The Alembic F-1X Megathread

[pbassnut]

Pnut, I work at the census bureau currently and I play bass as well. I was there on 9/11 and I also own an alembic F 1x too. I have not used it in years but I do love it.

It appears that we have much in common ... starting with both of us being pretty serious gear heads. You've got a lot of very cool stuff, BTW. I did several stints @ the Census Bureau on various Oracle-centric projects. I was the lead Oracle DBA for the American Fact Finder project for two and a half years while it was being designed, developed and during the first six months of it going live on the 'net.

 

[pgk]

Yeah, the F-1X is a classic design. It doesn't have a few modern amenities, like a tuner mute button, and crossovers are not needed these days as much as they were 10+ years ago. These preamps are solid as rocks, excellent quality everything. Alembic didn't and doesn't cut corners.

forgive my ignorance, but can one use use the variable crossover control and it's back panel jacks much like hi/-lo pass filter on a mic preamp? for instance, say you were an upright player looking to tame woof and feedback issues, you just access the Low Pass jack, then dial in the x-over control until the woof goes away? anybody tried this? if this is so that would be pretty cool indeed....

 

[esa372]

forgive my ignorance, but can one use use the variable crossover control and it's back panel jacks much like hi/-lo pass filter on a mic preamp? for instance, say you were an upright player looking to tame woof and feedback issues, you just access the Low Pass jack, then dial in the x-over control until the woof goes away? anybody tried this? if this is so that would be pretty cool indeed....

Sure, you could do that. (I'm sure you meant "access the high-pass jack", though.) The only issue is that the lowest crossover point on the F-1X is 70Hz, and it's a 12dB/octave slope; if you wanted to go lower and/or steeper than that, you'd be out of luck.

FWIW, the best high-pass filter for bass that I've come across is the FDeck HPF Series 3, which goes down to 35Hz and has a 24dB/octave slope.

There's a thread about it here. I use one between the F-1X and the power amp.

It doesn't have a few modern amenities, like a tuner mute button...

I took a tip from Mica and ran my tuner through the FX loop. This way, the mute switch on the tuner silences the rig - works great.

 

[pgk]

cool, thanks for that!

 

[ojo]

Don't know if it's mentioned earlier in the thread, but Mica over at Alembic suggests using one of the many outs on the back as a send to a tuner. It's not a silent operation, but it'll allow you to run one directly from the F-1X.

As a side note, the F-1X is still my favorite piece of gear, and I am seriously thinking of sourcing a Steward 1.2/1.6 for a live rig.

 

[esa372]

Don't know if it's mentioned earlier in the thread, but Mica over at Alembic suggests using one of the many outs on the back as a send to a tuner. It's not a silent operation, but it'll allow you to run one directly from the F-1X.

The effects send makes an excellent tuner output. This allows you to have a "silent" tuning mode while on stage.

If you're using the effects loop for effects, you have two options:

1. Use a Y-cord from the effect send and feed one to the tuner and the other to the input on your effect.

2. Use the low-pass output as a tuner output. Make sure you set the crossover setting at the highest setting so you don't filter out the sounds your tuner needs to hear. Plus, this will only work as long as the volume is turned to greater than 0 on the preamp. You won't have access to a silent stage tuning with the lowpass output.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[rjmsteel]

I'm using the SF-2 with my F-1X, as well - great combination.

Hey guys, here is the (new) combination I am running my Series (Alembic) through.

Bass 5 pin to DS5R power supply > Neck pup to Channel 1 of the SF-2 set between 110 to 600 hz (as a Hi pass filter), and filter gain around 7-8.5, then the Bridge pup to Channel 2 in low pass, filter gain @ 6, freq. around 1K, with both Q's @ 7.
From here the signal moves to a Mackie 802 where I pan both Bass & Treble outputs from the SF-2 all to one side of the Mains Buss. This then is output In Mono to my Eden WT550 powering a fEARful 15/6/1 and a Bag End single 15" @ 4 ohms.

The settings on the Mackie and Eden head can obviously be manipulated to taste, but the real cool thing is that I put the DS5R and the SF-2 in a 2 space rack, laid facing and angled up on a small amp stand where I can Clearly see and Control the parameters of the SF-2 right next to my bass at just below the height of the bottom bout of my bass.

Note I do not have Filters on my Series, just volume control for each pickup. This is where the Superfilter acts as OFFboard filtering for the (Series pickups).

Really Loving the sound and Control I am getting without having to run/power with two amps and the weight portability of this setup with monster SPL output. Yeah, I know, I'm not using an F1X in this setup, but Mica, see Wanted & Wishing on the Alembic club, is probably going to offer the IN-2 rack power supply/ direct /mult box again.

 

[N.F.A.]

I also sport a combination of F1X and SF-2. They sound great. Also play an Alembic that does have a filter too. Lovely sounds in there.

 

[GZ2]

It appears that we have much in common ... starting with both of us being pretty serious gear heads. You've got a lot of very cool stuff, BTW. I did several stints @ the Census Bureau on various Oracle-centric projects. I was the lead Oracle DBA for the American Fact Finder project for two and a half years while it was being designed, developed and during the first six months of it going live on the 'net.

We indeed have a lot in common. I manage Oracle developers. My shop press a hand in producing some of the data that went into the American Factfinder.

 

[edwinhurwitz]

Nice thread! I had a prototype F1X for a long time. I got it at Daddy's Junky Music in Boston and it was my main pre for maybe 18 years. I modded it with a post EQ FX loop for delays and reverbs and had my effects in the pre-EQ FX loop.

