Bass comparison

[rv_bass]

I was playing a newer Series 2 bass today and compared it to my '75 Series 1.  I was pleasantly surprised at the difference in tone.  The S1 had a warm old school funk to the tone, while the newer S2 had a very distinct hifi sound, more open and articulate. I am amazed and appreciative of the diversity of these instruments.

[hammer]

Aw Rob...don't say stuff like that. Now I need to start saving for a new Series II. Sometimes ignorance is bliss or at least saves one money 😁

[StephenR]

Not sure you can separate the sound of the electronics from the wood combo especially the neck. What were the neck and body woods of the two basses you compared?

Also wondering if the primary electronics difference between the older and newer Series basses is the way the pickups are made?

[rv_bass]

Oops, sorry hammer

Stephen, the S1 had mahogany body wood and maple/Purple Heart neck.  The S2 had walnut body wood and maple/Purple Heart/ ebony neck.  So I guess the mahogany body would contribute to the warmer tone of the S1, and the walnut body of the S2 would contribute to the openness and clarity of the S2.  It's neat the way the basses have distinct sounds.

[edwardofhuncote]

Was just musing aloud today, how different the voices of my two are... and I've no idea what to attribute that to. I absolutely love both of them, and it's not a night-and-day difference, but there's something decidedly more... (don't know what descriptive is best) about the Distillate. It can go from old-school thump to articulate zing in 0.02 seconds.The Persuader is just a total badass grab-it-and-growl bass no matter where the controls are set.

Both have in common a mahogany core and classic maple/purpleheart necks. That's about it though. What ever the *it* is, or combination of factors, they're the best two basses I've ever played, period. 

[keith_h]

The woods have a very noticeable effect on the sound. I had the pleasure of hearing Moderator Dave play some years back with his two Series I basses that were similar. When he played the maple topped one there was a definite brightness you could hear over the other one. It has been so long I forget the wood mixes on the two but it was the maple that stood out to me.

[mica]

Also Ebony in the neck is VERY easy to hear for most Alembic players. It's really a dominant sound.

[rv_bass]

It's a very unique and desirable sound, I love it!

[jazzyvee]

I have two series basses a I and II that are pretty much the same build woods maple tops a backs and a mahogany core. They differ in that the series II has 3 ebony lams in the neck and the series has purpleheart. They do sound radically different tone wise and I think that as well as the ebony the pickups are in different places which also would affect the tone radically. The Series II neck pickup starts 40mm from the end of the fretboard whilst the series I is 27mm from the end of the fretboard. The bridge pickups are in the same place on both basses.
The obvious difference in tone is that the series I sounds more mellow and fuller heavier in the bottom end whilst the series II sounds much cleaner on the bottom end and has a harder punch to the sound across the spectrum. It also has much more sparkle on the higher frequencies although both are extremely clear in all frequencies.
I don't have enough experience of basses to be able to directly associate the difference directly to one attribute of the build compared to another that Mica and others have but whatever these things add up to, I'm happy to have it.

[StephenR]

Hey Jazzy

Aren't the scale lengths and body shapes different on your two Series basses? If so that may account for the difference in pickup placement and contribute to the sonic differences though I imagine the neck lams have a huge impact, too.

Which leads to a general question (probably for Mica). Would the pickup placement of two Series basses, one a Series I and one a Series II, be different if the instruments shared the same body shape and scale length?

[jazzyvee]

No all my series basses have the same scale length. I think the reason for one to have a different pickup placement is that it was a request by the person comissioning the bass. I have no doubt of the impact the lams have on the bass but I don't think I could distinguish that above what the pickup placement does.

[malthumb]

I was playing a newer Series 2 bass today and compared it to my '75 Series 1.  I was pleasantly surprised at the difference in tone.  The S1 had a warm old school funk to the tone, while the newer S2 had a very distinct hifi sound, more open and articulate. I am amazed and appreciative of the diversity of these instruments.

C'mon now, this cannot possibly be true.  All Alembics sound alike.  At least that's what so many people over at another newsgroup tell me.  Of course, these are people who have never played an Alembic enlightening me (I've owned 6).

I have often described the tonal differences between my 1987 Series I and my 2000 Mark King Dlx / Series II as being the difference between listening to Phil Collins sing (1987) and Barry White (2000).  The 1987 has a wonderful piano tone.  The 2000 has a very complex, very powerful tone. 

[s_wood]

No all my series basses have the same scale length. I think the reason for one to have a different pickup placement is that it was a request by the person comissioning the bass. I have no doubt of the impact the lams have on the bass but I don't think I could distinguish that above what the pickup placement does.

I am pretty sure that Alembic has fiddled with the default pickup positions over the years.  The neck pickup, in particular, was about 1/2' closer to the neck in the 70's and 80's than is currently the case.  And, of course, Alembic has always been willing to put the pickups wherever a customer requested so there will be variations in addition to the change in the default position.