Buying A Stanley Clarke Alembic

[Michael Delacerda (dela217)]

There is another wrinkle to this tone shaping business that has not been mentioned on this thread.  The series basses and the anniversary basses are stereo.  You can use a separate amp/speaker combination for each pickup!  This works out great if you have an F2B in the chain.  Extra tweeking!

[Paul Lindemans (palembic)]

Well-well ...you all are getting very Alembicious right away. About your sun: keep that thing in mind, he is just fumbling and ...he is getting somewhere. We grown-ups (I'm 47 in age but not in mind) are getting too closed and afraid to set things on their head. The SI and SII's -the original set-ups- were invented by people (Ron in the first place) who dared to think differently on sound (goes as well for guitars as for basses: dont forget you lower guys that Alembic is doin' great work on the high end too). So this is mainly the reason why there are so many bass-players that are hating Alembics: its not just NOT doin a simple Bom in the first place. You CAN do bom but you can definitely go Boom-tchi-Boom-thi-quck-quack-boinbg-triiioong-pock-pock. Most bass-players love just to bom (merely they MUST by their band-leaders).  
It's why I said: the Alembic oblige you to choose and to come out of the dark wall of undifined wobling sounds, it's a challenge for your taste and for your playin,
The Alembic is also hated (yes it happens) by studio-technicians, they'll say: listen man, you have too many knobs on your bass. Let's agree: I'm the one with the knobs, you are the one with the strings. So just go bom and I'll shape the sound!.
Brrrrrrrrrrrrr - hatefull in the ears of Alembicians. (I know one guy who said: can't you get a Fender??).
Something about the Strap thing.  My Alembic is very heavy but hey friends: where do you think that sustain is coming from? (Les Paul experimented for his first electric guitar ...on a steel bar!).
But for the strap: just look for a good wide, leather strap. It will spread the weight over your shoulder. There is a brand that uses sheep-skin under their straps and they give some comfort to but I'm not feeling to well with it. I'm a bass player, not a sheperd.
Keep on the low side, be Alembicious!
Paul

[Jazzy Vee (jazzyvee)]

Thanks for the great information guys. I have been experimenting with the bass controls and now am getting some great sounds. With the information you all have kindly supplied me, my understanding of how to get good tones will help.  
 
My other bass a Musicman Sterling has hardly seen daylight since the SC came home. I understand what you are saying about the Series I and II bases but here in the UK there aren't any stores that hold a good supply of alembics for me to go in and compare for sound. They aren't cheap and people don't walk in every day asking for alembics. Before the one I bought appeared in my city music store I had only ever seen one in any UK music shop around the late 70's and early 80's so I'm over the moon to get finally be the owner of one.

[Paul Lindemans (palembic)]

Hi Jazzy,
 
nice to hear from you again.
Don't be too hard on your Musicman. THere will come a time that, when you pick up that guitar, it will feel as coming home again. It will always be your starting point. I have the same experience: I started playing a Fender Telecaster bass. Fender re-issued the Fender Precesion 58 as the Sting-signature. When I play that bass (in a store) it feld as coming home.
What you experienced with buying the Alembic is the same for me. There is one store in BElgium who has them and I went to Holland. But 16 years ago I saw the first Alembic for real in  ...London!
 
Paul