBottom69 on August 24, 2017, 05:56:51 PM
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I hope this is the right place for this question, but I'm ordering the Q switch for my Essense and was wondering if anybody knew a good guitar person on the SF Peninsula who can install it. Also, what's the difference between the 2 and 3 position switch?
Thank you,
Rob
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Hi Rob,
The two position switch has 0 or 8 db boost; the three position switch has 0/6/9 db boost.
http://alembic.stores.yahoo.net/qforac.html
Rob
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Thanks for the reply. Is there a reason for one over the other? Or is it simply having 2 levels of boost versus one.
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Definitely go for 3 position! 0 to +8 is a pretty extreme boost - I find the +6 of the 3-position switch to be much more usable myself.
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Another vote for the 3-position switch...
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And a third for the three!
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Fourth for 3-way, and also prefer the "6" middle position of the 3-way. If you know your way around a soldering iron, it's not too difficult to DIY.
Bill, tgo
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... If you know your way around a soldering iron, it's not too difficult to DIY.
I'm guessing that drilling a hole through the top of your Alembic using only a soldering iron might be somewhat risky.
:)
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It looks like the 3 way http://alembic.stores.yahoo.net/qforac.html (http://alembic.stores.yahoo.net/qforac.html) has the 0-6-9 settings, but I'm pretty sure you can ask for one with the 0-3-6 settings. (There might be an upcharge.)
I found the standard 8 dB boost a bit harsh, so I got the 0-3-6 one for my Spoiler. If your rig is one without tweeters, the higher settings may not be as bad.
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+1 more vote for the 0-3-6 switch... both of my five-strings have that feature, and I find myself using it much more than the stock 0-8 switch on my Distillate. :)
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Isn't diversity nice?
I like the 0-6-8 as I prefer the more noticeable effect it has. These days I use one cabinet with a tweeter and one without.
As I recall basses without the Q-switch always have the full boost so if you like the sound of that I'd go for a 0-6-8. If the standard setting is too much then I'd consider the 0-3-6.
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Also, if you're local you could always have Alembic do it for you and hopefully get a tour of the factory when you drop it off!
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The 3 switch it is. I'm about a 2 hour drive from Santa Rosa. I'm currently in the process of getting another job so I may have some down time between jobs to do it.
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Call ahead and ask if you can schedule a tour.
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Another vote for the 3 position switch. I installed it on my two signature basses to replace the standard 2 position switch. On a gig I rarely use the positon 3 but I do use it sometimes at soundcheck to clearly hear the tone I want, only because on a noisy stage I can't always hear subtle changes in tone but from the filter with the q on the highest setting I can but then I turn the Q back to a lower setting. A point to note that in the higher of the filter if you have the filter wide open or close to that setting it can be challenging to use effectively unless you have a clean playing technique.
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A 2 way switch is pretty limiting so I'd go for an upgrade. It's a very simple mod for a luthier to substitute the 3 way, complete with caps and resistors, that Alembic supply.
Wandering off topic a bit.
Direwolf has 2 position q switches and sounds pretty dark even with the Q on. I was going to upgrade it to 3 position for the extra db. Looking at the filter circuit design it's not too difficult to increase the amount of Q and make it constantly variable with a pot. No drilling needed and a totally reversible mod. I did a test rig which verified it works and I can push the Q to 15db which really makes it sparkle. A bit too much actually but it's totally configurable. 12db is plenty.
Question is would it be heresy to put CVQ on a custom signature bass?
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I guess there may be tolerances at stake as to why Alembic will not do CVQ on anything but Series electronics. There is certainly one Spoiler with CVQs out there - the 8 string in all-black with the dragon fingerboard inlay - but all requests since have been answered with a no-go.
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Thanks Adriaan. I read up some more on this and came across the thread where Mica said Ron would not sanction CVQ on anything less than a series 2. I can see why.
Direwolf is converted to CVQ and it works a treat, but out of respect for Alembic, I'll keep the details to myself.
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Interesting.