Straight to headphones?

[goatfoot]

I remember reading somewhere that with certain Alembic electronics you could plug your headphones directly into your bass for silent practicing.
 
Am I loony or did I really read this somewhere?  Anyone try it?  With which elecs is this possible?
 
Kevin

[mikedm]

Kevin,
I read the same thread and then tried it with my bass, Europa electronics, couldn't get a decent level, extremely low. Then tried it with a head phone amp I had in my gig bag (Rolls HA43), put it in line and it works great. Two draw backs that I can see, one is that I need AC power for the amp; two: the sound quality isn't as good as listening to your rig.
I don't recall the bass electronics the original comment refered to, if indeed it was mentioned at all.
 
footnote: the headphone amp is stereo, bought a 1/4 mono to stereo adapter for the bass input into the amp, easy.

[kungfusheriff]

I think what you remember reading is that Alembic electronics have a line level output, meaning you can jack them straight into a power amp or mixer and still sound decent.
The only bass I've been able to plug 'phones straight into and get decent sound was a Roscoe with Bart guts.

[bucky]

Hi Guys,
 
Not that it will probably help at all, but I can plug my headphones directly into my '74 Small Standard Brown Bass and it works perfectly. They probably have changed the output impedance considerably though since then. Plus my Brown Bass has an output pot available through the brass cover on the backside that adjusts the output as well. Of course my bass would be considered way too noisy probably by current Alembic standards.  
 
Jeff

[dela217]

On the older Alembic Series I and II instruments you could plug a set of stereo headphones into the 1/4 inch jack and it would work.  You would get a pickup in each ear.  It was kinda cool.  I think that it would probably still work with a modern Series bass, but the jack has a mono output now, so only one side of the headphone would work.  I practice like this often.

[bob]

The earlier disccusion is here.
 
Can't prove it myself, but a mono-stereo adapter plug should do the trick for any mono output jacks.

[malthumb]

I can plug headphones into my '87 Series I and get a pick up in each ear.  It is wired with a stereo 1/4 output jack.  When you plug into an amplifier through the 1/4, only one pick up works.
 
My 2000 Mark King w/ Series II electronics is wired with a mono 1/4 jack.  Plugging in headphones gets you a whole bunch of silence.  I wanted mono so that I could get both pick ups when I plug into the 1/4 (primarily for when I use a wireless).  If I'd had one extra brain cell I would have ordered it with a stereo / mono toggle switch. Best of both worlds.  Doooh!!

[goatfoot]

My '03 BB has the anniversary electronics with the stereo/mono switch.  Should this setup work with headphones or do you need the more powerful SI or SII elecs wired for stereo? (I know ... why not just try it ... I'm at work now ... on a Sat. so I can't.  Bummer.)
 
Kevin

[dela217]

Nope.  It won't work.  If you crank the output of the preamps all the way, and really listen, you can hear something.  But it is nothing compared to the output of the Series basses.

[lothartu]

My Series I will give me a pickup in each ear; pretty cool actually.  It inspired me to mix it that way for a band I was in once; a pickup at 10:00 and the other at 2:00 with both direct into the board.  It was pretty slick sounding.

[rockandroller]

it depends on the impedance of the headphones... if 600 ohm AKG 240s are a just whisper, then 24 ohm Shure E1s will be plenty loud!

[mica]

If the 1/4 jack on a Series I/II is wired in stereo, you can use headphones. Current standard wiring is for a mono output. We even supply them with a mono/stereo switch if required.  
 
None of the other models will perform well with headphones.

[wayne]

Mica-
 
Why does a stereo output drive headphones and a mono not?
 
C-Ya..........wayne