Alembic Guitars Club
Alembic products => Owning an Alembic => Troubleshooting => Topic started by: jwright9 on March 29, 2018, 01:17:57 PM
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I just got the bass a few hours ago.
Very interesting...
First thing I noticed is that instead of the Alembic DS-5 power supply, it came with the Boogieman clone power supply. Hmmm. Not a huge deal but not what I expected.
Second thing... IT HAS LEDS!! Cool!
I plug it in to test it out. 1/4" jack seems to be fine. Neck PU works fine as do the volume, switch and filter.
Next, I plug in the 5pin cable and the boogieman power supply. PROBLEMS. Noisy. The cable connection at the bass seems loose and makes noise. I fiddled with this for a while and tried both mono and stereo on the boogieman power supply. I decided to check it with an actual DS-5 instead. Fortunately, I have a spare DS-5 and a 5pin cable that I know works so I moved on and away from the boogieman power supply.
Here is where it gets weird.
Both pickups are working and I am getting signal BUT, I get signal from both pickups regardless of the position of the pickup selector switch.
Even when in what should be the OFF position, I am still getting signal from both pickups. EVEN if I turn both volume knobs all the way down, and the 4 way switch is off, I still get signal.
??
So, I took a look inside the control cavity. Everything seems to look fine. But it does look like it has been upgraded.
I believe it has been to Alembic in the recent past though because some of the newer connections in the control cavity.
Here is another thing... The pickups both look to be pretty new.
See pictures below. There are several photos of the control cavity. Preamp card looks to have had upgrades?
Pickups look to be relatively new.
Thoughts?
I am still waiting to hear back from Mica about the history of this bass but I am willing to bet that it has been back to Alembic at least once during it's lifetime.
I wouldn't be surprised if was back twice.
Oh yeah, the headstock repair... It is incredible. Best repair I have ever seen. I would definitely guess that this was done at Alembic as well. IF not, then whoever did it is a master luthier!
Thanks for reading and please chime in if you have any thoughts.
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Congrats! :-)
Assuming the pickups are on the right connectors, I would suspect the output wiring... http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=266.0 http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=270.0
That indeed looks like an upgraded board :-)
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Congrats! :-)
Assuming the pickups are on the right connectors, I would suspect the output wiring... http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=266.0 http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=270.0
That indeed looks like an upgraded board :-)
Thank you!
Yes, I just verified that the output wiring on the 5pin jack is correct. It looks just like the photo in the link above.
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Another thing I just noticed is that the lead from the neck PU was pinched and partially severed.
As you can clearly see, the green plastic is cut and as you may not be able to see, several of the wires are broken as well.
Could this be causing a problem?
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Hey Jon, that could be an issue. Another thing to check, is the control board. Boogieman also makes a replacement board for Series I. Something looks a little different there, but the pickups are legit. Here is a picture of one of my Series I, which I think was upgraded. You can see "Alembic" upside-down through the right side of the control panel, and is missing the blue trim pots. Or maybe this is the new upgrade.
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Hey Jon, that could be an issue. Another thing to check, is the control board. Boogieman also makes a replacement board for Series I. Something looks a little different there, but the pickups are legit. Here is a picture of one of my Series I, which I think was upgraded. You can see "Alembic" upside-down through the right side of the control panel, and is missing the blue trim pots. Or maybe this is the new upgrade.
Thanks!!
Yes, I can see that mine also says Alembic PF-6 on the underside. Y
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I just found a link for the Boogieman board, and looks like your board is Alembic now.
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The blue trimpots with the blue sticker (Do not remove!) indicate upgraded electronics.
You can use a multimeter to see if the wires are crossed, would definitely put some tape over it if its ok.
What's the result if you disconnect the neck pickup?
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Hey, Jon,
Outta curiosity, did you resolve the pick up selector bypass issue? Also, sorry to hear your neck pickup lead is partly sheared. Are you going to send it back to Santa Rosa for repairs or leave it as is? I guess this is like me staring at a waiter handing plates off to another table at a nice restaurant. Sorry...but not that sorry. Congrats.
Cheers,
John
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Nice bass! That appears to be the original preamp board with the flat-pack op-amps mounted underneath. And it has had Ron's magic upgrade which likely included the new pickups and hum coil - thus the adaptors from new pickup connectors to the mini-coax connectors that were used in '78.
The pinched pickup wire is no big deal as long as the pickup is passing audio. (IMO).
I can't think of what would cause the audio "leakage" issue unless the pickup selector switch has failed. But even when the volumes are all the way down? That's odd.
How does it play? Do you like the way it feels?
