G&L Club Part 7

[Iridescentone]

Below is a link to a wiring diagram of the 2nd gen SB-2 hand drawn by Paul Gagon. No resistor shows up, so I have to assume the single coil pickup is perhaps underwound compared to the original in the 1st gen. That doesn't make much sense. Why not just use the pickup wound the same way? It does have a volume control on it, and by being so close to the bridge, the volume output of it is going to be naturally lower due to there being less energy in the strings where they pass over it. I have no idea how many winds are in either SB-2 pickup, but per Paul Gagon, the MFD humbucker on the Kiloton has 5,000 turns per bobbin of 42ga wire. That might be significantly more than either pickup on the SB-2 2nd gen.

https://www.bassesbyleo.com/paul/g&l_bbe_wiring_diagrams/basses/sb2_wiring_diagram.jpg

You're right. I think the two versions are different winds.

Why not use the same pup in the gen 2 ? Good question. Leo was still in charge when the gen 2 appeared, he must have thought there was a good reason. Gotta admit, both SB-2 gens are pretty kickass in stock form.

 

[jglunt]

You're right. I think the two versions are different winds.

Why not use the same pup in the gen 2 ? Good question. Leo was still in charge when the gen 2 appeared, he must have thought there was a good reason. Gotta admit, both SB-2 gens are pretty kickass in stock form.

Yeah, I dig my 2nd gen SB-2. Was the 1st generation also without a tone control? That's one of the things I like most about mine. It's a matter of pride to get such a great sound out of a bass with no tone control.

 

[Iridescentone]

Yeah, I dig my 2nd gen SB-2. Was the 1st generation also without a tone control? That's one of the things I like most about mine. It's a matter of pride to get such a great sound out of a bass with no tone control.

Gen 1... V/T/3-way pup selector toggle.

Gen 2... no tone control. Yep, that's the SB-2 discipline.

What would JJ or Jaco do?...who gives a crap an SB-2 is like a drag race car.

 

[Iridescentone]

A Lynx...an SB-2 with body contours. Sometimes I almost can't believe the sound that comes outta this bass' blow hole, it's almost too much (if that's even possible). Ten pounds of pure muscle.

 

[jglunt]

That control setup on a passive bass is exactly like the old Mosrite bass I had over 50 years ago. 2 pickups...1 volume...1 passive tone...3 way pickup selector switch.

 

[MrB64]

But can anyone take seriously SW's 55 point inspection claim? I call BS on that.

I think I agree there.

 

[Crispus]

I remember conversation about putting a jazz mfd - like a sb-2 bridge pickup - in the neck position on a Kiloton.

Maybe that's what you're remembering?

Thanks for the reply, but no, I am pretty sure there was a picture of it. A black tribby sb-2 with a mfd bucker in the bridge. Dunno, maybe I am hallucinating it all…

In truth, I love my gen2 sb-2s. I see the bridge pup as a tone control, as many others have stated. The hum doesn't really bother me because I never take it past 25%, if it's even on. A simply sublime design.
Thanks again, PTL!

 

[svtbass]

You're right. I think the two versions are different winds.

Why not use the same pup in the gen 2 ? Good question. Leo was still in charge when the gen 2 appeared, he must have thought there was a good reason. Gotta admit, both SB-2 gens are pretty kickass in stock form.

A 1st gen bridge pickup is louder, fuller and can stand on it's own. Gen 2 bridge pickup isn't going to work for anything else as it's basically a tone control and definitely underwound. Currently have three SB2 2nd gens; a 1st gen SB2 and a Lynx so plenty of comparison meat to go around. Sure you can swap a 2nd gen bridge pickup out but it's replacement isn't going to present the same load to the split-coil and act as Leo intended- which is to give us a range of P's. And it works exceptionally well.

Many SB2 2nd gen owners don't put in the effort to understand what they have in their hands and that included me for several years. We know there's a few P's in there just diming the split-coil's volume but with juxtaposing both pickups volumes there's far more.

But displaying his hot blue babe Templar has called a Lynx-a-thon. Show us your rare kitties.

Lynx with ASAT fretless neck before I had the plastic white inserts removed for ebony and put her back to original.

 

[Iridescentone]

But displaying his hot blue babe Templar has called a Lynx-a-thon. Show us your rare kitties.

My gut tells me there won't be many showing up for a "Lynx-a-thon". Not that many floating around, might have a better chance of spotting an actual Lynx.

But, if the owner of a rare Red MAPLE board, beat up Lynx posts here...I'm gonna try to buy it off them. I used to think all Lynx's had rosewood boards. Until I saw an early maple one that someone found. Only one I've seen, and that was several years ago. Must have been a transition model from the SB-2, which I think all had maple boards.

 

[jglunt]

Thanks for the reply, but no, I am pretty sure there was a picture of it. A black tribby sb-2 with a mfd bucker in the bridge. Dunno, maybe I am hallucinating it all…

Yeah, man, acid flashbacks are a bitch. That would take some serious woodworking skill to do it right, but it could be very versatile, especially if it included the 3-way switch that's in the Kiloton on that bridge humbucker. Single coil would still be available, but either parallel or series would be available as well. I don't remember seeing that pic, but it sounds like something that could be done. On the other hand, I'm told the single coil pickup on the SB-2 is underwound so it will work well as a "tone control", so maybe a regular MFD humbucker would tend to overpower the split coil.

 

[bullitproof]

My gut tells me there won't be many showing up for a "Lynx-a-thon". Not that many floating around, might have a better chance of spotting an actual Lynx.

