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G&L Club Part 7

#4,142
ODDBALL said:
Hello G&L Folks,

I am new to G&L and have a question. How would you describe the tone of a L2500 Tribute? I'm thinking of one or a Lakland 55-01.

Thanks

Shaun
Click to expand...

It's a chameleon. It can get some P-bass tones, Jazz bass tones, Stingray tones, etc. just depending on how you use the EQ switches and knobs. Someone is bound to show up and add the caveat "It gets close but not 100%".

In general however, they're bright, punchy and quite high output. They are not mid-heavy like most basses equipped with "hot" pickups, they're more like an active bass but most features on that bass are passive.

The bass roll off knob works passively, so you don't need the preamp on for it to work. It's useful primarily with the pickups in series mode to dial back the low-end boost you get.
 
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#4,143
MAJOR METAL said:
G&L's Greenburst finish is awesome. :bassist:
Click to expand...

Yes, it certainly is! The finish on my L2500 is just beautiful!

TransportChair - 1.jpg
 
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#4,144
Antisyzygy said:
It's a chameleon. It can get some P-bass tones, Jazz bass tones, Stingray tones, etc. just depending on how you use the EQ switches and knobs. Someone is bound to show up and add the caveat "It gets close but not 100%".

In general however, they're bright, punchy and quite high output. They are not mid-heavy like most basses equipped with "hot" pickups, they're more like an active bass but most features on that bass are passive.

The bass roll off knob works passively, so you don't need the preamp on for it to work. It's useful primarily with the pickups in series mode to dial back the low-end boost you get.
Click to expand...
+1
There is also a very simple modification called the "K-wiring" that sometimes ships from the factory (USA models) and can be easily adapted to others-- it is a three-way toggle switch that replaces the stock two-way version, and provides the owner with a split-coil option. That means you can run the bass in single-coil mode (neck only/ neck & bridge/ bridge only) and turns an already great instrument into a fantastic instrument. A multi purpose tool for just about any job ;)

Oh-- the L2000/2005k's are pretty too ;)
 
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#4,146
I had and played a Lakland 55-02 as my number one for about three years. As much as I loved that bass, I love my L2500 more. It's very comfortable and I found I do not need a 35"scale bass to have a great b string. If I have to nit pick I'd wish the string spacing was a little wider but I also realized I don't need the 19mm spacing if the Lakland either. In fact for most any playing style I find the G&L easier to get around on.
 
#4,151
ODDBALL said:
Which is better a L2500 or M2500? I know two different animals.

Shaun
Click to expand...

Depends on your preferences. If you like to have your pickups set so they are both on but one is louder then you'll want the M series. If you like either or both pickups on a switch, then the L series is better.

Likewise, if you want active boost and cut of 3 bands of EQ then you want the M series. If you want passive cut only controls for 2 bands of EQ and the ability to run without a battery, then you want an L series.
 
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#4,152
bdgotoh said:
Depends on your preferences. If you like to have your pickups set so they are both on but one is louder then you'll want the M series. If you like either or both pickups on a switch, then the L series is better.

Likewise, if you want active boost and cut of 3 bands of EQ then you want the M series. If you want passive cut only controls for 2 bands of EQ and the ability to run without a battery, then you want an L series.
Click to expand...

This is one of the best run-downs of the L and M differences (and why you might choose one over the other) I have seen.

I recently got an L2500 to see if I liked it as much or more than my M2500. I still haven't decided, but I will say that I'm liking the L more than I expected. But in hindsight (and given the comparison above) I should have known. My main basses are passive Js, so i get along with passive tone controls just fine, and I appreciate being able to go totally passive. My ONLY complaint is that I can't yet have single coils (a problem I hope to fix by doing the K mod).

I only wish I had gotten my L sooner.
 
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#4,154
jfh2424 said:
You can thank me later.
John
Click to expand...

Or maybe thank Ed.

I've listened to this many times and each time come to somewhat different conclusions. These are not quite the same pickups, certainly different preamp philosophies, and a choice to be either active always or active/passive. I have and like both for different reasons. As Ed notes the Mxxxx is more "polite" than the Lxxxx is, and thus it plays better with sophisticated company [I use my M2000 for stage show pit work—not the L, but always use the L for rock stuff]. I'd have to differ on the M having a pickup blend advantage, though; the implementation of the blend knob on both my M2000 and MJ-5 has been much more quantized: it's pretty much front only, front with a bit of back, 50/50, back with a bit of front, and back only. Now maybe that's 5 settings instead of 3 but it isn't a sweeping continuous blend.
 
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#4,159
jmlee said:
I'd have to differ on the M having a pickup blend advantage, though; the implementation of the blend knob on both my M2000 and MJ-5 has been much more quantized: it's pretty much front only, front with a bit of back, 50/50, back with a bit of front, and back only. Now maybe that's 5 settings instead of 3 but it isn't a sweeping continuous blend.
Click to expand...

I have an M-2500, and agree that it's basically five settings, just like Jazz basses IMO. I like favoring the neck pickup slightly, so I like the M, but I'd be perfectly content with the L-2500's setup too. (I'd also love to have a passive mode.)

Another difference between L and M is that the M's pickups are always wired in series. It doesn't have the slightly mellower parallel option, let alone a single coil option like the available K-wiring on the L-series. So, while the M's pickups aren't as hot as the L's, they also can't be "thinned out" in a parallel mode. All such "thinning" is done via the blend and EQ.

Also, while the M's pickups might be "polite" relative to the L-series, they are still some of the hottest, baddest pickups around, with that characteristic MFD intensity that cuts through just about anything. I get plenty of thick, satisfying MFD punch out of the M, which can sound very aggressive through my G-K gear.
 
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#4,160
Nedmundo said:
I have an M-2500, and agree that it's basically five settings, just like Jazz basses IMO. I like favoring the neck pickup slightly, so I like the M, but I'd be perfectly content with the L-2500's setup too. (I'd also love to have a passive mode.)

Another difference between L and M is that the M's pickups are always wired in series. It doesn't have the slightly mellower parallel option, let alone a single coil option like the available K-wiring on the L-series. So, while the M's pickups aren't as hot as the L's, they also can't be "thinned out" in a parallel mode. All such "thinning" is done via the blend and EQ.

Also, while the M's pickups might be "polite" relative to the L-series, they are still some of the hottest, baddest pickups around, with that characteristic MFD intensity that cuts through just about anything. I get plenty of thick, satisfying MFD punch out of the M, which can sound very aggressive through my G-K gear.
Click to expand...

So the M-series pickups are MFD then?
 

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