Alembic Guitars Club
Alembic products => Owning an Alembic => Troubleshooting => Topic started by: dslapster64 on May 21, 2022, 05:17:30 AM
-
So after purchasing and loving my 1987 SC Deluxe, I decided To grab me a Series 1 from 1983. Looks fantastic, but it appears that the only pick up slot that works is the neck pickup ( unless I am doing something wrong. Also, there’s quite a lot of noise coming from the preamp, and then it dies out. Possibly could be a battery issue, not sure. It appears there’s quite a bit of a difference between the signature and series models. Now that I have gotten used to the signature, the series is another animal 😀.Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks
-
Are you using the 5-pin connector or the 1/4" jack? I'm not sure if in 1983 if the 1/4" was wired for mono or stereo. It still might be stereo which means you will only hear one pickup. There might also be a stereo/mono switch which is what I have on my basses that support it. One test is to swap the pickup leads on the preamp board to see if the other pickup starts working. If the other pickup starts working it would confirm stereo wiring on the 1/4" jack and that the pickup is good. If the same pickup works then it says you have a mono jack and the pickup or its wiring is likely bad.
On a new battery I would expect it to last 10 - 20 hours in a Series 1. When the battery dies it goes from a beautiful sound to the hounds of hell howling in a flash. Do you have the power supply and 5-pin cable? If not you really should look at acquiring as using Series instruments on battery is not practical.
If you post some shots of the bass and electronics we might be able to see if it is anything obvious and provide more specific assistance.
-
Hi, congrats on the S1! Are you just using the 1/4” jack? If so, the jack may be wired for stereo and if so, you will only get sound from the neck pickup using a mono cable. Try it with the 5-pin and DS-5 power supply and see if you get sound from both pickups. The noise may be a dying battery if you got an abrupt distortion sound and now no sound out of the 1/4” jack. You should have no noise issues with the DS-5 if it is a battery issue. You may have to adjust the preamp trim pots if there is slight hum using the DS-5 power supply.
-
OK, now I have got it. Everything appears to be working fine. I do believe it does need new batteries tho, and so I will be getting those. I did look into the DS5 and figured out the problem. It is now working perfectly fine and now I am absolutely in love. So now I have a Stanley Clarke signature, and a Series one. They are more different sonically than I thought they would be, and I absolutely love them both. Thank you so much guys for your input. I am looking to see if I can find a sheet that has the layout and exactly what each control does. I saw a detailed one on the signature bass, but not so much on a series. Thanks again.
-
That’s great you got it working! Sounds like you have two fantastic basses. Here is the link to the FAQ page for Series instruments…enjoy!!
https://club.alembic.com/index.php?board=23.0
-
Good to hear you have it all sorted out. Enjoy.
-
Pictures?
-
Hear are my two Alembic’s. &1987 SC, 1983 S1.
-
Congratulations & Compliments. Beautiful pair. Almost matched!
-
Thanks so much. I'm truly in love.
-
So now I am a little frustrated. I took the bass to my usual tech to tighten up some loose switches, and now with a quarter inch cable/jack, the bridge pick-up does not work but the neck pick-up does. With the DS5 power supply, everything works perfectly. So he must have done something differently. Is there anything that I can do myself to make it so that both pick ups work?
thanks
-
I think your bass is fine. The 1/4" jack is most likely wired for stereo, so if you are using a 'regular' mono instrument cable, only the neck pickup will be heard.
Your choices are; use your 5-pin and the DS-5 switched to mono, or order yourself a summed cable that converts the stereo output to a mono signal. Keep plenty of 9v batteries on-hand... Series electronics will burn through a set in about 20 hours.
I like this guy. http://bayoucables.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=7
-
Hey David,
It's hard to see in your picture (those basses look like cousins!) but do I see a small switch to the left of your 5-pin connector? If so that may be a mono/stereo switch. Let us know if that's the case.
