Mark King Signature Standard - controls?

[Thomas Hansen Skarbye (scarbee)]

Hi,
 
I have just purchased an Alembic Mark King Signature Standard and would love to get an thorough explanation of the different tone controls: Q-switch and Tone Filter.
 
Also - do any of you ahve some favourite settings - pick-up, Q and filter?
 
Does Anyone know if Mark King had a special favourite choice of pick-ups: bridge alone, both or neck? (I know he didn't avtually play the signature model..)
 
thanks
 
regards
 
Thomas

[Paul Lindemans (palembic)]

Hi Thomas,
 
welcome to the club. Danish re-inforcments of the league on this side of the pond!
I suggest you walk around a bit on this nice board, push doors of departments open left and right and I know for shure that you will find an answer on those questions to the detail.
Volume and pan needs no explanation.
A filter cuts in fact the global frequency into pieces.
What i understand from more experienced electronicians (this is no english) is that volume and pan set, the filter on full = every frequency can come through. Turning the filter backwards you infact cut an amount of high frequencies. So the filter completely turned back allows only an amount of low frequencies to pass (don't aks me which, that's a question for Joey, Bob or one of those other brilliant, sweet and well explaining Alembic-wacko's around the place).
Now the Q-switch has a 3 position click (I think with the signatures): off - + 6db + 9db.
This switch adds a 6 or 9 db of high frequencies on top of the chosen position with the filter.
I risk the hell-fire of every woman on this board (I think MIca will not talk to me for at least a month) but try to imagine the sound of your bass as a woman's breast (help ...i'm converting this to a XXX-board). Volume, pan and filter are shaping the breast. The Q-switch is the nipple!
Experiment this one (not a breast ...a sound): put your amp system on a setting you already know. On your bass put volume max and pan in the middle (or a litlle bit to the bridge). Cut all high with the filter (turn back) en now put the Q-switch full down (+9db).  
Start -while playing (this is the tricky part, now you'll discover why for mastering an Alembic we all cultivated a third arm and hand)- start turning the filter up. You'll discover that the sound will go through all kind of amizing sounds. You maybe discover the Quack-ing sound Stanley Clarck became famous for.
Now you have to realise that you do this by turning just 1 knob.
Now put your guitar down, step back and look at your set: ...
a lot of knobs to tweak with huh?
Now you have to know that there are some of the brothers on this board combine this with SF-2 filters of Alembic and F1-X's or F2-B's of Alembic.
Man ..... they have a lot more to tweak!
ZILLIONS of possibilities.
But Thomas, I suggest you take back your guitar now and start tweaking on the knobs you have and try to master your sound.
Remember: It will take some time the Alembic playing you, before you play the Alembic (again ...forget the breast image now).
 
Paul
 
PS1: I love MK but now nothing about how he did it.
PS2: don'be shy: climg into your Pentaclickon and shoot us some nice pictures fir in the intruduction. We Alembicians are not curious but we like to know everything (LOL)
;-)

[Jazzy Vee (jazzyvee)]

I recently got the Stanley Clarke Signature Deluxe which I think has the same tone controls.
I posted a message and got some answers here.
 
http://club.alembic.com/Images/402/779.html?1034838210
Especially the detail Paul Lindemans (palembic) gives near the centre of the page... that helped me tremendously.
 
It's my first Alembic and in my opinion the variation in tone you have, even though its not the series I or II, is awesome and far exceeds that of any non Alembic bass I have played.  
 
Unlike other basses small movements of the tone filter give noticeable and more importantly useful changes in tone.
 
I did a couple of gigs recently where I had to play everything from heavy reggae, slap funk, 70's soul and swing Jazz, and I found I was able to home into the basic sound I wanted quickly then fine tune it.
 
If like me its your first Alembic I think the challenge you will have is similar to mine in that there is so much tone to play with that you will find you are adjusting the tone quite a lot until you get familiar with it and manage to find the ones that you need quickly.
 
Let me know how you get on.

[Paul Lindemans (palembic)]

Thomas, now you hear it from a serious bass-player: hi Jazzy. Long time no see ;-).
Everything well?

[Jazzy Vee (jazzyvee)]

Hi Paul, I have been reading the messages lately and not writing any . I really am getting to appreciate the quality of these instruments from a practical perspective of actually physically playing it and the versatility of them also. I'm now getting more au-fait with the tone controls and able to get what I want pretty much all the time. Still have to fine tune it between phrases or songs sometimes.  
 
I'm saving my pennies for a suitable amp and cab at the moment and I'm finding it frustrating not to be able to get the full range of the instrument out of my existing setup. What are these FX and SF-2 filters you mention?

