Anybody swap the MFD's out for something else? I'm thinking of putting in an Aguilar 3-band pre and Basslines Music Man buckers into my L-2500. Anybody tried this? Results?

Here is a wav file of a similar pickup-modded L2500

http://users3.ev1.net/~woodd/blasphmr.wav

not cool dude.

not cool dude.

:(





I thought it was cute :bawl:

BTW, G&L did make a bass called an L5500 that came with EMG's instead of the MFDs. but I think it's a pretty rare duck.

Anybody swap the MFD's out for something else? I'm thinking of putting in an Aguilar 3-band pre and Basslines Music Man buckers into my L-2500. Anybody tried this? Results?


Most G&L-ers see it the same way that lug stated with the wav file. I am not sure many people have replaced the MFD's....

BTW, G&L did make a bass called an L5500 that came with EMG's instead of the MFDs. but I think it's a pretty rare duck.

I had one of them L-5500's...

http://home.comcast.net/~fenderjazz68/gnl/l5500.jpg

Might have kept it, but 5's are really not my thing (even though I still have a L2500....).

Now, I may be thought of as a blasphemur...in a way. Now I DID NOT replace my stock pickups. I did however replace the preamp in my L2500. Like I said before, I have one of the first L2500's that rolled out of the plant. It's preamp, to my tastes was VERY lacking in the bottom end. It sounded very thin and w/o substance. I'm not sure if mine had something funky with it, or if their first version of the L2500 preamp was kind of funky.

I went to Rudy's Music on W48th in Manhattan, looking for a pickup swap. They said that replacing the preamp would do it better than pickups, so I went with it.

They installed their own Pensa (Rudy Pensa) designed preamp. And let me tell you, friggin night/day difference in tone. It still has those G&L tone qualities, but it is just a much hotter pre. I keep the bass boost knob no more than 75%, treble at 50%. It just rocks.

so, rather than a pickup swap, maybe a preamp upgrade is what you're looking for.

Anybody swap the MFD's out for something else? I'm thinking of putting in an Aguilar 3-band pre and Basslines Music Man buckers into my L-2500. Anybody tried this? Results?

Seeing as the MFD was Leo's next generation of pickup after the Music Man, and the Basslines is supposed to be a recreation of the Music Man, you are downgrading the bass in the eyes of the majority of G&L fans.

Your bass, your money but if you are gonna sell it later keep the parts to revert it back to original.

FWIW as an avid G&L fan with 11 of them trust me on this.
I'll tell you now all the G&L freaks are gonna point, laugh, and not buy your modded bass. :scowl: :scowl: :rollno: :spit:

Jim

The basslines MM pickups are supposed to be an upgrade over the stock MM pickup. I love my G&L, but there are times I'd like to get more of a "modern" tone out of it. That's why I am considering the Aguilar pre-amp. More flexibility.

I'd say go for it. See if you can get the components you want used on eBay or in the TB classifieds.

That way, worst case scenario, you don't like the setup and you can sell what you bought for about what you paid for it. Electronics are pretty easy to swap in and out.

Best case scenario, you have a bass that YOU think sounds better, regardless of what other uppity G&L owners might think. :cool:

Best case scenario, you have a bass that YOU think sounds better, regardless of what other uppity G&L owners might think. :cool:


Hey! We are not uppity! :mad: We are just better than everybody else. :cool:

Hey! We are not uppity! :mad: We are just better than everybody else. :cool:

LOL! :hiding:

I would say the signiture G&L sound comes from the stock MFD Humbuckers.

I would say the signiture G&L sound comes from the stock MFD Humbuckers.

Exactly!

Actually I think the addition of a fancier preamp may get what you want. Realize the MFD's sound as they do with no active EQ (except in active w/ treble boost). Now feed those high fidelity MFD's through a fancy pants active EQ....Who knows where you will end up.

Jim (uppity G&L owner):spit: