Which new alembic approximates phil lesh's tone

[hgregs]

hi ... new member here, but long time lurker. i'm at the point where 1) i need a new 5 string and 2) it's going to be an alembic.  
 
i'm a big fan of lesh's mid-70s tone. but i'm not sure what combination of body/electronics/etc is going to get me close to that sound.
 
i've searched the web and this site, and recordings of basses... help please..
 
greg

[afrobeat_fool]

There are others here that know a lot more than me. With that being said, I would say a series 1 or 2, with a SF-2 superfilter would do the job. Good luck!
 
 
Nick

[sonicus]

We recently had a thread here regarding tone;
Welcome to the Club forum .
 
 
I am also fond of that tone ! But it is just one of the many sounds that I like to use . Much of tone is in your hands  and mind .
Equipment  wise :
Mr.Lesh mostly played the Alembic  Modified Guild Starfire and the  Alembic Osage Orange Bass  in this time frame plus some others from time to time . Both with various electronics that would be  state variable filter like .  If you get an Alembic Series II Bass and an Alembic  SF-2 Super filter I think that you would be very pleased .
Strings that were used on those instruments may very likely have been Pyramid Gold Flats.
 
To emulate such tone as you refer to you must emulate technique playing style /mind set / mentation / and too many things to list besides being  Mr.  Phil Lesh him self.
Tell me exactly what instrument he was playing and strings that he was using and signal processing that he had and amplifier and speaker combination that was used and you will have your answer. I am really trying to be honest with you .I still sound like me  regardless of what I do BUT I can get close .
 
      What I recommend to you is get a Series II Alembic Bass and a SF-2 Super filter  and F-2B preamp  or FX-1 preamps . For speakers he used infinite baffle type design enclosures( no port such as Hard Truckers )  with JBL K140 and  Gauss 15 and 12 inch speakers . Last obtain a good rack power amp with about 300 watts per channel @ 8ohms .  
                       Sonic Regards! ______________

[hgregs]

hey guys, thanks for the responses. yeah, i read tone post and knew it would haunt me in this post. however, phil definately had a different sound during his modulus days than during his alembic days.  
 
given that a series is hard to come by (as is the scratch for one), how far off the mark (or hopefully close to it) would a signature standard be. i found one that i like on paper... but the sound? i have no clue.
 
i don't have any local places to try one out - thus my plea for advice.

[artswork99]

Greg,
Welcome to the forum.  As there is certainly a difference between Series and Signature I would have to say that Signature (standard or deluxe - same electronics) is one of the next best choices.   Best of luck with your search.  
Art
 
ps: I am by no means an authority on Phil's tone.
 
(Message edited by artswork99 on April 27, 2010)

[keith_h]

There is a definite difference between the sound of Series electronics and the Signature/Anniversary electronics. Both have what I would call the Alembic sound. To me the Series electronics have a more open sound to them. I think this is due to the single coil pickups. I have a bass with Anniversary electronics and to me the sound is a woolier. Not distorted but not as clear as the Series. Again I think this has to due more with the pickups which are hum canceling. Of course the wood in both basses also affects the sound.  
 
If the cost of a Series bass is too much I don't think you could go wrong with a Signature bass with Anniversary electronics. These are a variation of the Signature electronics. They have a volume, volume, filter/Q-switch, filter/Q-switch and stereo/mono output.  
 
Keith

[pace]

Greg,  
 
Used SI or SII Alembics come up often and are IMO a real value for their price.  But, if you're gonna piece together a complete rig, then start w/ buying a Superfilter and a F2-B.... With those two units, who knows?... an EB-3 or Starfire with Fred Hannon's pickups might suit you just as well.

[sonicus]

I was very intrigued at the time by the sound of the Bass's such as those such as the Starfire & the EB3  with the  Guild / Hagstrom pickups. I would agree that  Fred Hannon's  Darkstar Pickups on a Bass with an F-2B & SF-2 would be a good set of tools to work with for the Sound.  I remember the thunder from that modified EB3 on Hard to Handle , and that delicate introspective sound of the Starfre on Dark Star.
THE Sound !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ______________________ .

[bassjigga]

I'm not sure if you're referring to live sound or records, but I have become very cautious about entertaining the idea of buying certain gear because I like how it sounds on a record. The reality is you usually have no idea what all went into a recorded sound. Even if a guy plays a particular bass on stage, many times records a recording is done with a different one. Or even if it is the same bass being used, many other pieces of electronic do-dads might have been used to influence the sound on a recording. Just a precaution....

[sonicus]

Live my friend ! So live I could feel the Sonicimpact of the Bass in my cheast !     I was there _______with my Ears and my Eyes and my Mind !  
               Sonic Regards !

[crobbins]

[sonicus]

Searching for the Sound  is Highly Recommended !  
I have the Audio CD Book version ______read by the author himself !

[hifiguy]

Phil's book is great!  I read it last summer and give it a 10/10.  Wildest parts are Phil's accounts of the pre-1967 San Francisco subculture.  Those were some weird and wonderful times and no one was more a part of it than Phil.