The FrankenJazz L-2500 project gets new life....

[BassikLee]

Well, I was about to sell my Moses neck, as I didn't want to go to the trouble of building a Jazz body for it and the G&L pickups, when I found a CLEAN amber ash L-2500 body on the bay. So, the parts count as of today include a clean body, electronics, the Moses G&L/MM5 replacement neck. I will put ultralight tuners on the neck, and I'll probably go with a G&L bridge. They are not expensive, and with the unique bridge mounting/body route, I might as well.

SO, I am about to build an "all factory except for the neck" L-2500 that never existed. That said, I am still trying to decide what to do with the electronics. I know I don't want the preamp, too damn hot passive, why add more!!?? I have read the inner/outer coils+parallel threads. Those look interesting. I am sort of leaning toward a Roscoe Beck treatment, where the three switches are "select neck/both/bridge", then "series/parallel/single" for each of the two pickups. I'd also add the "pull up, kill the neck pickup just a tad" switch.

Thoughts????

Ideas????

Suggestions??

Lee

[DavePlaysBass]

I would put a three way switch in for each pup to go series / parallel / single coil. You could use a push pull pot on the volume so that the single coil could be outers or inners.

I would do a volume / volume arrangement.

As for a preamp, the more I mess with my G&Ls the more I am not a huge fan of the G&L preamp.

The passive treble and bass is nice. I personally do not use the bass cut, but I have heard many claim it is useful.

If you look at the different diagrams on the G&L site, you'll see that on the L-2000 there is a 1000pF capacitor across the pickups. This cap is equivalent to an instrument cable. Even in active mode this capacitance is there. I removed the cap on a L-2500 and the pickups had a bit more highes in both active and passive.

Dave

[BassikLee]

I could do two volume controls, or a master volume and pickup pan, then stacked B&T cut controls. If I did that, I'd have an unused switch hole...... what to put there.......coffee machine??

I share your thoughts about the preamp in these basses. It just adds gain, which the G&Ls don't need, then TONS of high end, which again, no need, and a bit of noise, which again, isn't required. I do think the two band passive tone controls are excellent, and the pickups are great as well.

[DavePlaysBass]

The dummy switch. When the sound guys tells you to turn down or whatever, you flip the dummy switch.

[DavePlaysBass]

Or...

Neck 250K volume => push pull that switches to outside coils when in parallel.

Bridge 250K Volume => push pull that switches to outside coil when in parallel. I believe this in the 70's jazz bass bridge pup location.

500K Dual Contentric Tone / Bass

Neck Switch => 3 way parallel - single inside coil (white black coil) - series humbucking

Middle Switch => 3 way parallel - single inside coil (yellow green coil) - series humbucking

Bridge Switch => 2 way DPDT that switches single coil bass boost capacitors into circuit for series setting. There are a lot ways this could be done. I would do the following. For the neck pup switch in the 0.1uF capacitor at the series junction point to ground. This essentially shorts the yellow green coil with a 0.1uF cap. For the bridge pup switch in the 0.1uF capacitor at the series junction point to the jack. This essentiall shorts the white black coil with a 0.1uF cap. The bridge and neck pups on together with the single coil with bass boost (series setting with caps in place) would be hum bucking. You would get full range from the inside coils with bass boost from the outside coils.

If you are interested I would put together a diagram. I think I may do this to my Tribute L2K. I have been trying to figure out what to do with it and this sounds like the ticket.

Dave

[BassikLee]

Dave,

we may have a winner..... Question: if we're using one switch to toss the cap across both pickups when in series, what happens when one of the pickups in in parallel???

[DavePlaysBass]

One end of the capacitor will go to the point on the DPDT three way switch where the Yellow wire from the lower coil connects to the Black wire of the upper coil. This point on the 3 way DPDT will only be in the circuit when in series mode. So if the tap switch is in parallel, the cap is out of the circuit.

I was just thinking about my Climax I am trying to sell. You can get close to it with the inside coils (at least the parallel setting). The killer setting on that bass is the Single coil with Bass boost. This would be taking the inner single coils on a L2K. Connecting them in series. And then tying a capacitor across one of the coils. Basically you would add a Fender like S1 switch. But something would have to go or new holes be drilled.

[DavePlaysBass]

Here's the latest mad scientist recipe:

250K Volume Neck DPDT => Pull Up to get the outside single coils on both pups when the 3 way taps are in parallel. This is a slight sacrifice in that you only get outer coils when both 3-ways are in parallel. The outer coils are best together when going for that 70's bridge J sound. They buck hum when both are full on.

250K Volume Bridge DPDT => Pull Up for Fender S1 switch which puts the neck and bridge coils in series with each other. You can do this regardless of the 3-way toggle switch positions. The main objective is to have this availabe when in the inside single coil mode of each pup. This gets you the Climax series setting. Theoretically you could do get a series combination of all four coils (3-ways in series positions) with this setting but it would probably put a tear in the space time continuum. In the S1 position the neck volume would serve as the master volume and the bridge volume would be out of the circuit.

Concentric 500K Treble / Bass Cut

3-Way DPDT parallel - inner single coil - series for neck

3-Way DPDT parallel - inner single coil - series for bridge

2-way 4PDT capaictor switch (former series parallel) - In one position no caps. In second position it places 3 bass boost caps. One in the bridge series string. One in the neck series string. And a third in the S1 junction position. The thrid in the S1 junction position will get you in the Climax single coil with bass boost ballpark.

[BassikLee]

Dave,

I'm game.....


Draw it up.

Lee