Alembic Guitars Club

Connecting => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: mavnet on December 01, 2019, 01:00:52 PM

Title: what to do with old series pickups
Post by: mavnet on December 01, 2019, 01:00:52 PM

Hi, all. I had the update done on one of my series basses and recently got a box from Alembic with the original 3 pickups (from 1977). They worked fine in my bass, just weren't the updated ones that Ron tweaks things around. Seems a shame to keep them in a box - any suggestions on how I can use these, or if people buy and sell them, or if, in fact, they should just stay in a box? Thanks! Mark

Title: Re: what to do with old series pickups
Post by: dela217 on December 01, 2019, 01:26:44 PM

I'd give them a good home.

Title: Re: what to do with old series pickups
Post by: jwright9 on December 01, 2019, 02:30:15 PM

I’d buy them from you.

Title: Re: what to do with old series pickups
Post by: mavnet on December 01, 2019, 05:51:02 PM

Selling them isn't yet at the top of my list - really, I'm more wondering what other people have done with them... Put them in other instruments with ??? for preamps, etc? Will these pickups work with any of the non-series Alembic electronics? etc...

Title: Re: what to do with old series pickups
Post by: mica on December 01, 2019, 08:39:50 PM

The reason they are replaced is that they do not perform well together in today's noisy environment. A box is a good place to keep them for posterity - or maybe a shadowbox frame for a music room if you fancy that type of decoration.

Title: Re: what to do with old series pickups
Post by: keith_h on December 02, 2019, 05:30:16 AM

Quote from: mica on December 01, 2019, 08:39:50 PM

- or maybe a shadowbox frame for a music room if you fancy that type of decoration.

Using them in a wall art piece was my thought as well.

If you are a woodworking type and like to bend wood mount them inside an outline of your bass or make a light weight wood copy and put them in there. Maybe use them in a multimedia cubist interpretation of an Alembic. You could get some knobs to make it feel more complete.

Title: Re: what to do with old series pickups
Post by: pauldo on December 02, 2019, 05:48:39 AM

I like the artistic ideas!

Paul (who after installing a Hipshot D-extender to his Distillate now uses his “spare” tuner as a Christmas tree ornament)




P.S. much to the dismay of my wonderful spouse, so it is often tucked away in the branches... ala The Pickle.  :D

Title: Re: what to do with old series pickups
Post by: dela217 on December 02, 2019, 07:05:39 AM

I like the shadow box idea too!    Never thought of that.   I got a bunch of dead pickups that I can't seem to throw away.   I think I'm gonna do this too.

I am sorta looking for a working set though.   I have this old Mark Johnson bass that needs some electronics and pickups.    I was going to take the Series route with that bass.    I may just break down one day and get a new set from Alembic.

Title: Re: what to do with old series pickups
Post by: mavnet on December 02, 2019, 02:53:09 PM

Okay. You all are nuts. Thanks for the inspiration.

CLEARLY i have to make a cubist, pointillist representation of an abstract dada bass, posed with a representation of the greek gods for the olympic bass.

Someone reached out to me off-board for one of the pickups, and I'm going to keep the hum cancel and other pickup as emergency spares. In case someone with a very small screwdriver steals one during a 15 minute set break.

Title: Re: what to do with old series pickups
Post by: KR on December 02, 2019, 03:20:55 PM

Mark, you are hilarious! I love this club.