Alembic Guitar Pickups

Submitted at: 11:06, 11/12/2002

Product Info

Pickup features: Active, H-S-S configuration
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $$50
Purchased from: Midwest Music, Cincinnati, OH, USA

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Various Strats/Strat-style
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: All
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: None that I know of
You musical style(s): Eclectic rock
Reason for pickup change: Crappy pickups on guitar.

Sound

Perceived output level: Quiet, for active pickups. Slightly less output than the passive pickups they replaced.
Tone: Thin in the default setting (full volume, tone). Completely adjustable.
Sonic evaluation: These pickups are the same units (I assume) used in Alembic's "Californian" model guitar. They are active pickups and they're extremely quiet in all positions with no hum anywhere. They are extremely flexible in the tone department, however - if you move the selector switch to the "Q" position, the tone knob becomes a sliding "Q" adjuster. You can actually make a wah-wah sound with it. The tone knob is actually quite useful as well, taking some of the biting treble off the pickups. You can make each pickup sound like a double-coil humbucker this way, thickening the sound significantly.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I used this set of pickups on two Strat-style guitars - one cheap Gibson Strat copy, and a Japanese Strat '62 reissue. They made each guitar sound better. I use these guitars for mostly eclectic, electric rock.

Overall Rating

Comments: If these pickups were lost in any way, I would have a hard time replacing them, since they're no longer available new. I would actively seek them out but not terribly hard.

I have been playing for about 15 years in an ameteur setting, with occasional gigs out. I have many guitars, from Les Pauls to Parkers to Talmans to Strats. Most of it gets played through tube amps with vintage pedals, but also through my solid-state rack rig as well.

I love the neck pickup on this set. It has a clear, bell-like chime tone that cuts through a mix yet retains body and character. The middle pickup is mediocre (but that's normal), and the bridge is actually a little thin for my tastes until the tone knob gets rolled back a notch. The set does not eat batteries like a Parker does, thankfully. :\

I am generally satisfied with this set of pickups. They sound fantastic clean, and pretty good amped up, as well. I would not recommend them for high-distortion music, but for overdriven bluesy sounds they work well. They do especially well for jangly, percussive rhythms.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9

Submitted by: Mark Szabo <mszabo@one.net>