Alembic GAS!

[edwinhurwitz]

Has anyone compared the ACG filter preamp with the Alembic filter preamp? Seems like they are both are basically low pass, with the Anniversary, Signature, and Series I versions of the Alembic pre having a fixed 'Q', and the ACG having a continuously variable 'Q', like the Alembic Series II 'CVQ' preamp. Further, the ACG has a high pass filter as well.
Now, I'm sure the Alembic is a masterfully built instrument, but the ACG pre is less that $350 and a Series II Alembic is LARGE amount of money. Has anyone compared the two?

I've played both, in the same bass. The ACG has a wider frequency range, which is both a plus and minus. The filter goes all the way down to 70hz or so, while the Alembic goes to 350hz. Both sound really good. Both have an active blend, which is nice. The downside to the ACG is having such a wide sweep on the pot means that it takes a lot more care to find just exactly the perfect frequency. I've discovered that my favorite way to approach the filters is to use it to adjust the attack of the note, which the Alembic filters cover perfectly. The restricted frequency response means that it's easier to tune into just the right spot and get a more repeatable sound.

Bear in mind that another aspect to the Series setup is the humcanceller and the much higher power circuit. The pickups (which, btw are not wide aperture, but fairly narrow aperture, so that they can pickup a narrow part of the string and maintain high end and the whole harmonic spectrum that the string is generating. If a wide aperture sound were desired, a standard humbucker would be perfectly acceptable).

I vastly prefer a Series II setup to a Series I. I always found that the switches fell outside of where I really wanted the resonance control to be.

Having the highpass filter is pretty cool, but I found myself not using it all that much. The ACG preamp is going into my Modulus Q6 TBX. I've been waiting for a pair of SGD pickups, but I'm beginning to think they will not be arriving, so I'll see how they work with a pair of EMGs.

Here's the bass that is currently a Series II (humcanceller is inside the body. The pickups are trapezoid inside a rectangular body).

And here it is with Dark Stars and the ACG (the rag around my neck was soaked in ice water to deal with the fact that it was 115 degrees out during our set at The High Sierra Festival. Brutal.):

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[flybynight]

I started out, some 40+ years ago with a Gibson EB-0, which I sold when the band folded. Finally decided, after many years hiatus, to start playing again with a used Alembic Spoiler. Eventually discovered why it was that I couldn't reach anything I used to - the EB-0 was a short-scale axe and the Spoiler ... wasn't.

So I did some searching, and found a short-scale 1977-vintage Alembic Series I. Never turned back. Occasionally get tempted by the sound of a double bass (I play pretty much only 40s-60s style blues), but the sheer size of the instrument puts me off. So when I need something like that sound, I dial all the treble off, and get reasonably close.

So here it is:

The bottom images are closest in color to the instrument.

 

[mark beem]

I started out, some 40+ years ago with a Gibson EB-0, which I sold when the band folded. Finally decided, after many years hiatus, to start playing again with a used Alembic Spoiler. Eventually discovered why it was that I couldn't reach anything I used to - the EB-0 was a short-scale axe and the Spoiler ... wasn't.

So I did some searching, and found a short-scale 1977-vintage Alembic Series I. Never turned back. Occasionally get tempted by the sound of a double bass (I play pretty much only 40s-60s style blues), but the sheer size of the instrument puts me off. So when I need something like that sound, I dial all the treble off, and get reasonably close.

So here it is:

The bottom images are closest in color to the instrument.

That bass is gorgeous!!

 

[millsbass5]

I had a Spoiler back in the late 80's-early 90's. And, for the life of me, at the time, I just didn't understand Alembic's approach with their electronics, as opposed to other makes of preamps. But, it sounded great, and, was made just as well.

 

[edwinhurwitz]

Beautiful Series I! I love short scale basses, but I just can't get comfortable with that form factor. I'm used to a much larger body. I had a really beautiful cocobolo shorty for a while. One of the finest instruments I've ever played, but I couldn't get it to sit right and I ended up playing the Starfire all the time anyway. Finally sold it to a big Stanley fan in Switzerland who can play it a lot better than I can. I miss it terribly, but I'm really glad with someone who can do it justice.

I do still have the custom JanAl flight case for it, in case anyone needs one for a shorty. It's an amazing case and I don't need it anymore.

 

[StephenR]

Nice cocobolo Series I and the one above it is sweet, too. Agree that this style body shape is not ideal, at least for me.

I don't feel comfortable playing shorter scale basses (sold my Starfire years ago which I do regret now). I have been pretty much exclusively playing five-string since the mid-80s and along the way have gotten used to a wide neck and 35" scale. My first five-string was a medium scale 78 Series I with Brazilian Rosewood top and back. Still have it but haven't played it on stage since I got my Quantum 5 (with Alembic pups) in 1988. I pull it out from time to time with the thought I will use it on a gig but so far no go. Like the Alembic the neck on the Quantum also feels too narrow to me now. I usually play my cocobolo G Gould which has a nice wide neck.

 

[malthumb]

StephenR,

Did you order that small body medium scale? I've never seen a tailpiece like that one before. Also the only small body I've ever seen with a fan headstock. Interesting combination of features. Works well, though.

Is it strung BEADG or EADGC?

 

[StephenR]

StephenR,

Did you order that small body medium scale? I've never seen a tailpiece like that one before. Also the only small body I've ever seen with a fan headstock. Interesting combination of features. Works well, though.

Is it strung BEADG or EADGC?

