Alembic Guitars Club
Alembic products => Showcase => Series I Basses and Guitars => Topic started by: poor_nigel on October 13, 2004, 07:03:25 PM
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(http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/13369.jpg)
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(http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/13372.jpg)
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(http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/13375.jpg)
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(http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/13378.jpg)
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(http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/13381.jpg)
Note: Front Sims LEDs are on. So these are not as flashy as some may believe. Also, these do not compare to Alembic's bright laser LEDs.
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(http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/13385.jpg)
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(http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/13388.jpg)
Four front laminates and six back ones. Unusual.
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(http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/13391.jpg)
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(http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/13395.jpg)
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(http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/13398.jpg)
Woof!
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Wow! that Bass (or I should basses) and Rig are Awesome!!!
congratulations...
Is the main component of the Short Scale series neck Walnut?
- Tom
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Now I understand the origin of those frequent eartquakes in the Maine region of US!!!
I see changements to the bridge construction: the adaption for long-scale strings was took off I guess???
And that rig ...I'm sure I missed the tour you gave on anothet thread but maybe an explanation here would be appropriate? What is is and how is it linked to each other.
Paul the bad one
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Poor Nigel -
What's the serial # of this walnut beauty? Does it sound very woody? And Where is our favorite logo?
Mike
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Hey Tom. The neck is a reversed walnut with maple laminates.
Yo Paul. I got out my nut files and cleaned the back tailpiece's string grooves out, moved it back to where it was originally, and now the string hit
the bridge saddles at a steep enough angle to where string tension is not a problem.
The above rig was setup to play with the new P. Audio 21 speakers I bought and stuck in some trashed JBL 18 boxes. This was discussed a bit in a
previous thread. I will be switching the BGW set of power amps out to a Yamaha PM set, as the BGWs just do not cut it for the power hungry 21's.
The low end out of them is simply amazing. Clean, tight, and you can feel it in your bones on the B and E strings. Actually, loudness is not what I am
after. I want accurate and uncolored as a base for the sound. Even in boxes too small for them, the P. Audios provide that for 30Hz to 500Hz,
their current crossover setting. Next summer I will get to building all the boxes I put off this year.
Hi Mike. Walnut beauty? The body is Koa with a birch core. The neck is walnut, and it is a beauty. I traded my 20th Anniversary for this bass. It is
75 150 and belonged to Ed. The serial number was supposed to be in the title of the thread, but I had problems getting the pictures to upload,
and got rushed. ?Woody?? At this point in time, I would say more ?metally? than woody, as it needs a proper setup, and the neck nut is way too high.
I can get slapping sound when I just regularly play. I will take care of that this weekend, but the nut I will not mess with, as it is not adjustable, and
looks to be the original. It is possible that there is a thin brass shim under it, but I have not examined it that closely. Left my glasses at work.
I have been extremely busy at work this week, and have only played this enough to check out the controls and functionality.
Actually, this bass is not really even pretty in its present state. The woods are quite plain (except the walnut in the neck) and the finish is pretty much
toast (body), with bare spots of wood on the front. The logo is interesting. It was about the last thing I noticed when checking the bass out when I
got it. It was loose and sticking out about 1/4 at the top, so I carefully pulled it straight out. You can see the three holes in the headstock close up.
It kind of looked like someone had traced a logo and cut it out of an old beer can (Old beer cans were thicker than aluminum cans and made of tin).
I almost tossed it.
However, on closer inspection, I notice someone took quite a bit of time to cut it out and decided it was too well done to be a fake. I contacted Mica
about it and she told me that the old logos were hand cut from sheet silver, so each is kind of unique. The camera I am using is not good at close
ups, so I have not posted a picture of the logo. I will when I borrow a better camera from a friend. I will also open up the electronics compartment and
post a pick or two of that. Michael will probably enjoy that.
In its current configuration, the LEDs are run from two nine-volt batteries that just sit in the control cavity, nothing holding them secure. That will
have to change. They have a three-position toggle switch that is off, side LEDs, or front LEDs. Both sets do not come on at the same time. Obviously,
a new switch is needed. The side LEDs are purple and quite useful. The blue fronts ones are just for fun. I might leave the switch as it is, or hook the
sides up to the 18 volt line, after I get a reply back from Martin stating they are indeed 18 volt powered.
