G&L Club Part 7

[svtbass]

On the subject of El Toro's and fancy JB2's I sold this one to a TBer a long time ago although it may have been when some of us were on the Dudepit. He whined how it wasn't "a real G&L" being so custom for the time. She was sweet and another one I should have kept but same as Holdsg I forget all about her when I play my Plain Jane El Toro.

 

[Lucky Chuck]

the Dudepit

I'm new ... wha-ziz?

 

[svtbass]

I'm new ... wha-ziz?

Dudepit was an older defunct bass site with far less oversight and bass necks that played like slobber.

 

[Iridescentone]

On the subject of El Toro's and fancy JB2's I sold this one to a TBer a long time ago although it may have been when some of us were on the Dudepit. He whined how it wasn't "a real G&L" being so custom for the time. She was sweet and another one I should have kept but same as Holdsg I forget all about her when I play my Plain Jane El Toro.

View attachment 4444546

That was my bass at one time. I bought it off ebay, and I think you were the seller. Around 2003 I went on a JB-2 binge, bought a bunch of used ones. This was my fourth JB-2. A first-year 2001 model, reputed to have been an employee build. First thing I noticed was its lackluster sound compered to my other JB-2's, and that it didn't have stock pickups. I think this bass may have had Duncan Antiquity singles (or some such thing), as they had cloth wires and were a little too small for the routs.

Curious to know the bass' history, I traced its previous ownership back to DP member "Frankensteinberger", who put me in touch with the person he bought it from. Nobody I talked to knew why it had "mystery" pickups instead of the normal OEM singles. I posted on the Dudepit about the bass and its odd pickups, but there was no "whining" about how it "wasn't a real G&L because it was so custom". lol At least not from me, no clue about what Frankensteinberger may have said about it there when he owned it. I bought the bass because of all the factory upgrades. (which included a matching headstock)

It was a stunning bass, cool as F. Wanting to bring it up to performance par, I ordered a pair of OEM JB-2 singles from Buffalo Brothers in 2004. I never installed them, sold the bass before getting around to it. Still have the unused OEM factory JB-2 singles (hmm..I should sell them).

I've owned a buncha JB-2's over the years (still have two), many with nice factory upgrades. They're one of my all-time fave basses. Along the way I learned something about them....JB-2's can sound wildly different from one another, unlike MFD-equipped G&L's. Some have a snappy bright tone, full of nuance, while some just sound..."dull" by comparo. Same strings, same signal chain, doesn't matter. My theory is that there may have been differences in the pup winds, some pairs being more microphonic than other pairs, dunno. I asked around whether G&L wound the JB-2 pups in-house (like their MFD's), or if they were using aftermarket singles. Never got an answer.

Now, please allow me to do some actual whining......"Dammit! I wish I still had my beautiful custom Cherryburst JB-2!"

 

[59jazz]

Shout out to Jason Mendelson at FRET NATION, for cutting me a fantastic deal on an already discounted L1000. 8.5lbs with a alder body that sounds very hefty. Only thing I'll do to this is lower the action and string it up with Round Core Boomers or Balanced Nickels. I sent payment last Sunday and got it today. The dude sent it 2nd day air at no additional cost…..who does that?

 

[Jfp]

That was my bass at one time. I bought it off ebay, and I think you were the seller. Around 2003 I went on a JB-2 binge, bought a bunch of used ones. This was my fourth JB-2. A first-year 2001 model, reputed to have been an employee build. First thing I noticed was its lackluster sound compered to my other JB-2's, and that it didn't have stock pickups. I think this bass may have had Duncan Antiquity singles (or some such thing), as they had cloth wires and were a little too small for the routs.

Curious to know the bass' history, I traced its previous ownership back to DP member "Frankensteinberger", who put me in touch with the person he bought it from. Nobody I talked to knew why it had "mystery" pickups instead of the normal OEM singles. I posted on the Dudepit about the bass and its odd pickups, but there was no "whining" about how it "wasn't a real G&L because it was so custom". lol At least not from me, no clue about what Frankensteinberger may have said about it there when he owned it. I bought the bass because of all the factory upgrades. (which included a matching headstock)

It was a stunning bass, cool as F. Wanting to bring it up to performance par, I ordered a pair of OEM JB-2 singles from Buffalo Brothers in 2004. I never installed them, sold the bass before getting around to it. Still have the unused OEM factory JB-2 singles (hmm..I should sell them).

I've owned a buncha JB-2's over the years (still have two), many with nice factory upgrades. They're one of my all-time fave basses. Along the way I learned something about them....JB-2's can sound wildly different from one another, unlike MFD-equipped G&L's. Some have a snappy bright tone, full of nuance, while some just sound..."dull" by comparo. Same strings, same signal chain, doesn't matter. My theory is that there may have been differences in the pup winds, some pairs being more microphonic than other pairs, dunno. I asked around whether G&L wound the JB-2 pups in-house (like their MFD's), or if they were using aftermarket singles. Never got an answer.

Now, please allow me to do some actual whining......"Dammit! I wish I still had my beautiful custom Cherryburst JB-2!"


