g&l l2000 to duplicate pbass sound

[joel baker]

i have a 2004 usa l2000, ash body, birds eye maple board j style neck. I am trying to duplicate the tone of my inexpensive mexican pbass but haven't found the right combination yet. My G&L plays so much better but my bandmates keep screaming for the pbass. I play in a blues/classic rock band and don't need the slap sound so the pbass sound covers the sonic needs of the band. Any ideas?

[RwG]

i cannot say for sure but from what i've heard i would say neck pickup only, in series and passive (or active too, maybe?).

there used to be a thread that described different settings and the sounds they get - like a p bass setting, a j bass, a timmy c type tone, etc.....now none of them will be exact as a G&L sounds like a G&L but i guess it will get you close. maybe if someone knows where that old thread is they can provide a link for you. or maybe it was on a different forum that is no longer with us. i don't remember.

[seanm]

I am using a MIM P bass with my newest band.. they like the sound better.

I think I agree with RwG. Passive, in series, pickup selector in the up position (neck? I can never remember which setting is which). Basically, all switches in the up position. Maybe roll off the treble a bit.

But I find that the G&L has a more aggressive tone than the P bass.

[lug]

Originally Posted by seanm

But I find that the G&L has a more aggressive tone than the P bass.

I agree. The L2000 can get a LOT of different sounds but a standard P is tough. I find my best effort is passive front pup and parallel, but I still have to have a light touch because of how naturally aggressive the L2000 is.

[spideyjg]

My take?

When I first got my 2K I had been playing a P special for 14 years.


What I found early on was the G&L was unforgiving of sloppy technique. Things that sounded OK with the P were clanky on the G&L. However I quickly figured that out and worked at my tecnique then the G&L got smooth and lost the clank. Magic isn't it?

I've learned to appreciate that extreme response at hand and never use the P anymore.

Got a good example song to try and emulate since the P sound can be so broad?

The MFD is way hotter and a broader frequency response than the P is.

As the other guys have said neck only but depending what is the sonic difference maybe series, maybe parallel.

Consider lowering your pickup beyond where your P poles are. Drop it 50% lower than your P.

Roll your volume back about a third, roll the bass and treble back about half.

Full out a 2K is gonna have way more low end than a P will. You will need to reign it back.

Jim

[Nedmundo]

Excellent advice above -- and I think lowering the pickup will make a huge difference. It sure did on my L-1500. But you also could try mellower strings, even pressurewounds or flats. I bet D'Addario Chromes would be a good match.

[FidgetStone]

Spidey and Ned have it right. Lowering the pickups and a set of flats will provide lots of thump. The only difference in my personal advice would be to try the pickup selector switch set to have both pickups on and compare that to the neck-only selection. To my ear, both pickups turned on seems to provide a less colored, more fundamental thump.

Give it a try . . .

[seanm]

Trying it again, I *like* the sound better in series, but the parallel setting is probably more correct to the P sound.

[lpdeluxe]

I'm a little late coming to the party, but here's my experience:

I'm in a band where everyone LOVES the P sound (I came to practice one evening, and the lead player had my P in his hands and a big grin on his face).

The P in question is a new Fender '50s MIM P RI, in ugly Fiesta Red with a Seymour Duncan QP and TI flats. The quintessential P sound, IMHO.

Prior to the '50s P, for the last year I've been alternating between a Tribute L2K and a Fender 51 P RI.

Using an Ampeg B100R, I plugged the P into the passive input and the L2K into the active, and traded back and forth until the L2K was as close as possible in sound to the P.

I settled on the bridge pickup soloed, set to series, with a little bass rolloff.

Tonight I'll take both to rehearsal and we'll hear it in a band context, but so far I'm pleased, since if it passes muster I'll have the versatility of the L2K for other material...and this will be important once I get the L2.5K on order.

[quickervicar]

Originally Posted by lpdeluxe

I settled on the bridge pickup soloed, set to series, with a little bass rolloff.

I'm surprised by the bridge selection. That is usually heading in the opposite end of the sonic spectrum from the traditional P sound.