Author Topic: Alembic Basses Tell the Truth? (Read 582 times)

wick5 · « **on:** October 17, 2014, 07:53:11 AM »

I read comments from Alembic owners - even Stanley Clark - that Alembic basses expose bad left-hand technique...that fingering has to be perfectly fretted or there will be noise and or bad tonal notes. Why is this? Are they harder to play? I am the proud new owner of one that is being constructed...I can hardly wait for its arrival!

(Message edited by Wick5 on October 17, 2014)

rjmsteel · « **Reply #1 on:** October 17, 2014, 08:35:19 AM »

Alembic Basses ask you to play more accurately - not because they are harder to play, but since they are built to precision specifications.
You can set-up the bass ANY way you like.

The build quality and electronics reveal any (flaws) in our plucking/fretting of the strings/notes.

Congratulations on your under way build. May we ask what (bass)setup you have on order?

Anyone else like to chime in.. I hope I\m fair in my analogy of wick5(s) question.

wick5 · « **Reply #2 on:** October 17, 2014, 09:07:28 AM »

Thanks for your response, rjmsteel.
Your comments sound logical. I was not aware that I could request a particular set-up. Regarding that, do most of y'all tend to set the action a little lower on 5-strings? I find that I sometimes dig a little more when playing a 4-string.

lbpesq · « **Reply #3 on:** October 17, 2014, 09:09:28 AM »

While it's true that Alembics render bad technique more obvious, the trade-off is that they reward good technique with a full piano-like tone that you just can't get from the usual passive pickup system.
Everything you play is accurately reproduced and can be heard, both good and bad.

Bill, tgo

5a_quilt_top · « **Reply #4 on:** October 17, 2014, 09:15:21 AM »

Alembic electronics are incredibly sensitive - almost like a sonic microscope - everything is magnified.

This is a blessing and a curse.

A blessing because Alembics reveal subtle nuances in a player's style that would be lost on a lesser instrument. This allows the player (and listener) to accurately hear what is and what is not being played. As such, the platform for musical expression is expanded and the player is inspired to try things that wouldn't matter in another context.

A curse because the player may have to do a little woodshedding to clean up some undesirable aspects of their technique that may have developed from playing less revealing instruments that hide those flaws.

In my case, I celebrated being able to hear EVERYTHING - both good and bad. I was happy to be able to finally hear several good aspects of my technique that were formerly hidden (hey, that's cool - I never knew I was able to do THAT!) and hearing the bad aspects inspired me to work harder to be worthy to play these fine instruments.

The best part is Alembics are just so d*mn much fun to play that the woodshedding is more pleasure than chore - so you actually want to practice!

Congrats on your build - I guarantee you will not be sorry. Let us know what's in the works!

I have 5, soon to be 6 (a guitar is on the way!) and have not regretted any of them.

rjmsteel · « **Reply #5 on:** October 17, 2014, 09:26:40 AM »

My 6\er Elan\ (1989 Bass) action is set ridiculously low without ANY buzzing, including the Low B.

Also keep in mind another beauty about these basses is that YOU can adjust the instrument any way YOU like.

In regards to the question about digging in; have you asked Mica about a specific string spacing for your build? Also if I remember correctly, she will ask you how you want the action during set-up in the factory, or just bring it up.

Key Note: Just look up all the posts Joey has on Setup here on the forum.

hammer · « **Reply #6 on:** October 17, 2014, 09:49:43 AM »

I think Richard did a nice job describing the Alembic family of instruments. I'd agree with him that in no way are Alembic basses harder to play. Actually, it's just the opposite. The necks of these basses are incredible allowing one to move around the fretboard with ease.

In addition, as Richard suggests, you can set the bass up in a manner that exactly suits your style and type of play whether you're a gentle plucker or someone who plays with extreme gusto. The electronics on these babies, however, provide for extremely clean output. Thus, imperfections in technique that you might not hear with muddy, distorted output are quite obvious.

I think most of us who have played Alembics for a while would admit that we needed to make some modifications in our technique in order to get the best out of our basses whether that involved changes in hand position, fretting technique, or in my case with my initial Alembic re-learning how to most effectively mute strings. Prior to playing Alembic most of my basses were Gibsons and I played mostly with flats. Sustain was something I was always trying to maximize given the characteristics of the bass and strings I used. When I first played my Distillate, I was amazed at how long each note lasted given the thru neck nature of the instrument and needed to slightly modify my technique to take this in to account.

And as Richard suggested....please provide us with some details regarding your build.

jazzyvee · « **Reply #7 on:** October 17, 2014, 10:35:40 AM »

Because of the clarity of the pickups, electronics and the way the basses are set up they reproduce almost perfectly whatever is happening on the strings. So artefacts of your playing get reproduced with the same clarity as the notes you play. If you have the filters on your bass you can filter out some of the finger noises to clean up your sound but if you want to have the filters open for your preferred tone, you need a clean technique.

