Series questions

[Eric1616]

Hi all.  I am (finally) the proud and grateful owner of a Series II bass!  Pics below.  I have a couple of questions.

First, the bass has a mono/stereo switch.  What does this do?  Switching it while playing seems to have no effect.

Second, the LEDs.  I am used to switching them on and off on my other Alembics.  I understand they’re powered through the DS5 on the series basses, and they seem to come on automatically when playing through the power source.  Can they be turned off or dimmed, and of so, how?

Much thanks.

Eric.

[pauldo]

Beauty.
No idea about your questions,  just love looking at artistic renderings in wood.


Sit tight, someone will answer you soon.

[rv_bass]

Hi Eric
Congratulations, beautiful bass!!!

The mono-stereo switch is for the 1/4” output. If on mono it should combine the outputs from the two pickups for a mono signal and you can use a standard mono cable.  If on stereo each pickup will output separately and you will need a stereo cable. 

I don’t see a switch in your bass for the LEDs,  so they are likely always on.  Sometimes there is a dimmer control in the electronics cavity to set the brightness.

Here is a link to the FAQ page that might be helpful:

http://club.alembic.com/index.php?board=23.0

Have fun!
Rob

[edwardofhuncote]

Congratulations Eric, that's a super-sweet bass, and I guess you already know its story!

I wonder if there isn't a switch or rheostat inside the control cavity to dim/cut the LEDs. Might be worth a look. (Rob beat me to this one!) 

Hmm. I probably ought to wait on the stereo/mono switch as none of my basses have one. Generally though, I believe to get the most of using a Series bass in stereo, you need to connect it's DS-5 outputs to different amplifiers.

Again, Congratulations. Wow, what a bass.   

(I'll have to dig for it, but I think I have a picture of it at a Gathering a couple-three years ago... must have been a hatchling!)


*here ya' go... the subject of the picture is Nick's Hyak Scroll bass, but I'm pretty sure this is your bass slightly behind it... early-May, 2017.

[rv_bass]

Looks like the same neck recipe as Phil’s bass with mahogany primary wood, maple, walnut, Purple Heart, and ebony laminates, and I love the silver bound abalone inlays!

[glocke]

Congratulations Eric, that's a super-sweet bass, and I guess you already know its story! 

Whats the story?

String spacing looks super narrow, guess it was ordered or built for pick players?

[rv_bass]

Looks to me like a Phil Lesh replicate, Phil’s string spacing tends to be pretty narrow.

I also like the beveled edge on the headstock

[StephenR]

This is the twin to Phil Lesh's bass. Was wondering when someone would finally buy it, congratulations! I got to play this one briefly (unplugged) a couple of years ago and thought the neck carve was really comfortable.

The Series bass I got last year had no on/off switch for the LEDs and no way to adjust the intensity. I found the LEDs too bright so I took the bass up to Alembic and they installed a small trimpot in the cavity that allows me to vary the intensity. At the time I wasn't willing to have a hole drilled to install an on/off switch but they can also put in and an on/off switch and a way to control the intensity without opening up the back panel. I am pretty sure, though, that with no on/off switch the LEDs will only work when plugged into the DS-5.

Not sure if I can get a picture of the dimmer control in the cavity of my bass but if I can I will post it for you.

[Eric1616]

Thanks all!

[lbpesq]

My Series I 12 string has LEDs that are always on when using the 5-pin cable, and never when using the 1/4”.   My Further’s LEDs are powered by four 9v batteries.  I too had Alembic retro-fit a trim pot in the cavity so I could adjust the LEDs a little less bright.

Bill, tgo

[jazzyvee]

My series II has a dimmer brightness knob on the front at the end of the line of volume knobs. I have the brightness  on a pretty low setting only because if it is on full, i can feel the heat from them on my thumb on those times when my it is over the edge of the neck and it feels strange. 👍🏾😁

[David Houck]

Beautiful bass!!

[jazzyvee]

Certainly is.

[adriaan]

Makes me weak at the knees (and I have one not all that dissimilar).

[StefanieJones]

I love the dark rich color of that wood. Very beautiful! congrats!