• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

G&L Club Part 5

Status
Not open for further replies.
I just purchased my first G&L on ebay. It is a model L-2500, natural ash, fretless ebony. I will post pics later. I have been lurking around this club reading your input and it certainly contributed to my decision. Thanks and I am looking forward to the G&L experience.
 
I had many "Aha" moments as I learned from the basses by leo dot com threads. That's where I mined for most of the ideas for my mods.

Thanks!

For the bridge mod what really sunk in to me was the posts (on the above sight) explaining how the 5 string bridges lift upward at the rear ever so slightly. G&L only uses 2 screws to mount the bridge to the body on the 5er's. One post even had a high res. image of the open space under the back of the bridge - and this is with through body stringing. It was noted that not every 5er may have that bridge lifting up.

Actually, this has only been observed on one bass that I'm aware of (other than Chef). The bridge was fine and NOT lifting. The body had seen a couple extra passes by the sander, which left a low spot.

Ken...
 
Early 80's L-1000. Got this 10 years ago for $350. Best money I've ever spent. Such a massive growl. Just wanted to share. Thanks!
 

Attachments

  • photo.jpg
    photo.jpg
    165.5 KB · Views: 117
I've never experienced it myself, but I've seen pictures of the strings pulling the bridge right off the body when they are all strung through the bridge.

There are 2 relatively small wood screws holding the bridge down on the 5-string models. The bridge bolt mod adds 5 more. Not a big deal tonally if you string through the body (IMO), but I think it will make a significant improvement over the 2 small wood screws if you string through the bridge only. If nothing else, at least you won't have to worry about the screws pulling out of the body.

Any pictures of the bridge pulling off floating around here?
 
.... Now, the bridge mod is not my idea. No, it's from a real G&L bass expert who is a great reference. All of the credit for this awesome mod go him. The bridge mod is properly explained here:
http://www.bassesbyleo.com/l2500_bridge_mod.html

Yes, thanks, I followed that link from your earlier post. Cool stuff!!!

I'm curious about pickup placement. What are the distances from the 12th fret to the front coil (center of the screws) of each pickup?

With those placements, can you get Ric-like tones?
 
There are 2 relatively small wood screws holding the bridge down on the 5-string models. The bridge bolt mod adds 5 more. Not a big deal tonally if you string through the body (IMO), but I think it will make a significant improvement over the 2 small wood screws if you string through the bridge only. If nothing else, at least you won't have to worry about the screws pulling out of the body.

The bridge mod adds 5 machine screws, not wood screws. There is a load of clamping force in play. This and the saddle lock are a great combination.

I found that the difference between thru-body and the bridge mod is pretty striking. More clarity up the board and notably better sustain. Lots of others who have tried it have seemed impressed.

Then again, YMMV. It's totally reversible and cheap, so why not try it and see if it floats your boat.

Ken...
 
It appears my bridge is lifting a bit. I have no complaints with tone but sustain could be better. I have the B string strung through body, so it could be much worse. I'm going to do the bridge mod.
 
The bridge mod adds 5 machine screws, not wood screws. There is a load of clamping force in play. This and the saddle lock are a great combination.

I found that the difference between thru-body and the bridge mod is pretty striking. More clarity up the board and notably better sustain. Lots of others who have tried it have seemed impressed.

Then again, YMMV. It's totally reversible and cheap, so why not try it and see if it floats your boat.

Ken...

I know the bridge mod screws are machine screws. I've been familiar with the idea for several years. I'm saying the 2 screws that G&L uses to hold the bridge down are wood screws.

I may try it someday, but I've been pretty happy with it strung through the body.
 
Yes, thanks, I followed that link from your earlier post. Cool stuff!!!

I'm curious about pickup placement. What are the distances from the 12th fret to the front coil (center of the screws) of each pickup?

With those placements, can you get Ric-like tones?

Here are some measurements:
The stock pickup in my L-1505 is placed at ~13.375" from the 12th fret (the neck row of pole pieces). My picture is not nearly as clear as I had intended.


My added pickup is placed at 9.25" from the 12th fret (the neck row of pole pieces). *This distance is to correct my previous measurement on my own previous post above.

It was quite a head scratcher for me to determine the placement of the second MFD pickup. I read the research on it until I was dizzy - really. Yet, I learned from the readings. I've also chopped up 2 lesser basses by adding a second pickup "near" the neck. I learned from that too. So I had a pretty good idea of where to request that fateful routing. I'm not even close to an expert on the science of pickup placement.
When the tech and I had my bass on the shop counter he asked me where I wanted the second MFD. My answer to his question may make some of you folks cringe, chuckle or shake your head. I told him, "...right here..." He's is the one that whipped out the stainless steel ruler to read me the distance. The tone is pure G&L plus. This is the best improvement I've made to this great bass.

Can I get Ric-like tones ? I don't know what to listen for to get those tones. I'll tell you that at 50/50 pickup blend the tone is quite a bit warmer, rounder and deeper than the L-2500 that I owned. The bass pictured is the second L-1505 of mine to undergo all these mods. I've got both of them dialed in and, you know that's what we do with our own gear anyway.
Alright I'll be quiet now.
 
On my L2500 FL (except for a rosewood fingerboard actually the same as etoncrow's, btw) one of the two screws already has slack and stringing through the bridge might be harmful -- I didn't dare to try. I'll certainly do the bolt-down mod when string change is due. Other than that, and a minor nut issue I was able to fix, I feel it's a perfect instrument and quite better than the three other fretless basses I went through over the years, including a Fender J.
EDIT: It turned out that I found the tone best when pups are lowered as much as possible and pole pieces don't stick out, but YMMV.

It doesn't see too much playing time though as I started playing fretted basses more often, so my L2000 and L1500 get the ride these days, usually. Tonally, those are so very different from each other despite their overall similarities, and together they offer offer a broad range of satisfying sounds that I'm still learning to make best use of, already with stock electronics but even more after some mods to the coil switching.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts