G&L Club Part 7

[Baker69]

Here are a few photos of my new L2000 Tribute.

Just fitted a set of Dunlop Strap Locks that I had spare off another bass.

The rear pic seems to emphasise the 2 part body but it doesn't look as noticeable as that, in fact on the front I think they've done a reasonably good grain match.

 

[jglunt]

I've just been looking at the pickup clearances in the G & L Owners Manual which I downloaded and it is showing "Rhythm" and "Lead" pickups for the bass, I'm assuming the Rhythm pickup is the neck pickup and Lead the bridge pickup?

I'm sure that's right, though why G&L terms bass pickups that way is a mystery. I never run my MFDs that close to the strings. I want the pickup magnets to sense the strings and not grab them, and those magnets are strong. Use the overall pickup adjustment screws to set the pickup height, then if you notice a certain string is not responding like the rest, just raise the individual pole screw upward slightly. Be careful with that as they can strip out easily. According to specs, those individual pole adjustment screws take a 2mm hex, even though they're built in the US. I've never really had to mess with mine very much.

 

[T-34]

In the club now with this Leo Fender "Signature" tribute from 1991!

How did i do?

Invalid Link Removed

 

[lowfreqgeek]

In the club now with this Leo Fender "Signature" tribute from 1991!

How did i do?

Invalid Link Removed

Fantastic! You did fantastic!

 

[Baker69]

At the moment the pickups are set to having just a bit more clearance than in the G & L owners manual, I might try dropping them a bit more as you suggest.

 

[T-34]

Coincidentally, 1991 is the year I started playing bass

 

[jglunt]

At the moment the pickups are set to having just a bit more clearance than in the G & L owners manual, I might try dropping them a bit more as you suggest.

Play with that height until you find the "sweet spot" that works for you. That's the right spot.

 

[Baker69]

Play with that height until you find the "sweet spot" that works for you. That's the right spot.

I've always tended to work to the manufacturers recommended settings, but I can see this bass is a bit different with it's quite powerful pickups.

On the opposite end of the scale, how do you know if you have the pickups too low?

 

[jglunt]

I've always tended to work to the manufacturers recommended settings, but I can see this bass is a bit different with it's quite powerful pickups.

On the opposite end of the scale, how do you know if you have the pickups too low?

You're looking for the sound that sounds right to you. I started with the G&L specs. That sounded good, but a bit harsh and overly aggressive to my ear. I lowered the pickups one at a time about an extra 1/8" and tried it again. That sounded about right to me, so I stopped there. Now I have that great MFD growl with excellent sustain and articulation. The specs from the owners manual might work fine for you. I'd say that's the place to begin.

Pickup height can vary widely depending on how hard you pick, the sound you prefer, and the basic musical style you play. Others here might want to chime in on how they adjust their pickup height. I'm not an expert, but I know what works for me.

 

[Baker69]

You're looking for the sound that sounds right to you. I started with the G&L specs. That sounded good, but a bit harsh and overly aggressive to my ear. I lowered the pickups one at a time about an extra 1/8" and tried it again. That sounded about right to me, so I stopped there. Now I have that great MFD growl with excellent sustain and articulation. The specs from the owners manual might work fine for you. I'd say that's the place to begin.

Pickup height can vary widely depending on how hard you pick, the sound you prefer, and the basic musical style you play. Others here might want to chime in on how they adjust their pickup height. I'm not an expert, but I know what works for me.

I'll give it a go later, thank you for all your advice and input.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

Ken on the official forum recommends starting off with it right down and then rising it until it satisfies

 

[Baker69]

Ken on the official forum recommends starting off with it right down and then rising it until it satisfies

I understand as you lower pickups you lose bass response and vice versa as you raise their height, so I'll have to bear that in mind as well.

 

[Baker69]

I've been messing around with the pickup heights this evening, I've settled for now at 3/16" on both pickups. I did find having them lower than this I was losing some of the bottom end. I found if I went to approx 1/8" as per the G & L manual there's a slight bit of distortion? I think 3/16" is a good starting point.

The owner's manual has the bridge pickup slightly closer to the strings than the neck pickup, which is probably correct as this seems to equalise the pickup volumes, however with both pickups on I like to hear the neck pickup coming through just that bit more, if anything the bridge pickup has got to come down slightly more.

I think I'll leave any further adjustments until I can play the bass through my amp.

 

[Lucky Chuck]

The owner's manual has the bridge pickup slightly closer than the bridge pickup

Typo?

 

[Baker69]

Typo?

Oops!

 

[Lucky Chuck]

I think I'll leave any further adjustments until I can play the bass through my amp.

I'm not picking on you -- I'm honestly trying to learn here. But if you haven't played through your amp yet, how did you tell it lost bottom end when they were lower, and began to distort when they were higher?

There is a G&L in my future some day and I plan to print out and save your advice for that day. I'm just trying to fully understand the advice you have offered. Many thanx for the clarification.

Ah, c'mon man -- don't give me the Baker69 avatar...

;->

 

[Baker69]

I'm not picking on you -- I'm honestly trying to learn here. But if you haven't played through your amp yet, how did you tell it lost bottom end when they were lower, and began to distort when they were higher?

There is a G&L in my future some day and I plan to print out and save your advice for that day. I'm just trying to fully understand the advice you have offered. Many thanx for the clarification.

Ah, c'mon man -- don't give me the Baker69 avatar...

;->

I've been playing the bass through my Boss GT-1B pre-amp/effects unit and IEM headphones which is what I always use in the house for rehearsing (and sometimes for gigging). My stage amp is a Fender Rumble Stage 800 (which also has a headphone socket) but at the moment it's more convenient to use the very small (but very good sounding) GT1B.

The pickups on the L2000 are so powerful that if you set them too high the sound will be distorted. Similarly if you set them too low you will lose (some) of the bottom end and you can hear this noticeably through decent headphones/IEM's.

I will be trying it through my stage amp when I can and am looking forward to how it sounds through it, however as we use IEM's I do not really hear it very well and it is not crucial.

If you do get a Tribute in the future I would start with the recommended factory settings and then lower them 50% more.

 

[jglunt]

I'm a fan of coated strings and played nothing but Elixirs for years, but lately Elixirs are becoming hard to find, so I've been experimenting. Does anybody know anything about DR Dragon Skins? Until just a few days ago, I didn't know they existed. It seems nobody talks about them, but there's not much talk about Elixirs either.

 

[woodyng2]

I tried a set of DR Black Beauties on a Spector, but I didn't particularly them.
(The feel of the coating, and they seemed a bit muted sounding compared to a set of DR Pure Blues.)

 

[bonin in the boneyard]

I prefer Elixirs to the coated DR strings, even though I love the uncoated DR strings.

Right now I have Rotosound Nexus coated strings on one of my SB-2s and I like them a lot. And the black happens to look pretty bad-@$$ on that particular bass.