This bass goes against many fundamentals I hold dear about basses. I like a heavy bass with dark woods, generally. This thing feel like it weights five
pounds. The birch core must be extremely light. The woods are not exceptional, at all. Plain, really. The ebony fret board is very thin, which makes
the neck even thinner than the 20th I traded it for. This bass is very much on the dainty side. All-in-all, it is pretty messed up. However, the
electronics seem fine, the neck is great! and I really like the bass ? a lot! It is without reservations, a very fun bass to play. Therefore, come this
spring it will be flying home to be refinished and get an inlay to cover up the holes where the tailpiece was moved back. Maybe a man-in-the-moon in
an oval ebony black sky, with a couple little stars. I will decide on the old logo at that point. It will probably get gold plated and reinstalled then.
This is kind of a pricey endeavor, but I have decided it will be worth the time and money involved. If anyone knows if the selector switch is original or
not, I would appreciate that information. It has two side allen screws in it like the originals, and are .050 like the others are.
I do believe this was the first Alembic Martin Sims put LEDs on. Here is a link to it in his picture gallery:
http://www.simscustom.com/prexgallery.asp (http://www.simscustom.com/prexgallery.asp)
The page is dated 4 April 2000. Here is a review by the previous owner that I contacted, who sent it to Martin, as he liked the bass so much.
He sold it because of a temporary financial setback, and seems to really want it back:
http://www.harmony-central.com/Bass/Data4/Alembic/Series-I-Short-Scale-01.html (http://www.harmony-central.com/Bass/Data4/Alembic/Series-I-Short-Scale-01.html)
He has been sending me bits of history on the bass, which I really enjoy. It pays to search the Web on any used instrument you acquire.
(Message edited by poor_nigel on October 14, 2004)
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(I renamed the subtopic to include the serial number.)
The Walnut neck and Koa laminates are probably the biggest contributors to
light weight, at least compared to other Alembics. The Walnut looks like
California Claro walnut, not the more dense Black Walnut to me, but you
really can't tell just from looking (unless you're looking at a
sample under magnification).
The thinness of the neck will also be a factor in the weight reduction. Some
of those old fingerboards are really thin! But I guess it works--this one's
close to 30 years old.
I'll ask mom and dad to check in and see if they remember that pickup
selector switch.
Even though the bass has sort of a plain appearance(many of the
early instruments share this), I think it's still beautiful and clean
looking, and you can really focus on the shape.
Perhaps the wide screen format will put to rest rumors that 150K
isn't big enough for pictures. Just imagine how wide screen we'd be
in every post if the limit wasn't there
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You almost tossed the hand cut logo!!??!!!
As far as the pickup selector goes.... I have an older Alembic brochure with a guitar in it. The guitar is serial number 73-45 and it uses the same type of pickup selector knob. I also used to own a Guild Starfire that was modified by Alembic in their early years. That same type of selector was used on it too. I suppose it could have been fitted when it was made.
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This thing feel like it weights five
pounds.
Crikey!
All I can say is--if she ever displeases you, don't forget your scoliotic friends in New York.
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Thomas:
That bass sure has character! Other than doing something about the holes below the bridge, I wouldn't do anything other than having it preserved in a sort of arrested decay condition. I've always appreciated the almost rustic look of the original Alembics. One can always get a new one that looks new, but your's is a treasure that wears it's age well. Of course, it's your bass and you should do what makes you happy. Either way enjoy and make much music in good health.
Bill, the guitar one
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Arrested decay. I like that! All of my basses are in that state.
I know what you mean about it feeling like it weighs 5 lbs. I have an older Alembic that is VERY lightweight too. I get used to my heavy basses and when I pick it up, I am shocked every time. Even though I had this bass for 20 years.
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Thomas,
When I said walnut beauty, I was referring to the neck. Since it's a neck through I thought it might get the same kind of woody tone my fretted Epic gets with its walnut top lam.
