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G&L Club Part 4

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#381
I'll start off by saying that I like a very clear, punchy, articulate bass tone. I do rotate flats onto certain basses now and then, but for the most part, I much prefer a bright, zingy overall sound, then I use technique to dull it down as needed. I also have kinda fat, meaty fingers and my natural tone is a lot warmer than many guys. I've let people sit in on my gear and they have commented on how much warmer my tone was than their own - something I noticed as I listened. With that in mind, the stock series mode on my fretted L2500 was too dark for me, so I tried the caps on the inner coils (single coil on the outers).

IME, "SCWBB" is a misnomer. It sounded more like "series with a little more treble" than anything else. Definitely more treble than the stock series configuration. In the end, I preferred single coil and parallel, both of which I found to sit better in a loud mix. I removed my preamp and the bass/treble controls, as well, and just used my amp's EQ as needed. I did eventually put an EMG preamp into my fretted L2500, and I often had to run the treble way up on that if the strings had more than a few hours on them.

My fretless L2500 is still stock, though the opamp is currently removed, so it's effectively passive only. I have been using the bass/treble controls a bit, though, and I run it into an ACG/East filter for active tone controls. I keep thinking about adding single coil switching, but I haven't done so yet, and I may not. It's pretty nice the way it is... However, my fretless tonal goals are a bit different than my fretted goals, so I don't mind the "dullness" compared to my fretted basses.

As always, YMMV. Again, for my personal tonal taste, my technique, and my meaty fingers, I need more natural treble (single coil!) than others may need. MFDs in series, and even series w/caps didn't do it for me.
 
#382
lowfreqgeek said:
I'll start off by saying that I like a very clear, punchy, articulate bass tone. I do rotate flats onto certain basses now and then, but for the most part, I much prefer a bright, zingy overall sound, then I use technique to dull it down as needed. I also have kinda fat, meaty fingers and my natural tone is a lot warmer than many guys. I've let people sit in on my gear and they have commented on how much warmer my tone was than their own - something I noticed as I listened. With that in mind, the stock series mode on my fretted L2500 was too dark for me, so I tried the caps on the inner coils (single coil on the outers).

IME, "SCWBB" is a misnomer. It sounded more like "series with a little more treble" than anything else. Definitely more treble than the stock series configuration. In the end, I preferred single coil and parallel, both of which I found to sit better in a loud mix. I removed my preamp and the bass/treble controls, as well, and just used my amp's EQ as needed. I did eventually put an EMG preamp into my fretted L2500, and I often had to run the treble way up on that if the strings had more than a few hours on them.

My fretless L2500 is still stock, though the opamp is currently removed, so it's effectively passive only. I have been using the bass/treble controls a bit, though, and I run it into an ACG/East filter for active tone controls. I keep thinking about adding single coil switching, but I haven't done so yet, and I may not. It's pretty nice the way it is... However, my fretless tonal goals are a bit different than my fretted goals, so I don't mind the "dullness" compared to my fretted basses.

As always, YMMV. Again, for my personal tonal taste, my technique, and my meaty fingers, I need more natural treble (single coil!) than others may need. MFDs in series, and even series w/caps didn't do it for me.
Click to expand...
I think I might stick with what I've got then. I had thought about going with parallel/single/series, but I'm not sure how much use I'd have for series. Parallel is bassy enough in the setting I usually play, and I'm probably mostly using one of the single-coil settings anyway.

Thanks for the help! Eventually I'm going to install an Audere 4-band pre in there so I can really mess with the tones. That might make series more useful for me and I might go with a different switching scheme.
 
#383
Ken Baker said:
The dual coil MFD soapbar in series mode is fully hum canceling so long as those OMG caps aren't there. It isn't really single coil at all because both coils are in circuit and making a signal. In the case of the diagram that fourstringbliss is using (its basis is a DavePlaysBass circuit) both coils of a pickup are connected in series, but there is a cap there sucking off some of the treble from the Y/G coil. The unaltered signal from the B/W coil is then added to the signal and it's off to the EQ. The OMG cap is connected and used pretty much the same as the old G&L L-2000 circuit, found Link Removed

The circuit path for the series switch position goes like this (edited to correct numbering, though it makes no difference electrically):

  • Ground is connected to green at lug 6.