I've had to change aspects of my technique when I got an alembic for that very reason and it's an ongoing process teaching my fingers how to play the notes I want and stop the sounds I don't want at the same time.

They tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

wick5 · « **Reply #8 on:** October 17, 2014, 10:38:54 AM »

I really enjoy the conversation here, guys. I'm expecting a MK Balance K Deluxe 5-string with extra options dressed in Coco Bolo. I'm told it should arrive sometime in November. Mica said she would post pics in the FTC forum, but it is now in the finish stages so all pics would tend to look the same...Pics will come later, I hope. I do have an emailed pic I'd love to show...maybe someone tech-savy will show me how to send that. I have a Tobias (early serial number pre-Gibson) 5-string that is an easy play with its thin neck. I hope the Alembic is as easy. Also, I own 6 Fender 4-strings (too many) that I play most often. Now...the Alembic!

edwardofhuncote · « **Reply #9 on:** October 17, 2014, 11:18:22 AM »

@ wick5 - Congrats on your soon-to-be.

My 25 year old Alembic (5-string) is hands-down the easiest-playing bass I have ever owned. Not an easy or casual endorsement to make, since I have been fortunate enough to have some pretty nice non-Alembic basses along the way. It is very smooth, fast, and incredibly accurate, and for a mediocre-at-best player like myself, it totally brings out the very best in my playing, simply by rewarding my ears for the work my head sends to my hands. That said, it is not forgiving of bad technique... but it's much more of a positive reinforcement thing for me.

I expect your perspective will never be the same after you try it... enjoy.

gtrguy · « **Reply #10 on:** October 17, 2014, 11:26:24 AM »

I have owned several and never had any extra problems playing them.

Now a Yamaha TRB-JP, try one of those for a couple hours!

bigredbass · « **Reply #11 on:** October 17, 2014, 05:06:44 PM »

Wick, the pickups/electronics are deadly accurate. If you'd be familiar with the sound of professional studio monitors vs. very, very good home stereo speakers, I think that would infer the right mindset. And the tone is just different: There are a whole lot of great handbuilt basses out there, 95% of which use the same Bart / EMG / Nordstrand / Aguilar pickup/tone network components, so they can all sound very similar, despite being very different build-wise.

I'd dare say to a man (or woman), all of us who came into an Alembic suddenly found out our technique in spots left a little something to be desired. And we've all become better players because of these instruments.

But of course, it's not all down to the bass, which alone makes no real sound or tone by itself.
Then you find part two of the Alembic experience in that, hey, why does my favorite amp suddenly sound different . . . . An electric bass + the amp is 'your instrument'. Either one without the other, it's a non-starter. And of course a crummy amp will dumb everything down, as always. But an Alembic through a great setup is just like nothing else.

Set-up wise, you can have it any way you like, from very high to ridiculously low. They are very easy (to my mind, the easiest) to set up: Adjustable nut, double truss rods, and a one-piece / radius matched bridge. Once you learn the routine, it's ridiculously easy: No neck screws, no height adjustments on each bridge saddle, no plastic/bone nut to have to replace or file lower, we get to skip all that. Plus with the laminated necks and 1/4 ebony board, they are typically very stable and hold a set when done properly.

I always say these things aren't for everybody. Guys will play Jazz basses thru SVT's till Hell Freezes Over. But . . . . if you 'get' what these instruments are about, there is simply nothing, and I mean nothing else like them, or the family that builds and supports them.

It's like owning a Bosendorfer, a Selmer Paris horn, or an original D'Angelico: It's simply the best. It's not often in this life one can own a legend, but you're about to.

J o e y

wick5 · « **Reply #12 on:** October 17, 2014, 05:26:09 PM »

Now, that is a post that warms the heart!
You helped it all make sense.
Thanks, Joey.

PS - The feelings I had getting my first Fender '62 Vintage Reissue Jazz or the zebrawood neck-thru Tobias can't compete with my anticipation for my Alembic.

PSS - My Eden gear should sound pleased.

pauldo · « **Reply #13 on:** October 17, 2014, 05:32:48 PM »

To answer your question about Alembic's exposing bad left hand technique . . .
I don't think so.

My Distillate and I have a long relationship together and she just feels like 'home' when we are together.

Maybe just maybe when I first got her there were issues, but as others have mentioned, a lusting passion for being connected to a finely crafted instrument with tonal mana makes breaking bad habits a breeze.

enjoy!
:-D

wick5 · « **Reply #14 on:** October 17, 2014, 08:04:21 PM »

I might have misspoke that it's the left-hand technique that players such as S. Clark spoke about revealing too much. They could have meant the plucking hand that easily exposed any inherent flaws.
Anyway, I look forward to enhancing my techniques. The spirit and art of the thing shall renew my enthusiasm for the instrument we have chosen to make life richer and deeper. Maybe I should copy that sentiment I just expressed...that was deep, indeed.