Actually, it's neither Series I OR Series II! This bass will utilize Series pickups, a PF-6 card and a side-mounted 5-pin jack, but from that point, it strays WAY off the reservation! It's what it WON'T have that makes it rather unique. Namely, this bass won't have: 1. any on-board filters or Q controls (I'll be using a Superfilter for those duties instead; in conjunction with an F-1X and, of course, a DS-5 power supply), 2. any batteries (outboard powered exclusively), 3. any 1/4 jack, and 4. any pickup selector switch (or pan-pot, for that matter). What it WILL have for controls will be: 1. Master Volume, 2. Neck pickup volume, 3. Bridge pickup volume, and 4. Side LED fader control knob....and that's IT! Admittedly, not everyone's cup of tea, but it works for me! For over a year, I've been using a custom bass with Elan electronics (with the filter set full up to the 6Khz point, and the Q-switched off) through a Superfilter configured in Stereo mode and wired in Series (bass output to Channel A FRONT-panel input (Channel A in Hi-Pass mode); Channel A output to Channel B input (Channel B in Low-Pass mode); Channel B output to F-1X f/x return jack (yes, it works as a rear panel input); and F-1X XLR direct out to the Channel A Balanced input of a QSC power amp configured in Bridge mode with the channel inputs internally paralleled as well. In the paralleled inputs mode, the Channel B XLR Balanced input functions as a Balanced OUTPUT, so, when I need to send a signal to a Mixer, I use THAT for the job (and pad it down with a Shure in-line switchable attenuator as needed).
This new bass will simply be a refinement on the current arrangement. The DS-5R will be in Mono mode, and will feed to the Superfilter's REAR-panel Channel A input. The gain adjustments on the basses'PF-6 card will be goosed-up as needed for maximum s/n ratio for the entire system.
On those occasions when I need to utilize a more conventional amp setup, I'll simply use the bass with the Elan electronics, and set the filter/Q controls as needed to approximate the big setup. Obviously, neither of these basses/setups allows for individually filtering each pickup separately from the other; but that's something I personally neither need nor desire.
Now, I ask you - where else but Alembic can one achieve such a variety of possibilities...even something as different as THIS?!
