Author Topic: Can Alembic Active Jazz Pickups Be Wired 18 Volt? (Read 274 times)

spose · « **on:** August 05, 2004, 07:56:17 PM »

Hi folks,
sorry if this has been discussed before or is in fact a stupid question. I'm going to be installing a set of Activators in a jazz bass and was wondering if they can be wired for 18 volt.

thanks for any info on these pickups!

(Message edited by Spose on August 07, 2004)

haddimudd · « **Reply #1 on:** September 01, 2004, 09:38:52 AM »

Has this question ever been answered? Maybe privetely? I wouldn't mind hearing about the answer myself...

Hartmut

David Houck · « **Reply #2 on:** September 01, 2004, 03:07:47 PM »

This thread might address your question:
http://club.alembic.com/Images/402/2872.html

spose · « **Reply #3 on:** September 01, 2004, 04:24:53 PM »

thanks for the link Dave.
I installed them 9 volt. Next battery change, I will check the pot codes.

haddimudd · « **Reply #4 on:** September 02, 2004, 05:06:33 AM »

Spose, nice bass! What make of a Fender bass is it? I have a cheap Japan Fender Jazz Bass which I am looking to upgrade.

Hartmut

spose · « **Reply #5 on:** September 02, 2004, 10:50:51 AM »

thanks Hartmut!
it's a 1989 made in Japan Fender 62 reissue.
I have a Series I...but I have been playing this bass more often recently. These Activators are great. I also put a Gotoh 201 bridge on it, and some custom stainless steel knobs. I can't imagine a better pickup upgrade. Does it sound like a Fender Jazz? No, but now I can use it

haddimudd · « **Reply #6 on:** September 02, 2004, 12:27:33 PM »

Yes, I recognized the Gotoh bridge. I have the same on mine, except for I am going all gold hardware (as on all my high end basses). Unfortunately the bridge didn't help much on increasing the really poor playability of the neck on my JB. How is yours? I may switch to a badass bridge for another try if I can find a golden one (not so easy around here where I live it seems).

I bought my Japan JB in the early 90s so it might be similar to yours (even black, too) except for mine is fretless. Alembic activator pickups are definitely planned for my upgrade, no doubt about that, but I want to have the neck setup properly first before I will spend the money on better electronics.

I am wondering about your statement that the Alembic pickups don't let it sound like a Jazz Bass. OK, you are looking more at a typical fret sound I am sure, maybe slap sound, which I am sure the Alembic PUs must be great for. While mine is a fretless I am more looking for the rather common JB fretless sound. With my Alembic Series II fretless I have no problem at all to make it sound like that. Ok, agreed, that is series II electronics but I am confident that the Alembic activators will be able to produce that common fingered JB sound as well, what do you think?

Unfortunately due to the bad playability I have not been playing this Jazz Bass too often and it surely will never be any competition to my Alembic of course - just a nostalgic relic, but that's why I don't want to part with it in the first place.

spose · « **Reply #7 on:** September 02, 2004, 01:15:02 PM »

The neck on mine is stable...I know these aren't the most rigid necks in the world, but mine plays real nice.
You're right, these pickups are great for slap. When I said it doesn't sound like a Fender Jazz..first of all it's silent..no noise. It's active..which sounds much different then passive to me. The Q filter, as you know can get many tones and with some flats, I can get real close to a nice Jazz tone...but it always sounds like an Alembic to me...which is a good thing!

The Activators have a balanced response like no other pickups I have tried except the Series electronics. I'll tell you Hartmut..without these pickups, I could not use this bass to gig...at best it would be a living room piece...but now I feel I have a bass that can gig and record with. I've never owned a Fender that I could say that about.

palembic · « **Reply #8 on:** September 02, 2004, 11:23:35 PM »

Nice bass!!! Alas "Broomstick" is a Korean Squier so about 4 leagues lower than the Japanese ones. Neck is great however but sound sucks. Well ...chnagements will have to wait still some more years. Hartmut: for your bridge: I know Schaller has some high end, "gold" plated bridges (those with the "wheel" string guiders I add a picture of the black one). I know Fender used these bridges on their Fender Precision "light" models. Schallers must be easy to find in Germany I guess. Also the golden tuning heads are easy to get from Schaller but ...that you knew already I guess. There is also such a thing as the Schaller 2000 bridge also possible in "gold" (see picture). I know some brothers who changed their bridge to ABM. The Schaller 2000 and the ABM have the "Alembic" stringball-hook-up system for fast string changing. The Schaller "wheel" bridge -although VERY precise- has a pull-string-through-system, like the Badass. Paul TBO

haddimudd · « **Reply #9 on:** September 03, 2004, 03:00:18 AM »

Yes Paul, I have the Schaller brigde of your first picture in gold on my Pangborn bass (it came that way when I bought the bass second hand). I can't really say bad things about it since my Pangborn plays like heaven. I just heard miraculous things about the badass bridge so I thought I won't want anything else. However, I have never played one before so maybe the Schaller is just as good for my purposes, I don't know. I don't like the look of it too much for my Fender. The 2000 bridge looks more suttle in your picture but I haven't heard anything about it so far. Is it comparable to a badass? Never heard of ABM before...

The rest of the golden hardware is already taken care of. I am using golden Gotoh tuning heads since I already fell in love with the Gotohs on my Alembic too and never was too happy with Schallers on my other basses.

Thanks a lot for all the great input! Very useful...

Hartmut

palembic · « **Reply #10 on:** September 03, 2004, 04:35:56 AM »

Hartmut,

I THINK that ABM also German is.
Please look at:
http://www.basslab.com/pr/html/abm.html
I didn't found a German site though.
The Schaller 2000 and the ABM are very ...well ...massive ...heavier I think.

Paul TBO

haddimudd · « **Reply #11 on:** September 03, 2004, 07:39:35 AM »

Paul,

That's a nice shop, thanks for the link! They even have the badass bridge. Maybe I try to order it there. Resellers here in Germany don't seem to care much for badass parts...

Thanks a lot for the info!

kmh364 · « **Reply #12 on:** September 03, 2004, 03:18:43 PM »

If anybody does the 18V conversion for the JZ-activators (i.e., Hartmut and/or Spose) let the rest of us know how it worked out. Specifically, does it sound any better than the 9V version? Theoretically, it could increase preamp headroom (i.e., dynamic range), frequency response, and lower the noise floor, amongst other things.

BKBASS recommended I ask Mica for an 18V pre-amp on my Custom Orion, but I made so many changes as it was, plus add the little specs. faux pas at the beginning, which ultimately all conspired to turn a three month project turning into a nine month project. Susan wanted to kill me if I made another change, LOL!

Add the custom battery compartment and plate and ANOTHER battery (my bass already uses FOUR 9V's!), and the bass gets heavier still, whew!

Still, I'm interested to see if an 18V system would have been worth it. Hmmmm...maybe I can liberate one of theose three LED batteries for pre-amp power duty, LOL!