Alembic Guitars Club
Alembic products => Alembic Basses & Guitars => Topic started by: chris_meyer on January 29, 2005, 07:54:32 PM
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Hi,
I'm thinking about the Alembic Jazz pickups and Activator system for my Modulus Genesis VJ. Could anyone try to describe how these pickups sound. Do they retain the jazz sound or are they more distinctly Alembic sounding? Also, is there enough room in a jazz style bass control cavity for the electronics?
Thanks,
Chris
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yes to your questions,the pluses are that you will get a wider frequency responce (cleaner signal)& the filter will open up a whole new world of sounds! you cant lose with this set-up,i got mine!,go for it!
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So you are saying you actually CAN emulate the original Jazz Bass sound, and just much more? I heard statements that it will sound a lot better BUT NOT like the original Jazz Bass. Was that a false statement?
I was also curious if anybody can explain the difference in controls and tonal effect of the replacement PU/activator system compared to the possibilities and sounds of the Series II electronics. I guess, some controls are comparable and others are missing. Which ones?
How can I simulate the tonal possibilities of the Jazz PU/activator system using my Series II bass to get an idea what I could expect on my Jazz Bass?
I must admit I CAN make my Series II bass sound like a Fender Jazz Bass, no surprise there, but the Series II electronics gives you unseen control options anyways. I am curious at which point the JB activator PUs have their limitations in this comparison.
I wish there was a way to test or hear them before you decide to spend the money. I have never seen a store carrying them in stock, preinstalled on a regular bass for your convenience, but then again I have rarely seen that done for other PU-brands too. In any case it is much easier to test buy a $70 PU and dump it if you don't like it than a $700 setup.
Still, if they would give me the original JB sound as well as the typical Alembic sounds I'd be very tempted...
Hartmut
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that's it they will give you that jazzbass sound but with the alembic (personality) clarity,plus also they come with a tone filter,:VOL-PAN-FILTER,you would retain the JB sound because of the positioning of the pick-ups.but w/the filter you can tweek those jazz bass sounds.
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heres the link click on for a close-up:http://store.yahoo.com/alembic/jzbtacpic.html (http://store.yahoo.com/alembic/jzbtacpic.html)
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Now there is the other question about which setup option is better, as you can choose between the two: The one with VOL-PAN-FILTER or the one with VOL-PAN-BASS-TREBLE (as mentioned in the link you posted)? I guess the FILTER option is closer to what I know from my Series II, right?
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yes i think they only come w/VOL-PAN-FILTER,(stock)however the bass & treble would require adding an adittional pot,which would be an added custom option,but as you can see they come only three VOL-PAN-FILTER>
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(Message edited by serialnumber12 on January 31, 2005)
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Yes, according to the Alembic pricelist ( http://www.alembic.com/prod/prices.html#ACTIVATORS (http://www.alembic.com/prod/prices.html#ACTIVATORS) ) there are different options, including adding a Q-switch (+$50) or having TREBLE-BASS instead of the FILTER (no additional charge). I wonder if you would be more limited with either of the different versions?
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treble & bass would be the most limited minus that filter & or not having the Q.but still i love it my bass sounds 100% better with them!I have the vol,pan ,filter, setup.
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Sound is a very subjective thing. While not installed in a Fender Jazz Bass, I have the Alembic J-Activator set-up on my Orion IV 34 scale, along with the East Meets West (EMW) electronics package (blend, master vol., bass, treble, Q switch and filter). My objective was to create an extremely high-end Jazz Bass with Fender's trademark sound as well as many other tonal possibilities, but with upgraded playability and aesthetics. With the maple set-neck, ash body, maple top along with the EMW J package, I believe I achieved my objective and then some. This thing is less cumbersome than any J or P Bass, yet has That Fender sound with the midrange punch that is easily recognizable in spades. Then you play with the controls, and you get tones that no stock Fender could ever hope to achieve.
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your rite & that's the goal of alembic, to create & achieve tones & versatility unmatched in todays musical instruments!
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Kevin, that's interesting to know, so you got the full package. I was just going to ask if that combination could be available also.
Would you say you could have also done without either controls, bass/treble or filter/Q-switch, or do you feel that they are all compulsory to the way you shape your sounds?
I don't have bass/treble controls on my series II, only filter and CVQ. I'd be curious if the addition of bass/treble controls would allow even different sounds or if it would just be like entering the same room through a different door.
To get all these controls into a Fender Jazz bass I think using stacked/concentric knobs would be one way to go. Funny, concentric knobs seem to follow me through my life ...
