Brother Mike,
I'll try to explain in my own moron lingo.
Anniv electronics are in fact teh same as playing with the knobs on a Les Paul Gibson (Susan, Ron and Mica no insult mended). To make myself clear: signature electronics -and all other 2 PU electronics on Alembic- are of the OR type. That means that by panning you choose PU1 OR PU2 adding together in a theoretical identical amopunt of volume where only the source of that amount of volume differs. So to get the set volume 7, you get 4 from PU1 and 3 from PU2. The maximum 7 is GIVEN by your volume potmeter.
Anniversary electronics are different: there is a volume PER PU! So it's an AND setup. It is not OR PU1 for amount x with PU2 for amount y but PU1 AND PU2.
That means that you ADD volumes.
Let me explain in another way (thanks to gool old baldhead EVH).
If you start with a setting you like on the neck PU (twiggle around with filter and 3p Qswitch) -what most of the time defines the penetration (excuse me the sexist word) of the bass sound- you can ADD a sound into that PU sound coming from the neck PU. It's a total different concept of tone shaping. I said earlier Les Paul guitars but I could said also Fender JB (there IS a reason why you see a lot of ALembic players with a JB while others would prefer a P) where you have a volume knob for every PU and 1 overall colour.
In signature the volume is -for example- limited to 7 (it's how you put your volume knob) so you choose every possile combination between PU1 delivering 1 and PU 2 delivering 6 to PU1 delivering 6 and PU2 delivering 1 (every time it adds up to 7).
Using an anniversary you ADD to the set volume 6 of PU1 an amount of volume from PU2. That ADDING makes the difference. So you can ADD by PU1 at 6 an amount of 6 from PU2. So you get 12. (I'd like to talk of the Volume of Series I's as 10 + 10)
Sounds great?
Well ...for some people it's highy too complicated. Because volume and tone are defintely related in this set-up: by opening the volume knob of the neck PU you ADD deeper and rounder sounds to your bridge PU. BTW: it's why Series II's have a general volume knob. It's why I always say to Series starters (o-oh there I go in old-timer setting): try to think of the 2 volumes as a TONE manipulator. General volume will be take care of by your amp of -in given case- by the general volume on the SII's.
***sigh*** I hope you understand. It's not evident to explain this in US-lingo for me.
Paul the bad one
PS: another way an Alembic S-bass is the technical and conceptual marriage between Fender JB pick-ups and Gibson Les Paul tone control with Susanesc feel for design and Ronwise techneuticals
(okay ....I'm dead now)
(Message edited by palembic on November 20, 2003)
