Author Topic: My 88 Stanley Deluxe (Read 758 times)

rneub · « **on:** August 18, 2007, 08:16:04 AM »

Hi clubbies, I would like to show you my first Alembic. I love the look, the feel and above all the sound!!! (I am going to clean her up a bit further) SCSB4 Stanley Clarke Deluxe Signature Bass top and back: Rosewood accents: Maple laminate neck: 5-piece Maple and Purpleheart, 30.75" scale fingerboard: Ebony with pearloid inlays pickups: AXY controls: volume, pan, filter x2, Q-switch x2, mono output peghead: Rosewood veneers with Stanley Clarke signature

eligilam · « **Reply #1 on:** August 19, 2007, 07:49:50 AM »

Awesome bass. Don't you just love those SC Sig Deluxes?

Will d.

jazzyvee · « **Reply #2 on:** August 19, 2007, 08:16:17 AM »

Crisp, great looking bass. My first Alembic was an SC Signature Deluxe too.
You get spoiled far too early starting at the upper end of the Alembic range.

If you are not used to using filters you really have to work with them for a while until you can hear the sound in your head and dial it in very quickly. There is so much tone available at your fingertips combined with where you play with your right hand.
On other threads players have talked about finding the sweet spot and basing your playing around that. I have found so many sweet spots so I can't say I've found the one I love most.

There are lots of threads about how the filters work both on a technical and practical level so you may find some mileage in a search.

Jazzyvee

rneub · « **Reply #3 on:** August 19, 2007, 08:46:50 AM »

Yep Jazzyvee, nothing wrong with spoiling yourself a bit he? Otherwise we would never own them I guess.
Sure takes a while with the filters. I love the Q switches. For the filters it feels like they do the most when you turn them from the lowest up in the beginning, but I may have to work longer with them to get a better feel for them! (I was wondering if this has to do with the age of the instrument?) I will check the other post for it.

jazzyvee · « **Reply #4 on:** August 19, 2007, 01:57:16 PM »

The filters do have an audible effect even with the minutest tweak of them It's very subtle and enables you to really fine tune the sound. I found that much more evident when I upgraded my bass rig to something more hi-fi than my small Trace Elliot combo. Now I have a rig that is very popular here amongst forum members, F-1X, SF-2 and QSC Power amp, and everything is audible in amazing clarity.

The sound I tend to prefer is to have the neck pick up filter rolled all the way back anti-clockwise, Q-switch off, bridge filter about 3/4 of the way open.

Then with the pickup blend knob at the neck pickup end and the bridge q-switch on, I wind the blend pot open towards the bridge just till you can hear the bite of the bridge pickup.
Then I turn the bridge filter off for general playing and back on when playing melody or need a bit of bite.

Thats the sound I start with and depending on the track I'm doing i move from there.
Time spent experimenting is worth it when it comes to getting on-stage.

It's worth remembering as mica said before, the Q-switch affects mainly the attack portion of the note.
Jazzyvee

David Houck · « **Reply #5 on:** August 25, 2007, 06:40:56 PM »

I love that stripe pattern in the Rosewood!

rneub · « **Reply #6 on:** September 01, 2007, 08:17:00 AM »

The previous owner told me that he replaced the pickup cover because it was broken (most likely the whole pickup was replaced, I am not sure). You can see that the neck pickup is the newer one and the bridge pickup is the original one.
I was wondering if there is any difference in the pickups or that it is just the casing of the pickup that is different? And maybe someone can tell me why Alembic changed the casings?

David Houck · « **Reply #7 on:** September 02, 2007, 01:49:34 PM »

The pickups are cast in the shells, so yes, the whole pickup was changed. There are two different types of non-Series pickups in that size; AXY's and Fatboys. The AXY's are standard on an SC Deluxe; and most likely you have two AXY's. The Fatboys have a wider magnet; the same size magnet used in the Series pickups. The script on the shells has changed from time to time over the years.

rneub · « **Reply #8 on:** September 03, 2007, 06:13:27 AM »

Dave, I think they are both AXY's (how can I check?).
So although the casingmaterial and script of the AXY pickups have changed over time, the pickups are basically the same?

David Houck · « **Reply #9 on:** September 03, 2007, 09:00:15 PM »

Yes, the changes have been cosmetic.

One way to tell would be to sprinkle metal shavings on the pickup. And I'm thinking one of the stud finders you can get at a hardware store might work. Of course, you could actually switch the pickups and see if they sound the same.

rneub · « **Reply #10 on:** September 04, 2007, 12:26:57 AM »

Thanks Dave for clarifying! And some extra pictures.

the_8_string_king · « **Reply #11 on:** September 04, 2007, 09:32:10 PM »

Congrats on the great looking Signature bass! Classic Alembic beauty!!!