G&L Club Part 7

[oldskoolskatedad]

Looking forward to a NBD, just picked up a pretty mint '81 Ash/Ebony L2KE off the bay. Does anyone know if there is any truth to the slotted poles sounding differently when oriented either horizontally or vertically? Also read that they should all be facing the same direction. Of course I'll be trying them

each and every way once it arrives.

 

[ahbass2500]

hello folks
I need help. I own a G&L 2500 tribute that I like very much. (the brown one). I'd like to buy another one (the blue one).
the seller says that the blue one is a L2500 premium.
for me it's difficult to say witch one is premium and witch one is "standard"
could you help me ? what do you think ?
thanx

At one point G&L used the premium distinction on tributes to indicate different body woods. Premium model should have an ash body. I believe they were all transparent finishes as well.

 

[oldskoolskatedad]

A few more pics

 

[LeoMei]

@ahadl2500
@TomB
yes, the "premium" series was supposed to be made of swamp ash instead of rosewood for standard. Maybe little other difference in the neck.
but is there a visual index to recognise premium and standard ?
any G&L expert can help me ?

 

[mdlewis]

Hi All,

I've got a US L2K purchased new about three years ago. I love the feel and the construction of the bass. I've been struggling with the tone. I did a search for some thoughts on this but it's been hard for me to integrate the results and figure out what to do.

FWIW, I have several other basses which I am comparing this to - '59 P-Bass, Reverend PJ, Gretsch etc. The L2K has GHS Pressurewounds on it. Other basses have everything from DR Hi-Beams to LaBella flats. Although the tone changes when I change the strings on the L2K, the change to the sound relative to other basses seems similar although the tone overall changes with the string type.

The L2K just seems to have a mid honk that I can't bring under control. This is exacerbated by the tone control setup which has the passive bass and passive treble roll-offs that don't allow me to address the mids directly and frustrates me.

1. Is this something that others hear as well?
2. Is this a voicing by design - does it disappear at volume and increase clarity in the mix? When I've listened to live recordings of me playing the L2K, sometimes this seems to be taking place.
3. Is there a characteristic of the the tone circuit or the pickups? I'm running passive most of the time...
4. If others have found this problematic, is there a way to improve mid-control on the bass, or should I just leave it to my pedalboard..

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Slaphound]

Mdlewi. Its different in a band setting. In the mix.

 

[Luigir]

Does anyone know if there is any truth to the slotted poles sounding differently when oriented either horizontally or vertically? Also read that they should all be facing the same direction. Of course I'll be trying them

IMHO don't waste time trying. Physically it doesn't make any sense.

 

[ahbass2500]

@ahadl2500
@TomB
yes, the "premium" series was supposed to be made of swamp ash instead of rosewood for standard. Maybe little other difference in the neck.
but is there a visual index to recognise premium and standard ?
any G&L expert can help me ?

Colors and ash should have a visible grain that basswood does not have. I believe the blue burst was reserved for ash bodies. Hopefully someone can confirm.

 

[oldskoolskatedad]

IMHO don't waste time trying. Physically it doesn't make any sense.

Common sense tells me it shouldn't make a difference...

 

[4stringsjack]

Looking forward to a NBD, just picked up a pretty mint '81 Ash/Ebony L2KE off the bay. Does anyone know if there is any truth to the slotted poles sounding differently when oriented either horizontally or vertically? Also read that they should all be facing the same direction. Of course I'll be trying them View attachment 3297589 each and every way once it arrives.

That's beautiful!

I have one with the slot pole pickups. It makes absolutely no difference which way the slots are facing, or whether they all face the same way.

Enjoy the bass! I can't believe how clean that is!

 

[dagrev]

Hi All,

I've got a US L2K purchased new about three years ago. I love the feel and the construction of the bass. I've been struggling with the tone. I did a search for some thoughts on this but it's been hard for me to integrate the results and figure out what to do.

FWIW, I have several other basses which I am comparing this to - '59 P-Bass, Reverend PJ, Gretsch etc. The L2K has GHS Pressurewounds on it. Other basses have everything from DR Hi-Beams to LaBella flats. Although the tone changes when I change the strings on the L2K, the change to the sound relative to other basses seems similar although the tone overall changes with the string type.

The L2K just seems to have a mid honk that I can't bring under control. This is exacerbated by the tone control setup which has the passive bass and passive treble roll-offs that don't allow me to address the mids directly and frustrates me.

