Alembic Club at Talk Bass

[rickdog]

Got the Persuader yesterday. Wow, what a beautiful bass. Was well cared for also. Was played but not abused. Original case too. Looks like it's an 86. Setting it up and cleaning it up now. So far so good. Can't decide whether to put rounds or flats so I'm trying rounds first. Are the truss rods dual action? Thanks cheers everyone

I've never heard of a dual-action truss rod in an Alembic.

My Alembic bass is by far my easiest bass to set up. I've found that a little truss rod adjustment goes a long way, and it can take a day to finish reacting. I typically adjust 1/6 of a turn (one point on the hex nuts) and give it a chance to settle. Mine is fairly sensitive to changes in humidity, so it's a good thing it's easy to adjust.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

Are the truss rods dual action?

No, the dual truss-rods are simple single-acting rods. Adjust them equally.

Congratulations and Compliments! Nice looking bass.

 

[s_wood]

Congrats on the new (to you) Alembic! It's a beauty! And I agree with Rickdog - my Alembics are the easiest basses to set up of any bass I've ever owned.

The truss rods are single action, though there are 2 of them which should be adjusted to approximately the same tension. They are easy to adjust, and when doing so remember that 1/2 a turn is A LOT.

The Alembic Club at Alembic's website is a wonderful source of information about how to set up and care for your Alembic. The FAQs and "Must Read" sections are invaluable.
Here's the "must read" thread on set-ups.

https://club.alembicguitars.com/index.php?board=29.0

 

[brian579]

Thanks for all the info. The bass took to a set up perfectly. What a beautifully made instrument. I'm a huge P bass fan so this one is perfect to me. Here are some more pics after the clean up and set up. I have rounds on it for now but I'm very tempted to put some TI flats on. Cheers and stay safe

 

[hieronymous]

Thanks for all the info. The bass took to a set up perfectly. What a beautifully made instrument. I'm a huge P bass fan so this one is perfect to me. Here are some more pics after the clean up and set up. I have rounds on it for now but I'm very tempted to put some TI flats on. Cheers and stay safe

You snagged a cool one!

 

[brian579]

Spent some time with this beauty and I have to say it is stellar. The filter makes the bass very versatile from aggressive with a pick to very mellow with fingers. Glad I grabbed it. I think it sounds best with flats.

 

[rickdog]

And... with that P-style pickup you might be able to slide past the engineers and producers who reflexively say "get a Fender" if they see anything else

My Alembic definitely gets sounds out of flatwound strings you wouldn't have thought possible.

 

[hieronymous]

5-string Stanley Clarke Siganture Squared thru 3Leaf Proton envelope filter and (later) MXR Bass Octave Deluxe



The camera zooms in and out - I screwed up on at least one of them!

 

[hieronymous]

Another improvised section of my 5-string Stanley Clarke Siganture Squared with the improv band I've been playing with:

 

[Sirfishalot]

Got the Persuader yesterday. Wow, what a beautiful bass. Was well cared for also. Was played but not abused. Original case too. Looks like it's an 86. Setting it up and cleaning it up now. So far so good. Can't decide whether to put rounds or flats so I'm trying rounds first. Are the truss rods dual action? Thanks cheers everyone

Congrats on the new bass! I wonder i'd that is a custom Persuader? I thought they all were PJ configurations.

JayT

 

[rickdog]

Hey, does anyone know what's up with club.alembicguitars.com? All I'm getting from it today is:

Incorrect key file for table './clubalembicguita_AlembicClub/smf_sessions.MYI'; try to repair it​

 

[bucephylus]

Looks like Alembic were somewhat recently forced to change their http address for the store; my old bookmark now goes to some kind of AI site.

Here is the address currently working:

Alembic Guitars

www.alembicguitars.com

The link to the discussion "Club" on there isn't connecting to anything; and possibly they haven't had time to update that address yet.

Edit: WOOPS. Looks like a work in progress. Many of the links go back to the usurping AI site. Exercise appropriate caution.

 

[s_wood]

Mica says that their hosting company is having some tech problems which they hope will be solved in a few hours.

Edit: the Club site is back up.

 

[FC Bass]

Congrats on the new bass! I wonder i'd that is a custom Persuader? I thought they all were PJ configurations.

JayT

They all are in a certain way
The Persuader can be found with many different pickup configurations (also with AXY's) Most have the Volume-Volume-Filter setup (this one is an exception because it has one pickup)

 

[Dave Hill]

Anyone use DR Fatbeams on their Spoiler? Mine breaks the E String immediately, and I don't know if the post has too sharp an edge, or if the string is just too fat at that length (32" scale). The post is quite small too…

 

[adje]

Anyone use DR Fatbeams on their Spoiler? Mine breaks the E String immediately, and I don't know if the post has too sharp an edge, or if the string is just too fat at that length (32" scale). The post is quite small too…

Long-scale string? Where along the length did it break? Did you bend the string before cutting off the excess length? Did the string wind all the way down to the bottom of the tuner? Below is a long scale Fat Beam E, as installed on my former Spoiler - breakage never an issue for me.

 

[s_wood]

Anyone use DR Fatbeams on their Spoiler? Mine breaks the E String immediately, and I don't know if the post has too sharp an edge, or if the string is just too fat at that length (32" scale). The post is quite small too…

I use FatBeams on my Series/Europa basses sometimes, and I never have a problem. I'm certain it's not the design of the Spoiler that's a problem. The scale length shouldn't matter. Do you notice a problem when trying to push it into the hole in the tuner?Sounds like there is either a sharp edge on your bridge, nut or tuning post, or perhaps user error in the installation process?

 

[alembicbones]

Thanks for all the info. The bass took to a set up perfectly. What a beautifully made instrument. I'm a huge P bass fan so this one is perfect to me. Here are some more pics after the clean up and set up. I have rounds on it for now but I'm very tempted to put some TI flats on. Cheers and stay safe

Very cool bass Brian, enjoy. As for strings, I use TI Jazz Rounds on my Brown Bass and Europa 5 String w/ Series I electronics. I think they work fantastic with these two basses. TI Flats are cool too, especially with Series I electronics, but I prefer the sound from the Jazz Rounds. They just make me want to pick up my Brown Bass and play.

Bones

 

[Dave Hill]

I use FatBeams on my Series/Europa basses sometimes, and I never have a problem. I'm certain it's not the design of the Spoiler that's a problem. The scale length shouldn't matter. Do you notice a problem when trying to push it into the hole in the tuner?Sounds like there is either a sharp edge on your bridge, nut or tuning post, or perhaps user error in the installation process?

Long scale string. No problem going in the hole. As soon as it starts to get tension it breaks at the tuning peg. This is the 3rd string.

I think the edges of the slot are too sharp(?). I've tried to file them flatter once already.

The fat part of the DR string is being wound around the post. A different brand which is thinner around the post works fine.
A bummer as I prefer the DRs

 

[s_wood]

Interesting. A thought: why don't you call DR and ask them if their short scale Hi Beams (which are 33") long would work on a 32"bass. They've always been super helpful when I've called them. Hi Beams are pretty similar to FatBeams (I've used both).