Alembic Basses Tell the Truth?

[bsee]

The thing with Alembic pickups and electronics is the incredible clarity and presence in the upper frequency range. This is what exposes weak fretting hand technique. If you would consider playing steel roundwounds, you better be precise. You can hear your fingers moving along the strings very clearly if you make a position change poorly, and weak fretting stands out.    
 
As far as plucking hand technique is concerned, the basses are amazingly responsive to variations in technique. If you can't pluck evenly, it will show. If you move your plucking position closer to the bridge or up over the neck, you will hear the tone vary as you move to an extent that would require you to spin knobs on lesser basses. You should be able to hear the tone vary and adjust your position to get what you want.
 
One other thing on Alembic basses is the solid construction, often with dense woods and a fairly thick ebony board, doesn't absorb as much string energy as most basses with bolt-on necks and/or rosewood boards. Ebony seems to absorb less of the spectrum, allowing the full range of the string to sustain and ring out more.
 
As far as bad tonal notes are concerned, there are some bass tones where you can get away with playing the wrong note as long as the duration is relatively short and the timing is good. You can still dial in that tone by closing the filters on your bass and cutting out the upper mids and highs. On the other hand, you can set the controls so that the note clarity is there, and then your incorrect notes will be much more obvious in the mix.
 
Joey makes excellent points, but I also find that the strings you choose make a very significant impact on the tone you can produce. If you want a roundwound sound and find your fretting technique to be lacking, try some Chromes. They will still have the brightness and some of the growl with much less potential for noise during position adjustments. No one hearing an Alembic with Chromes thinks they're listening to flatwound strings. The next step up would be a coated roundwound, then nickel and finally steel if that's the tone you ultimately seek.
 
Personally, I find coated DRs or Sunbeams on an Alembic played through an F-1X and quality power amp into a Bergantino CN212 cabinet to be about the ultimate in clear and versatile bass tone. Lately, I am taking a shortcut on the amplification, and that seems to be the most forgiving piece of equipment in the chain.
 
Don't worry about showing up flaws, that's how you improve. If you need to hide them for a performance, you can dial out some upper mids and highs for more forgiveness, but pull them back in when you're wood-shedding so you can hear every shortcoming.
 
-bob

[wick5]

Thanks to all for these most excellent posts.  I feel like I'm in great company here!  I've never felt or considered that I have flaws when fretting or plucking my basses.  However, sometimes when plucking semi-aggressively the D string for example, the rebound of my finger will strike the A string and I can hear a click.  It's thoughts such as these that lead me to take interest in Alembics showing all.  I'm looking forward to this bass I'm getting making me a better player.
Bob, Chromes will be strongly considered after I try the factory set.

[bsee]

Search around, Steve. You'll find a few threads about the impact of various strings om your tone.

[bigredbass]

Once you've been 'Alembic'd', a few random thoughts:
 
--Going in music stores gets REALLY boring.  'What the hell am I looking at basses for', they all just seem so . . . . lacking.
 
--You will try LOTS of different strings, because now you can really, really hear the difference.  You'll even tell when you get a crummy set of the strings you always use. This seems weird for quite a while . . . .
 
--Stanley Clarke gets every bass offered or given to him, but always keeps his Alembics around.  Now you'll know why.
 
--You'll feel guilty buying cheap cables.  You'll hear them.  This seems weird as well . . .
 
--You'll get to read Jimmy Johnson's posts and learn to say 'HAH', evidently some expression employed by the mightily gifted . . . then you find yourself tracking down Holdsworth and James Taylor CD's and being dumbstruck by the guy's taste, tone, and technique.  One of our favorites and one monster player, who ONLY plays Alembics.  How many guys have a Series Two five-string for a 'practice guitar'? ? ? ?
 
--You will learn that Susan, Mary, and Mica make the World Go Round, and that Ron invented a lot of it.  
 
--Endure cracks about 'coffee table' or 'boutique' basses from clowns that appear to have used their crusty, rusty Precision as a fence post or ash tray. You'll find he also works the Bass Desk at your local Guitar Center . . .
 
--At gigs, you will get the occasional glaze-eyed, excited bass guy who KNOWS what you're playing and is thrilled as he's 'never seen one in person'.  Trust me, this is a good thing.  Let him play it a little if he's well-behaved and relatively sober and not wearing a lot of metal bits . . . .
 
--Get blank looks when your friend who bought a (fill-in-this-blank with Ken Smith, Sadowsky, Fodera, MTD, etc.) sees what YOU bought, and finds out as well that it was custom built just for you.  Of course, you do your best to be civilized and say, 'Wow, that's nice . . . . '
Try not to look smug.
 
--It rides in the car, never in the trunk.  You'll never again EVEN think about throwing your bass in its case on top of the subs in the band van.  
 
--You'll be nervous about leaving it on the stand between sets, even though you REALLY dig glancing up at the stage and admiring it.
 
--It will dawn on you:  I may sell a few or all of those 6 Fenders, maybe the Tobias, but I'm NEVER getting rid of this thing !
 
ALL of this has happened to me.  This never happened with Yamahas or Peaveys . . . .
 
J o e y

[wick5]

Well said, HAH!

[malthumb]

I often tell other bassists that my Alembics tell on me.  If I am the slightest bit rusty or lazy in muting techniques, the piano tone + the sick sustain can combine to leave the sonic equivalent of jet-stream.
 
