Alembic activators: anyone using them?

m.oreilly · #1 08-26-2006, 12:22 AM

i will be replacing the pups in my thumb with these. anyone have any hints as to likes/dislikes (tone filter, not bass/treble model)?

luknfur · #2 08-26-2006, 02:56 AM

FWIW:

see Dimento's PJ experiment in FAQ.

I've got the old green PJ's activator set. They sound like nothing else in an appealing way, work to a broad range of styles, but I could easily see a love/hate take on them. You can use the preamp with any pups to my knowlege. The interesting thing is that both the pups by themselves and the by pre by itself (with other pups) put out that same tone. So the pre would heavily color any other pups used with it.

Not something I've gotten rid of but not something I've really make use of either. They're just different.

In short, you'll know when get them and have had them for a while.

m.oreilly · #3 08-26-2006, 04:16 PM

i had read that, thank you. i think i will try the pups w/ the existing
tone circuit (need a different output jack. alembic one won't fit without some interior routing), and see how it goes...

**Chef** · #4 08-27-2006, 08:55 AM

Rodent here has a set in something, pm him. He likes them in the bass he has them in...

m.oreilly · #5 08-27-2006, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chef

Rodent here has a set in something, pm him. He likes them in the bass he has them in...

thanks, will do

**Rodent** · #6 08-28-2006, 08:38 AM

would have jumped in sooner, but I've been quite swamped the past couple of days ...

I have an old set I purchased in '84, just about the time Alembic was bringing these to market. Mine is a pair of soap bars that were commonly installed in their Spoiler bass model. I had a custom bass built to my specs, and it included a Steinberger tuning system to boot.

The electronics were extremely advanced for the day, and even included a printed circuit board and quick connects for the pickup leads. My control set consists of Vol + Blend + Tone. The tone is a combination of high/low adjustment and some kind of contouring to the mids - kind of like a wah pedal so to speak. To this day, I have not heard another company replicate this kind of tone control in their preamps.

I giged this bass extensively for quite a few years, where it stood as my alternate to a Steinberger XL-2 in the days when bands were judged by their hair and not their chops. It's a great bass when you need 'that sound', but it usually sits in the closet these days

let me know if I can answer anything else for you, and I'll drop a note back

all the best,

R

**Chef** · #7 08-28-2006, 09:07 AM

Rodent wrote:"The tone is a combination of high/low adjustment and some kind of contouring to the mids - kind of like a wah pedal so to speak. "

I'd be willing to be this approximates the "mutron envelope filter" to some extent...

Neat! That's one I didn't get my grubby mitts on at your place.

m.oreilly · #8 08-28-2006, 09:56 AM

Rodent, thanks for the response. compaired to newer pre and pup choices, how would you place them? i guess what i am asking is, do they sound like an alembic, have that "alembicness" to them? or are they in response to the seymour/dimarzio/barts of the day, as in an active, better "quality" upgrade to the pups/circuit they are replacing?

**Rodent** · #9 08-28-2006, 10:12 AM

Alembic all the way (especially when you start rotating the tone control) - they are quite comparable to a similar vintage Alembic Spoiler or Exploiter with similar pickup configuration. The combination of pickups/preamp definitely does not sound like anything else, even when run flat

Now if you're thinking you'll get a Series I/II sound from this configuration, well ... it's not quite that sound either.

all the best,

R

m.oreilly · #10 08-28-2006, 10:47 AM

thanks again. i am going to give it a go. i love the sound of my bass played acoustically, and hope these bring me closer to that sound when it is amplified

AlembicBob · #11 08-28-2006, 11:14 AM

Alembic electronics are awesome. The pickups today are a little different from what they did in the early 80s, but the electronics are pretty much the same.

The "Filter" control is really just a low-pass filter, but there's a 6-8 dB boost centered on the filter cutoff frequency. This boost is why it sounds like a wah-wah when you spin the control. Higher level electronics packages provide some control of the size of the boost. The boost really accentuates the attack for fingerstyle play creating a really crisp tone.

I love my Alembic basses. Their ability to work wood is very high, equal to the best of the custom builders. The reason why I choose Alembic is their electronics. I find them to be the most expressive and sensitive package available.

m.oreilly · #12 08-28-2006, 02:58 PM

well, i installed them during my lunch break...boy are they live! i will have to spend some time w/ eq on the eden, but as for now, a very dry tone (the tone control is much more subtle than i thought it would be), i could see these as great for slap stuff, erbs, etc. going to take a little getting used to (again, really super live pups/circuit).

m.oreilly · #13 08-29-2006, 04:53 PM

woah, i take it back regarding the "subtle" effect of the tone control. very dramatic as the instrument volume increases. very dramatic. i am getting an upright sound, something i though i could never have achieved on a solid body. at this point, i could spend days combing through tone settings, though i can see why some have hinted about these not being for everyone. if i can get my mic away from my daughter, i will try and upload a clip of the acoustic like sound...