NBD - Alembic content!

[FinnDave]

I've been trying to persuade myself that I'd never spend the sort of money an Alembic bass costs, but I managed a very good deal with a well-known midlands bass specialist that saw me spending very little actual money, and saved me the bother of continuing trying to sell a couple of Precisions I haven't been using.

I am now the owner of a 20 year old Alembic Epic bass, apparently their 'entry level' model but still a big step up from my US Fenders. Hopefully I can now get somewhere near the Phil Lesh tone I need for the Grateful Dudes. I'll find out on Friday & Saturday as we have gigs in Dorset and I intend to use the new bass.

Obligatory picture below, background provided by my gig shirts!

 

 

 

 

[chris_b]

Good move.

[Happy Jack]

Where are the LED side markers?

[Bridgehouse]

22 minutes ago, Happy Jack said:

Where are the LED side markers?

You don't need LED side markers with shirts like those...!

[ezbass]

Ooh, I like that, More understated than other Alembics I have encountered, which is good thing IMO. Enjoy your purchase and top work on those T shirts!

[three]

Lovely facing - Alembic really do manage to source some of the world's most beautiful timbers!  I'm sure you'll appreciate too the care that goes into the build of every Alembic - the attention to detail is astonishing - lovely to behold and to play!

[Andyjr1515]

Lovely looking bass on all counts

[FinnDave]

2 hours ago, Meddle said:

I'm sure the Phil Zone is in that bass somewhere! You just need flats and a very heavy pick.

I use a 3mm pick, but prefer worn rounds, unfortunately the Alembic is wearing fresh strings today! Hopefully they'll lose their bite before Friday.

[Mykesbass]

That's lovely. 

[eude]

That is gorgeous, congratulations!

Eude

[Frank Blank]

11 hours ago, Happy Jack said:

Where are the LED side markers?

On the side.

[TrevorG]

Beautiful. Alembics are special regardless of model. Had one for years till it was stolen. Stanley Clarke signature. Really jealous of you.

[Chris2112]

Very cool! I had a five string fretless Epic a few years ago that was one of the best fretless basses I have ever played. Because I prefer playing fretted basses, I had always wished that the Epic was fretted. 

One thing to note, in looking for the classic Alembic sound, is that the Epic has a two band EQ. The models furtberil the chain use the 'Q-Filter', which is a low pass filter often coupled with a cutoff switch. The low pass filter adds a lot of the signature Alembic quality to the tone. Alembic do sell some electronics, so you may be able to acquire a Q-Filter preamp to fit in the Epic. The full Series I and II systems, apparently, will not fit in the smaller bodied Alembics. 

[goingdownslow]

2 hours ago, Chris2112 said:

 The models furtberil the chain use the 'Q-Filter', which is a low pass filter often coupled with a cutoff switch.

What is 'furtberil'?

[Chris2112]

9 minutes ago, goingdownslow said:

What is 'furtberil'?

My phone's useless autocorrect! I was supposed to type 'further up' there. 

[FinnDave]

The Alembic's been blooded*, just played two Grateful Dudes gigs in Dorset over the weekend. Bandmates blinking in disbelief, "Is that an Alembic?", but the sound was spot-on, really clear without booming bass or grating highs, it did and sounded like everything I want in a bass.

I can see my Fenders becoming surplus to requirements sometime!

 

*Literally blooded! When I arrived at the venue Friday afternoon after an awkward drive (one road closed without warning, tailbacks on A303 due to a caravan shedding a tyre), I pulled the case out of the car only to catch a fingernail on my fretting hand in a catch and tear the nail. I had to play the first night with an elastoplast on my finger, with blood trickling out.

[Bassalarky]

Very Tasty!

[fretmeister]

Lovely. Understated and classy (unlike some of the more expensive models).

 

I like that a lot.

[BassBod]

Lovely basses.  It’s the clarity that you either love or don’t.  There isn’t really an Alembic sound, it’s just the strings, and filters if you want them.  Look out for an SF2 rack preamp - essentially the filters in a Series II Bass but in a 1u rack.  Very expensive new, but they do sometimes come up used, and a lot cheaper. 

[jazzyvee]

Good to hear you had a good experience on your first outing with your alembic. I was out on two festivals with mine this weekend too.  There are some similarities with the series II and the SF-2 but the SF-2 is more featured. Low pass, High Pass and band pass modes and the frequency control goes down I think to 40hz. I've had one for almost as long as I've had an alembic and rarely use it, but when I do it's usually for a heavier bottom end on reggae gigs If I have cabs that can take it. It's a great bit of kit and gives you access to that series bass sound. .There are a few basses that alembic have made with one or two channels of the SF-2 built into the bass.!!!

[FinnDave]

14 minutes ago, jazzyvee said:

Good to hear you had a good experience on your first outing with your alembic. I was out on two festivals with mine this weekend too.  There are some similarities with the series II and the SF-2 but the SF-2 is more featured. Low pass, High Pass and band pass modes and the frequency control goes down I think to 40hz. I've had one for almost as long as I've had an alembic and rarely use it, but when I do it's usually for a heavier bottom end on reggae gigs If I have cabs that can take it. It's a great bit of kit and gives you access to that series bass sound. .There are a few basses that alembic have made with one or two channels of the SF-2 built into the bass.!!!

Thank you - we seem to having similar conversations across two forums! I'm not really up to speed on the different pre-amps, so anything you can tell me about them would be useful. I don't really need a heavy low end with the music I'm playing, more an emphasis on the mids and clean, but rounded, highs are more important, though the Epic does a decent job at of those without having to touch the amp. It's by far the best and most versatile bass I've owned, and hard to believe it is/was Alembic's 'entry level' bass! There's a very bad part of me that keeps telling me that one day I'll have to find out what the upper levels of the range can do!

[BassBod]

My memory of the Epic was get the right strings on it (DR Sunbeams for me) then get your sound with the pickup balance, then fine tune with on board eq.  It really was very simple!  Used mine in lots of different settings and it always worked for me.  Didn’t always look right, but sounded great 😎

[burno70]

Very nice!

[Chris2112]

Glad to hear your first trip out with it went well! I really dig my old Epic 5 and I've often wanted a fretted model but always seem to find something I want more when I'm looking to buy! 

The thing I always liked about the Series electronics was that you could shelf the bass at a limit where your cabs could reproduce it. Then you could get into the real meat of the tone shaping, around the midrange! I always want mids! 

 

[FinnDave]

2 hours ago, BassBod said:

My memory of the Epic was get the right strings on it (DR Sunbeams for me) then get your sound with the pickup balance, then fine tune with on board eq.  It really was very simple!  Used mine in lots of different settings and it always worked for me.  Didn’t always look right, but sounded great 😎

Mine had light Dunlop super brights on when I bought it, which I changed for 45-105 D'addario nickel rounds as soon as I got it home. Once the initial twanginess had worn off in a day or two, they sound good. I was using a Fender Jazz with light LaBella flats to get somewhere near Phil Lesh's sound, but the rounds on the Epic are closer, certainly my bandmates thought so, and I find rounds more pleasant under the fingers than flats.