There have been gigs where I've left the Alembics home and taken more forgiving basses.  Not the Alembic's fault for sure.  Just a matter of me being in line with my limitations of the moment,

[tmimichael]

And I second what Joey said...I had Mica order a custom flight case for my Series II...luckily it has wheels because it is SO heavy, but I'm not taking ANY chances with my baby!!!
And Alembics don't sound like anything else because every link in the chain has been scrutinized and only the BEST will do...which is why Ron, Susan, Mica and the crew manufacture most everything themselves. If nothing available meets the standard, you make it yourself. And like someone else said, I too am just a fair, in the pocket player, and I will never have the technique to realize the depth of this instrument. But whatever notes I DO play...wow.

[ajdover]

Wick ..
 
I've owned a Europa, an Epic, a Dragon's Wing, a limited edition Spyder, etc.  I currently own a Stanley Clarke Signature Standard, an Essence, and a Series II Custom.  Based on this, I will say ....
 
All Alembics will expose less than stellar technique.   They are transparent in the sense that they reward good technique, and punish inproper technique.  In other words, they ampify bad habits.
 
This being said, In my opiniion and experience ...
 
Those who refine their technique are richly rewarded, whether they play an Alembic or not.  Spend a few months playing an Alembic, and your technique will improve simply because you hear everything, cleanly, good and bad.
 
   Congrats on becoming an Alembic player.  You won't be sorry.
 
Alan

[parody]

Bigredbass,
 I love your comments. And to wick5, I waited close to 30 years before finally allowing myself to spend this kind of money for a bass I wasn't sure I actually deserved. It was worth the wait. I'd always looked to these basses as otherworldy and....they are. They are not for the faint of heart however, you will not want to put this down. You will fall asleep (pass out) with this before you realize you should put it away so you can regain your senses and get back into the real world. Not much else will matter.
Chris

[pauldo]

Steve, here is a little more food for thought. . . .
I was jamming at a friends house (he's one of those drums, guitar, bass and keyboard kinda guys), he plays anything, but bass was his first instrument.  
So he asks that question; can I play your Alembic?
 
'Sure, let me play your guitar.'
 
We start jamming and he has this expression on his face that is priceless; we kick through a couple songs and he says;
Paul! This bass is incredible!
I say;
Yeah, it kinda drives itself hey?
 
The point is, while he was playing it, there were no issues. . . Me on the guitar is another story. . . .
 
Moral of the story, your technique may transfer seamlessly to your Alembic and you won't have a thing to worry about (except finding your favorite tone setting)

[rustyg61]

Wick, the first gig I played with my Stanley Clarke Signature Deluxe my drummer commented that the new bass must have inspired me because I was playing all these new parts that he had never heard me play before. I told him that while it did inspire me, I was playing the same exact parts I had always played, he could just never hear them before! The pure tone of an Alembic cuts through the mix like nothing else. It will absolutely make you a better player for two reasons, you will hear every mistake & learn to correct them, & you will never want to put the bass down so you will practice much more! I was never one to practice my bass, I only played it enough to learn the songs then never touched it unless I was playing a gig, but now I play almost every day! I've had my Alembic for 3 1/2 years & I'm still awestruck every time I play it! It NEVER get's old! I also have an Eden WT 800 with Eden D115 XLT & D410 XST cabinets, & my Alembic sounds amazing through it! You will NOT be disappointed in your investment in Alembic. I say investment because when you get an Alembic it is so much more than just buying a bass or guitar, it is an investment in a musical institution that has changed the world of music & set the standard by which all other builders are inspired & judged by. Your investment will continue to grow & give back to you not only from years of enjoying your new bass, but also from joining the Alembic family & having your life so richly blessed & enhanced from the knowledge of all the members of The Alembic Club here. You will find the friendliest most knowledgeable people on the planet for all things Alembic & music in general. They are always willing to answer any questions & help you get the most out of your investment. Where else can you pose a question & have a legend like Jimmy Johnson answer it?!! You are indeed in good company here! Welcome!

[richbass939]

I guess I am a simple guy when it comes to describing tone and technique.  Mine are not sophisticated descriptions as in the above posts.
For me, what I heard when I first played my Alembic (and later, on my second Alembic) was a very clear tone that was unwilling to hide my sloppy technique.  My other basses tended to work with my sloppy playing by masking the crap that was trying to come through..  
It took no time at all for me to get rid of the little things that didn't sound good.  It is just a matter of an Alembic's ability to bring out the true tone, not that it is harder to play.
Just my simple observation, but after ten years here I have never been happier with an instrument.
Rich

[germansal]

I think that you ll got to make the switch in your playing,i remember 21 years ago when i get my series 1,for me was very hard because i used to play an old Vantage with EMG pickups ,and never forgot the word that said to me the guy who sold me the bass.Once you play this bass ,you will never want to play to play another bass,and this is absolutely truth,because the sound,the playability and the way that this basses response is unique,Peace and have fun

[germansal]

By the way you can check out my profile to take a look to my 79 s series1 Bass

[sonofa_lembic]

Alembics certainly do not hide right of left hand fumbling around noise, but I have found the right choice of amplification can have a significant affect in keeping the clanking to a minimum.  I have tried a variety of amps, combos cabinets etc. but always use an Alembic preamp with solid state power.  I recently used a Markbass rig, and it made me sound like I was hammering nails in-between notes.  My Alembic rig never does that.  There are a lot of high mid oriented amps out there that exaggerate the exact frequencies your hand noise is in.  With the Alembic preamp, it is biased toward a much more crystalline high range and solid lows, creating a virtual high-mid dip.  Even with the clear unvarnished exposure of your technique, I would never trade the Alembic tone for anything else.  It is the only bass that can always cut through any venue, and be heard clearly in the mix.