1. Is this something that others hear as well?
2. Is this a voicing by design - does it disappear at volume and increase clarity in the mix? When I've listened to live recordings of me playing the L2K, sometimes this seems to be taking place.
3. Is there a characteristic of the the tone circuit or the pickups? I'm running passive most of the time...
4. If others have found this problematic, is there a way to improve mid-control on the bass, or should I just leave it to my pedalboard..

Any help would be appreciated.

Purely my experience here. Yes L2ks have some serious mids, as you know. GHS PWs have serious mids. Therefore they may be the wrong string given your rig. I have on that has some really present mids and GHS Boomers helped. May be Round core--I don't recall. The other L2k has GHS Precision Flats. No more looking for "that string." It provides some real lowend and tames the mids without removing them and making the bass sound like some other brand. I'm shooting for a thick sound, not raspy, clanky. The GHS flats really smooth things out in a good way. They have low mids but not the kind that is boxy or honky, so it's a great fit as they seem to bring out mids in other places from those in the L2k.

Keep in mind that cabs play a major role. Some just don't make for a good fit with some basses. May tend to accentuate something you may not want.

 

[oldskoolskatedad]

That's beautiful!

I have one with the slot pole pickups. It makes absolutely no difference which way the slots are facing, or whether they all face the same way.

Enjoy the bass! I can't believe how clean that is!

I would normally have dismissed the idea as complete hogwash if weren't for a post by Chef where he was giving L2KE setup advice and stated that pole height should match the fretboard radius and that the slots should all be in oriented in the same direction. I may have missed some subtle sarcasm.

 

[TDR1138]

@mdlewis you might also try messing with the pickup height (probably lower) and reducing the bass volume a little. I find the last 10-15% really pushes the mids forward, so lowering the volume should rein those back in a little.

 

[Luke the Fluke]

That's beautiful!

I have one with the slot pole pickups. It makes absolutely no difference which way the slots are facing, or whether they all face the same way.

Enjoy the bass! I can't believe how clean that is!

I would normally have dismissed the idea as complete hogwash if weren't for a post by Chef where he was giving L2KE setup advice and stated that pole height should match the fretboard radius and that the slots should all be in oriented in the same direction. I may have missed some subtle sarcasm.

Leo Fender obviously felt that there was a difference as he filed a patent for this feature. According to the patent - slot at right angles to the string give more fundamental and works similar to the big pole pieces on a MM. while parallel to the string give two points similar to a jazz or p pickup and has less fundamental.

I experimented and for me I could hear a subtle change - but not big enough that they bothered using it for more than a year- maybe bigger effect on guitars. I have all my pole pieces at 45degrees as it sounds better there to my ears

 

[mdlewis]

Purely my experience here. Yes L2ks have some serious mids, as you know. GHS PWs have serious mids. Therefore they may be the wrong string given your rig. I have on that has some really present mids and GHS Boomers helped. May be Round core--I don't recall. The other L2k has GHS Precision Flats. No more looking for "that string." It provides some real lowend and tames the mids without removing them and making the bass sound like some other brand. I'm shooting for a thick sound, not raspy, clanky. The GHS flats really smooth things out in a good way. They have low mids but not the kind that is boxy or honky, so it's a great fit as they seem to bring out mids in other places from those in the L2k.

Keep in mind that cabs play a major role. Some just don't make for a good fit with some basses. May tend to accentuate something you may not want.

Thanks. My comparisons is with exactly the same amp and cab. I understand that some cabs might work better for some basses than others, but I'm trying to understand what's going on in the context of just the L2K. If the bass is that much more mid forward than my other bases, I'll either have to use off board EQ to remedy the situation or get rid of it.

I originally put the GHS Pressurewounds on because they seemed LESS mid-forward than the d'Addario EXL170 rounds that shipped with the bass. I'm really simply looking for a modern, more evenly balanced round wound type sound. Flats are not something I'm interested in here - I have other basses I use for the flat vintage stuff. Just to be clear - GHS Boomers are rounds, right? I've never used them; I also don't know what you mean by round core - is this a variety of GHS string?

 

[mdlewis]

@mdlewis you might also try messing with the pickup height (probably lower) and reducing the bass volume a little. I find the last 10-15% really pushes the mids forward, so lowering the volume should rein those back in a little.

