| Reviewer
| Chuck McLaughlin
|
| Manufacturer
| Alembic
|
| Model
| Series I 4-string
|
| Price
| $6000 list (paid $1350 used)
|
| |
|
| Neck Type
| thru-body 5-pc maple/purpleheart, satin finish, multi-
|
| |
laminate headstock, intermediate scale length (32.5")
|
| Fingerboard
| ebony, oval pearl markers, fretted, 24 frets
|
| Body Type
| semi-hollow mahogany, flame koa top, birdseye koa back
|
| Finish
| clear satin
|
| Pickup(s)
| two single-coil Alembic soapbars, hum canceler coil
|
| Controls
| two volume, two tone, two Q-switches, pickup selector;
|
| |
pickup gain and hum balance trimmers on back
|
| |
|
The Series I was Alembic's first design and it is still one of the best
sounding basses out there. The model is still in production and has
remained virtually unchanged since the early 1970s; mine is from 1981.
Unique features include 18-volt active electronics with external power
supply, a "dummy pickup" to cancel hum, stereo output, a heavy brass
sustain block under the bridge, dual truss rods, and a bizarre body style
reminicent of an Auburn boattail roadster. Although the bass can be used
without the external power supply, the internal batteries only work with
the neck pickup!
The semiparametric tone controls take some getting used to but provide a
huge range of sounds. Each pickup has a 3-position "Q-switch" that selects
filter bandwidth, with the tone pots controlling the center frequency. The
up position acts like a traditional high-cut circuit, the down setting
creates a sharp peak around the center frequency (making the tone control
into a wah-wah), and the center position is in between these extremes.
The Alembic has become my principal bass for recording and for jazz, funk,
and rock venues. However, its extreme sustain can make it less suitable
when a fast-decaying "thumpy" sound is required, so I keep a P-bass and a
Gibson L9 around for those situations.
LIKES - Immaculate workmanship, crystaline highs, huge tonal range, almost
infinite sustain, string action can be set extremely low without buzzing,
shorter scale permits chord fingerings not possible on long-scale basses.
DISLIKES - Very heavy, requires special cable, no string spacing adjustment.
| Construction
| 100% | 
|
| Playability
| 100% |
|
| Appearance
| 100% |
|
| Sound
| 100% |
|
| Value
| 70% |
|
| Cust. Service
| 100% |
|
| Overall
| 95% |
|
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