Mica has all the answers, be patient!
Jimmy J
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Weird stuff! So mangled wire under the pickup isn't likely causing any of the issues you describe, but you could mechanically protect it (tape is easy, shrink tube is harder (you have to pop off the modular housings).
If you could email me a new photo of the output jack wiring for both the 1/4" and 5-pin that would be helpful - please send me a nice big file, my eyes are getting old!
Also, can you clarify when you use the 1/4" output that it's wired in stereo, and also what the 4 positions of the pickup selector are doing with the 1/4" output. Thanks!
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Ha! Jimmy posted while I was busy getting interrupted a dozen times while trying to get you this answer.
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FC Bass,
Thanks for the tip on the multimeter. Not sure on the results of disconnecting neck PU. I will try that.
Zut,
I have not yet resolved the bypass issue. Signal still comes through from both pickups in the off/bypass position.
JimmyJ,
thanks for the info and pointers! To answer your question; I love the bass. It plays very well and sounds great (through the 1/4 jack)
Mica,
thanks for your response. I will email you large closeup photos of both the 1/4" and 5-pin jacks.
I can tell that the 5pin jack looks fine but I can not discern if the 1/4 jack looks right or not as there are just so many wires.
When the 1/4 jack is engaged the 4 position switch works as expected.
The pickup selector switch also POPS when switched from one position to the next. It is a strong enough pop to cause concern about possible amp/speaker damage after continued exposure. The pop sounds is akin to the sound when plugging in or unplugging while the amp is still on.
Thanks to everyone who has replied. I really appreciate it!
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Also, can you clarify when you use the 1/4" output that it's wired in stereo, and also what the 4 positions of the pickup selector are doing with the 1/4" output. Thanks!
The 1/4 out does not seem to be wired in stereo. Just getting signal from the neck/bass pickup.
Pickup selector switch =
position 1 -on
position2 -on
position 3 - off
position 4 - off
With the DS-5.
OK, so both pickups are actually coming through in ALL positions when using the DS-5:.
Position 1 = Neck(bass) pickup strong and a very faint signal from the bridge pu.
Position 2 = Both pickups, strong signal from both.
Position 3 = Bridge(Treble) pickup strong output and very faint signal from Neck pu.
Position 4 = Faint signal from both pickups.
Loud popping sound when switching positions.
I am sending treble and bass signals out from DS-5 into my Allen & Heath mixer to channels 1 and 2 and panning treble pickup (CH1) hard left and bass pickup (Ch2) hard right to help isolate signals and differentiate.
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If you are using a mono cable in the 1/4" jack then all you are going to hear is the neck pickup unless the jack was re-wired to send both pickups out using a mono cable. You would need a stereo 1/4" cable to confirm that the jack is wired properly for stereo.
You most likely already know this and have tried but just in case... try "exercising" the pickup selector switch to clean it by cycling through the positions about 50 times. Cool that it has LEDs! Going to be a nice instrument to own after you get through the initial glitches.
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Good point about the mono cable. I am pretty sure I was using a balanced/stereo cable. I will double check.
Will also try exercising the pickup selector.
Thanks
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If the 1/4 is wired " stereo", you can split the two pickups using a stereo (TRS) plug, if you use a mono plug (TS) you'll only hear one of the pickups
If the 1/4 is wired "mono", you'll hear both pickups with a mono plug (TS)
Just to make sure you understand that right :-)
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It sounds like maybe there is a loose ground,
as it's not loading the circuit enough to bring down the
signals when they are supposed to be.
I hope it's a simple fix, that's going to be fun to play...Congrats!
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Correction.
The 1/4" jack is wired stereo and it is working correctly. (I was inadvertently using a mono/ts cable previously)
All positions of the pickup selector switch work as they should when using the 1/4" jack.
Position 1. Neck pickup on, bridge off
Position 2. Both on
Position 3. Bridge pickup on, neck off
Position 4. Both pickups off / standby
Volume pots function as they should, lowering or raising levels respectively.
The 5pin jack is totally wonky.
As mentioned previously both pickups are coming through on all settings of the pickup selector.
Position 1 = Neck(bass) pickup strong and lower level signal from the bridge pu.
Position 2 = Both pickups, strong signal from both.
Position 3 = Bridge(Treble) pickup strong output and lower level signal from Neck pu.
Position 4 = Low signal from both pickups.
In addition, the volume pots are not functioning properly when used with the 5pin jack. Signal passes regardless of the level of corresponding volume pots or setting of pickup selector.
This is a weird one!
Thanks everyone!
Mica, I just sent you photos of the jacks. Thanks
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Anyone know the wood recipe for her? Zebrawood?
