I picked up this set of Alembic electronics recently. I don't know what I'll use them for but I couldn't let them languish further. I am curious what other members know about them... would you please reply if you have any information on what the modules are or about this specific pickup series?

The modules are each labeled
Alembic 170-044
Alembic 170-043
Alembic 170-041

Looks like at 1984 two-volume Activator with an alarming number of cut wires!

The other control is the filter/preamp with the trimpot

The way these were installed was atrocious and there was no hope of getting them out intact - not to mention that the person who built the bass had already cut them all to install them.

I was pretty sure that was a filter, but I'd swear that the pot on the filter has a center detent... super weird.

How about the pickups, Mica? Which are they? 

Pickups are a similarly aged HB. Use for bass or guitar. These are the same as the current ones except no brass mounting bar now.

I forgot to mention that the gold paint on the front of the pickup is not original.

Quote from: OJ Dorson on August 08, 2022, 11:41:54 AM
The way these were installed was atrocious and there was no hope of getting them out intact - not to mention that the person who built the bass had already cut them all to install them.

I was pretty sure that was a filter, but I'd swear that the pot on the filter has a center detent... super weird.

How about the pickups, Mica? Which are they? 

I saw that one on Facebook! I was tempted to grab it for the pickups and guts. Wild looking fretless, right?

Wild is one word... ugly is another. It was not worth considering it as a valid instrument. In fact, I have no idea what to do with these parts - meaning, I have no plan for them and may never, so I'm happy to pass them on if someone wants them.

Quote from: mica on August 08, 2022, 12:39:39 PM
Pickups are a similarly aged HB. Use for bass or guitar. These are the same as the current ones except no brass mounting bar now.

Thanks for that information! I do have a fretless short scale I'm putting together... maybe these will be good for that one. Weird that someone filled in the lettering with gold paint. Alembic did do that for a short while, right?

No, we never painted the pickups like this. But I've seen it several times.

Mica, you are up too late! 

A friend of mine has an old Carvin LB-70(?) bass with those pickups on it. I believe it's all koa, and it sounds really great.

Quote from: rv_bass on August 11, 2022, 06:43:50 AM
Mica, you are up too late! 

She's either a nite-owl, or she must be having the same work-mares I do!    It's like clockwork... 2:30 am... ***BOING*** the brain goes into high gear and I start solving the problems of WaterWorld. Maybe, maybe, maybe I go back to sleep until 4:20. Yeah, my alarm is 4:20. But I swear it's a coincidence. Nothing to do with anything other than it takes me 10 minutes to get my spine in line, take some meds, and another hour to be out the door, to mark WQ-413 in-service at 0600 and go put all those solutions into action I dreamed up.