New Owner

[Mlazarus]

  :)I Just Bought the 82' Alembic Series 1 Bass this Month! I always wanted this bass since 1983. This is the Mark Adams, Marvin Isley Bass! HA HA.

[goran]

Pic or didn't happen 

[Mlazarus]

Lamp behind it gives it a powerful effect. LOL.

[JimmyJ]

A fine looking machine, thanks for posting the pic. 

I'm not sure if you are new to the Series I but I'll mention a couple things:
As long as the p/u selector switch is in the "off" position, you are able to freely plug and unplug the 5-pin cable with no issues.  But if the pickup selector is left on for either or both pickups, plugging in will send a large audio transient down the line which your amp won't like.

Also, in the pic it looks like you have the treble roll-off controls turned all the way down with the Q switches in the middle position.  Here's the guide for the controls:
https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=271.0

And if this is your 18th Series instrument then please ignore all of the above. 

Jimmy J

[Mlazarus]

Thanks for the advice! i will read up and learn about it. I also noticed i have to slap and pop farther back over the neck pickup, because the truss rod plate sits high, so
i can't get my finger underneath the string. That pickup selector tends to be in the way for hand slapping as well. Maybe that's why some Series 1 players have moved the selector to the controls area and sealed the original area with a plate.

[rv_bass]

Very nice, enjoy! 

Take some time to explore the controls, lots of sounds available in there!

And yes, some slippers move the pickup selector for that reason…I on the other hand am too uncoordinated to slap

[edwardofhuncote]

Congratulations & Compliments, and Welcome.


No slapping here either. Actually, I might be the only dude here whose Alembic slapped him. Oh well, I had it coming. 

[jazzyvee]

Thanks for the advice! i will read up and learn about it. I also noticed i have to slap and pop farther back over the neck pickup, because the truss rod plate sits high, so
i can't get my finger underneath the string. That pickup selector tends to be in the way for hand slapping as well. Maybe that's why some Series 1 players have moved the selector to the controls area and sealed the original area with a plate.

I have the same slapping conditions as you on my 1980 series bass with the neck pickup so close to the truss rod cover. On that bass i slap over the truss rod cover and pop between the pickups. I also changed the pickup selector to a round one and that works for me.

You could remove the truss rod cover to get a bit more plucking space.

[David Houck]

Welcome and congrats!

[Mlazarus]

That's right. Removing the truss rod cover does help. But as far as the full hand percussion slap, the pickup selector is in the way. Who will do the work to move the
pickup selector down to the other controls and cap off the hole?

[JimmyJ]

Michael,

As suggested, if you truly believe you can't get used to the pickup selector switch's original location it is possible to relocate it to be closer to the other controls.  I'll tell you a couple important things about doing that. 

First, the switch does NOT need to be unsoldered. Once you have removed it from its mounting plate it can be fished through the channel into the main compartment without disconnecting the wiring harness. 

Second, that switch's threaded mounting shaft is "keyed" meaning it has two flat sides.  If you examine the small brass plate it is currently mounted in you will see it's not a round hole.  The reason for this is so the switch itself will not rotate no matter how much torque you put on the knob.  I'm not sure how the factory deals with that "keyed" hole when mounting the switch directly into the wood near the other controls but it would be worth finding out.  I think there was a recent thread by Jazzeevee talking about this very thing but I can't recall the conclusion.

Enjoy that bass!

Jimmy J

[edwardofhuncote]

I don't think any conclusion was reached, but this might be the recent related thread Jimmy J recalls-


https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=27053.0


Either way, you might try what is suggested here before the more permanent solution. 

[Mlazarus]

Also, a very important note to remember: Many bass players such as me, like to pull the strings for popping just under the 24th fret. That area, however, is shallow, meaning the action is low to the point that your index finger can't slip under the strings to pull. Why? Because the truss rod plate sits on top of the wood. The round top screws make more of a problem. If the plate was flush with the body, it would help. Better than taking the truss rod plate off for slapping at gigs. Has anyone ever experienced this problem?

[JimmyJ]

Interesting.  My truss rod cover plate (on my '87) is countersunk and is held in place with countersunk flat-headed screws.  Also I know that many basses don't have 24 frets so I'm sorry if that's part of what's literally cramping your style.  Just curious, is that a medium scale bass?  When you have a chance could you use a tape measure to see what the distance is from the nut to the 12th fret?  17" or 16"?

There's no real harm in leaving that truss rod cover off if it makes playing the bass easier.  But I might be more of a function over form guy. 

Jimmy J

[Mlazarus]

Is there a way to play BOTH pickups on my 82 Series 1 with only the 9V batteries? I read it can be done, but so far the neck pickup only works.