    Yellow is connected to lug 2

    Lug 2 is internally shunted to lug 1

    Lug 1 is externally shorted to lug 4

    One lead of a .1mfd cap is connected to either lug 1 or 4 and the other lead is grounded. This cap filters off high freq from upstream Y/G coil.

    Lug 4 is internally shunted to lug 5

    Lug 5 is connected to black

    White is connected to lug 3 and to pickup select

What we end up with is the upstream Y/G coil having a slightly different impedance than the downstream B/W coil. This impedance mismatch is what causes hum canceling within that pickup to be defeated. As funny as this sounds, it's an upstream-downstream sort of thing, where the signal runs from ground through the coils and switching and off to EQ.

Ken...
Click to expand...

I did realize that using your diagram would make the OMG setting with both pickups on not hum-cancelling, but only after fourstring posted your response earlier and I actually looked critically at your diagram. Since I originally read on your diagram that you had come about it with DavePlaysBass's help, I just assumed it was the same as his wiring document page, in which the OMG setting IS hum-cancelling with both pickups on full. My L2000 is also wired for hum-cancelling in OMG mode with both pickups on full, but I actually did the wiring on the neck pickup so that white and green make the series connection, eliminating the need for the different capacitor wiring on each pickup as on Dave's diagram.

Perhaps you are misunderstanding and thinking that I am calling OMG hum-cancelling with a singled pickup, but I feel like I have been careful to say "with both pickups on full" when describing it as potentially humcancelling- yet another reason that the "single coil with bass boost" moniker is fitting in practice. I never said it IS single coil, but that it acts like one. The term "single coil with bass boost" is direct from G&L literature though, whether technically correct or not, and to my ears describes it better than "series with bass boost".

To my ears, the stock series setting on G&L basses is very honky and fairly muddy in a mix. "Single coil with bass boost", on the other hand, is articulate while still retaining the growly depth of the series setting (because it lacks the same phase cancellation in the treble and high mids that characterize the Series mode). To me it is THE definitive tone on my L2000 with both the bass and treble controls around 50-60%. I do love the single coil mode as well, but it lacks a little bit of that special kick that attracted me to the L-series basses in to begin with. The whole reason I decided to experiment with my wiring in the first place is that I found the stock Series mode a bit too dull and honky and the Parallel too polite for my tastes- when I heard about the earlier L1000 3-way switching I was sold!

Fourstring- If you have your bass wired for series now, it will take less than 5 minutes to put in a couple .1uF caps just to give it a try. Describing sound is like humming literature.
 
#384
"Sparkle Purple" was last seen in the 1998 catalog.

Found this on TB after cross listing on another Board.

It's a very light bass. Probably alder body since it is not a see through finish.

When I checked the G&L Registry, there was a quite a few different models of bass in SP. Including an Interceptor and L5000.

vroc38 said:
Didn't even know I was a purple fan until I saw this. Man. That rawks.

Those rounded MFD P pickups are a comfortable place to rest your thumb for the night.
Click to expand...

Rest my thumb on the E string. Do a lot of palm muting too.

jamie
 
#385
sunbeast said:
To my ears, the stock series setting on G&L basses is very honky and fairly muddy in a mix. "Single coil with bass boost", on the other hand, is articulate while still retaining the growly depth of the series setting (because it lacks the same phase cancellation in the treble and high mids that characterize the Series mode). To me it is THE definitive tone on my L2000 with both the bass and treble controls around 50-60%. I do love the single coil mode as well, but it lacks a little bit of that special kick that attracted me to the L-series basses in to begin with. The whole reason I decided to experiment with my wiring in the first place is that I found the stock Series mode a bit too dull and honky and the Parallel too polite for my tastes- when I heard about the earlier L1000 3-way switching I was sold!