As described above, the 1/4" output on these basses was originally wired in stereo so you needed a specific cable to hear both pickups from that output. It's probably a factory option now but I've modded all my Series basses to run mono out that 1/4" jack. But then ... I rarely use that output. Most often only for short moments with a tuner. That's because these preamps draw quite a bit of current so batteries do not last very long. And when they go, the sound gets real nasty real fast.
So as inconvenient as it may seem to use the DS5 and 5-pin cable, I'd recommend doing so for the most reliable BIG tone.
Glad you're enjoying playing that thing.
Jimmy J
-
Hi David, i think we are connected on fb. I added my quilt maple series bass to your thread in one if the alembic groups. My series short scale bass also has a stereo jack, though mine came with s stereo to mono jack cable but i never use it. I carry my small ds5 power supply in my gig bag. Hope you are still enjoying those basses.
-
You have a mono jack. Here are some links related to the jack wiring, includes mono, and how to make a stereo to mono cable. To run mono you will need to add two 20K summing resistors. It is somewhere in the late 80's that mono became the default wiring mode or switchable.
Jack wiring (includes link to PDF with pictures):
https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=270.0 (https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=270.0)
Stereo to mono cable:
https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=275.0 (https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=275.0)
-
@edwardofhuncote, thank you I will definitely look into getting one of those cables as soon as I come back from vacation next week. Although I prefer using the DS5, sound wise, which I will continue to use, how's the sound is just simply superior. It's just nice to be able to use the cable once in a while.
@JimmyJ, yes there is a switch, but it does not appear to do anything. At least I don't recognize any changes in a sound, when switched back or forth. Did you do the modifying yourself? And if so was it a simple process? Just curious of course.
@jazzyvee, , yes sir,I have seen your Basses. I am absolutely loving these things. They are getting so much love in fact, that my Smiths are being neglected
@keith_h, going to look into all of this.
You guys are just great, thank you so much. I am still learning.
-
I inquired about that switch at one point, apparently it is a ground switch that was installed. Below is the reply that I received:
“Good morning.
I had the toggle switch installed by a renowned guitar tech. I was touring with a nationally known artist and was having a “buzzproblem” caused by the lighting system of one of the lighting companies. My tech friend suggested I let him install a ground switch on my guitar, which I did. And I never had a problem with a buzz again. “
-
Interesting! I can't imagine how that "ground switch" might be working with the Series electronics. At some point when you get the chance we'd love to see a few pics of your electronics cavity. Now we're curious.
Meanwhile, yes I did the mono mods myself but I'm a bit of a self-taught electrical nerd. If you're handy with a soldering iron it's not difficult. Follow Keith's links above for more info. Or just get a cable made, that's a fine alternative.
The sound from the 1/4" jack (when it's mono) should be the same as that from the DS5 mono out. Just again, relying on batteries can be dodgy. It's great for sitting in on somebody else's rig but when you have the choice I recommend the DS5 option. ;)
Jimmy J
-
I really was not aware of a "ground switch" at all, and I was always curious about what that switch was for. Well now I know, thank you all. I am going to be sending a picture of the electronics as soon as I am able. I am playing this evening, so I will try and do it tonight. Thanks for the insight, and yes, the DS5 is by far the superior option.
-
I really was not aware of a "ground switch" at all, and I was always curious about what that switch was for. Well now I know, thank you all. I am going to be sending a picture of the electronics as soon as I am able. I am playing this evening, so I will try and do it tonight. Thanks for the insight, and yes, the DS5 is by far the superior option.
You're not alone in never having heard about a "ground switch" on an elecric instrument, let alone an Alembic. The request for snapshots of the electronics are more from a concern that the "renowned guitar tech" may not have been wise to the fact that Series electronics have been and will always be a different kettle of fish.
-
So I played the series 1 this evening for a rehearsal, and the humming was ridiculous, due to the lighting of a very old church. I have never heard this humming from any other bass, including the Stanley Clarke. I've got so many compliments last week when I played it at another venue, so you could imagine how disappointed I was to know that the sound was this different as opposed to just last week alone. Any ideas would be very appreciated, because I am not confident with the soldering iron at all. I have attached two photos of the circuit. Feel free to chime in if you have any ideas.