It's a sound I truely love, and I'm guessing since I run my EQ near flat that the sound I'm hearing is the top wood. It's not so much in the attack as in the decay of the notes. I lack sufficient skill to pull it up on demand, but I do LUV that sound!
Mike
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Hey Shawn. Scoliotic? I don't take kindly to people who make me go to thesaurus.com. However, try swimming/floating
for some relief, but don't drown, OK? This bass does not displease me. I agree with Bill 100%. It has great character.
However, it looks better in pictures than in person, and letting the finish go to bare wood is not preserving the instrument.
It is already pitted (As if sand blasted) above the front pickup on the pickup selector side. I will have this little bass
refinished because I like it and want to keep it for a decade or two, before it passes on to its next custodian. I hope to have
had it and played it enough to where they have to refinish it, also.
I polished the logo and it does not look anything like it did. It looks so good, I might stick some 70 Schaller chrome tuners
I have on it, like it originally had, and I don't like chrome (Hmmm, Michael, did these come with chrome or gold? I
remember sending Bucky a chrome tuner for him to get gold plated, as he could not find a gold plated one to replace a
broken one for his old bass). The Schallers on this bass are not the originals, and original drill holes are present on the
back of the headstock. The logo stays off until it gets refinished, as it will not stay in place without it being glued.
It turns out that the batteries for the LEDs were just about dead (I will have to sit corrected on it needing a new switch), and
with the insertion of some Coppertop Ultras, boy are they bright, and side and fronts come on together in the second
position. I also checked the wiring, and it is nine volt in parallel. Therefore, no hooking the side LEDs up to the 18 volt
line.
Michael, thanks for the information on the pickup selector switch. The allen screws made me think it was what came on
the bass. Now I believe it with some confidence. I cannot believe the tones that come out of this five-pound wonder.
Thanks for the great info Mica. Oh, and thanks for renaming the thread, too. The fretboard on this bass is probably the
thinnest I have ever seen on a bass. So thin that they had to drill into the sacrificial laminate for the LEDs to fit. Because it
has no accent laminates, the core looks really thick on this little body. The more I play this bass, the more I like it. I can
just imagine how I will feel about it when I have racked up over an hour total playing time on it - been swamped at work
this week.
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Mom remembers having used that switch.
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I am, as ever, a walking dichotomy (heh heh), O Thomas: cursed with a bad back and devoid of swimming pools, yet smitten with Alembic.
Your thoughtful and detailed notes on this wizened work of wood will surely be invaluable when my wife finishes her education, hands me a blank check and says Go call Alembic.
(I love my wife.)
Play and enjoy your Lil' Bit O' Honey in good health, sir.
God, does it really weigh five pounds? Mica, would the crew build a bass with a birch core? My Little Wonder weighs ten, and is often uncomfortable to play standing up, so I've been racking my brain for ideas to minimize the weight of the 32 cocobolo five-string I one day hope to own.
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Hey Mike. I am just going have to show my ignorance and state that I do not know what you mean by a woody tone.
You are the second person to ask me this of this bass. I do not talk about bass sounds much on boards and clubs. The
bass sounds brighter and thinner than my S-II running 'flat.' However, I can pretty much configure amps and
speakers for pretty much any fretted sound I want. I will ask Bob to explain to me in detail what a woody/woodsy
tone is and get back to you on it.
Time Warner of Wasteland, Maine finally got HDTV in, and I hooked it up yesterday and turned it on. Checked out
the nine HD channels and left it on the Who at the Isle of Wight concert that happened to be on. Hmmm . . . But it
did have its moments and I do love to watch John and especially Keith play. This really got me in a vintage frame of
mind, so I hooked up some old amps and played some Tommy and Jethro Tull on the Lil? Bass. This bass was made
to play on these amps!
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/13456.jpg)
If there are any Sunn amp fans/freaks (like me!) out there, this is a 66 200S and its bottom and a 68 Sentura II (I like
a touch of reverb once in a while) with a 68 200S bottom. I ran the bridge pickup to the Sentura and the neck to the
200S. Holy Noel Redding!!! - without the ?Fender Bass,? of course.
