G&L Club Part 7

[jmlee]

I think you and Chef are describing the same thing. With mine it's clear both coils are on but one is darker. It's a great way to get a split coil sort of range from a single pickup; why it was removed in favour of a plain series I don't know. Not that I'm dissing the latter; it just seems a bit obvious whereas OMG is a special sort of magic which - although it needs applying carefully - gives a whole new voice to the pickup.

Previously to the L2K I've never been happy with the front pickup sound on any two pickup basses. They always few like the miss something of the way a P bass blooms and clatters the notes out at full chat, instead falling on the side of a wider frequency range.

Personally, I love the single coil setting on the neck pickup of an L-series. On the L-1000 it's the coil nearest the bridge on the neck pickup and it's almost exactly where the single coil would be on an older P-bass. But it's an MFD single coil and is so, so nice. The k-mod I did on my L-2500 is for the inner coils so I could again have that bridge-side single coil in the neck pickup.

I do get what you love about the OMG setting which, oddly sounds really great as you crank the bass back. I think it's that you're getting a blend of the two coils in series: one filtered, one not filtered, together in series. And the bass cut control doesn't cut all of the frequencies emphasized in OMG mode so you get a really interesting frequency spectrum from the bass.

 

[jmlee]

Here is a link with a page from the early manual for L-1000 and L-2000 E basses. For both basses it refers to the OMG mode position as single-coil with increased bass. I think this is a bit of a misnomer, but maybe they went with that terminology because that mode with the coils imbalanced allows for hum to be introduced, like a single-coil.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Hmmm...maybe it really was that back then. But you're likely right that it's a misnomer. OMG is certainly not single coil on current L-1000s.

 

[Doug Parent]

Oooh I saw this in the local Craigslist this morning! Ebony board, right? It did raise my eyebrow...

Ebony yes!

 

[Remoman]

MFD Jazz pickups are actually a reality.

For the G&L Fans...

And then…
SOLD - G&L Jazz - MFD Jazz Pickups!
Supposedly G&L will be making some announcements next month on some new stuff, possibly a 19mm JB5 and Kiloton 5, maybe even MFD J5 pickups…?

There's yet another pickup in the works, can't say more but hope it's in that announcement too!

 

[woodyng2]

I have a killer Kiloton V that I'd trade for a JB5 !!!View attachment 4413434

That is so gorgeous! I need that in a 4 string!

 

[TomB]

Hmmm...maybe it really was that back then. But you're likely right that it's a misnomer. OMG is certainly not single coil on current L-1000s.

I have that spec sheet somewhere in my files; it came with my bass in '81. That was the first configuration.

 

[ped]

Personally, I love the single coil setting on the neck pickup of an L-series. On the L-1000 it's the coil nearest the bridge on the neck pickup and it's almost exactly where the single coil would be on an older P-bass. But it's an MFD single coil and is so, so nice. The k-mod I did on my L-2500 is for the inner coils so I could again have that bridge-side single coil in the neck pickup.

I do get what you love about the OMG setting which, oddly sounds really great as you crank the bass back. I think it's that you're getting a blend of the two coils in series: one filtered, one not filtered, together in series. And the bass cut control doesn't cut all of the frequencies emphasized in OMG mode so you get a really interesting frequency spectrum from the bass.

Yeah - the front coil is pretty much exactly where the front split of the P pickup in my SB1 is, and the rear coil the same as the rear split of the P pickup. So in OMG mode you get the bass coming from the forward half and the treble from the back, kind of like a quasi split P. Obviously designed to give the same spectrum.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

On the L-1000 it's the coil nearest the bridge on the neck pickup and it's almost exactly where the single coil would be on an older P-bass. The k-mod I did on my L-2500 is for the inner coils so I could again have that bridge-side single coil in the neck pickup

I think I must be misunderstanding something here - isn't it the neck side coil of an L-1000 seems be the one closer to the single coil pickup of the old P?

(even allowing for my very rough+ready method of comparison )

Having heard the inner coils demos posted a couple of weeks ago, I definitely agree that they sound great!

 

[Ricky Rioli]

the front coil is pretty much exactly where the front split of the P pickup in my SB1 is, and the rear coil the same as the rear split of the P pickup. So in OMG mode you get the bass coming from the forward half and the treble from the back, kind of like a quasi split P.

This is it alongside a standard P

(Anyone with graphics skills must be tearing their hair out at the sight of my crappy pictures...erm, sorry? )

 

[ped]

Compare it to an SB1, I think it's a tiny bit further back than a Fender P

 

[Ricky Rioli]

Compare it to an SB1, I think it's a tiny bit further back than a Fender P

Your command is my command.

Since the humbucker is a little thinner than a split, the neck coil seems to be level with the SB's E+A, and the bridge coil level with the P's D+G.

...though really, my comparison pix are so inaccurate that, that close up, they're not proving nothing. Perhaps someone who knows what they're doing will do it properly for you

 

[ped]

I'll get the tape measure out later

 

[mouthmw]

Hmmm...maybe it really was that back then. But you're likely right that it's a misnomer. OMG is certainly not single coil on current L-1000s.

It was just different terminology. The reasoning was simple - one of the coils was intact (hence the single coil tone) while the bass "boost" came from a capacitor going through the other coil, cutting the high end. Of course, it's just a perceived boost, there's no boost without active electronics, but again, terminology sake. It was always in series and you'd turn it into regular series mode by removing that capacitor. I think it was already discussed on the "Basses by Leo" forum.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

I think it was already discussed on the "Basses by Leo" forum.

And probably dozens of times! They've a whole subforum just on the Wunkay. Here's an example found at random: <br> <br> BassesByLeo <br> Est. 2009 • View topic - Series/Parallel Functions for L1K???

Definitely worth reading the whole thread. To be honest worth browsing through the whole of that forum any time you're ever wondering about something G&L.....

 

[SJLee]

Compare it to an SB1, I think it's a tiny bit further back than a Fender P

Do you mean the older SB1?

 

[ped]

Do you mean the older SB1?

View attachment 4413778

No I meant a split coil - my measurements show the two halves of the split pickup are where the two coils of the L2k pickup are, and with OMG mode it explains why it behaves and sounds like an actual vertically split coil.

 

[jcburn]

I have 2 mid 90s L2000 basses with OMG mode. What are the tonal differences between the current series mode and the old school OMG? I feel that I want to love front pickup passive in OMG mode but find it overly nasal. thinking I may actually prefer standard series mode.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

I have 2 mid 90s L2000 basses with OMG mode. What are the tonal differences between the current series mode and the old school OMG? I feel that I want to love front pickup passive in OMG mode but find it overly nasal. thinking I may actually prefer standard series mode.

Here are some home made clips for ped : Audio Demo - L-2000 - Google Drive

Audio Demo - L-2000 - Google Drive

 

[jcburn]

Audio Demo - L-2000 - Google Drive

Actually the neck in series mode sounds really good from those clips.
Is it easy to mod OMG (what I currently have) to standard series?

 

[dedpool1052]

Is it easy to mod OMG (what I currently have) to standard series?

Yup.
There's a capacitor wired to the parallel/OMG switch.
Remove the capacitor, there's your normal series mode.

I did this to both my Wunkays.
No regrets.