crazycloud

On 07/05/2023 at 17:41, xgsjx said:

If you find that one in the shop that has the pickup in the sweet spot

Which is where exactly?

On 07/05/2023 at 08:56, itu said:

It has a body of a short scale, and ergonomics of a long scale. First position looks like hard to reach.

I'd put money on the fact of the shape, strap locations and the large headstock mean it's gonna be a diver.

On 04/05/2023 at 02:00, TheGreek said:

I really don't like the looks of these

I feel the same about FSOs. I think the EHBs look fine, but the ergos. weight and tone are more important to me.

On 06/05/2023 at 03:17, fleabag said:

 

 

That's a good point, since wood is so organic, even bodies/necks from the same tree will have small differences.

So? Show that 'you' can hear a difference between the two instruments directly recorded, and then in a mix. Until 'you' can reliably and consistently, then the difference is irrelevant when you can't see which is being played or was recorded.

Happy you found another one and hope you get much enjoyment from it.

1 hour ago, simisker said:

Also, the post you responded to was April 15

9 minutes ago, simisker said:

Apparently, responding to a ten year old post

The post I responded to was from April 16 this year. Maybe you need a new calendar. Or spectacles.

15 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

and as it is patented there isnt much incentive for other manufacturers to do it

They may have a patent, but it wouldn't be hard to beat as it's a standard feature in many, many electronics applications for decades. The only defensible item might be a copyright on the form factor if it is unique, and not n off the shelf package.

On 16/04/2023 at 02:06, itu said:

energy efficient amps exist in high power and small form factor, but cabinets on the other hand...

Physics. Hoffman's Iron Law states that the three parameters that affect speaker performance in a cabinet (at LF) are size, efficiency and extension; pick two. Unless there is a massively different new technology in speakers, HIL will still rule. In 40y of speaker design, I've never seen it broken.

Drivers can't really get much lighter than they are now. CF cabs might become more common, but they won't be cheap.

On 16/04/2023 at 01:54, Dood said:

the video above didn't explain how the bridge works

I'd be surprised if it doesn't work the same as the guitar one, and there are videos on how that works.

On 15/04/2023 at 19:32, simisker said:

I dunno. I'm sceptical. I think they may have rushed it to market.

I emailed them about this the better part of 2ya and was told 'soon' so I doubt they rushed it. When the 5 comes out, and in the same email I was told it would be coming, I'll get one.

That sparkly pinkish one is pretty.

Most of the rest of it is pretty standard, if uncommon. I wish him best of luck with the modular preamp, but I don't see it being a big seller.

With the battery block, I've done similar in the past with portable test gear but not basses.

On 22/04/2023 at 04:18, horrorshowbass said:

Or just cus they're ugly?

This. Control plates are even worse.

I'm a big Ibanez fan, so an SR or a BTB. And yes, I own 5s or 6s in both ranges, so this is definitely a 'buy what I have post'. But I want an EHB or two, so add them to the list. Both SR and BTB have MS options if that tickles your nads.

1 hour ago, Kiwi said:

Mine's not noticably thirsty compared to other basses I've owned. 

Mine were, and for good reason; none of the opamps used were low power designs and there were lots of them used. When I was on the Alembic Club, I saw many comments about how Series basses when played on batteries and not the DS5, ate through them very quickly, like 10s of hours, not hundreds.

I seldom used mine on anything but an outboard supply, usually my own design as the factory unit was pretty average.

On 11/04/2023 at 04:38, HotelX said:

Also a related question, how is the power consumption on them? Are they all fairly power efficient?

 

Alembics are current hogs, at least in the Series.

On 11/04/2023 at 05:57, NickA said:

Wal and Alembic have filter Q switches ( boosts at the cut frequency).

The S2 have variable Q via pots.

On 04/04/2023 at 07:53, LukeFRC said:

in most cases I don't think you can patent a circuit

You can copyright it, but if it's cloned, then it costs a lot of money to defend, even in a first world country.

The bridge is an Il Sung BB208.

Take yours off and measure them with a set of vernier calipers (I have a plastic set that cost $3) and compare them to the dimension drawings on the Gotoh website.

10 hours ago, la bam said:

However I just assumed the 'active/preamp' side of things on all basses was almost just a boost or adjustable eq section.

Depending upon the design of the preamp, it also includes buffering  and loading of the individual pickups.

A passive Jazz VVT type set up loads the pickups down depending upon the position of the individual controls so that the tone changes with the VC positions. An individually buffered 2 input preamp does not. This type of preamp also buffers the output from the capacitance of the cable and the potential input loading of pedals etc, especially for those that use complex or parallel signal chains.

Note, I haven't mentioned EQ.

Some designs won't work properly passively, for example an Alembic Series or most Wals.

On 12/03/2023 at 02:15, NickA said:

 

Though the workmanship on some of the Alembics is a bit special don't you think?

Agreed, Alembics can be gorgeous, but I've seen just as good for a lot less money, and in terms of FnF, my Ibanez BTB is beautifully made and I wouldn't pay even 2x as much for Alembic grade finish, let alone much more than that for a Series, which is all I'd buy again. Similarly, I'm not the least bit interested in a Wal myself. I'll stop here and just enjoy one of the most interesting threads I've read in ages. 

On 04/03/2023 at 09:53, NickA said:

But is there a similar thread where people are trying to re engineer an Alembic series 2

I've done the electronics which is easy enough, and am working on my idea of the Series pickups - there's no desire to clone them, but I'm coming at it from the idea of why Ron did what he did, and working from there and I know there are better ways to approach it now that was done in the late 60s. I have no desire to obsessively clone all of the hardware as I'm not convinced it will make a jot of difference and I have 2 basses that will be used as donor husks, and another couple without room to put all the controls onboard, but run a buffered output for each pickup through a 5 pin and do it in my own outboard rack mounted pre and power supply.

I've owned several Alembics and apart from the electronics, really don't see anything that special about them, and there's a lot I don't like, especially the silly pricing.

Unlike most people today, I have no desire to document all of it as I'm doing it for me, and who knows, I might decide to make some for others later.

This thread is fascinating and I'm enjoying reading it very much, and it's given me a few ideas to pursue down the line.

On 03/03/2023 at 09:10, eude said:

That is insane.

Insane!

"Yes dear, I'm selling all the old parts like you said I had to. I have them listed on Reverb..."

Probably a fine bass, but it does nothing for me.

2 hours ago, Passinwind said:

Just curious: why tape? To me something like what these folks offer would be much nicer: 

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/114677753582

 

 

I was going to say, that I prefer no tape on my knob, especially the gaffer/duct variety. It's probably not the forum to explain how I know this, but if I did, I might no longer be a member of a certain House of Lords 'club'.

Thanks PW for the tip, gonna have to order some of them.

As I don't have a P bass or a J bass, my preference is to play may basses telekinetically. The tone is sublime.