• 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 free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

G&L Club Part 6

Status
Not open for further replies.
#904
So I was recently looking through the classifieds for fretless L-2500s, and I saw a mention of a "K switch mod" that might be on the middle switch. I do have a 3 position middle switch on my L-2500, what exactly does that for (or better, what exactly is it supposed to do)?
 
#905
jim777 said:
So I was recently looking through the classifieds for fretless L-2500s, and I saw a mention of a "K switch mod" that might be on the middle switch. I do have a 3 position middle switch on my L-2500, what exactly does that for (or better, what exactly is it supposed to do)?
Click to expand...

If I understand it correctly, the "K-mod" allows the player to use the pickups in the single coil mode in addition to the typical (for a G&L L-series bass) series or parallel coil humbucking modes.
 
#906
jim777 said:
So I was recently looking through the classifieds for fretless L-2500s, and I saw a mention of a "K switch mod" that might be on the middle switch. I do have a 3 position middle switch on my L-2500, what exactly does that for (or better, what exactly is it supposed to do)?
Click to expand...

the middle one should be the pickup selector. the rear one is for passive/active/active w/treble boost. the front switch is a series/parallel switch and has single coil mode when you have the k-wiring option.
 
#907
dedpool1052 said:
the middle one should be the pickup selector. the rear one is for passive/active/active w/treble boost. the front switch is a series/parallel switch and has single coil mode when you have the k-wiring option.
Click to expand...

Actually this is wrong. The rear one is indeed passive/active/active w/trebel boost. But the middle one is serial/parallel on the pickups and the front one (towards the neck) is pickup selector (neck/both/bridge).

Link Removed

In the "K mod" the serial/parallel switch has a middle position as well which corresponds to "single coil". It can be wired two ways: outside coils or inside coils. Outside coils is the coil closest the neck on the neck pickup and the coil closest the bridge on the bridge pickup. It gives a much more pure and jazz bass like tone. The inside coil wiring uses the opposite coils and also gives a pure tone but more like a Stingray. I don't know which way they are typically wired but I prefer the outside coil wiring. I had mine set up for a while with a 4th switch that could change between inside and outside coil wiring but I always preferred outside coil sound so I took it off.

To tell what you have take a small screwdriver or paperclip and tap on the poles of the pickups. There is some leakage between inside and outside coils so you will hear tapping on both halves of the pickup but the coil it's wired for will be louder.

K mod is a great mod to have as the jazz-like tone really expands the already considerable versatility of the bass.

Another common mod of interest is the "OMG" mod. This is .1 mfd caps that are connected across one of the coils in the pickups in series mode. This shorts out treble in one coil but not the lows. So it acts like a passive bass boost circuit giving about 3dB of boost to lows. I install mine on a push-pull switch on the treble pot. You pull the treble pot to activate OMG mode.

Which obviously expands bass verstility even more. So now do you see why my L2500s are my 5er main axes?
 
#909
What I have done to both of my 2500s is
I removed the active chip installed a on/on/on switch in the middle position so my switches are 1st pickup selection
Middle neck pu outter/full/inner
Back bridge pu inner/full/outer
This gives me about 45 different sound choices but I mostly use both pu switched to outer.
Love the options though
 
#911
theduke1 said:
What I have done to both of my 2500s is
I removed the active chip installed a on/on/on switch in the middle position so my switches are 1st pickup selection
Middle neck pu outter/full/inner
Back bridge pu inner/full/outer
This gives me about 45 different sound choices but I mostly use both pu switched to outer.
Love the options though
Click to expand...

45? That would just confuse me. :)

I only really use two settings on my L2000.

1. Neck, Series, Passive.
2. Both, Series, Passive.

I keep the EQ at 50% on both treble and bass. I sometimes experiment a little, but I always come back to those two settings. As my dad used to say, if it ain't broke don't fix it.
 
#912
So, if the bass comes from the factory with the 3 position switch in the middle, what is the third option after series/parallel?
Click to expand...

single coil - you can also mod one that came with the two way by swapping the switch and rewiring - it is posted somewhere how to do this.
 
#913
theduke1 said:
What I have done to both of my 2500s is
I removed the active chip installed a on/on/on switch in the middle position so my switches are 1st pickup selection
Middle neck pu outter/full/inner
Back bridge pu inner/full/outer
This gives me about 45 different sound choices but I mostly use both pu switched to outer.
Love the options though
Click to expand...
Then you might like the "Full Weapons Mod" I'll hope to present very soon. Will give you (preliminary options marked with *) :
- any of the four coils soloed
- any humbucker coil pair (bridge, neck, outers, inners) in parallel
- any humbucker pair (the second pair is always the remaining coils of the above, in parallel) in OMG mode, both in-phase (normal) and out-of-phase (low bass kill, replacing bass pot)
- any two humbucker pairs in OMG mode (ditto)
- any humbucker pair in partial parallel, either in-phase or out-of-phase parallel (giving a mid notch)
- any two humbucker pairs ditto
- OMG and out-of-phase mods are adjustable, with (former) bass pot
* any humbucker coil pair in series
* any two humbucker pairs in series
* preamp in/out
- adjustable HF boost when you roll back volume (depending on treble pot setting).
- anything I forgot :-)

All with 3 switches (2 toggles and one 3-way) and the three pots (with at least one push-pull, up to three depending on which of the advanced setting you want to realize).
The tricky stuff is to find a way to do all this with the available switch configurations for toggles and push-pulls, but I figured it out to 95%

No comments on the overkill character of this, please...:hiding:
 
#914
GeorgeBerlin said:
Then you might like the "Full Weapons Mod" I'll hope to present very soon. Will give you (preliminary options marked with *) :
- any of the four coils soloed
- any humbucker coil pair (bridge, neck, outers, inners) in parallel
- any humbucker pair (the second pair is always the remaining coils of the above, in parallel) in OMG mode, both in-phase (normal) and out-of-phase (low bass kill, replacing bass pot)
- any two humbucker pairs in OMG mode (ditto)
- any humbucker pair in partial parallel, either in-phase or out-of-phase parallel (giving a mid notch)
- any two humbucker pairs ditto
- OMG and out-of-phase mods are adjustable, with (former) bass pot
* any humbucker coil pair in series
* any two humbucker pairs in series
* preamp in/out
- adjustable HF boost when you roll back volume (depending on treble pot setting).
- anything I forgot :-)

All with 3 switches (2 toggles and one 3-way) and the three pots (with at least one push-pull, up to three depending on which of the advanced setting you want to realize).
The tricky stuff is to find a way to do all this with the available switch configurations for toggles and push-pulls, but I figured it out to 95%

No comments on the overkill character of this, please...:hiding:
Click to expand...

Interesting! Do share your design.
 
#915
bassbenj said:
Another common mod of interest is the "OMG" mod. This is .1 mfd caps that are connected across one of the coils in the pickups in series mode. This shorts out treble in one coil but not the lows. So it acts like a passive bass boost circuit giving about 3dB of boost to lows. I install mine on a push-pull switch on the treble pot. You pull the treble pot to activate OMG mode.
Click to expand...

correct me if i'm wrong (again) but on an L-1000, if you remove the .1mfd cap will it make the OMG setting just yer basic series mode?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back