Tort definitely with that blue. Gives it some extra pop and helps balance the overall look, imo.
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That's how I'm starting to feel. I swapped out the chrome bridge for the black and the look does seem to jell better with tort. Plus when I take everything into perspective...WARNING Lakland content. I don't have a fretless Glaub so I'm swapping pickups to match pairs.
I agree. I'm not knocking the guys that dig it but I just don't like it. I really like the stock standard 4 string G&L headstock variants with the eye gouger. I think its a good design.
I'm a weirdo but headstock aesthetics are really important to me. I've always complained about the 5 string 3+2 shape as well!! Now that G&L offer the L2500 I'm thinking of grabbing a custom for this reason. Purchase approval from the minister is next on the agenda!
Are the Lakland necks a little slimmer front to back?
I have a 4401 and 4402 and the necks are just too thin compared to G&L (and others).
I'm not generally a tort fan, except in certain circumstances. It looks really good with that blue, gives it a bit of zip, but not too much.
The black looks too bland/businesslike to me (though it looks great on that burst in your pic).
The black looks too bland/businesslike to me (though it looks great on that burst in your pic).
Not that much in my experience, both brands can be all over the place.
I've measured all my necks the past several years.
Current & former measurements:
Depth @ 1st fret G&L's: 74,78,78,79,79,79,79,79,80,80,81,82,82,83,83,83,85,85,86 (all USA)
Depth @ 1st fret Laklands: 73,77,77,78,79,80,81,81,85, (6 USA, 3 Skyline)
That pic is a good illustration of how sleek the SB1/2 body shape is compared to a P bass type. Probably one of the reasons I get in so we'll with mine but find Fenders a bit agricultural
Ha!
I don't currently own any Fenders, but that's a good description of how I feel switching from my SBs to my L2k.
Chronological order, from oldest to most recent? So, top of first fret to back of neck? I find this interesting.
Somebody hasn't had their coffee. @ first fret top of board. We don't need no stinking frets.
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Hey guys. I am in the search for my "lifer" bass. My first upgrade and probably the last one for many years or forever. Will the L2500 really cover the tonal ground of a Jazz / Precision bass? Or is it it's own thing that kinda comes close? Like a PJ bass. I'm considering a passive fender jazz otherwise...
Also, with all the controls, is this a bass that is easy to dial in bad tones? I've heard that some"versatile basses" can have a few killer tones and some so so ones in between them. I would hate to always be messing with the EQ or to hit a nob and never be able to find that one tone I had again. When I also have an amp to tweak too. Just some general worries that I am curious about your L2500 experiences with...
Your replies are appreciated!
Also, with all the controls, is this a bass that is easy to dial in bad tones? I've heard that some"versatile basses" can have a few killer tones and some so so ones in between them. I would hate to always be messing with the EQ or to hit a nob and never be able to find that one tone I had again. When I also have an amp to tweak too. Just some general worries that I am curious about your L2500 experiences with...
Your replies are appreciated!
L2500 is extremely easy to dial in usable tones if you can wrap your head around the control layout. Most people adapt to the controls easily. I have encountered a few that just cannot figure them out and hate the bass because of it.
It is versatile and I find that it can be used to cover precision/jazz tonal ground. With that said, it does not get all the way there for some of the tones as it has its own thing going on to some extent (MFD pickups plus the preamp setup are pretty unique).
With that said, if you want one bass to do it all, this is the best I have ever played for that goal (second best I have encountered likely going to the Fender Roscoe Beck; the coil taps for each pickup are nice). It definitely does a better job of covering tonal ground than a passive Jazz bass will, but it is also not a passive jazz bass. If you are interested in Jazz tones, getting the single coil option on the L2500 (sometimes called K-Mod) is something you will want to consider.
For me the L2500 is harder to find bad tones on than good ones. That does not mean they are not there, but they are less present than the good ones. If I had to live my life with one bass, the L2500 is it. Noting that I do not have to live my life with one so I also have P and J style basses (because they can do some things that the L2500 cannot). For what it is worth, I reach for the L2500 more often.
It is versatile and I find that it can be used to cover precision/jazz tonal ground. With that said, it does not get all the way there for some of the tones as it has its own thing going on to some extent (MFD pickups plus the preamp setup are pretty unique).
