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The Alembic F-1X Megathread

#121
Nightbass said:
Does anyone recall a thread where someone posted that someone else on TB had a mod (not a fix, a mod) for the F1-X that eliminated hiss? I was going to inquire of that TBer but since I can't find the thread, I don't know who to ask. It might have been an op-amp upgrade or something along those lines.
Click to expand...

Hola. I know that foderaman and I have talked about it some here recently, but it was more an issue when coupled with the Berg IP cabs. With your typical rack setup and passive speaker hiss isn't really an issue; it's as silent as any pre I've ever had or heard.

With the IP, though, you can eliminate some really nasty hiss that this combination produces with a simple 3-prong to 2-prong power cable adapter. Costs about a buck if u don't already have one lying around somewhere. Night-and-day difference! ;)
 
#122
A posting to revive the megathread. :)

Rogueman may be joining shortly. He has a similar rack to mine, with the F-1X and a Carvin DCM1000.

Interesting footnote: I noticed in the current Carvin catalog that the DCM600, which I have, has been discontinued. The product line goes straight from DCM150 to DCM1000.
 
#123
rougueman here. Glad to find other who use this set up. This setup compliments my Alembic guitar perfectly, and I get alot of mids out of my Aggies. I like the mid punch from the Carvin amp.

Alembic Rogue 5 string
Power Pro 1603 Conditioner
F-1X Pre
Carvin 1000 amp
Two GS 112's
Korg tone works PX3B
 
#125
There is another thread here where they are replacing the GS 112 factory woofer for Eminence Deltalite II 2512 Neodymes to get more presence, but it drops the power rating from 300 to 250. I've heard people say that they aren't getting enough mid out of their GS 112's. I think the right strings would help. Right now I'm using Dean Markley NPS Rocco Prestia strings which give me forward mids. For the B string, I use a 130 D'Addario. What strings are you using for a deep fat tone with mids? I was thinking about La Bella hard rocking steel or deep talking. Carvins are deep but don't last long. D'Addario's are nice also. Or, Dr fat beams. Good idea about using the high pass side for monitoring, and the DI post EQ for tuning. The Alembic pots are self cleaning even on the guitars, turn back and forth 20-30 times. Also I had static at one time and I took the cover off the Carvin amp and used electronics cleaner on the volume pots and it disappeared. My Aggie 112's like to be ran in full range mode, they sound much better. Good info on replacement tubes. I'm looking for the right string set to get full use of the deep, fat sound of the Aggies. Man this site gets alot of posts per day!
 
#126
Can't help you on the string selection, because I am playing the Spirits most of the time, and they are strung with doubleball strings. I do find I prefer roundwounds with the passive Spirits, but can go with halfwounds on the active one.

Most players would like roundwounds with the F-1X to get modern tone and presence. Although, thuddy P-bass fans will love the F-1X tone.

I guess there are a lot of players out there who like a really brash, mid-heavy sound. I can't say I do, so the F-1X sounds fabulous to me. Part of the equation is the cabinets, of course. I think the guys who say they can't get enough mids from the F-1X should try playing it through a cab with a midrange driver, vs. a standard two-way cab with a low driver and a horn. When I play my F-1X through either my Dr.Bass BL1260 or my Carvin LS1503LF, there is midrange bite for days and weeks.

Same is true with my Bag End S15's. So it really does depend on your cabs, as well as your bass.

I had the same contacts problem with my DCM600. The output would crackle and then drop out. When I cleaned out the volume pots thoroughly with spray-in contact cleaner, it sounded like a new amp and no longer had any dropouts.
 
#127
I've been running the big rig with the F-1X since '97. It provides that low-end authority that may not be so evident at home, but it sure is there onstage!

Sometimes on the gig I try swapping in an Ashly rack pre and it's always a long, tedious set, yearning to get the F-1X back! :p (The Ashly is a keeper for recording, but I just can't dial in the beef, live.)

I haven't heard too much talk about the highs. I find they can be really tasty: brash but not piercing. (It's interesting to note how stars as diverse as Sting and Stanley Clarke have come to favor this unit.)

Like others, I've struggled with the midrange issue quite a bit. I do largely favor the scooped sound, but I guess I'm also wanting some growl! This last weekend I held my nose, tried the super extreme 2-10-2 setting again and was pleasantly surprised. (After 11 years, the classic Fender tone stack is still a mystery to me. :p)
 
#128
Jefenator said:
... tried the super extreme 2-10-2 setting again and was pleasantly surprised. (After 11 years, the classic Fender tone stack is still a mystery to me. :p)
Click to expand...

That's as close to a flat setting as you will get with the F-1X.

If you want more EQ options patch a parametric or a graphic EQ in the loop. No one will burn you at the stake for doing this. I use a 4 band parametric EQ in my loop to tame the varied responses of the various basses I tend to use. Some need bottom , some need scooping, some need grunt. The parametric solves these issues and I still get the generic F-1X tone.
 