I have also had F2Bs and I have to point out that they are not really equivalent preamps. The F2B is an all tube preamp and the F1X is really a solid state pre with a tube buffer at the front end. It's pretty much impossible to run the tube into saturation where it reacts with what we think of as typical tube tone (which is also true with the F2B). What I've discovered that meant is that the actual tube you select for it is less critical than the F2B and other preamps where the tube provides all the gain. I think that's why Alembic can use Chinese and other tubes considered less than in the tube snob world. However, this is not meant as a slight on the F1X as I always felt that that it provides a superior tone. It sounded much more focused and slamming on the low end than the F2B. I think it's a testament to Ron and Co. that they made what's essentially a solid state preamp sound so good. I let mine go because I am now using stereo basses a lot of the time and wanted to be able to mix the basses using the F2B and didn't want to spring for two F1Xs or have to deal with the rack space. I do miss the tone, though. I was using an Eden Navigator for a while and it's cool for some stuff, but at the end of the day (aka the beginning of the night!) it just doesn't provide the same immediacy.

 

[Luckie]

I've been intrigued by this preamp for a while, but I can't seem to find any thorough demos of the preamp and its tones. Does such a thing exist?

 

[esa372]

I was using an Eden Navigator for a while and it's cool for some stuff, but at the end of the day (aka the beginning of the night!) it just doesn't provide the same immediacy.

+1

I've been intrigued by this preamp for a while, but I can't seem to find any thorough demos of the preamp and its tones. Does such a thing exist?

I've never seen an all-out demo of the F-1X, but there are a few samples on [Invalid or Expired Link Removed].

Also, there's this video on YouTube - they sample an F-1X, a TecAmp 500, a GenzBenz Shuttle 9.0, and a Walter Woods BlueLight.

 

[orangejulius3]

I've purchased an F-1X and just about love it.
After reading this mega thread, I opened up my unit to check the preamp tube.

So, now that I know, I have a JJ ECC83s, what different tube/s should I look at as a replacement / back up / experiment with???

 

[edwinhurwitz]

I tried a number of different tubes in the one I had and found it didn't make as much difference as tube rolling did in other tube preamps. The tube in this circuit is acting more as a buffer than as a source of gain. My experience was that as long as the tube functioned well and wasn't microphonic, it sounded good.

This preamp is not an all tube path, the majority of the gain comes from solid state devices. Not that this is a bad thing, I often preferred the tone to it's sibling, the F2B, which is all tube.

 

[orangejulius3]

Good to know!
I probably won't play with the idea of rolling tubes.
I actually scored a GK 800RB for cheap and found the tone I've been looking for.
I'm going to keep this preamp though as a DI and for any future studio stuff.

 

[svtb15]

I have a F2B that I bought new in 77. I also had an F1X .. In after using the F2B for 20 years I know the way it sounds and feels.
TheF1X does sound different... Not bad, not better.. but different.. I like the features and DI out of the F1X.. But I prefer the tone of the F2B. So i sold my F1X.
We have done AB tests with a NEVE mic pre and it was amazing at how similar the F2B can come to that classic sound..
I love the F2B . Mine is due for a CAP job.. Its getting a little noisy these days. .But still my all time fave!

I also tried my best to hear a difference while doing Tube rolling.. I cant tell... for me it was waste of money.. But fun. I still have an original 77 RCA tube in one channel and some NOS telfunken in the other.

I tried a number of different tubes in the one I had and found it didn't make as much difference as tube rolling did in other tube preamps. The tube in this circuit is acting more as a buffer than as a source of gain. My experience was that as long as the tube functioned well and wasn't microphonic, it sounded good.

This preamp is not an all tube path, the majority of the gain comes from solid state devices. Not that this is a bad thing, I often preferred the tone to it's sibling, the F2B, which is all tube.

 

[Hyper-sloth]

BUMP!
I have one that I got back in August 2013. I love it. I do miss the control I had with my Demeter but I am really happy. I have a Tone Hammer on my board that I do some slight eqing with, and that's about all I need. I do use the AGS on the TH for my more rocked out tones but I love that sound on it's own.

 

[hennessybass]

sub

 

[smeet]

Bumping an old thread... I'm interested in getting an F-1X, but I don't have a power amp. Plus, I would like to have more eq-ing power since I run through a fairly flat-response cabinet (fEARful). So would it work well to simply run the F-1X in front of an amp (GK MB800, GB ShuttleMax 9.2, or Mesa M9)? Or in the effects loop? Or is it best used directly into a power amp?

 

[edwinhurwitz]

Bumping an old thread... I'm interested in getting an F-1X, but I don't have a power amp. Plus, I would like to have more eq-ing power since I run through a fairly flat-response cabinet (fEARful). So would it work well to simply run the F-1X in front of an amp (GK MB800, GB ShuttleMax 9.2, or Mesa M9)? Or in the effects loop? Or is it best used directly into a power amp?

You could go either way, but I have run Alembic preamps into power amps into a fEARful and never felt that the EQ was inadequate. Conversely, I have run an Eden Navigator and WT1250 into a fEARful and was always fussing with the EQ to dial in the perfect, elusive tone. The beauty of having a fEARful is that you don't have to go through EQ gymnastics to compensate for cabinet weirdness. Since you already have a Shuttlemax, you could always just try it into the front end or into the power amp input (or FX return) and see which works better for you.

If you really want to get the most in a versatile EQ with the goodness of an Alembic pre, try running an SF-2 Superfilter with the F1X.