View attachment 4444946

Funny that you mention pickups on these and microphonics. I have a recently acquired 2002 JB2 that's currently with my tech to replace the original pickups that are very microphonic. Hoping the installation of replacements will make the bass perfecto. In terms of playability it's already there.

 

[mellobud]

I wondered what else beyond this Hugger Orange was in the Detroit Muscle SS Collection 1....

"G&L has turned to Mitch Lanzini, owner of world famous (featured on TV's Overhaulin' show) to provide expert guidance and ensure these high performance G&L's sport the exact paint hues for Daytona Yellow, Hugger Orange, Cranberry Red and Marina Blue offered on the ASAT Special, ASAT Classic Bluesboy 90, Fallout, Legacy, Legacy HB and LB-100 Bass."

View attachment 4443198

Check out my posts #21253 and #21264 in this thread. It has links to the the internet archive showing the 2014 and 2015 G&L website with the muscle series runs. (It is just custom colors but the internet archive is cool)

 

[Iridescentone]

Funny that you mention pickups on these and microphonics. I have a recently acquired 2002 JB2 that's currently with my tech to replace the original pickups that are very microphonic. Hoping the installation of replacements will make the bass perfecto. In terms of playability it's already there.

I hear ya, different strokes 'n all.

In my case, it was the more microphonic JB-2 pickups that I liked the best. More detail, nothing left out of the signal. TI flats and Deep Talkers for me. Go figure, right?

 

[svtbass]

That was my bass at one time. I bought it off ebay, and I think you were the seller. Around 2003 I went on a JB-2 binge, bought a bunch of used ones. This was my fourth JB-2. A first-year 2001 model, reputed to have been an employee build. First thing I noticed was its lackluster sound compered to my other JB-2's, and that it didn't have stock pickups. I think this bass may have had Duncan Antiquity singles (or some such thing), as they had cloth wires and were a little too small for the routs.

Curious to know the bass' history, I traced its previous ownership back to DP member "Frankensteinberger", who put me in touch with the person he bought it from. Nobody I talked to knew why it had "mystery" pickups instead of the normal OEM singles. I posted on the Dudepit about the bass and its odd pickups, but there was no "whining" about how it "wasn't a real G&L because it was so custom". lol At least not from me, no clue about what Frankensteinberger may have said about it there when he owned it. I bought the bass because of all the factory upgrades. (which included a matching headstock)

It was a stunning bass, cool as F. Wanting to bring it up to performance par, I ordered a pair of OEM JB-2 singles from Buffalo Brothers in 2004. I never installed them, sold the bass before getting around to it. Still have the unused OEM factory JB-2 singles (hmm..I should sell them).

I've owned a buncha JB-2's over the years (still have two), many with nice factory upgrades. They're one of my all-time fave basses. Along the way I learned something about them....JB-2's can sound wildly different from one another, unlike MFD-equipped G&L's. Some have a snappy bright tone, full of nuance, while some just sound..."dull" by comparo. Same strings, same signal chain, doesn't matter. My theory is that there may have been differences in the pup winds, some pairs being more microphonic than other pairs, dunno. I asked around whether G&L wound the JB-2 pups in-house (like their MFD's), or if they were using aftermarket singles. Never got an answer.

Now, please allow me to do some actual whining......"Dammit! I wish I still had my beautiful custom Cherryburst JB-2!"


View attachment 4444946

I left my comment this way to see if you'd "cowboy up" you F'n whiner, lmfao.

Don't we wish we had kept some if not all of those early 80's & 90's G&L's. Hell I sold my long-term '62 and '56 P's the past couple of years as those early G&L's were/are THAT good. Still luv ya bro and we're alive and playing when so many of our friends aren't. Leo blessed us all.

 

[svtbass]

Funny that you mention pickups on these and microphonics. I have a recently acquired 2002 JB2 that's currently with my tech to replace the original pickups that are very microphonic. Hoping the installation of replacements will make the bass perfecto. In terms of playability it's already there.

$1 worth of superglue fixes that when the magnets become detached. Done that several times most recently when I swapped the covers to black on my ASAT Z-3. A few posts back I went on about early G&L basses but this guitar smokes my (purchased in 1967) '62 strat.

 

[Iridescentone]

$1 worth of superglue fixes that when the magnets become detached. Done that several times most recently when I swapped the covers to black on my ASAT Z-3. A few posts back I went on about early G&L basses but this guitar smokes my (purchased in 1967) '62 strat.
View attachment 4445305

Nice strap, dude. Who makes those?

 

[Ricky Rioli]

Has anyone tried putting something like a Mojotone MusicMan Clone 2 band EQ preamp into a Kiloton?

Stack the treble and bass .... push / pull the vol knob for active / passive ....

(or even make the active only engage when the selector switch is on parallel ....)

Perhaps this is a task for @LowEndLobster .... perhaps he's already done it ...?

(perhaps I need to remember how little space there is in the Kiloton cavity)

 

[TDR1138]

Has anyone tried putting something like a Mojotone MusicMan Clone 2 band EQ preamp into a Kiloton?

Stack the treble and bass .... push / pull the vol knob for active / passive ....