Thanks
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If the 1/4 is wired " stereo", you can split the two pickups using a stereo (TRS) plug, if you use a mono plug (TS) you'll only hear one of the pickups
If the 1/4 is wired "mono", you'll hear both pickups with a mono plug (TS)
Just to make sure you understand that right :-)
FC Bass,
What happened is that I was in fact using a TRS->TRS cable but I was playing through my Fender Rumble amp which just takes a mono signal regardless of the plug used. Thus, I was only getting the Neck pickup.
This morning, I plugged into my Mixer and with the same TRS-TRS cable and sure enough, I got stereo signal.
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Top and back look like walnut with a bit of flame to my eyes. Back of the peghead does look like zebrawood.
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Thanks!
Flamed Walnut and Zebrawood. Nice combo!
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Still Starin', Still Dreamin'.
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It turns out the problems with the electronics were a result of a cracked 1/4" jack.
Once I got inside the control cavity and moved some wires out of the way I was able to see the crack in the side of the jack.
This is the second time I have dealt with/experienced a cracked 1/4" jack. Last time it happened to me was also with a Series I but the crack was on a different side of the jack so the issues were slightly different.
Case closed.
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Good find! I hope that sorts out the weirdness.
I consider the 1/4" jack to be for short term use only. Like sitting in for a tune or perhaps a short rehearsal. I use it for tuning in certain situations but I very rarely play more than a couple minutes without a power supply. Another reason is the internal batteries don't last many hours and they tend to die at the most inconvenient times.
The cracked jacks are most likely the result of using cables with straight 1/4" plugs and then bumping them or stepping on and yanking the cable. A right angle plug could help avoid that, but a stereo right angle plug gets into custom cable territory...
Because of the way I use the 1/4" jack I've modified all of my basses to send mono out of that output instead of stereo. That way any standard guitar cable works for my short-use moments. I would recommend taking this opportunity to replace your 5-pin jack, your cracked 1/4" jack, AND do the onboard mono mod for convenience.
Get that thing dialed in and start using it!
Jimmy J
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I prefer the 1/4" to be stereo.
I primarily use my basses in the studio and I primarily use the 1/4" jacks.
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Well there you go then! Never mind my suggestion. :D
So you prefer to record two channels and then mix them later?
Jimmy J
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Here's an idea I had a while back that you may be able to expand/improve upon for your purpose... I had several of these right-angle 1/4" male, to straight 1/4" female 'safety' cables made up by a local pro-audio shop. Now when our overly-hyper guitar player tangles himself in my cable (like the Tazmanian Devil on Red Bull... ::)), it just unplugs me instead of yanking stuff.
Anyway... super-nice bass you got there. ;)
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Here's an idea I had a while back that you may be able to expand/improve upon for your purpose... I had several of these right-angle 1/4" male, to straight 1/4" female 'safety' cables made up by a local pro-audio shop. Now when our overly-hyper guitar player tangles himself in my cable (like the Tazmanian Devil on Red Bull... ::) ), it just unplugs me instead of yanking stuff.
Anyway... super-nice bass you got there. ;)
Ah, the "lizard tail" cable! ;D Good idea.
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I started this tread awhile back, so it seems fitting that I should give it closure. Through some horse trading with Jon, this bass found its way to Texas after all. The phone jack was indeed cracked, and upon further examination, it was noticed the internal connectors inside were also broken and randomly touching each other. I am sure what Jimmy said about a straight phone plug being bumped must have caused this. Also, the number 1 pin was broken on the XLR jack, so no ground for that one. It was able to light the LED’s since they used other pins, but that was it. I contacted the mothership and got a new phone jack (thanks again Mica!) and installed a new XLR jack I had. I soldered the phone jack in stereo, like Mica’s pictures in a previous link. There were also a couple of broken wires to a Q switch and a double pot. I was able to hook them up referencing another Series I I have. I also replaced some other wires that looked questionable. Everything now works perfect!
Now that I can play it, it sounds truly amazing. Super easy to play and is very quiet. I am now considering the electronics upgrade to my other Series basses. After looking at Gregory’s link in the Serial number request for this bass, it does indeed look like the top and back are Schedua.
http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=23563.0
There is not a scratch on the finish and also makes me believe it was recently sent back for a facelift. It looks like it has a new fingerboard, pickups, and the LED wiring looks new as well. The headstock repair is fantastic. If the mothership did not do this work, they have some serious competition now. I am looking forward to hearing from Mica when she finds the build folder. Cheers!
Joe
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Nice work, Joe, and nice bass as well!