Fourstring- If you have your bass wired for series now, it will take less than 5 minutes to put in a couple .1uF caps just to give it a try. Describing sound is like humming literature.
Click to expand...

What you're describing as "scwbb" is exactly what I'm looking for, so I'll give it a shot. I don't have it wired for series at this point but I have a couple of DPDT on/on/on switches coming in the mail. How do I wire it like yours (so that I get parallel/inner coils/hum canceling scwbb?

Thanks!
 
#386
I have a G&L 2500 that I have had for over 16 years. I always thought it gave me the best of both worlds. A P bass sound and with a flick of a switch a J bass sound...not to mention the treble boost as well. The only thing I could complain about was the weight of the bass. After playing on stage for 15 miniutes, my shoulder would start complaining about the weight of the bass.

Recently I tried a Carvin LB75 and what a joy it was to play a bass that was so much lighter. The other thing I learned was the beautiful bell like tone you get with true single coil pickups you just don't get with a soap bar that is split. Though I still really like my G&L along with the inovative designs that Leo Fender made to G&L guitars and basses, I am thinking the Carvin SB5001 would be a great 2nd bass to have when I want a modern Fender Jazz sound. :hmm:
 
#387
Green Lantern said:
I have a G&L 2500 that I have had for over 16 years. I always thought it gave me the best of both worlds. A P bass sound and with a flick of a switch a J bass sound...not to mention the treble boost as well. The only thing I could complain about was the weight of the bass. After playing on stage for 15 miniutes, my shoulder would start complaining about the weight of the bass.

Recently I tried a Carvin LB75 and what a joy it was to play a bass that was so much lighter. The other thing I learned was the beautiful bell like tone you get with true single coil pickups you just don't get with a soap bar that is split. Though I still really like my G&L along with the inovative designs that Leo Fender made to G&L guitars and basses, I am thinking the Carvin SB5001 would be a great 2nd bass to have when I want a modern Fender Jazz sound. :hmm:
Click to expand...

I got blessed in that the L2000 Tribute that I bought on Ebay weighs in at right around 9 lbs - much better than any of the others I've owned or played. I'm also getting a great tone out of it with TI flats - very responsive to my playing technique (or lack thereof).
 
#388
Okay, so here was DavePlaysBass's parallel/inner/series diagram which includes the OMG caps:

SP32-20111106-123927.gif


I made this diagram for making a parallel/inner singles/series switch for each pickup and have the OMG caps on a separate switch, so you could have series or OMG mode:

SP32-20111108-182904.gif


Would my diagram work, or do I need to change it somehow?
 

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#389
Nice diagram! I am too impatient to draw those things out or I would have done one myself earlier.

A couple of things- I told you I have mine wired slightly differently for the same effect. It will eliminate the need to do the different wiring for the capacitor on each switch (so the capacitor will go to ground on both instead of to the pickup selector on one). At the risk of sounding confusing since I don't have a picture to post (though I could probably throw one together if necessary)...
To wire it the way I did it, the neck switch would be identical to DavePlaysBass's. The Bridge pickup will look like the neck pickup switch, except you just reverse the position of the black/green wires as well as the yellow/white wires. In other words, put the green wire where the black is and vice-versa, and put the yellow where the white is and vice-versa. Then instead of wiring the SCBB capacitor to the pickup selector on the bridge pickup, you just wire it to ground as on the other switch.

Another thing- your capacitor switch works as you made it, but to simplify things you can just leave the series connection wire between the two lugs on each coil switch intact and just solder a wire from that connection to the middle lug on the capacitor switch. Then leave one side of the cap switch empty (when flipped to that side it will just be normal series mode), and the other side of the switch will have the capacitors to ground (assuming you wire it the way I described in the previous paragraph- if you wire it Dave's way, then one capacitor will go to the pickup selector and one to ground). One reason I prefer my way is that it doesn't leave a capacitor in the circuit (I'm not sure it will, but I feel that just having that cap on the pickup selector switch might have some odd effects, even when the other end is disconnected from the circuit).

