Optimistically priced Exploiter on Reverb

[hammer]

Jimmy makes an excellent point here. I know personally that I rarely use my Series basses in stereo mode when I play out. When I do use this configuration, its typically only when I recording something. The other thing to consider is that while the crew at Alembic can do almost anything, there needs to be room within a bass to put the electronics needed for a stereo presentation. I don't know if your bass would have sufficient room for this without major modifications. My two cents worth is that the beauty of the Series basses is much more due to the incredible array of tonal options than the stereo availability and you can get those with SF-2 and just about any Alembic bass.

[mica]

There are 2 preamps in a Distillate circuit, but the rest is all global controls. So while it's _possible_ to do it, so much would have to be changed it wouldn't be fair to call it a Distillate anymore and would be MUCH cheaper to start from scratch to make a stereo bass out of it.

[jazzyvee]

An upgrade to anniversary electronics would get you stereo out.

[BeenDown139]

thanx for the input everybody.

the exploiter appears to have deeper electronic problems that go beyond the input jack.  i suspect a loose/broken wire/cold solder joint/missing ground type of issue as it comes and goes when i wiggle the wiring harness and poke around in the guts.  The LED plays some strange role in this as when it's lit the pitch and timber of the noise changes.  I dis-assembled the output jack from the bass, wired past the power connectors on it and wired the sleeve of the jack to circuit ground to eliminate any foolishness from that end while i track this issue down.  i'll probably work on it some more this weekend, may have to really go all out and break out the scope ( *gasp* ) to chase this down.

i get the feeling that this bass has been rode hard and put up wet in its lifetime, so i'm not especially surprised that something hasn't worked loose or broken along the way.  i got plenty of time and patience to work it out.  At least it's something electronic (my forte) so i can deal with it rather than something structural with the frets or neck or headstock in which case i would be completely outta my element.

we'll revisit the stereo issue once we're feeling all better again in glorious mono.  or not.

[Russ]

Since I recently got the pleasure of experiencing what a stereo bass offers, I'll just say it's really cool - but it means a bunch of new little things to consider and based on what you're going for it may be more headache than value.

I use the PBJ bass cab, has two inputs - this set up allowed me to have each pickup have it's own settings on the bass cabinet - which are ironically at 12 o'clock on Bass/Mid/Treb because I can shape my tone with the filters and Q-switch dials. I have my effects going through my bridge pickup and basically it allows me to pan to hear more or less of the effects. Other than that, unless you plan on having two different heads/amps I'm not really sure of the value it can give me in the live arena, maybe two different effect loops which would be really cool but not too useful in most cases unless I was trying to be Victor Wooten

Now when I press my tuner to mute, one of the channels is not muted - so I have to consider turning the knob when I tune or purchase another tuner pedal to mute both pickups.

[BeenDown139]

the pleasure of experiencing what a stereo bass offers, I'll just say it's really cool - but it means a bunch of new little things to consider and based on what you're going for it may be more headache than value.

in my past life i ran my series basses in full stereo through side-by-side cabinets - bridge cab stage right, neck stage left so as i faced the audience the cabinets were positioned as the pickups were.  Once it was dialed in, the sound was unbelievable, especially with the fretless series I.

these days i have only the one stereo bass (number 76-270 to be precise) and it only gets played (so far) in my living room through an Ampeg 15" wedge with a PJB 2x4 on top as pictured.  i parallel the inputs to both amps and it has a really nice full range sound.  I dial the bass back on the PJB so it mostly handles mids and highs.  The other day i ran the bridge pickup to the PJB, the neck to the Ampeg and the difference in the sound was remarkable.  So i've got a stomp box type of switch designed that lets me put the rig in stereo when i play the Series I, mono when i play the other basses. 
That way i can swap basses between songs and not have to jack (pardon the pun) with cords and plugs to get the rig configured.

<edit> IMHO it looks like they went through a lot of trouble to make series basses stereo so why not use that?

did i mention that i have a lot of spare time on my hands?

[BeenDown139]

the weather was kinda iffy this weekend, so i set the kitchen table up for bass surgery.  did a detailed exam of the solder joints on the input jack, some of them looked kinda sketchy, so when in doubt, sweat it out as we used to say.  fired her up, played and sounded great, seemed pretty solid.  put everything back together, buttoner her up, plugged her in and..... failure.  i think it's probably in the wire harness or a connection to the vector board.

arrgh!  if the weather's crappy next weekend, we'll take this up again.

here's a before shot of the jack.  i don't have a real camera, so it's the best i could do with a cell phone camera...

[BeenDown139]

ok - one more last post on this subject.  really.  i swear.  honestly.

so winter finally arrived in the mile high last week, forcing me off of december bike rides in shorts in the weak winter sun and back into the workshop where i can focus my attention on this wayward exploiter once and for all.  Since i live an a small townhome and i don't like doing this kind of work in an unheated garage, the kitchen table was prepped for bass surgery and a intensive hunt for the source of the oscillation was mounted.  i pretty much had to disassemble the entire electronics cavity to find it, it was a cracked solder joint on the vector board on the solder side. 