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Well, it's kind of a mixed bag. You have much more control at your fingertips with all the extra knobs, but that in turn makes it more complicated to dial in the exact tone you're looking for. While I appreciate all the tonal possibilities, all those controls can be daunting. The blend control in particular makes repeatability of dialing in a desired sound after switching around the controls difficult. You either have to set it and forget it or be prepared to constantly fiddle around on the fly while you're playing. I can only imagine what a Series instrument is like! Add a SF-2 Superfilter and you've really need to be an Electrical Engineer to set the thing (I am an EE, and I can't handle that many controls, LOL!). In summation, I guess everything in life is a compromise, so there you have it.
Timothy B. Schmitt of the Eagles has his basses (Carvin) set up with passive J's and a single volume pot. He claims that he wants all his tone shaping to be done outboard (at his amp). While I wouldn't want that myself, there is a certain wisdom in economy. To be fair, TBS doesn't have to change his tone very often, LOL!
This bass is by far the most complicated instrument I own. In fact, as I am primarily a Fender player (mostly guitar, but bass also), my other instruments have simple passive controls. They are also nowhere near as versatile as that Alembic is though. I went the other way with the Alembic only because I wanted a Swiss Army Knife of basses. I got that, but it takes a lot of fiddling to find your desired sound. Eschewing the Bass/Treble or Q/Filter controls would have simplified things, but they would have also seriously curtailed the tonal possibilities.
Personally, I set my Eden WT-550 head up with basically flat EQ. I do the tone shaping right from the bass depending on the song, style, room characteristics and mood/preference. Try that with a Fender J, LOL!
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Sounds reasonable enough. I wonder if you could get a push/pull control knob to combine the filter control with the Q-Switch, so you wouldn't have to add an extra switch to the 3 Fender controls. Although I guess only Alembic-staff can really answer that question.
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I've learned that with Alembic, with few exceptions, if you can dream it, they can make it happen!
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Hi!
I have two Fenders equipped with Alembic Activators..the P bass in the pic had EMG's before the Activators were installed. I'd say the Jazz bass gets me way closer to my Series tone then the P bass. I feel this is about as fine as these Fenders can sound...although they are nowhere near the instrument that the Series bass is...installing the Activator systems made the Fenders useable to me.
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/393/16229.jpg)
(Message edited by Spose on February 02, 2005)
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Hi,
it was my plan to 'upgrade' broomstick with a Status fretless neck and Alembic electronics.
My dram would be to have 2 J's with the East meets West electronics.
Although I contacted Mica to have a concentric volume/pan pot. Possible but to be custom-made, so not cheap.
In that case you would save some room: vol/pan combo + bass c/b + trebel c/b + filter + Q = makes 5 places and the JB only has 4 jack included.
Now I think that it must be possible to make a side jack on a Fender JB. Than you have to look for a place for the mini-toggle.
I also don't know if there is enough room inside the cavity for those elctronics + a battery???
But anyway ...it IS a nice dream no to construct such a bass???
Paul the bad one
Mmmmm ... my Frankenstein-project is Fender-pick-up related. I'll see if I can post some pictures soon.
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Paul, that's a similar idea I had for my Fender. I wouldn't mind using four controls on the control plate and shifting the plug to the side, maybe even inside the strap pin (wasn't that even on the West meets East Featured Custom?).
On the other hand you could get away with even three controls if all of them were stacked knobs:
vol/pan, bass/treble and filter/Q (possibly push/pull)
Can't you even get the plug as a combi-plug the way as they come on some mixer inputs, where you'd have a female speakon w/XLR and standard jack input in one? This way you could probably get phantom power and balanced output if needed or just the standard phone jack.
I just believe the stacked controls can become uncomfortable so I probably would stay with a solution where I'd had as few stacked controls as possible, who knows.
This is still a long term project for me as right now all my money goes into an epoxy job of my fretless Fender neck. Later I will address the pickups and electronics...
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East Meets West (as well as my Son of East Meets West) had the Switchcraft side mount jack, not throught the strap pin. I suppose Alembic could do a strap-pin job, but you'd need a cavity carved out behind it with a plate. The side-mount jobs take up a huge amount of room due to the robust commercial-grade construction of the thing.
There are a lot of things you can do on a Fender to customise the electronics, but you only have so much room under the pickguard/control plate. I'd be pretty skitish taking a router to any of my instruments, personally. Stacked knobs are an option, but boy are they a pain in the *ss to adjust on-the-fly when you're playing.
Just my two cents.
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ALTHOUGH MY CURRENT FENDER HOME BUILT DOES NOT COMPARE TO MY 77 SERIES I, IT PUTS OUT SOME EXCELLENT TONES. IT HAS GRADUATED TO TWO AXYS'
WITH EMW ELECTRONICS. THERE IS NO DENYING IT AMONGST ANY TYPE OF MUSIC. I LOOK AT IT AS A JAZZ BASS ON STEROIDS. YEP, DEFINITELY ON STEROIDS