I got it used in I believe 1985, maybe 84. Had been playing a 4-string Distillate bass but wanted to make the move to five string. At the time there were very few five string basses on the market. Finding strings was difficult, too. I lived on LI and a luthier friend, Joseph Jesselli, hooked me up with D'Addario. I would go to the factory and get the only B string available at the time... something like .146 gauge... felt like a telephone pole.

The five pin jack is close to the tailpiece on mine and may have determined the shape. It wouldn't fit if oriented like the newer ones. Don't know if they always made them "upside down" like that back then or only for models with a narrow body width and series electronics. The "hourglass" headstock was definitely experimental and not the best design. The large headstock and five tuning keys combined with the lack of an upper bout to put the strap pin on make the bass neck heavy.

I showed this bass to Rick Turner. He thought it was made at the tail end of his involvement with Alembic. I also spoke with Mica at Alembic about my bass and she asked me to bring it in at some point so they can take pictures and document it. They don't have info about a lot of the early instruments.

Bass is strung with a low B. I tried a high C once and it was fun to play but not my thing.

 

[osuok88]

My Rogue

 

[lyla1953]

Just heaven

 

[jazzyvee]

Nice cocobolo Series I and the one above it is sweet, too. Agree that this style body shape is not ideal, at least for me.

I don't feel comfortable playing shorter scale basses (sold my Starfire years ago which I do regret now). I have been pretty much exclusively playing five-string since the mid-80s and along the way have gotten used to a wide neck and 35" scale. My first five-string was a medium scale 78 Series I with Brazilian Rosewood top and back. Still have it but haven't played it on stage since I got my Quantum 5 (with Alembic pups) in 1988. I pull it out from time to time with the thought I will use it on a gig but so far no go. Like the Alembic the neck on the Quantum also feels too narrow to me now. I usually play my cocobolo G Gould which has a nice wide neck.

Wow this is a great looking bass..!!!

 

[jazzyvee]

Here's a link to my 5 string Europa w/Series I electronics.

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Bones

That is one of my favourite looking Europa basses.

 

[jazzyvee]

I've played both, in the same bass. The ACG has a wider frequency range, which is both a plus and minus. The filter goes all the way down to 70hz or so, while the Alembic goes to 350hz. Both sound really good. Both have an active blend, which is nice. The downside to the ACG is having such a wide sweep on the pot means that it takes a lot more care to find just exactly the perfect frequency. I've discovered that my favorite way to approach the filters is to use it to adjust the attack of the note, which the Alembic filters cover perfectly. The restricted frequency response means that it's easier to tune into just the right spot and get a more repeatable sound.

Bear in mind that another aspect to the Series setup is the humcanceller and the much higher power circuit. The pickups (which, btw are not wide aperture, but fairly narrow aperture, so that they can pickup a narrow part of the string and maintain high end and the whole harmonic spectrum that the string is generating. If a wide aperture sound were desired, a standard humbucker would be perfectly acceptable).

I vastly prefer a Series II setup to a Series I. I always found that the switches fell outside of where I really wanted the resonance control to be.

Having the highpass filter is pretty cool, but I found myself not using it all that much. The ACG preamp is going into my Modulus Q6 TBX. I've been waiting for a pair of SGD pickups, but I'm beginning to think they will not be arriving, so I'll see how they work with a pair of EMGs.

Here's the bass that is currently a Series II (humcanceller is inside the body. The pickups are trapezoid inside a rectangular body).

And here it is with Dark Stars and the ACG (the rag around my neck was soaked in ice water to deal with the fact that it was 115 degrees out during our set at The High Sierra Festival. Brutal.):

Invalid Link Removed

About 3- 4 years ago I put some ACG filters into my Alembic Europa 5 bass to really see if I could get a cheaper route to a series bass sound.
The John East is the guy who developed the ACG filters and also the electronics for Stanley Clarke's spellbinder basses so he has some pedigree there.
Anyway John did a mod for me so that I could get a high and low pass filter for each pickup plus a master volume and blend.
As Edwin says the filter range goes down to about 70Hz which Alan (ACG) said was to get down to where the Wal basses go and the upper cutoff for the Low pass filter is around the 6kHz area. With such a wide sweep it does take a while to find repeatable tones but what you could find was a great sound. The high pass filters i found less useful than I expected and that is because I don't venture up the dusty end of the neck much and they need to be used carefully to avoid harsh frequencies.. Where I did find them useful was when the low pass filter was closed right down I could get a really deep sound and keep the note articulation because it's very difficult to pitch notes when you have taken away the mid range. The other thing is, unless you have speakers that can deal with those boosted low frequencies you will be shredding speakers before you get any useful volume.

That brings me on to the other point. I found the mid range to be somewhat lacking in the punch zone. On having conversations with Alan and John it was something they had noticed also and to their credit they have a new and improved model and sorted out the mid range and narrowed the range of the LP filter. I listened to them at the UK Bass Day this year and they are fine.
As for the comparison with Alembic. They have an alembic type sound but if you know alembic basses well you can hear the difference. I have now put the original alembic innards back in my Europa and the ACG filters are now in a non alembic bolt-on bass that I use for practice, I'm hoping to make it my ultimate plug and play bass for Dub reggae.

 

[slawie]

My latest

The bottom of the body of Essence basses are the same shape as small standards/brown basses ala Stanley Clarke. The top half has the extended horn for balance. This is my first 5 and I should get it together after a couple of months. The Europa/rogue electronics are really simple to dial in