But, if the owner of a rare Red MAPLE board, beat up Lynx posts here...I'm gonna try to buy it off them. I used to think all Lynx's had rosewood boards. Until I saw an early maple one that someone found. Only one I've seen, and that was several years ago. Must have been a transition model from the SB-2, which I think all had maple boards.

Okay at least one here and even rarer as it's a lefty

 

[Temcat]

IIRC, the user (or one of the users) who modded their SB-2 with an MFD humbucker said they weren't satisfied with the results. I guess it's a real challenge to find a bridge pickup that works well with the MFD P. In addition, I personally had a custom Nordstrand humbucking pickup made for me to be installed in the SB-2 bridge position (I even designed and 3D-printed the pickup cover for it), but it was a total failure. Didn't play well with the MFD P at all.

Yeah, man, acid flashbacks are a bitch. That would take some serious woodworking skill to do it right, but it could be very versatile, especially if it included the 3-way switch that's in the Kiloton on that bridge humbucker. Single coil would still be available, but either parallel or series would be available as well. I don't remember seeing that pic, but it sounds like something that could be done. On the other hand, I'm told the single coil pickup on the SB-2 is underwound so it will work well as a "tone control", so maybe a regular MFD humbucker would tend to overpower the split coil.

 

[svtbass]

Okay at least one here and even rarer as it's a lefty
View attachment 5065062

That it is and looks to be in excellent condition.

 

[svtbass]

My gut tells me there won't be many showing up for a "Lynx-a-thon". Not that many floating around, might have a better chance of spotting an actual Lynx.

But, if the owner of a rare Red MAPLE board, beat up Lynx posts here...I'm gonna try to buy it off them. I used to think all Lynx's had rosewood boards. Until I saw an early maple one that someone found. Only one I've seen, and that was several years ago. Must have been a transition model from the SB-2, which I think all had maple boards.

Rare, but calling for a Lynx sighting is the best chance, ay? I really like the fretless neck on the Lynx over the SB1 (here with the new ebony lines) as there's far more fretless tones purring in her.

 

[dwellers]

For those of you with experience (or ownership) of both an L2K and L1K, would you say the tone of the L2K running just the neck pup in passive mode is 90-100% of the L1K? Or is it a very different beast altogether and nothing like it? Is it similar to the way a 4HH Stingray just doesn't really get the same tone as the single H 'ray? I know the electronics of the two G&Ls are quite different but with the same pickup in the same location, I would expect them to be close. Thanks!

 

[TDR1138]

For those of you with experience (or ownership) of both an L2K and L1K, would you say the tone of the L2K running just the neck pup in passive mode is 90-100% of the L1K? Or is it a very different beast altogether and nothing like it? Is it similar to the way a 4HH Stingray just doesn't really get the same tone as the single H 'ray? I know the electronics of the two G&Ls are quite different but with the same pickup in the same location, I would expect them to be close. Thanks!

Close. Maybe 90%, if we're talking the same era of basses. I have an '88 L-1000, an '89 L-2000, and at one point also had an '00 L-2000. The '89 L-2000 was closer to the L-1000 than it was to the '00 L-2000.

Comparing the '88 and '89, I do find the L-1000 to be a little more open sounding, whereas the L-2000 seems a tiny bit compressed in comparison. And of course the L-1000 has single coil mode that the L-2000 doesn't. The L-2000 has more mids, where the L-1000 has a little more in the lows and highs, but that could always just be the woods affecting it, too.

 

[Kubicki Fan]

A weak G string on an M-2500: anemic compared to the rest of the strings, which sound good and balanced in relation to each other.

Has anyone noticed this? Is this a commonly reported issue? I suggested a new set of strings but my friend said the strings were new.

 

[ahbass2500]

A weak G string on an M-2500: anemic compared to the rest of the strings, which sound good and balanced in relation to each other.

Has anyone noticed this? Is this a commonly reported issue? I suggested a new set of strings but my friend said the strings were new.

MFD pickups have individually adjustable pole pieces. Has your friend tried adjusting the G string pole heights?

 

[Crispus]

Yeah, man, acid flashbacks are a bitch. That would take some serious woodworking skill to do it right, but it could be very versatile, especially if it included the 3-way switch that's in the Kiloton on that bridge humbucker. Single coil would still be available, but either parallel or series would be available as well. I don't remember seeing that pic, but it sounds like something that could be done. On the other hand, I'm told the single coil pickup on the SB-2 is underwound so it will work well as a "tone control", so maybe a regular MFD humbucker would tend to overpower the split coil.

I bet you're right about the bucker being too much, or maybe it would just throw things off entirely. The sb-2 is as it's meant to be. And, I agree with what svtbass says above about there being so much in the original design if one takes the time. I didn't know the part about Leo being around for gen2.
Still, I could swear I had seen that post with the bucker in the bridge. Oh, well

 

[Crispus]

IIRC, the user (or one of the users) who modded their SB-2 with an MFD humbucker said they weren't satisfied with the results. I guess it's a real challenge to find a bridge pickup that works well with the MFD P. In addition, I personally had a custom Nordstrand humbucking pickup made for me to be installed in the SB-2 bridge position (I even designed and 3D-printed the pickup cover for it), but it was a total failure. Didn't play well with the MFD P at all.

Oh, wow! Sorry to hear that didn't work out with the Nordy. Glad to hear I wasn't completely imagining that sb mod, though!

I guess the science is in: love and accept the sb-2 for what it is or don't, but you won't make it better. I am in the former camp!