Thanks for the verification on the PU selector switch knob Mica. One less thing to mess with. Shawn ? ?wizened?
work of wood? That is twice now you have made me learn something. My head hurts now! Perhaps you can have a
bass stand built that will hold the bass out in front of you, so it holds the weight and you just play it. Did the bass
player in Yes used to have one of these? You know, carrying around the weight of your large vocabulary could be
the cause of your bad back.
(Message edited by poor_nigel on October 16, 2004)
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Tom, I'm sure the catalog of words chasing each other 'round my mind bears some responsibility for my back pain, but I think that incident when I was working for the Korean supermarket bears more responsibility.
A tip for all--when using one of those unpowered forklift thingies to move half a ton of soy milk or any other heavy cargo, you must always push and never pull. After you yank a few vertebrae out of place and tear up your muscles, they never work right again.
Your stand suggestion is a thoughtful one, and well appreciated, but I look like a big enough dork already, thank you very much.
I tried the Comfort Strapp last week and it felt nice but no way was I paying $32 for anything that cheesy. Ended up with some stinking slab of black (p)leather that pretty much does the job, and the fumes provide a nice buzz while I play.
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Gee shawn, you have the best excuse in the world to take drugs! I once was in a band with a lead player with a bad
back, and every once in a while he would drink while on his pain killers - That did not last long. He was great when
sober, though. I will take Lil Bass to work and weigh it on the postage scale there. My bathroom scale is way off,
which is a plus in my book. i will let you know her real weight, so you can consider it when your wife strikes it rich.
Maybe you can afford a Moody strap then, too!
Paul, I am sorry I totally passed over your asking about the rig in the pictures. Here:
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/13459.jpg)
The top rack is input. The signal path starts with the fourth unit from the top. It is an old real time analyzer that I
added the gutz of an RS-5 to, so it would analyze the input signal and work as the RS-5 normally would. I clipped
the tap to the analyzer when I thought it was introducing a dirty signal to the output. The RS-5R sitting on top of the
CD player in the larger pictures will replace this shortly, and the gutz will be put back in their little blue box for when
I want a more portable power supply.
The output is mono, here, and goes to the Eden Navigator. I have the EQ set flat, as I was testing the speakers
recently. The CD player is hooked to its stereo Aux inputs. The Peterson strobe tuner (top unit) is connected to the
tuner out of the Eden Navigator. Therefore, I can mute the Navigator and use the Peterson silently. The third unit
down is a MidiVerb 4 that I sometimes use for reverb, flange, and echo. It is connect to the Navigator via the effects
loops ins and outs.
The bottom rack is output. The top unit is a 20 amp Furman conditioner. The stereo output from the Navigator goes
into a graphic equalizer that I use to cut things out of the sound, mainly. I use the parametric EQ system on the
Navigator to add with. The signal then goes to the stereo three-way electronic crossover. This one is a Rane. They
are very dependable and easy to use. This is a tri-amped configuration, so there are three power amps to run the 21's,
the 10's, and the horns sitting on top. I ended up turning the horns off, as crossed over at 6,000 Hz, nothing was
coming out of them, except sounds that I would want to cut out anyway. I do turn the horns on, if I play a CD. Hey,
this is actually a really nice stereo. My only problem with the Navigator is that its input is strictly mono. So it's a
really nice mono-stereo. I have seriously considered dumping it for a F2-B and a SF-2. Not this year.
(Message edited by poor_nigel on October 16, 2004)
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Part II to Paul:
This rig is just a temporary setup till I make the new cabinets for the 21' woofers show above. The horns and another set just like them, plus the
eight JBL 10's sitting on top of my projects pile below, will be stuffed into four cabinets of two 10s and a horn each. I should probably eliminate
the horns, but they would be more useful for other aplications if I leave them in the design.
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/13462.jpg)
After I get Lil' Bass fixed up and the new rig built, I will probably finally do something about replacing the Navigator with something that is true stereo.
