Further

[flpete1uw]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1996-Alembic-Custom-Electric-Guitar-MINT-CONDITION-/271570465443?pt=Guitar&hash=item3f3adc72a3
 
This guitar has been for sale for awhile and every time I see it I'm curios about the pickups. And for that matter guitar pickups in general.  
Being an owner of a Series and Distillate as well as a P/J Persuader in the past I have a pretty good idea about the Bass pickups.  
  I have a friend who has been showing some interest in Alembic guitars because he gets to hear my Basses on a regular basis. However when he asks me about the Guitars I find myself at a loss to inform him with confidence. Basses on the other hand I can jabber on all day.
  So are the Guitar pickups similar as the Basses in that there some Hum Cancellers and the Series Line are true Single Coil. And are there any differences in the Soap Box compared to for example Strat types? Ex: Magnet size? Or is it like the Basses in that the main difference in the models are the electronics options?
 
Kind of a big question so any kind of leads and I would be more than happy to do my homework.  
Thank You,
Peace
Pete

[lbpesq]

This guitar is not a Further.  It appears to be 100% custom.  Alembic guitar pickups follow the same recipe as the bass pickups.  Single coil with a second dummy coil for hum cancelling except for the Series guitars which, like the basses, have two true single coils and a dummy coil in the middle.
 
Bill, tgo

[flpete1uw]

Yes Bill, I see the point on there. So is it safe to say the STR pickups are similar as the J pickups for Basses in that the magnets are smaller to fit in the real estate provided? And do they sound different?
 In most of the Alembic Bass line the MXY and AXY are the same pickups, just in different casings. Then there are the Fatboys. After that the single coil Series line that are the same. After that are the activators meant as original replacement pickups.
 
 In the Alembic guitar line how would you chose pickups as far as sound goes?  
I guess what I'm asking what if any differences make up the guitar lineup of pickups?
 
Pete

[lbpesq]

My understanding is that the humbucker shape Alembic pickups have a wider aperture than the Strat shape Alembics.  As result, the Strat shape pickups give a thinner sound - at least that's what I was looking for when I had my Further built with a Strat shape middle pickup as I use the middle for a more country tone..
 
Bill, tgo

[jazzyvee]

As far as I've read on the forum, alembic pickups ( bass and guitar) are not voiced so they just pick up what the string is doing. In that respect they are different from most other  manufacturers who produce a variety of pickups  that are wound specifically to  emphasise different aspects of tone.  
If you want to get a different tone from your alembic pickup,  you can choose the larger cased pickups and within certain physical limits ask for the magnetic pickup to be cast off-centre in the casing to pickup a different part of the vibrating string either closer to the neck end or the bridge end of the casing. I have recently done that with an AXY pickup for my bass to get a warmer bass sound from the neck pickup.

[tomhug]

Beautiful guitar, but how many people winced just a bit on the second picture, with the guitar just standing on the point and leaning against a wall... (on tile floor). Yikes!

[gtrguy]

My understanding is that humbuckers have two single coil pickups wound with reverse polarity to each other so that they do a phase cancelation of unwanted noise. There is also a lot more wire, which increases resistance, making a hotter pickup (I think).
 
If you play a Strat with a 5 way switch, the two positions next to the outside setting put the pickups into a hum-canceling mode, which you can really hear the improvement with a noisy amp.
 
There is definite change in sound on an Alembic between a humbucker and the more narrow single coil size. I like them both.    

[cozmik_cowboy]

I cringed as well, Tom; I mean, preventing that kind of foolishness was the reasoning behind the point in the first place!
 
David, you are right about single-coils 7 humbuckers - but non-Series Alembics use a whole different animal.  There are 2 coils, but only one magnet; it cancels electronic stuff without changing the magnetic stuff.
 
I, too, (never having encountered an Alembic guitar in the wood) have wondered on the differences in the 2 sizes of guitar p/ups; thanks, Bill.
 
Peter

[studiorecluse]

Hey gtrguy, the picture of the guitar that you posted on Aug 14 is driving me crazy.  I just love it, what is it?  Is it yours?  Very, very sweet.  Subtle, but sweet.

[gtrguy]

Yes, it is here:
 
http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/132828.html?1339274810