Thanks, TDR. I have already extensively gone through a pickup height adjustment search. It does make a difference, but the mids are still not under control. I always run passive volumes around 10% under maximum for various reasons and FWIW, have played with rolling off the bass and treble passive controls. These latter work well for taming the boom and string attack, but don't seem to have any mid-shaping effects that I can hear. Rolling off doesn't seem to accentuate the mids for example, it just loses the boom and the attach. There doesn't seem like there is any overlap with the mid freqs at all.

I'm wondering if the bass was simply designed to sound best with mid-scooped amps like an SVT.

 

[mdlewis]

Mdlewi. Its different in a band setting. In the mix.

Yeah, I've noticed that it's definitely not as noticeable, but it's still a force to be contended with. My challenge is that there is no way to get directly at the mids from the bass. Because they are so prominent relative to what I'm used to, some on the fly adjusting always seems required. I'm just looking for a way to bring the natural balance point a little closer to the other basses so that I don't have to redo the EQ from scratch every time.

Right now a pedal board or the the "contour, mid-scoop etc." control is how I've been dealing with this. For those amps with parametric mids I always tune those parms while setting up. Fooling with them on the fly from the vantage point of the band rather than the audience ( I play without FOH) hasn't really worked well for me unless I'm really familiar with the room. This is so noticeable that one time when I brought a P along with the L2K and switched to it, I had to race to put some mids back because it basically disappeared when I switched.

 

[oldskoolskatedad]

Leo Fender obviously felt that there was a difference as he filed a patent for this feature. According to the patent - slot at right angles to the string give more fundamental and works similar to the big pole pieces on a MM. while parallel to the string give two points similar to a jazz or p pickup and has less fundamental.

I experimented and for me I could hear a subtle change - but not big enough that they bothered using it for more than a year- maybe bigger effect on guitars. I have all my pole pieces at 45degrees as it sounds better there to my ears

Thanks for the info. After reading the patent I find it strange that it was filed in Sept. 1985, long after they stopped using them.

 

[BassPilot]

Thanks. My comparisons is with exactly the same amp and cab. I understand that some cabs might work better for some basses than others, but I'm trying to understand what's going on in the context of just the L2K. If the bass is that much more mid forward than my other bases, I'll either have to use off board EQ to remedy the situation or get rid of it.

I originally put the GHS Pressurewounds on because they seemed LESS mid-forward than the d'Addario EXL170 rounds that shipped with the bass. I'm really simply looking for a modern, more evenly balanced round wound type sound. Flats are not something I'm interested in here - I have other basses I use for the flat vintage stuff. Just to be clear - GHS Boomers are rounds, right? I've never used them; I also don't know what you mean by round core - is this a variety of GHS string?

When I found GHS Pressurewounds I was playing through a Fender Rumble 200. I could not get the grind I wanted out of an old P-bass until I put the Pressurewounds on. They have a very present mid grind that really helped with the Rumble amp.
Subsequently I got an SB-2 that I originally had Pressurewounds on but that bass with those strings was too aggressive for my ear with every amp I tried. After reading about GHS Balance Nickels I decided to try a pair. Those strings (after 5-6 hours of breakin) and using a Genz Benz Streamliner tamed that bass to be acceptable.
I would try different strings and see if it helps. I'm using the GHS BN's on a couple of basses and really love them! I got a G&L LB-100 and a G&L JB and those are the only two basses I play any more. They are truly wonderfully honest to their original/traditional heritage and I smile every time I pick them up.

 

[mdlewis]

When I found GHS Pressurewounds I was playing through a Fender Rumble 200. I could not get the grind I wanted out of an old P-bass until I put the Pressurewounds on. They have a very present mid grind that really helped with the Rumble amp.
Subsequently I got an SB-2 that I originally had Pressurewounds on but that bass with those strings was too aggressive for my ear with every amp I tried. After reading about GHS Balance Nickels I decided to try a pair.

Currently I'm playing mostly out of Magellan 800, Streamliner 900, (either through 1 x 10, 2 x 10, or occasionally 4 x 10 cabs; these are fairly balanced cabs) and a 64 B-15 with original speaker (not so balanced but sounds pretty good with just about everything). I'm running out of options short of replacing the tone circuits on the bass eq so I'm all for trying new strings.

Ordered. Excited to try something new...currently need to play another bass so got some time to screw with this one.