(Message edited by poor_nigel on October 17, 2004)
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Hey Mike. Bob's definition of woody/woodsy:
Mostly it's a warmth thing. Woody is the opposite of sterile. I think that any instrument could sound warm and woody through a Boogie 400 head
or an SVT. On the other hand, it takes a woody-sounding bass to produce pleasant tones through a GK.
By this definition, yes, both my Alembics have a woody/woodsy sound, epecially when I play them through tube heads. Plus they still have a growl
and a bit, whenever desired.
Unofficial weigh in ? Step on bathroom scale ? pick up bass ? weight minus me equals @ 7.5 pounds. Accuracy = who knows . . .
(Message edited by poor_nigel on October 17, 2004)
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Thanks for explaining Thomas ...great set-up.
The day Maine trembled... quite a movietitle!!!
Well ...see it this way: thanks to you there was something moving at least in that state
hehehehe
Paul the bad one
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You are more right than you know Paul. Welcome to the Wasteland. Here is Lil Bass in case:
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/13517.jpg)
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Control Cavity and PF-6 Board
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/13521.jpg)
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Nigel
Thanks for the walk down Sunn lane. In the early 70's I used a bunch of their gear. 200S head and 2 200s cab's w/JBL's. I later replaced the head with two Coliseum 880 heads. I also tried their 4 x12 and 1x18 cabs,but liked the 15's better.
I'd like to find another rig like that, just ta have. But most of the surving Sunn gear I've seen is pretty beat up.
G
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Hey Gare: The two amps above are about the primest pair I have seen and the bottom are definitly the best I have seen. No runs in the grills at all.
There are hard to get and usually too messed up to want much. But these do come around every once in a while and sometimes go for a reasonable
amount of money. I liked the smaller 200 series better than the 2000 series. I was raised with the smaller ones around my home town of Modesto.
All the future pro bassist's there had just what you listed. The are great memory keeps! And they do sound great with that little bass playing through
them. 1970 - Two bottoms, one head, two grand! Yow that was pricey back then! Actually, it is about the same price now . . .
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Very nice basses btw.
Bet they sound great thru either amp rig.
We outta start a vintage amp thread.
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Excellent Rig!!!
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I must concur, awesome rig. However, how do you cart that business around? Or do you gig with something else? The bass is nice and light, but the rig makes my back hurt just looking at it!
Edwin
Who is now using an EA iAmp and 112 CXL
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I owned this bass for a while. I was in California around 1996 and I was looking for a short scale S1. I called the Bass Center in LA and they had one, but by the time I got there, another guy was playing it and had just bought it. I gave him my address if he changed his mind and 4 months later I heard from him. I had it shipped to Philadelphia. I always liked the idea of LED's so I sent it to SIMMS Led in the U.K. I had to sell when I went to grad school. Shame, I miss it. It was unorthodox but SO much fun to play.
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Nice that you found an old friend, Greg - are you just reminiscing, or back for more?
In either case, welcome.
-Bob
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POOR Nigel????????????????
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Hard to find, so bumping it further up the line so the lost an find it easier . . .
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Hello everyone.
I have just today sent a payment for the 75-150!
The seller is in New England area in US and the bass was put on EBay some two months back.
I expect to get the bass shipped over to Japan in a week or so where I am currently driving a passenger cruise ship for six more weeks. I remember well seeing her for sale back on 2003 in some US bass shop webpage since I saved the photos from the sale advertisement. Not knowing I would one day end up as the next caretaker or her!
On the sellers photos the logo seem to be again missing, maybe Mica would be able to send me one once I am back home in Switzerland.
Once the bass has arrived onboard I will share some photos!
All the bass
Jan
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Great that you have this bass. I also own one of Poor Nigel's basses.
Regarding the logo, Alembic won't send one to you. If you want one fitted, you will have to send the bass to the factory.
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Yes, I thought that may be the case. Well, let's see once I get her what the condition is in general, although I do like the vintage look on basses. Maybe one day I will even visit Alembic myself and bring the bass along for an overhaul and get the logo in place.
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Congratulations, that is a nice bass! Cool wood combination, I love the older Series basses!
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Hard to find, so bumping it further up the line so the lost an find it easier
it would be interesting to see how far and wide his basses have scattered. i myself own a fine specimen of his that i dance with almost every day.
