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G&L bass setup guide

jacoby75

jacoby75

Supporting Member
Mar 11, 2010
5,661
10,716
Coldwater, MI
Disclosures
Endorsing Artist: Mike Lull Custom Guitars, DR Strings
#1
Hey gang,

Does anyone know where I can find a setup guide for G&L basses? Particularly, a 2500 and an ASAT. I'm not finding anything on G&L's website or the G&L forums. I'm specifically interested in how high the pickups are supposed to be.

Thanks a lot

Rick
 
#2
jacoby75 said:
Hey gang,

Does anyone know where I can find a setup guide for G&L basses? Particularly, a 2500 and an ASAT. I'm not finding anything on G&L's website or the G&L forums. I'm specifically interested in how high the pickups are supposed to be.

Thanks a lot

Rick
Click to expand...

There is no set height to set the pups to it is meant to be done to suit your individual preferences, also note that the pole pieces are individually adjustable.
 
#5
Yeah, thanks. I figured out the set screw thing the hard way too when I was trying to adjust the saddle height on my ASAT a while back and was like, "Why are the saddles not moving?" Good to know.

I was curious about pickup height because I've had a 4 string ASAT for a while and just got a 2500 used from the forums. One thing about my ASAT is that it is freakin' LOUD, which I love, but the 2500 seemed quite tame by comparison. I looked and the pickups on the 2500 are set a lot lower. I can (and did) raise them to get more of that signature G&L loud awesomeness, but I was just curious if there was a "proper" height to set them to.

Thanks for the responses.
 
#8
jacoby75 said:
Yeah, thanks. I figured out the set screw thing the hard way too when I was trying to adjust the saddle height on my ASAT a while back and was like, "Why are the saddles not moving?" Good to know.

I was curious about pickup height because I've had a 4 string ASAT for a while and just got a 2500 used from the forums. One thing about my ASAT is that it is freakin' LOUD, which I love, but the 2500 seemed quite tame by comparison. I looked and the pickups on the 2500 are set a lot lower. I can (and did) raise them to get more of that signature G&L loud awesomeness, but I was just curious if there was a "proper" height to set them to.

Thanks for the responses.
Click to expand...

One of the secrets to a great sounding B-string on the L2500 is to NOT get the pickups too close to the string. They can be closer on a 4-sting G&L because you don't have to worry about the magnetic pull on the B-string. On the 5-string, though, *everything* has to be a little further to maintain balance between the B and other strings. That's my experience, anyway.

To me, the trick is finding a string that isn't as severely affected by the magnet strength; then you can get the pickups a little closer. In my experience with a number of different strings on my 2 L2500s, the TI Superalloys have been the absolute best. I actually liked the EB Slinkys, too. Other strings have been OK when the pickups were set a little further from the strings, but the Superalloys have allowed the closest distance without adverse effects. However, the pickups are *still* lower than they would be on a 4-string.

As usual, YMMV...
 
#10
Hey Rick,

When I got that bass the pickups were set higher. I read a bit on the G&L forums and they suggested lowering them to get a cleaner sound due to how powerful the pickup magnets are, so I did. I also did it to even out the large volume difference between my Stingray and Sterling basses and my G&L. Feel free to experiment, though! I never read any suggested starting point. I bet emailing G&L could get you the factory specs.
 
#11
Hey, Kris,

Yeah, that makes sense. I understand wanting to even out the volume difference between basses. That was as issue for me in the past when I used to play my old passive Lakland P bass and my G&L ASAT in the same gigs. The ASAT was sooo much louder! However, that's part of the beauty of the G&L tone to me. Loud, growly, chunky, nastiness. I raised the pickups on your 2500 to about 1/8" lower than the standard specs for a 4 string, and it sounds good. But, yes, the signal is of course super hot. I found that playing my Lull P in the passive input of my preamp and the G&L in the active input helps, but there is still some volume tweaking necessary. I'll play with it for a while and see what I come up with. I would never play both basses in the same gig anyway, though, so I'm not too concerned with trying to even out the volume in comparison to other basses. We'll see.

Thanks
 

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