Thank you everyone!
Definitely the pickup routing is the same for all three and there wasn't ever a bigger pickup. The bass is like brand new. No dings or belt rash. Even the case is mint. All the electronics work perfectly and zero fret wear. The only change from the build sheet is it is now strung B-E-A-D-G-C instead of E-A-D-G-C-F.
I'm running it thru a GR Dual Pre flat with Sony MDR-7506 headphones. Key words are "surprising" when trying to utilize all three pickups. I've been soloing and adjusting the Q like with Series but when summed, the results are surprising. Lately I've been Qing the middle like a frumpy super P which works when summed. It also gives three different basses via the pickup selector.
If not a Fatboy, being slanted in its position definitely changes the sound. If I try to use it as a bridge pickup by panning the MXYs to the neck or the bridge, it still seems unruly. That my biggest question. Out of all the pickups in the world, why you slant an Alembic pickup especially in that position? Maybe if it a weak pickup from some other vendor. If it is a Fatboy? That's truly a mystery to me. Struggling to wrap my brain around why. Great if there's a interesting story like the maple top had a crack, etc. If this bass doesn't have a name, I'm calling it "The Unicorn".
I'm used to setting a tone and controlling the rest with my hands. The maple & mahogany sandwich is awesome! The maple has that fast round attack. The drawback it is hard to lay back on the beat to get a fatter bass tone without getting a flam effect. Straight MXYs gives you what you expect. Seems like if there was a Q and volume for each MXY, I might be able to tame all three pickups. I'm guessing there was a sound in mind with this bass build. Probably once I understand this I can get the most out of this beast.
Zero complaints. Awesome bass! Really loving the wood build. The 33.25 scale with 22 frets is the bomb on this body. It balances perfectly. The neck and string spacing is perfect. Surprisingly light for a 6 string. The standard bar none Alembic electronics. There is absolutely no substitute for Alembic single coils pickups.