-
I wonder if the ground switch was installed to add a string ground via the switch. If you have a multimeter, you can check this fairly easily.
Use the meter to check continuity between the nut on the 1/4 inch jack and the bridge in each position of the ground switch. If you don't have a meter, your tech can check it for you. A string ground may help in some particularly bad environments, but I'd rather avoid them.
With a string ground, your body becomes part of the shielding when you touch the strings. A lot of companies do this, but you usually don't need it if the instrument is properly shielded. As Alembics are well shielded, they don't have string grounds. Also, a string ground makes you part of the overall system ground, so you can sometimes get a shock if you touch something at a different ground potential while touching the strings. it's another reason not to have a string ground and have a properly shielded instrument instead.
Regarding hum, Series instruments have trim pots to adjust the hum canceller. With these, you might be able to reduce or eliminate the hum. Take a look at the hum cancelling procedure on the FAQ, it may help:
https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=269.0 (https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=269.0)
The older Series instruments can be sensitive to RF interference. It really depends on the instrument as well as the environment. You can get an upgrade for this if necessary (look for references to "the upgrade" elsewhere in the forum). If needed, contact Mica for details. I've had it done and it works wonders. However my oldest Series bass is a '77, and it works fine without the upgrade.
-nate.
-
The silver shielding in the pictures looks okay. I wonder about this switch though... it is somehow connected to the tailpiece to get continuity to the strings, and the switch either engaged or disengaged that? What does the other side terminate to though?
If I were going to CSI this one, definitely start with the standard humcancelling process. It may well be, that's all it ever needed, and unfortunately someone performed a mod to correct it here.
It's weird; that bass was for sale very close to me here in Virginia, so I watched it on Reverb. (I think we talked about it here too, somewhere...) and I never once noticed that switch. Enthalled by the bubbly maple I reckon. ;D
Hopefully the trimpot adjustments fixes you up. That's all it sounds like. Alembic Series electronics just aren't like anything else, and even 'qualified guitar techs' that haven't experienced them don't quite know what to expect, much less how to work on them.
-
Thanks fellas, I am in the process now of adjusting the trim parts to see if that works. I don't go back to that particular venue for a couple of weeks but I'm going to try it out anyway. As far as the switch is concerned, I really do not know what it does on my particular bass, but I'm really curious to see what it does. I think you are right about the techs. Because my usual tech is brilliant and has been doing this stuff for decades, but I am not sure if he was fully aware of all the intricacies of the Alembic majesty. After almost 40 years of playing, I'm still in school fellas. Thanks.
-
To address the noise in your rehearsal space you need to adjust the trim pots while standing where you will be playing. Face different directions and listen to where the noise sounds worst. Then try the trim pots.
Is the bass noisy in every environment? Usually the trim pots rarely need adjustment. If it isn’t noisy at home leave them alone until you encounter a noisy environment.
-
Would like to see a picture of the wiring of the "ground" switch. Especially since we're dealing with hum, anything that involves the grounding is a little suspect.
When you are that space again, confirm that that the noise is low-frequency hum (60Hz). Generally, you won't really adjust the trimpots for different places, but if you have a particularly hummy place, then it's a good place to make the adjustments.
If the noise is directional and high frequency, more of a buzz or a hiss, then you have a different issue. You still want to null the hum balance controls, but the bass will need to visit here for an upgrade to add a high frequency noise cancelling network. Appointments are out pretty far for this service, I can't accept new work until October.
-
Thanks so much for all the input. It seems that the one venue is the only place I hear the humming, especially with all the lights on. So I’ll adjust when I play there again. I’m out of town right now, but when I get back I’ll be sending a pic of the switch wiring, because it does not appear to change anything at all. If the humming does continue, Mica, I’ll point the bass in your direction, but I am hoping I dont have to 🙂. Thanks again.