#129
I'm reluctant to expand my rack from the current 3-space bag. Some sort of 9/18v device in the FX loop might do, though. Maybe this is the excuse I needed to invest in a Tone Hammer. :bassist:

I used to struggle more when I was running an Acme B-2. A flat-response cab definitely adds to the burial. A cab with some helpful coloration (read: low-mid bump) really helps. As does a punchy bass.
 
#130
The FX-1 is the most tonally-satisfying old-school preamp I've used yet to date, it excels at clean tube warmth. Most of my use has been with passive Fender basses, but I've got an Audere pre on the way for my J-style bass, will be interesting to hear how the FX-1 works with that. In case anyone wonders if the FX-1 will get nasty, my passive basses aren't hot enough to overload the input to any great degree. And I haven't been crazy about using a boost upstream and overloading the input. For more raucous tones, I've been getting very good results with a Hughes & Kettner Tube Factor pedal, but I hardly ever go there.

Like a lot of you guys, I've got the eq set fairly close to flat (0-10-2). I've also supplemented it with a Rane PE15 parametric eq. For the most part, I'm only using two bands on the Rane and bypassing the other bands; it's set up to roll off some of the deepest lows, while adding some bite into the upper mids. And for you bargain-hunters, you can pick up an eq like this for about $50-75 all day long on eBay, they're criminally undervalued. At first I had the eq in the effects loop, but sometimes the s/n ratio of the eq was compromised depending on the FX-1's volume setting. I've gotten consistently better results just placing the eq between the FX-1 and the power amp. And I know I should just listen for myself, but I read somewhere here that the flattest settings on the FX-1 are achieved with the volume at midway, can anyone confirm this? To me, the response seems the same at 4 or 7, just louder.

So is the FX-1 perfect? No, ideally it would have an updated, more flexible eq. And I've scratched my head about the deep switch, it just seems to add mud to my set-up.

I hadn't read this thread in a while; is anybody here using the FX-1's internal crossover and driving a bi-amped rig?
 
#131
My F-1X is the only pre that gets "my" sound from the DI accurately. That pre coupled into the power section of my Bass 400+ gives me huge sound that is easy on the ears. Sometimes I wish for something flashier, but it always delivers better than anything else. Rock solid & warm as gravy.
 
#132
I used to run an ART Tube Parametric EQ in between the F-1X and my Carvin 1000 and it seemed like my strings went dead. I bypassed it one day and wow, the volume increased 40%! So I took it out and it makes a good home stereo EQ. I used to run the F-1X bi-amped that's why I choose it oner the F-2B stereo Pre, But my Aggie 112's did not like it. Now I run them full range Y'd out of my Carvin 1000. They love that. For effects, I use a Korg Pandora PX3B through the effects jacks controlled by a Carvin foot switch. It is great for quiet practice, or I can patch a Cd input in and cancel the bass in the song to play along. I use Velcro strips to attach it wherever I want. It can simulate numerous sounds, and amps for Nirvana. With the F-1X you have to watch the high output or it will blow your protection fuses in cabs. I would like to get the Carvin 1000 with the built in two channel EQ for boosting the mids, that would solve alot of EQ problems I think. but right now the Korg makes up for that by giving me more amp sounds for the mids out of the Aggies
 
#133
I threw a Behringer parametric into my rack-just in case-but have found less and less need for it. I run 2-2.5/9-10/2-5 depending on the venue and bass. I bought a new Ashly parametric/compressor, but...:hiding:...the Behringer sounds better...honest! :hmm:
And, it's quieter in my setup which has the F-1X and a PLX2-1804. I stopped wondering about it and just accepted it. Most of the time the parametric is just turned off...as I became more familiar with the F-1X, the less I felt I needed the additional eq.

Kim
 
#135
MichaelVee said:
Adding a link to Fender/Alembic/BBE Tone Stack Explained, a discussion of the F-1X tone stack.
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting the link, Michael! I'm the OP on that one and just found this thread. I've been playing through an F-1X for a couple years now -- I'd been 'jonesin' for one for a long time and finally found one on Craigslist for $450. It's been everything I expected. I have it in a 3-space rack with a PLX-3402 amp and bi-amp into an Avatar 4x10 Neo and a homemade TL606 cabinet with an Eminence 3015LF driver. All three pieces are fairly light and easy to move -- and I get plenty of sound wherever I play :-)

Just prior to finding the F1-X, I'd been using a BBE BMax-T, which I also like (and still own), but the F1-X sounds better to my ears in most situations. Plus, playing though the F1-X lets me feel a little connection to Phil Lesh and the Grateful Dead, who obviously had a close association with Alembic. When I heard Phil playing live though the Wall of Sound back in my youth, I remember thinking, "I want my bass to sound like THAT!" :-) I'm pretty sure he was using an Alembic preamp.
 
#136
joining the club with my new to me FX1 (thanks Jefenator!)



Alembic Series I Bass->
the rig -
Alembic FX1 -> in the FX Loop ->Furman PQ3 ->QSC Stereo Poweramp -> Mesa Boogie diesel 2x10 w/EV's -> MesaBoogie 1x15 soon to be loaded with Eminence Kappalite 3015. The Kappa will be here at the end of the week.

I'll try it bi-amp'd and full range/bridged mono.

woohoo:hyper:
 

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