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The Alembic F-1X Megathread

#22
I have an F-1X.

Currently paired up with a Stewart World 2.1 and Bi-amped through a SWR 2X10 and a 1X18

That set up is a foundation cracker, talk about how low can ya go. :p

I really am interested in an Epifani UL 4X10. I'm just waiting for a TB'er to unload one. :D

Anyone have a F-1X, UL410 combo? I'd love to hear your comments.
 
#24
MichaelVee said:
Snake, some F-1X settings possibilities for slap:

With the bright switch on, the highs are routed around the tone circuit. The effect is greater at low volume and diminishes as the volume control is turned up.

You can also cut the mids fairly effectively with the mid control.

Yet another slap sound is turning on the deep switch, which cuts low mids but leaves low bass frequencies intact. The resulting effect sounds like the lows are boosted. You can leave the tone controls set flat (2-10-2), but with both bright and deep switches engaged, get a pounding slap tone.

The tube circuit sweetens and mellows the highs, and the 300 volt power supply ensures that slap transients are rendered faithfully.

Even though I'm not a slap player, I do think that the F-1X could be an ideal slap preamp in a lot of respects.
Click to expand...

Is there an F1X manual/guide or list of suggestions somewhere (Mica maybe?) that explains the controls and their affect on each other? Mid is cut only; Bass and Treble are boost only, right? Also, I've heard a flat setting is: set the Bass and Treble each between 0-3 and set the Mid to 10. Outside this weekend I had Bass and Treble both on 4, Mid on 10, with both Bright and Deep switches on = I loved the tone. Suggestions?
 
#26
davekoch said:
Is there an F1X manual/guide or list of suggestions somewhere (Mica maybe?) that explains the controls and their affect on each other? Mid is cut only; Bass and Treble are boost only, right? Also, I've heard a flat setting is: set the Bass and Treble each between 0-3 and set the Mid to 10. Outside this weekend I had Bass and Treble both on 4, Mid on 10, with both Bright and Deep switches on = I loved the tone. Suggestions?
Click to expand...

There is no formal owner's manual for the F-1X. However, there IS [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] on the Alembic site. It's a one page summary of what all the controls and jacks do. Beyond that, Alembic relies on the product pages and the Alembic Forum.

Check out both the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]and the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

The F-2B page, in particular, goes into quite a bit of detail on how the Alembic implementation of the Fender stack works. For instance:

"The tone control section follows, with a circuit attributed to Tom Walker, wherein the Bass and Treble controls contribute mostly boost and the Mid control provides cut only. While there is no absolutely flat position, the response is reasonably flat with the controls set at 2 - 10 - 2, with the bright switch off. The circuit can be described as interacting, such that the frequencies affected by each control is changed somewhat by the settings of the other controls. Additionally, when all 3 tone controls are turned to 0 then no signal is passed at all. ...

The Volume control immediately follows the tone control section. The Bright Switch connects a capacitor around the volume control, the value of the capacitor being selected to bypass only the high frequencies. The effect of the Bright Switch is also interactive with the Volume Control, and there is no effect if the Volume control is turned up to 10, and the magnitude of the effect changes, depending on the setting of the control."

And from the F-1X page: "The deep switch changes a capacitor value in the bass control to change the frequency response (and a second section on the deep switch changes the gain of the following amplifier to compensate for the resulting change in signal level)."

Also, here is [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] in the Alembic Forum.
 
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#27
Here's a pic of the current F-1X pile:
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L-R: Spirit XZ-2, Flite 4x8, (T-B) Yamaha PB-1, Carvin DCM1500, Furman PL-8, Sabine RT-1601, F-1X, Bag End S15D-X

A nod to Butch Ammons, and the 10' Bayou Cables instrument cable. :) Good stuff. (Edit: Actually, a very big nod. I could hear a lot of difference- much more detail and highs. Thanks again, Butch! .. MV)

I was A/B'ing the tubed F-1X and the SS PB-1 the other day. Love them both, but the F-1X is still king.
 
#28
MichaelVee said:
Here's a pic of the current F-1X pile:
Invalid Link Removed

L-R: Spirit XZ-2, Flite 4x8, (T-B) Yamaha PB-1, Carvin DCM1500, Furman PL-8, Sabine RT-1601, F-1X, Bag End S15D-X

A nod to Butch Ammons, and the 10' Bayou Cables instrument cable. :) Good stuff.

I was A/B'ing the tubed F-1X and the SS PB-1 the other day. Love them both, but the F-1X is still king.
Click to expand...

I've never seen a Flite 4x8. How does that sound?
 
#30
I owned an F1-X for a while and it was a great unit. My only complaint is that the flat setting is 2-10-2. The bass and treble are fine, as I rarely dial a cut, but it left no room for any mid bumping. I couldn't even cut the bass and treble and just boost the gain because there was no room for that either. I could get a scooped sound no problem, but that doesn't appeal to me. It had a really great tone, but when using it with a passive bass the lack of mid boost was limiting to me.
 
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#31
Well I just recently sold mine since it wasn't for me, I gave it over 3 years in a biamp situation. The low end wasn't to my liking when it was crossed over, that classic fart on a low B. Then I just used it for the high end above 135 and full range, it worked well but not high tech enough for me.