[Paul Lindemans (palembic)]

Jazzy,
 
take a peep at http://alembic.com/club/messages/411/1240.html?1038074746
Brother Brian is showing off a nice set of tweaking possibilities.
You'll see a SF-2 (a filter) and a Fx-1 (pre-amp).
I have a SF-2 coming on (2nd hand!) and a DS5-R power -supply for my S2 5string (if you want to meet her, go to the showcase department and visit bonnie).
You have to take a look at  
http://alembic.com/prod/rackmount.html
for more info about those tools.
Believe me ... I'm as afraid as you when I see those knobs. I'm happy that there are more serious bass-players on this site where I can ask something. Brother Bob (Novy) is also studying the SF-2. I think Brother Brian is already accomplished with the thing, or Brother Valentino or .... well the serious ones ;-)
 
CU

[Thomas Hansen Skarbye (scarbee)]

Hi Paul and Jazzy,
 
Thanks a lot guys! I will play a litlle with the controls and see what happens. But anyway I already pass 3 psoitions that I really loved.
 
I own j and P basses but I have been looking for my bass for years (I'm 38). I knew well about Alembic but the price in Europe is very high (in Denmark we add 25% VAT to the price)
and they are rare too. I saw this Alembic a couple of years ago at my friend Celinder (makes fine basses too) and fell in love...
 
It's great to have in in my studio now - even if my wife is jealous...
 
I love slapping and Stanley Style so this bass is really me.
 
regards
 
Thomas Hansen Skarbye
www.scarbee.com

[Thomas Hansen Skarbye (scarbee)]

I have jsut played around with it and I noticed that the bridge p.u. is far quiter than the Neck pick up!Do they have to sound equal loud?
 
How far from the string should the bridge p.u. be?
 
Thomas

[Valentino Villevieille (valvil)]

Hello Thomas, and welcome to the club.
 
The pickups are generally pretty well balanced in terms of volume. With an Alembic, rather than starting to play with the height of the pickups you might want to try adjusting the gain on the preamps, which is a very easy thing to do.  You need to remove the electronics cover and  locate the two trim pots that are connected to the volume knobs.  A small screwdriver is all you need; adjust the gain on the pots to your liking and close up the cover.
 
Good luck
 
Valentino

[Brian Ceasar (bbe1020)]

Hello Thomas, and welcome to the club. I must say you didn't go wrong by selecting the MK signature bass as your first Alembic. I owned a SC signature-4, which I later swapped for a MK signature-5 and I loved them both. I had to part with the MK seven months ago, when my dream came true. I was blessed with my series II and I AM PLEASED! Trust me when I say that the sorrow I felt by separating from each bass soon passed after bonding with the NEW addition, LOL. I used to have difficulty as well, trying to establish my sound with the filter controls at first, I guess it's normal, LOL. Anyhow, I started by panning from the neck PU to the bridge PU and listening to the differences in the tone, then I did the same for the filters. The filter knob(BELOW Q switch)near neck:neck PU filter, filter knob(BELOW Q switch)near bridge: bridge PU filter. There are(2)TWO position filter Q switches, one for each filter. When the Q switch is in the upward position it cuts, however, in the downward position it boosts. The beauty of this is that you have MANY possibilities...Don't be afraid, because in order to find/hear YOUR sound, trial and error will be a one of your best guides. Also, search the club archives, I remember reading a post authored by MICA and she explained the controls in detail. Welcome to the KINGDOM OF TONE!!!      

[Bob Novy (bob)]

Valentino, I hesitate to mention this since you certainly have more experience with these things, but my understanding is that the Signature electronics (on both the standard and deluxe models) have a single volume control, and that you only get the pickup trim pots with Series electronics - unless you do something custom, of course. So I'm concerned our friend Thomas may have a little trouble figuring out what to do with the small screwdriver once he gets the cover off...
 
Am I confused, or should he be adjusting pickup height?

[Valentino Villevieille (valvil)]

Thanks Bob,  
 
you are totally correct in that there is only one volume knob, and I obviously forgot about it by writing knobs instead of knob; but there are definitely 2 trim pots in the signature electronics ( which I do have, and that makes my volume knob mistake even more idiotic).  I should have just said, look for the 2  trimpots and left the volume knob out of it.  
 
Thanks for the reminder  
Valentino

[Thomas Hansen Skarbye (scarbee)]

Hey Valentino,
 
Y?ah, I found the two trim pots and I could adjust them just how I liked. If Bridge p.u was full up and Neck p.u half-way all 3 positions sound equally loud. This is cool.
 
Already now I think that the design of the Alembic is brilliant in the smartt way to adjust things. Today I must adjust the Truss Rod a bit since there is some buzz in the middle area of the fretboard.
 
To Brian,
 
Yes, The Alembic is fantastic sounding - I believe I will always own this bass! Ehat really strikes me is the Tighness of the tone and the playability.
 
Thanks for all your help!
 
PS. Is there anyplace where people have uploaded mp3. examples of their favourite sound? And told their settings?