Quote from: albertorigoni on October 06, 2026, 06:42:48 AMThanks! But what would be the difference between battery and 5 pin supplier in terms of tone? thanks!

Don't think there is much (if any) difference in sound. If so, someone will correct me. Normally the ones with the 5 pins (series basses) are stereo but this one isn't.

I have an EvH 4 string myself (think it's a Deluxe because it has the same back wood as top wood and neck laminates). The one you posted is the second/later EvH model. I have the first (more classic looking) model. Really like it. Just posted this video below of it. I Have more videos of it on my YouTube. Good luck with the trade!
https://club.alembicguitars.com/alembic-basses-guitars/alembic-evh-signature-video-four-finger-slapping/

No difference in sound between battery and external PSU - except the battery won't die.  

My guess is that this bass was modified to include the 5-pin jack (maybe not done at the factory) so that the owner could easily switch between this bass and another Series I or II.  It is wired to use only the + side of the external supply (and that would be +15-20VDC) and to send the mono output signal down what is normally the neck pickup wire.

You certainly don't need external PSU, 5-pin cable, etc. as these instruments were designed and built to run off the one 9V battery.  It's an option for you, but it would cost you about a lifetime's supply of 9V batteries. 

We hope you really enjoy this bass!!
Jimmy J

I'll just add - although you probably already know - that the bass is "on" whenever the 1/4" jack is plugged in.  So unplug when you're done playing to save that battery.

Let us know how you like it!
Jimmy J

Took a closer look at this. Jesse looked up the electronics and the 5-pin was not original, so my hunch that it was added later checks out. Dad confirmed the wiring of the 5-pin should be functional (there is a decent sized cap to the right of the ferrite bead). However, there's no difference in voltage in this case; this just uses the bass output on the DS-5 and is dropped to 9V just like using a battery, but of course you don't have a battery to worry about. This is great if you have another Alembic with a 5-pin, then you can use the same cable, or if you are very worried about the battery going dead, this fires it. 

A couple of other things that dad and I noticed as we were looking at the cavity is that the treble pickup Q-switch seems to have sprouted an additional capacitor. This may have been done for a personal preference for the Q settings. The threaded inserts do not look right (except maybe the one below the battery). Dad suspects the original screws were lost and metric were tried and may have torn out the original threaded inserts. The ones that aren't original look to be installed upside-down compared to the way our are installed. 

The other thing I can't explain are the little black lever-looking things on the wire side of the 3-pin connectors on the filter boards, and the tail on the solder side of the treble pickup filter board. I just can't tell what they are. 

Anyway, these basses all live their own lives after they leave here, and they sometimes gain experience (and components). Overall this bass looks like it was well loved so far. 

Can the 5-pin and the jack out be used at the same time on the non-series basses? Like two mono outputs sending the total output each to a different amp? Like I can do on my Wal bass? or does one shut off when the other is used?

This is why I love this forum, so many nice people with great suggestions, great eyes, and great communication!

That's why I have two Alembics, it's all about community (and they feel and sound perfect  )

Quote from: Barend on Yesterday at 01:22:26 AMCan the 5-pin and the jack out be used at the same time on the non-series basses? Like two mono outputs sending the total output each to a different amp? Like I can do on my Wal bass? or does one shut off when the other is used?

I think it's only the battery power that is switched by the 1/4" jack, not the audio output.  So you could run both but I'm not sure you'd want to.    Two cables trailing off the end of the bass?  On the other hand, if you were to use an external PSU you could simply use that output to drive two amps.  The DS5R for example has multiple outputs front and back.  

Or - I think you can drive a couple amp channels directly from the 1/4" output by just daisy-chaining them together.  I'm sure there's a limit but that should work too.

(And remember, most non-Series instruments don't have this mod...)

Jimmy J