Author Topic: Alembic Pickups for Musicman (Read 222 times)

0vid · « **Reply #15 on:** March 28, 2007, 03:21:43 AM »

I have an Eb stingray from '95/96. FWIW, I don't know what 'dull thud' refers to either..... maybe dead strings?

I didn't like the output so I changed the pickup to a Bartolini, which helped a bit but when I changed the the stock preamp a whole new world was opened....for me the problem was not the MM pickup in itself ( which I have transplanted into several other project basses and it is my main test pickup when I build a bass) but the EB preamp which I thought was rubbish.

I like the MM style pickup and built a couple of basses around the capability to have parallel ,series and single coil. Tried a pair of Kent Armstong MM pickups but have since replaced them with Bartolini MMCs which I really like.

I eagerly await the release of the Alembic MM style pickups....

juggernaught · « **Reply #16 on:** March 28, 2007, 09:32:15 AM »

Ovid, the MM pickups are available now! Just with a pan instead of a mid and you have to email them to order it. Some of their dealers might have discounts on them.
So the main benefit you see of the Alembic MM pickups is not necessarily the pickups themselves but the preamp? Is it possible to replace the preamp only with an Alembic one?

mica · « **Reply #17 on:** March 28, 2007, 11:41:55 AM »

Alembic pickups and preamps are designed to work as a system. I know of people that have mixed and mitched, but it's not something that we offer support on, we have no direct experience.

The best instrument to use an Alembic system on is one where you like the unamplified sound. Since we don't use pickups as tone controls, you have to like the general sound of the bass. If the bass sounds good until you plug it in, the Activators will probably do nicely.

What I have now are the MM4 string pickups. You can install an AE-3 system with bass and treble controls, the volume control and the output jack on the faceplate of the bass. If you want to keep the jack sidemounted, you can add a filter control (there isn't anything to pan with just one pickup, sorry for any confusion there). I am working on a useful midgrange control for this system with my dad. With some other interesting projects we're working on, I don't think it will get enough attention to be completed until near the end of this year.

juggernaught · « **Reply #18 on:** March 28, 2007, 01:21:48 PM »

Thanks mica, that's really helpful. Yeh, I actually really like the unamplified sound on the stingray fretless and not so thrilled after I plug it in (depending on what i'm trying to play though).

~Maybe I should just buy and try out the pickups since Alembic has a 30 day return policy...

0vid · « **Reply #19 on:** March 28, 2007, 05:34:47 PM »

I was referring to the stock EB music man preamp, which I think is not very good. I used the NTBT Bartolini preamp. The stock Eb MM pickup is fine to my ears. If you use the Alembic MM pickup, get some Alembic electronics.

I will enquire re: Alembic MM pickups. A vol and a filter would do me just fine these days. I have several basses with onboard Active EQ and find that I prefer not to use onboard EQ.

(Message edited by 0vid on March 28, 2007)

(Message edited by 0vid on March 28, 2007)

mica · « **Reply #20 on:** March 28, 2007, 06:10:55 PM »

You don't have to fill up all the holes on the front plate, so you are free to use a simple volume / filter arrangement. You could add a Q switch if you wanted the flat filter response available.