I think you mentioned that your on/on/on switches worked in reverse of these diagrams when in the middle position, and the ones I used in my L2000 also did. Its good to check those things before soldering!
 
#390
sunbeast said:
Nice diagram! I am too impatient to draw those things out or I would have done one myself earlier.

A couple of things- I told you I have mine wired slightly differently for the same effect. It will eliminate the need to do the different wiring for the capacitor on each switch (so the capacitor will go to ground on both instead of to the pickup selector on one). At the risk of sounding confusing since I don't have a picture to post (though I could probably throw one together if necessary)...
To wire it the way I did it, the neck switch would be identical to DavePlaysBass's. The Bridge pickup will look like the neck pickup switch, except you just reverse the position of the black/green wires as well as the yellow/white wires. In other words, put the green wire where the black is and vice-versa, and put the yellow where the white is and vice-versa. Then instead of wiring the SCBB capacitor to the pickup selector on the bridge pickup, you just wire it to ground as on the other switch.

Another thing- your capacitor switch works as you made it, but to simplify things you can just leave the series connection wire between the two lugs on each coil switch intact and just solder a wire from that connection to the middle lug on the capacitor switch. Then leave one side of the cap switch empty (when flipped to that side it will just be normal series mode), and the other side of the switch will have the capacitors to ground (assuming you wire it the way I described in the previous paragraph- if you wire it Dave's way, then one capacitor will go to the pickup selector and one to ground). One reason I prefer my way is that it doesn't leave a capacitor in the circuit (I'm not sure it will, but I feel that just having that cap on the pickup selector switch might have some odd effects, even when the other end is disconnected from the circuit).

I think you mentioned that your on/on/on switches worked in reverse of these diagrams when in the middle position, and the ones I used in my L2000 also did. Its good to check those things before soldering!
Click to expand...
Thanks, about the diagram! So, you're saying that, when wiring the bridge switch, you would swap the yellow and black wires, attach the green wire where the black wire is in the diagram and ground the black wire instead of the green one, right? I'll monkey with my diagram when I get back to work and repost it to make sure I'm understanding you correctly.

Thanks about simplifying the cap switch as well. Does it matter which lug I connect to the middle lug of the cap switch? I'm using a push/pull switch for that so I need to simplify the wiring as much as possible. I want to leave it in scwbb mode when the knob is down.

It's weird that the on/on/on switches I use are reverse but they're Chinese. I don't know if that's why they're reversed but it's cheaper to buy them on Ebay from China than from here somewhere. I got both for $5 shipped - here it would probably be $5 each.
 
#392
Or I guess I could say wire both pickups like the bridge pickup in the diagram above (except switch the colors on the bridge pickup and capacitor to ground) since your switches function opposite...

As far as the cap switch, put the wires from the coil switches on the center lugs and the capacitors to ground on the lugs farthest from the knob of the push/pull (or the "top" lugs, if you are looking down into the control cavity with the pot mounted). This will give you scwbb with the pot pushed down. It doesn't matter what part of the series connection the wire is attached to because the series connection makes the outside of each coil switch like one big connection (if I'm understanding your question correctly).
 
#396
Here's a bit of an odd request but does anybody know if G&L's and Musicman basses have interchangable necks? I've got a fretless Stingray5 but i'd like to try out the fretless neck on my fretted L-2500. Has anyone tried it?
 
#400
fourstringbliss said:
And this is how my switches should be, right?
Click to expand...

Looks just like mine! Also, since yours is a Tribute, there is a seperate ground wire coming from the copper plate at the bottom of each pickup right? On older US models this ground wire was hard-wired to one of the pickup ground wires so that if you changed the coil switching sometimes it wouldn't be grounded correctly on one of the pickups so you would get buzzing if you touched the polepieces. I feel like I'd heard that Tributes had this as a seperate 5th wire from the pickups already though...
 
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