(or even make the active only engage when the selector switch is on parallel ....)

Perhaps this is a task for @LowEndLobster .... perhaps he's already done it ...?

(perhaps I need to remember how little space there is in the Kiloton cavity)

I put a homemade 2-band MM clone into a L-1500 at one point. It was nice, but not dramatic enough of a change IMO. It didn't tame any of brash midrange out of the MFD.

If I had another L-1500 (or Kilo), I'd spend my energy messing with loading caps to bring the resonant frequency of the pickup down. If I were to go with a preamp, it would probably be an EMG or maybe an OBP-2. Something less subtle than the MM clone was.

 

[Lammchop93]

View attachment 4445093 Shout out to Jason Mendelson at FRET NATION, for cutting me a fantastic deal on an already discounted L1000. 8.5lbs with a alder body that sounds very hefty. Only thing I'll do to this is lower the action and string it up with Round Core Boomers or Balanced Nickels. I sent payment last Sunday and got it today. The dude sent it 2nd day air at no additional cost…..who does that?

That is gorgeous!! I think an l1000 is next on my list. I love the pharaoh gold color

 

[svtbass]

Nice strap, dude. Who makes those?

Walker & Williams. Nicely made, priced well and comfortable for medium-width straps. I have a few and use them on bass as well.

 

[woodyng2]

I hear ya, different strokes 'n all.

In my case, it was the more microphonic JB-2 pickups that I liked the best. More detail, nothing left out of the signal. TI flats and Deep Talkers for me. Go figure, right?

I can't imagine wanting to replace the oem pickups in my US JB2. They are so clear and uncolored in the treble frequencies, with a deep,warm bass sound, and of course that lovely mid scoop
with both pickups all the way up.
I have a set of Labella Low Tension flatwounds on mine, a great sonic match,
super easy to play as well.

 

[TDR1138]

Stack the treble and bass ....

Oh, and side note to that, if I'm remembering the circuit correctly, the treble uses a 1M reverse log pot (same as the bass cut on a G&L L-series), so it's a hard value to source on its own. Good luck finding that on a stack!

 

[Jfp]

I can't imagine wanting to replace the oem pickups in my US JB2. They are so clear and uncolored in the treble frequencies, with a deep,warm bass sound, and of course that lovely mid scoop
with both pickups all the way up.
I have a set of Labella Low Tension flatwounds on mine, a great sonic match,
super easy to play as well.

All my basses wear LaBella low tension flats.

 

[melloncollie]

Aguilar pickup demos for this set of pickups were absolutely terrible. My one concern buying these pickups is that I had to guess what they sounded like from about 10 seconds of them being played in a several minute long video about them. During the 10 seconds they are played, the preamp settings are not changed (and one pickup volume is set higher than the other). There is also unrelated background music playing during that 10 seconds. Quite possibly the worst pickup demo from a manufacturer ever.

My observations after very little play time on a few year old set of TI Jazz Rounds that I will be replacing at some point in the next few weeks.

- Output is not as much as I expected given they are advertised as being hotter. MFDs are still much hotter. Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders in my Peavey Milestone I (jazz bass) are also hotter. They definitely have more output than a standard jazz bass pickup, but it did not seem like much more to my ears.

- Hum cancelling works great. Soloing a single pickup is now hum free (noting this bass has been shielded). This is one of the reasons I wanted to try them. I like single pickup jazz bass sounds, but am easily distracted by hum.

- I put them in the more modern sounding JB pickup camp. Definitely brighter and more full range than the pickups I had in it. Made my aging Jazz Rounds sound like a fresh set of round wounds. While I describe them as brighter, I expect full range is the better description here. They are not lacking for low end like some brighter voiced pickups. It definitely expanded the tone options of the bass and I can still get reasonably close to the more mellow sounds of the Nordstrands with the proper volume blending and preamp adjustments.

- While I do not think an active preamp is necessary for these pickups, I will likely use the bass in active mode more now than I did before. They seem to be a better starting point for preamp adjustments on the bass due to fuller spectrum of sound and the potential to need to tame the top end a little more than my previous pickups. I am running an East J Tone for the preamp.

For anyone looking for the more mellow tone, I will likely be listing my Nordstrand NJ5s in the classifieds at some point in the next few weeks. I want to live with the Aguilars a little bit longer before posting them for sale, but at this point think I will be sticking with the Aguilars.

Thanks for the thorough review! The dcb pickups seem to be aguilars take on an active pickup or at least a more modern style pickup. Good to know the jazz pickups are completely hum cancelling too.

 

[Hot Rats]

I can't imagine wanting to replace the oem pickups in my US JB2. They are so clear and uncolored in the treble frequencies, with a deep,warm bass sound, and of course that lovely mid scoop
with both pickups all the way up.
I have a set of Labella Low Tension flatwounds on mine, a great sonic match,
super easy to play as well.

They are nice sounding pickups but I had to replace the pickups in my 2001 JB-2 because I could hear a drop in volume on the A and D strings that I just couldn't get past. I even put them back in after a few years and had to take them out again. I ended up with the Model J's so I could dial in each string volume.