G&L is tempting! Question on ASAT tones...

ishouldbeking · #1 12-10-2008, 01:32 PM

Oddly enough what got me started on my recent G&L exploration was commenting in a thread about why i play fender basses instead of G&L... ha, oh well!

Anywho... i'm mainly interested in the ASAT's, which from what I gather basically sound like L2000's. From reading around the various threads on here it seems like there isn't much of a difference in tone between the solid and semihollow models, is that correct?

But my main question is this... i see lots of talk about the versatility of the electronics and pickups, but i'm curious what tones they're actually capable of. My tastes lean towards vintage... precision, jazz, rickenbacker, etc. My Peavey T-40 is currently my main bass, and while i like it and it is versatile... I really only enjoy it in single coil (Rick-style) mode. With both buckers on its an overwhelming wall of bass and i feel like i lose too much of the attack.

It should be noted that I'm a pick player... i like a growly classic rock pickstyle sound if that makes sense. Don't like clanky modern sounds, and i don't like super thick bassy sounds... just low mid punch with a little bit of thump and a rich but not overwhelming treble sound. I tend to run my ashdown rig with the tube overdrive (occasionally using an additional overdrive pedal), into a sealed 610.

Would you guys say an ASAT can get the kind of tones I'm interested in (and more presumably)? I've seen talk of people lowering the pickups to tone down the power... I'd probably want to do that, since i'm an aggressive player, playing in a less than aggressive band.

Whew... sorry this is so long, any and all feedback is appreciated guys! And for the record, i'm looking at a semi-hollowbody ASAT in black w/ maple neck and aged maple binding that's got me all drooling... And fear not, i'll try some kind of G&L before i buy anything, just wanted to inquire here first. Thanks!

duke12 · #2 12-10-2008, 01:48 PM

You might take a listen to some old Everclear tunes. If I recall, their bass player used an ASAT almost exclusively.

That said, it's the same as a L-2000. There are a few of those around (a used one at the Hollywood GC right now, in butterscotch w/gun oil tint maple neck) and other than the body style/ergonomics, they're the same beast....

quickervicar · #3 12-10-2008, 02:12 PM

Yup, Craig Montoya with Everclear or Chris Joannou of Silverchair should give you a good idea of grinding ASAT/L2k tones.

FidgetStone · #4 12-10-2008, 06:51 PM

I am an solid body ASAT owner with very similar taste to you except that I rarely use a pick. I think that you would be VERY happy with an ASAT or an L-2000.

Playing on the neck pickup with a pick sounds pretty darn "ricky" to me, and the same position with fingers is very "P-ish". Both pickups on at the same time gives a wonderful vintage tone which is where I stay most of the time.

Playing with the bridge pickup in series mode provides a nice Jazz tone.

It's hard to go wrong tone-wise. The ASAT has a bit of neck-dive because of the short horn on the body but you look really cool holding it.

ishouldbeking · #5 12-10-2008, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FidgetStone

I am an solid body ASAT owner with very similar taste to you except that I rarely use a pick. I think that you would be VERY happy with an ASAT or an L-2000.

Playing on the neck pickup with a pick sounds pretty darn "ricky" to me, and the same position with fingers is very "P-ish". Both pickups on at the same time gives a wonderful vintage tone which is where I stay most of the time.

Playing with the bridge pickup in series mode provides a nice Jazz tone.

It's hard to go wrong tone-wise. The ASAT has a bit of neck-dive because of the short horn on the body but you look really cool holding it.

do you find yourself using the bass in passive or active mode most of the time?

Spiritfield · #6 12-10-2008, 08:25 PM

Traditionally I use my L2000 in passive most of the time... here lately I've been "rediscovering" the greatness of the 2K and I've been using the active setting. Options are nice...

ishouldbeking · #7 12-11-2008, 05:58 PM

my follow-up question is about the way the controls work... i understand that the bass and treble knobs are passive.... so does that mean essentially the treble knob is like a typical tone control on a fender bass? and the bass knob is just a bass roll-off knob? i have a stingray with a traditional 3 band active EQ and i imagine that this G&L system must work a lot differently.

and when you switch into active mode (either regular active or hi-boost active), all it's really doing is giving the sound "more juice" for lack of a better term? meaning, it doesn't switch the bass/treble knobs to active EQ or anything, right? sounds like a pretty complex system, though i imagine it's useful. i suspect a blend knob (or stacked vol/vol) would be useful too, since i typically like to bump one pickup slightly above the other.

duke12 · #8 12-11-2008, 06:55 PM

The tone controls are "cut only" -- which means that when they're turned all the way up, that's FLAT.

The tone knobs work the same whether the bass is in active or passive mode. They don't shut off the way some other basses do when you turn the thing active.

Switching to active does alter the sound, but yeah, maybe "more juice" isn't a bad way of explaining it. The active w/treble boost (the third position of the that swx) does actually change the eq a fair bit more.

There have been calls occasionally for a blend knob, but the swx seems to do the job fine for most people. The MFDs are pretty powerful, and there's a fair bit of difference between the two pup positions and the "both" setting sounds different, too. Also, with the pups so hot, the pickup height can play a huge factor, so setting those right to start with can give you a lot of options as you toggle around....

realdeal · #9 12-11-2008, 07:23 PM

More juice....
Yes, I think so-
Most of the time I play my ASAT solid body in passive mode; more than enough horse-power there.

But-occasionally it's time to hit it hard for one reason or another, and I'll flick that last toggle switch, to the middle position...

Here is an ACTUAL picture, taken during performance, of the result...

Be careful.

FidgetStone · #10 12-11-2008, 07:48 PM

I play in passive mode 90% of the time. I think that the "more juice" description of active is pretty accurate. You get a bit more gain by switching to active, but when you back the volume off a wee bit to compensate for the gain difference, I think that active still adds a touch of aggression to the tone. I have not found a call for the "active with treble boost" position in an actual band situation but you never know when you might need to fight off an overly obnoxious guitar player.