Neck pickup volume lower

[adriaan]

StephenR, your right too. The bass sounds great. Althought the gains are MAXED in yhe back, these is always the Bass anp volume and gain to make up.

The gains in the back don't have to be maxed. You should use them to compensate for the inherent volume differences between pickups, and then you can use the full range of the volume knobs to find your sound(s). If the bridge pickup is relatively loud, adjust in the back. If you adjust the pickup height, again compensate with the gain. You can turn down the gain for the louder pickup, or turn it up for the other pickup.
If you find the difference in pickup output cannot be compensated by using the gain controls, then there might be an issue with the electronics.

[Mlazarus]

Adriaan, those are practical methods I can try. Maybe the neck pickup needs to be raised.
I seem to be maxed out on raising the front pickup, so can I raise it with a thin layer of
foam?

[Mlazarus]

OK people, I did research online about the difference between the neck and bridge volume. Open this site.

https://producerhive.com/ask-the-hive/bridge-vs-neck-pickup-when-you-should-use-each/#:~:text=Bridge%20pickups%20have%20higher%20resistance,making%20it%20a%20little%20brighter.

So, it makes sense that the wiring of the bridge pickup is more for a louder sound. That is because the bridge pickup MUST be able to compensate for the LIMITED string vibration over the pickup. Whereas the Neck is picking up much more string vibration, which if the wiring was as much as the bridge, than the neck would possibly pickup too much vibration, thus making the sound louder and muddier. As for the different op Amp 5534, that component is probably the intended original part for the interaction of the neck pickup. Interesting stuff. Playing is better, but i like understanding the science behind it as well. I'm feeling better.

[adriaan]

Adriaan, those are practical methods I can try. Maybe the neck pickup needs to be raised.
I seem to be maxed out on raising the front pickup, so can I raise it with a thin layer of
foam?

No foam. There should be two screwheads sticking out on opposite corners, and two screwheads hiding underneath the remaining corners. Loosen the two visible ones, then adjust the height by turning the screws underneath, finally lock in the height with the visible screwheads - just make sure they're snug, do NOT overtighten them or you may crack the pickup housing.

[adriaan]

... oh and while I said screwheads, they're actually bolts and they go into threaded inserts, not bare wood.

[Mlazarus]

Will do. Thanks.

[adriaan]

While experimenting with pickup heights, you'll probably find each pickup will have a sweet spot where it sounds just right (this may well vary when using different strings). The nice thing is that you can set the pickup height where you like it for the individual pickup, and compensate for volume differences with the gain controls, even before you start using the volumes to set the blend.

[JimmyJ]

Michael,

Good going on the research.  Yes neck pickups will naturally be generating more "energy" because the string at that point is moving back and forth farther than it does closer to the bridge.  But our preamp boards are not "preset" to compensate for that, both channels of our boards are supposed to be identical.  That's exactly what the rear panel trim controls are for, so you can balance the two levels to your liking. 

Also, when "maxed out" these basses can put out nearly a line-level signal.  You can actually - almost - drive a power amp without any other preamp in between.  So in order to use these with "normal" pedals and amps you probably don't want to run your board wide open.  And that gives you the opportunity to set the balance as you'd like.  Plug in another one of your basses and set the amp at a reasonable volume.  Then plug in your Series bass, neck pickup only, front volume control wide open, and use the rear panel trim pot to set a level so the volume from the amp is similar to the other bass.  Then turn on both pickups and use the rear panel trim pot to dial in the amount of bridge pickup you want to balance the tone to your liking.

One other great thing about the way these axes work is that trimming the volume, either with the rear panel trimmers or the front panel volume controls, DOES NOT effect the overall tone.  Unlike passive guitar circuits, the frequency response doesn't change as the volume gets lower.

Oh, and as Adriaan explained, the pickups are held in place with 4 bolts.  The two whose heads you can see are holding the pickup down while the two in the opposite corners are holding the pickup up.  If you wanted to raise the pickup you would loosen the top two bolts, put a small Phillips screwdriver through the two holes and turn the bolts underneath counter-clockwise until the pickup is where you want it.  Then "snug" down the upper two bolts - don't over-tighten.  Try to keep the pickup in the same plane as the strings.  To lower the pickup, reach through the holes and turn the bolts underneath clockwise to the depth you prefer, then snug down the upper ones.  Make sense?

Jimmy J

[Mlazarus]

Yes, it all makes sence. Alembic has such a different and innovative way of thinking. I wonder if other companies have copied they're concepts. Its been many many years since i owned an Alembic. With my Distillete back in the 90s i dont think i did much with it. Thanks guys.

[Mlazarus]

Jimmy! Man, I adjusted the neck pickup raising it. Now that monster bass unleashed POWER! Just enough before the strings hit the pickup. The magnetic field doesn't affect it.

So, then I switched the selector from bridge to neck: volume matches without lowering the gains on back to match. All I had to do after was lower the gain because I got more power and hum from the amp. I fixed that by lowering the gain on the Amp (MarkBass 15, 250 watt). I knew deep down I had to raise pickups, but I learned more about the bolts underneath the pickups. I always thought there were just two top screws. I don't remember moving the pickup on my distillate to see underneath. I'm glad I did. One thing I discovered is there are hollow openings on the body near the bolts, so to be careful if you have to replace a bolt, because it can fall inside the body cavity, then have to shake it out. Interesting architecture.

[JimmyJ]

Alright Michael, that's excellent progress!  And you're getting to know that bass inside and out.  These axes are not like any others.  They're built with several unique and innovative features which is why they not only look cool but also sound frickin' amazing.

Jimmy J

[Mlazarus]

This 82' and probably all the older ones have more than enough power. I swear, I had to lower the gain one the little Markbass 15 (which is a powerful amp). This Alembic with "blow up the amp cabinet like a balloon. lol. I still treat the bass like holding a baby though. Skinny neck.

[gtrguy]

I think there is a sweet spot on pickup height where they sound the best. I try to find that spot and then adjust the gain trimmers to even them out to what I like.

[Mlazarus]

My height is just before pickup hits string when pressing on frett. The magnetic field does not effect it.

[adriaan]

There are more options than everything-to-the-max. If that's the one that works for you, then that's excellent. But you might be surprised what you can find elsewhere on the spectrum.