With that said, if you want one bass to do it all, this is the best I have ever played for that goal (second best I have encountered likely going to the Fender Roscoe Beck; the coil taps for each pickup are nice). It definitely does a better job of covering tonal ground than a passive Jazz bass will, but it is also not a passive jazz bass. If you are interested in Jazz tones, getting the single coil option on the L2500 (sometimes called K-Mod) is something you will want to consider.
For me the L2500 is harder to find bad tones on than good ones. That does not mean they are not there, but they are less present than the good ones. If I had to live my life with one bass, the L2500 is it. Noting that I do not have to live my life with one so I also have P and J style basses (because they can do some things that the L2500 cannot). For what it is worth, I reach for the L2500 more often.
The L2500 is very much it's own thing. It can certainly get "P-ish", and if you get the K-mod, it'll get sort of "J-ish", but don't think that it will magically be a stand in for the quintessential J or P or MM or anything else. It's got it's own thing going, totally. That said, I've fooled some great ears into thinking I used a Pbass on a track, when in reality, it was an L2500.
I guess "bad tones" is all up to the user. That's pretty subjective. Sure, you can roll out all the highs and lows and end up with something not exactly standard, but whether or not that's a "bad tone" is up to you. Generally speaking, I find the L2500 to be pretty much "set and forget". Granted, mine is a fretless, all passive, and a few other mods, but once you find the tones you like, it's just like any other bass. If more than a single passive treble cut tone knob confuses you, the L2500 might not be your thing.
Try it out on a gig and in the studio, and give it some time. The L2500 is one of my all-time favorite basses. L2000, as well, but I enjoy the 5 string for my needs.
There are folks who refer to the L1000 as a P-bass on steroids (good for 'roid-rage music I guess), and it really is an excellent substitute for a P-bass for many, many live applications. I don't do recording anymore on electric bass so I can't speak to that. My L2500, run in passive mode and especially with the K-mod, can do pretty much what my L1000 does—minus the OMG series setting. I think that the larger mass of the L2500—bigger neck not body—does influence the tone somewhat. On equivalent settings the two basses do not sound quite like each other. The 2500 seems more punchy and less woody: both with alder bodies, both with the same pickups (although the 2500 with two), and both run passive.
To address the broader question, you really have to work at it to get bad tones out of an L2500. The only keys which I would suggest are: (i) generally not maxing out the bass's volume control but running at maybe 75-80%, (ii) generally not maxing out the bass cut control to give the MFD mids a chance to really shine, and (iii) in active mode, resisting that treble boost position on the third switch. Beyond the boom/snarl you'll get by violating (i)-(iii)
, everything else is crazy flexible and satisfying. While I probably love my M2500 slightly more, the L2500 is one really outstanding workhorse.
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Depends what you are trying to accomplish. If you want a P or J sound while you are alone in a room with no other musicians, get a P or J. If you want to get damn close to a P or J while in a mix with other musicians, the L2x00 will do that. It really depends on what you want.
You know, the L also has it's own sounds. Can't find those on the P or J. I was initially attracted to the Ls because of the versatility. Now, it is more about those specific sounds that can't be found elsewhere.
Good luck!
We should sticky this paragraph - the key points for success with MFD's! ...IMHO
I agree with what the guys have said above. If you really need that specific passive P or J tone, the L2x00 doesn't absolutely nail them, but the neck pickup in series with judiscious use of the treble can get very close and in my opinion sounds better/fuller/a little more prominent than a stock standard P.
K-Mod doesn't quite do a J for me. Outer coils sounds like a mid-scooped J, inner coils sound a little like a Stingray. I will say IMHO/YMMV etc that in parallel/humbucking mode, both pickups on to me sound like a J if you back off the bass to 50% and treble to taste. Not exact, but it gets there and sounds great.
Now it sounds like I am putting the L2x00 down. I'm not at all. It does a good job of copping at least the vibe of a P and J. But also on top of that you have those 2 big glorious humbuckers producing big, thick humbucking tones in either parallel or series mode that you will never get out of a P or a J. It really can be either a beast if you want, or it can also be refined depending on settings, strings etc. I still find the L series to be one of the most versatile basses I've ever encountered.