Buttoned her back up, now she's solid as a rock.  Maybe explore the stereo issue later.  or not.  i'm just glad that she's not riding the bench anymore.

I've been doing back and shoulder exercises, and experimenting with a back support with the goal of seeing if i can do a 90-minute set standing up.  I have to say, this is not a lap-friendly bass but it hangs very nicely on a strap and is one of the most comfortable playing basses (standing up) that i've owned, plus it's lighter than my other basses.  Kinda glad it's a medium scale because i'm just about at full extension on my left arm to finger the first fret position while strapped up.

still got some work to do dialing in the sound, more on that later.  maybe.

[BeenDown139]

ok.  one more last post on this bass.  really.  i swear this time.  cross my heart.

so i'm hobbling to the finish line after 6 months  of 7-day weeks of exterior house work hoping i can make it before the weather changes or something else on my body craps out.  i'm looking at at least 2-weeks of bass (and bicycle) abstenence while my hand surgery heals.  just at that juncture, a club member reaches out to me about this bass.  my body sez to me "i'll make ya feel a lot better if ya sells that bass that makes ya crazy and buys me a hot tub". so - yadda, yadda, yadda this beautiful pointy bass is in the hands of someone who's gonna play hte dickens out of it and i just got done bending pipe and pulling wire for my spa that gets here in 2 weeks.  it pretty much came out even money.  i'd call that a win-win.

this is my 3rd crash-landing with a medium-scale.  i loved this bass but i coudn't keep it in the rotation with the long scales without losing what's left of my mind.  so i bid yet another fine bass a fond farewell this year.  arrgh!  there's no end to it, mate!

[gearhed289]

It is happy in its new home, where it will be played and loved (and stared at a lot). It sounds great, plays great, looks great, and hangs on a strap great. Win-win indeed! It's great to have a Distillate back in the house. I'll start my own post about this bass in the next week or so...

[pauldo]

😎

[jazzyvee]

Koa does kinda take the bite out of the attack. Def keep your Q switch on and use bright strings to get the most out of it.

I think that LED is on a modular connector now - check that all the connections are still intact after all the shipping that it has been thru.

I've been quite confused about the sound of the short scale series II Koa bass i bought earlier this year as it's sounds markedly different to my other series basses less crisp/bright but still the classic big thick heavy and twangy sound. In fact there is more difference between that and any of my others than those others have between each other. But your description here Mica seems right on the money, even with the Q fully on it is not as crisp as my others. Although i've never been able to categorically identify the effect the top woods have on the sound before, this difference is so large that I can't attribute it to anything else given the pickup and electronics are basically the same. Is it a softwood compared to my redwood, or maple topped series basses.

[BeenDown139]

it's sounds markedly different to my other series basses less crisp/bright but still the classic big thick heavy and twangy sound. I

OMG this thread's back from the dead!

i could never get the ZING! outta this bass that i live for.  i owned the bird's eye maple version of this instrument a few years back and it freaking roared.  this one was more...refined?  darker?  i dunno.  same electronics, same core, same strings, different top.  totally different sound.

[mica]

Every bass is different, and even two basses made from the exact same woods can sound subtly different. But there is no doubt that the woods the instrument is constructed from impact the way the strings vibrate. There are generalizations by species of what tone you can predict, and then there are individual pieces that defy the norms.

Do you play every bass the same way? Coming from the land of pianos and flutes, I had to learn early that my approach had to be unique to each individual instrument. I think the whole point of making instruments out of different materials, different scale lengths, different electronics, then you use different strings, amps, etc, is to make unique experiences. If they all sound the same, why make more than one?

[edwardofhuncote]

I guess it's okay to clutter up this thread at this point... for the purpose of this discussion, I'll confine it just to my Alembics, or Alembics I've had...

They are are all unique, but with some defining characteristics.


My Persuader 5-string and Custom 5-string are structurally very similar; mahogany core, maple tops, maple necks with 3 purpleheart laminates. Both are medium-scale. Similar electronics. Obviously those two are going to respond a little bit differently under the left hand due to the lack of frets. But the attack and zing of the notes as played, with same-same strings... it's remarkable. Now, the question is, how much of that is me, trying to express myself the way my brain thinks this passage or that should sound?

I had two Distillates. An early fretted one with mahogany body core and walnut top, and an '85 fretless that had a custom Point body and Bubinga top and back. The pickups were located a little bit different too. Those two basses were day and night different to me. I sold them both, but not because of the sound... the older of the two was incredibly responsive. The fretless just couldn't do anything my Custom 5-string couldn't already do at the end of the day.

My two Series basses are also very similar in construction... mahogany body core, walnut top and back, maple and purpleheart necks. The older one of them has a beech center laminate in its neck beam. My recollection of the newer one is that it's much more clear, bright-sounding. My older one is Woody, and warmer. Also considerably lighter. I'm anxious to A/B them again someday.

I think it doesn't matter much which bass I'm playing. I always try to fit into this sonic space that exists in my mind's ears, that just sounds and feels 'right'. Some basses are just easier to get there with.