Touring with an Alembic Series 1

[Picure]

Wow, I never new the bassist from Matellica played Alembics too. So about this battery powered power supply, has anyone on this forum ever made one? And would you be using the 5 pin for power and the ouput jack for audio?

Thanks!

[JimmyJ]

Hey Jack,

The normal external power supply that comes with the bass puts out approximately +/-18 volts (DC).  The preamp board in the bass is quite flexible as it can also run on as little as +/-9V provided by the two onboard batteries.  But as Flip said, the two batteries don't provide enough current to run LEDs if your bass has them. 

If you wanted to make an all battery rig like Jason N had, you would use the 5-pin connector only and break out the cable to provide DC power in and audio out.  Like this: Pin 1 = Ground (for audio and power "0"), Pin 2 = audio output from the neck pickup, Pin 3 = audio output from the bridge pickup, pin 4 = +18vdc, pin 5 = -18vdc. 

If you really want to pursue that idea we can give you more details on putting it together.  But in your case, if you only need to be wireless for a few songs per show, I think simply using the 1/4" output to the wireless pack would be the most logical approach.  For fidelity alone I would recommend staying "wired" and using the stock power supply as much as possible.


Jimmy J

[mario_farufyno]

Picure, is worth to mention that Alembic's tone circuits are pretty different from other basses and takes some time to get used to how get the tones you want (specially because it is so detailed and revealing!). You can shape your tone a lot in a Series, but this can be tricky if you want quick changes on stage. The tool is powerfull and sensitive.

I use a Rogue that has just one single filter and already took some time to figure it out, feel confortable... and get addicted.

There are great posts about this subject on club, check the FAQ section and be welcome.

[Picure]

Hey Jack,

The normal external power supply that comes with the bass puts out approximately +/-18 volts (DC).  The preamp board in the bass is quite flexible as it can also run on as little as +/-9V provided by the two onboard batteries.  But as Flip said, the two batteries don't provide enough current to run LEDs if your bass has them. 

If you wanted to make an all battery rig like Jason N had, you would use the 5-pin connector only and break out the cable to provide DC power in and audio out.  Like this: Pin 1 = Ground (for audio and power "0"), Pin 2 = audio output from the neck pickup, Pin 3 = audio output from the bridge pickup, pin 4 = +18vdc, pin 5 = -18vdc. 

If you really want to pursue that idea we can give you more details on putting it together.  But in your case, if you only need to be wireless for a few songs per show, I think simply using the 1/4" output to the wireless pack would be the most logical approach.  For fidelity alone I would recommend staying "wired" and using the stock power supply as much as possible.


Jimmy J

Thanks for the info! I think I will build a stereo cable first and use batteries for wireless and use the power supply for most of the show. Who knows, maybe this time I won't even need to go wireless.

[Picure]

Picure, is worth to mention that Alembic's tone circuits are pretty different from other basses and takes some time to get used to how get the tones you want (specially because it is so detailed and revealing!). You can shape your tone a lot in a Series, but this can be tricky if you want quick changes on stage. The tool is powerfull and sensitive.

I use a Rogue that has just one single filter and already took some time to figure it out, feel confortable... and get addicted.

There are great posts about this subject on club, check the FAQ section and be welcome.

Thanks! That is the reason why I modded my standard Jazz bass to use the ACG filter based preamp to get farmiliar with the filter system.

[wayne]

Here's a thread where SMUPROF built a wireless power supply with a couple of Altoids boxes.

http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=734.msg6445#msg6445

C-Ya...............wayne

[jazzyvee]

Bump, did you get the items you were looking for?  Noise upgrade, new preamp card and bass powerpack for wireless operation. I havent needed a wireless so far but i did buy a 40ft series lead from a forum member for large festival stages.

[glocke]

I am currently days away from recieving my 1980 Alembic Series 1 that I plan on using it on an upcoming 2 year tour with a pop artist. We recently just finished a tour where we played mostly arena shows in China and this new tour should be no different. However, I noticed that I get alot of noise from stage lights, sometimes positioned directly in front of my position. I was wondering if the hum cancelling procedure would get rid of noises from stage lights. Also, the bass I got does not have the RF noise upgrade.

I would like to know if any club members have took an Alembic Series 1 on tour before and can share what to look out for. Also I would like to know how reliable is a Series 1 on the road (my bass will fly ALOT). Because I could not afford to send my bass back to Alembic for a repair mid tour.

Thanks!

Havent read through the whole thread, but in case it hasn't been brought up before bring a backup bass with you.

I've got a series 1 almost that old, and while I don't consider it unreliable, it did die on a gig one time.  Fortunately I had a jazz bass with me as a backup.

Once I got home I realized the socket for the 5 pin cable was loose.  Relatively easy fix at home.  It still works its way loose from time to time though. Wondering if some type of thread lock would be advisable for the screw that locks it down?