And Lonnybass I noticed at outdoor gigs in extreme heat, let's say over 80 it got really dirty and not a good kind of dirty. I tried several tubes in it and never really found anything I liked.

I don't mean to bring this thread down it's just my opinion and my experiences and taste, YMMV.

However I never had a sound guy give me any issue with using the F-1X DI. I can't say the same thing for other pre's and amps. :)

Oh yeah and I have to shout out for Flite cabs, I don't use 8's but I can imagine how good they are, I love my 15 and 2 10"s.

Dirk
 
#32
Geoff St. Germaine said:
I owned an F1-X for a while and it was a great unit. My only complaint is that the flat setting is 2-10-2. The bass and treble are fine, as I rarely dial a cut, but it left no room for any mid bumping. I couldn't even cut the bass and treble and just boost the gain because there was no room for that either. I could get a scooped sound no problem, but that doesn't appeal to me. It had a really great tone, but when using it with a passive bass the lack of mid boost was limiting to me.
Click to expand...

The key is to understand the EQ. To emphasize mids, reduce either the bass control, for low mids, or the treble control, for high mids, then raise the overall volume.

Since the three tone controls are interactive, mids are also shaped interactively.

Obviously, this is not as intuitive as a boost/cut mid control. And it isn't as effective as having a semi- or fully-parametric mid. Players who like the F-1X tone but need more precise control over the mids could always use an outboard EQ.
 
#33
Dirk Diggler said:
Oh yeah and I have to shout out for Flite cabs, I don't use 8's but I can imagine how good they are, I love my 15 and 2 10"s.
Click to expand...
tombowlus said:
I've never seen a Flite 4x8. How does that sound?
Click to expand...

Brief detour from the F-1X!

Tom, the 4x8 I own is one of Kurt Meyer's earlier designs. Kurt was the original owner of Flite Sound. I bought my cab from him in 1993. It's serial number 0006.

He built them as a platform for NEAR speakers. (New England Audio Research) The NEARs are remarkable 8's, ahead of their time, with metal diaphragm technology and magnetic liquid suspension. The Flite cab has very tight and flat sound, moderate efficiency, excellent power handling.

Bill Kieltyka was and is the engineer behind the NEAR designs. He currently works at Bogen. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Here is a link to a NEAR design product review from 1997. The reviewed loudspeakers use the same NEAR drivers as does this Flite cabinet.

I talked with Bill on the phone last year. He is considering relaunching his own company to produce a variety of NEAR speakers, including bass guitar drivers.
 
#34
Okay, since I detoured, I'll bring 'er back..

An interesting suggestion from Mica on the Alembic Forum..

Plug your tuner into the F-1X effects send. If you are using effects, you can use a Y connector.

Then, if you run the DI post-EQ, it's possible to turn down the master preamp volume and tune silently. Not quite a tuner mute, but the next best thing.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#35
Chunk-O-Funk said:
(...)

Anyone have a F-1X, UL410 combo? I'd love to hear your comments.
Click to expand...

KILLER combo. the smooth fatness of the alembic + the deep yet upfront punch of the epifani makes for a chewy and satisfyingly thick sound. funny, but nick epifani's first epifani tube pre prototype actually reminded me of the F-1X in some ways.

btw, anyone running the ultimate alembic rig w/ the Superfilter?
 
#36
jokerjkny said:
anyone running the ultimate alembic rig w/ the Superfilter?
Click to expand...

Going back to Geoff's (and others') dissatisfaction with the broad midrange shaping- I would imagine the Superfilter is the ultimate rack-based solution to any and all EQing issues with an F-1X. I wish I could say I've tried the combination. It'd be great to hear from the players that have.
 
#39
MichaelVee said:
The key is to understand the EQ. To emphasize mids, reduce either the bass control, for low mids, or the treble control, for high mids, then raise the overall volume.

Since the three tone controls are interactive, mids are also shaped interactively.

Obviously, this is not as intuitive as a boost/cut mid control. And it isn't as effective as having a semi- or fully-parametric mid. Players who like the F-1X tone but need more precise control over the mids could always use an outboard EQ.
Click to expand...

Yes, I understand how a tone shaping circuit works in fact I think I even considered what you're saying here in my previous post. Unfortunately the bass cut and treble cut were insufficient for the tone I was going for. With my Dingwall I could simply bump the mids onboard (or alternatively I could have cut the treble and bass). With a passive bass there was no way to do what I wanted. I thought that it sounded great with my bass solo (running flat), however in a loud heavy rock band that sound got easily lost and I was unable to get the mid presence that I wanted with the F1-X.
 
#40
jokerjkny said:
KILLER combo. the smooth fatness of the alembic + the deep yet upfront punch of the epifani makes for a chewy and satisfyingly thick sound. funny, but nick epifani's first epifani tube pre prototype actually reminded me of the F-1X in some ways.

btw, anyone running the ultimate alembic rig w/ the Superfilter?
Click to expand...

I'm running an F1-X, an SF-2 Superfilter, a QSC MX 1500, Furman AR 1215 Voltage Regulator, and a Korg DTR 1000 tuner. I'm using Ampeg BXT series cabinets with this rig (1X15 and 4X10). It really works well for me, and the tone shaping is limitless. It replaces an Ampeg SVT IV pro (which is now my backup).

Alan
 

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