Alembic Club

Alembic products => Showcase => Series II Basses and Guitars => Topic started by: Nova Constellatio on July 14, 2026, 12:32:45 PM

Title: Discovered that my Series II was a Featured Custom
Post by: Nova Constellatio on July 14, 2026, 12:32:45 PM
03 13130:

Link via Wayback Machine (https://web.archive.org/web/20110106190328/http://www.alembic.com/info/fc_heartgold.html)

(https://i.ibb.co/CpW3htY4/IMG-9571.jpg) (https://ibb.co/HLXfn2bR)

Title: Re: Discovered that my Series II was a Featured Custom
Post by: David Houck on July 14, 2026, 05:45:55 PM
That's a wonderful bass!
Title: Re: Discovered that my Series II was a Featured Custom
Post by: rv_bass on July 14, 2026, 07:52:52 PM
Very cool bass 😊
Title: Re: Discovered that my Series II was a Featured Custom
Post by: Nova Constellatio on July 14, 2026, 08:06:15 PM
It's a very interesting contrast with the ones I have from the '70s.
Title: Re: Discovered that my Series II was a Featured Custom
Post by: jazzyvee on July 15, 2026, 12:32:53 AM
That quilt is really dramatic.
I guess the side and front LEDs come on when you plug in the 5 pin as i can't see an extra switch for the front LEDs.
Title: Re: Discovered that my Series II was a Featured Custom
Post by: Nova Constellatio on July 15, 2026, 05:26:31 AM
Quote from: jazzyvee on Today at 12:32:53 AMThat quilt is really dramatic.
I guess the side and front LEDs come on when you plug in the 5 pin as i can't see an extra switch for the front LEDs.

There's no switch, and I haven't tried to figure out whether there's anything inside to turn off the lights while it's plugged in to the power supply.

They are over the top.
Title: Re: Discovered that my Series II was a Featured Custom
Post by: jazzyvee on July 15, 2026, 05:39:56 AM
I wouldn't be put off buying a bass if it already had them but i doubt if i would order them on a custom.
Title: Re: Discovered that my Series II was a Featured Custom
Post by: edwardofhuncote on July 15, 2026, 05:52:51 AM
One assignment I had several years ago at a very old treatment plant... built in the 1940's, a huge public service project, all concrete and tiles, echoes for days. The Control Room was directly across the hall from a Conference Room. In that Control Room was a steel panel full of all the old analog programmable logic, just miles of wire and relays and switches and little lights, and one hellacious [[[LOUD]]] alarm for anything and everything. Any alarm condition anywhere onsite would trigger that thing. If it was my shift to be on-duty, I'd just unplug one wire from the sumbitch, and pay attention to the screens. Trick was, you had to be darn-sure to plug it back up when you swapped seats. Because some people... you know... need loud noises.

Anyway, one of my fellow Operators was one of those people. That klaxon went off during a Senior Staff meeting full of muckety-mucks across the hall while Zoowicky was in the john. I came through the doors of the Filter House just in time to hear him bellow from the stall;  JUST CUT THUH WIIIIRE!!!

(don't do that... there's an easier way)
Title: Re: Discovered that my Series II was a Featured Custom
Post by: mica on July 15, 2026, 09:15:53 AM
It's a pretty easy mod to add either a dimmer for brightness or a switch to control focus (off-side-both), or even both if you can find places you don't mind the additional controls. Can also add dimmers inside and only have the switch external. I personally like the 3-way toggle for side/front LEDs
Title: Re: Discovered that my Series II was a Featured Custom
Post by: Nova Constellatio on July 15, 2026, 09:40:48 AM
I'd probably just do a dimmer and three way toggle inside if that's possible — I can't imagine too many situations where I'd need to decide how to use the LEDs on the fly.
Title: Re: Discovered that my Series II was a Featured Custom
Post by: jazzyvee on July 15, 2026, 10:57:26 AM
I have the dimmer on mine, the last knob on the right.
It's set at a comfortable brightness an rarely need to change the setting, unless demonstrating it to someone. :-)
Surprisingly the side LEDs are quite warm to the touch on full brightness.
Title: Re: Discovered that my Series II was a Featured Custom
Post by: Nova Constellatio on July 15, 2026, 12:14:13 PM
Did you use the hole for your 1/4" jack, or was it already on the side?
Title: Re: Discovered that my Series II was a Featured Custom
Post by: jazzyvee on July 15, 2026, 02:13:32 PM
Both the jack and 5 pin were on the side when the bass was made. I believe the dimmer knob was installed at a later date. Having had the bass as a used instrument, if I was ever to have a custom series bass I would not choose to have the 5 pin there. The jack is ok there as I use right angled jacks but I find the 5 pin is quite tight and awkward to remove. But aesthetically having it there makes the front of the bass works better with the quilt maple.
Title: Re: Discovered that my Series II was a Featured Custom
Post by: Nova Constellatio on July 15, 2026, 02:27:20 PM
I've wondered about 5 pins mounted that way — they looked a little awkward to me. If I ever have something built, I guess it'll stay on the front.