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Hard to find, so bumping it further up the line so the lost an find it easier
it would be interesting to see how far and wide his basses have scattered. i myself own a fine specimen of his that i dance with almost every day.
Well mine is in England UK.
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Two in Kansas, USA
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I am wondering who ended up with 75-219?
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I am wondering who ended up with 75-219?
Me too, that’s another nice one.
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Hello all,
Some time has passed but as I promised last year I'd post some pics of the beautiful 75-150 which is now at my home. As you can see the missing logo was never found, the seller didn't find it anywhere. Another more annoying issue is the treble pick up is dead when the bass is connected to the normal cable & plug. But when trying to use the 5-pin AC adapter plug & cable there is a loud disturbance signal coming form the bass and nothing else. So no playing. This means I must get the bass over for a service later this year.[/size]
If you have any special advice when sending overseas instruments for a service at Alembic (US customs etc) please let me know. Also some preliminary quote for an electronics overhaul plus the logo installation would be great to get. But nothing should be done to the varnish finish, she looks great in this weathered appearance.
The 75-150 is pictured here together with the 75-143 (which is a double serial number) and the AM-106.
brgds
Jan
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Beautiful bass!
The 1/4” jack is likely stereo, so you will need a stereo to mono cable to hear the treble pickup when using the 1/4” jack.
Try exercising the toggle switches and volume and filter control knobs. Flick the switches back and forth 50 times each. Turn the control knobs back and forth all the way 50-100 times and see if that helps get rid of the noise. There are also trim pots on the back so see if you can dial out the noise.
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Duplicate
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I wonder if there may be an issue with the voltage on the DS-5 where Jan is?
It's a good sign the neck pickup functions well under battery power. Here's another easy checkup - plug a set of stereo headphones into your 1/4" jack and see if both pickups and selector switch are functional.
Agree with everything else Rob posted; exercise the livin' daylights outta' those old pots and Q-switches.
Great to hear from 75-150 again... that's one of my all-time favorite Alembics!
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Thanks for your answers. My power supply is working well on my other Series I and II basses and voltage in Switzerland is the European standard 230V. I must try this stereo headphones trick once I am back home. The disturbance sound was really loud and no other signal came through, will exercise the controls as per your advice to see if it would make any difference. But my bet is I need to ship her over for some proper checks?
Best regards from the Gulf of Thailand
Jan
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Confirm the pickups are all seated well with their connectors. Also make sure the humcanceller is plugged in the middle.
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Dear Mica & everyone,
Thanks for your replies. I opened the back but could not see anything loose inside and all cables looked ok to me. I plugged the bass in again via the DS-5 and moved up and down all controls several times as instructed. The bridge pick up is alive but the signal is very weak and if the string is plucked a bit harder the signal becomes distorted. Also it is accompanied by a very high pitch tone when switching around with the Q switch or when pressing lightly at the 5-pin connector plug. The neck pick up works fine with a proper signal strength.
So there is something wrong, maybe trying to get a local workshop to have a look unless you have a better option for a service? No idea if I can trust such an instrument to someone who has not been working with vintage electric guitars.
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You might try turning the knobs and flicking the switches a couple hundred times each, I had to do that once on one of my basses. Also make sure the 14 pin ribbon wire connector is connected securely.
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And try switching the pickup connectors on the board to see if both pickups are working in the neck position and if both do not work in the bridge position. That will tell you if it is the pickups or the board/something else.
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... try switching the pickup connectors on the board ...
That's the next logical troubleshooting test. I think you have the old mini-coax connectors so you will need work a bit to be able to disconnect them. Here's the explanation:
http://alembic.com/club/messages/16271/25011.html?1139618837 (http://alembic.com/club/messages/16271/25011.html?1139618837)
The idea is to swap the blue and the red connectors, then power up the bass and see if the bridge pickup appears loud and clear in the neck pickup channel - and the neck pickup is now sounding weird. If that's the case it points to a problem on the board.
If you are able to try that please let us know what you find. Then we can help you figure out your next move.
Jimmy J