One of my sound guys modded it to take two 9volt batteries. It was making a humming noise so he grounded it and I told him to put it outside until I decide if I want it. I think I am just going to convert it back to taking one 9volt.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
I'm finally back in the land of electric bass after 8 years of only upright.
I went for a modified USA L-1500
with an additional p-bass pickup,
and a Bartolini NTMB preamp.
Controls are: stacked dual volume,
stacked treble & mid,
bass, 3 way mid selector switch,
active/passive switch.
I went for a modified USA L-1500
with an additional p-bass pickup,
and a Bartolini NTMB preamp.
Controls are: stacked dual volume,
stacked treble & mid,
bass, 3 way mid selector switch,
active/passive switch.
It only has one 9v in it.
I'm wondering how much difference 18v makes...
I am really tempted to get a SB-2 style split pickup to replace the Fender(?) P.
I think the volumes of 2 MFDs would balance better.
I'm wondering how much difference 18v makes...
I am really tempted to get a SB-2 style split pickup to replace the Fender(?) P.
I think the volumes of 2 MFDs would balance better.
Did you do that modification yourself?
You know you could make a fortune with luthier skills if you crafted 5 string versions of the SB-2 or LB100.
But yes if I were you I'd want SB-2 split pickup to mix and match with the MFD.
You know you could make a fortune with luthier skills if you crafted 5 string versions of the SB-2 or LB100.
But yes if I were you I'd want SB-2 split pickup to mix and match with the MFD.
That looks pretty darn cool! I would definitely go with an SB-1/2 pickup. They rock.
No, I just bought it that way.
Swapping out the P for another MFD is definitely the plan. ^_^
There is a little bit of ground noise.
The treble control cuts it out, but I think I should shield the cavities.
The Bartolini pre sounds pretty good.
Stacked volume is nice because you can roll them both down at once.
There isn't a switch for the series/parallel on the humbucker though...
Having messed with an L-2000, I think I could live with hardwired series.
Cat, your bass really makes me wish even more that G&L had an SB-1 (or 2) 5-string. After seeing your bass, an L-1505 with an MFD split-coil pickup added sounds like an awesome idea.
The problem would be getting a split pickup MFD for a five stringer.
I don't think G&L ever offered one. Good luck fabricating an imitation.
How important do you feel the series parallel switch is?
Is it a must-have feature on a MFD humbucker bass?
I know the M-2000 is hardwired in series.
Is it a must-have feature on a MFD humbucker bass?
I know the M-2000 is hardwired in series.
series parallel is a very useful feature - quite different tonally - series parallel single coil is even more versatile
Single coil is more versatile, but it can be noisy. I play in a space that has an unexplained electromagnetic field where the power attaches to the building and a single coil picks that up big time. Kinda weird - move to another room or place my body between the bass and the source and it diminishes.
As far as series/parallel. It's a nice to have, but I think after some fiddling most find the position the like and leave it there.
You know there's no reason with all these electronic configurations that some sort of micro processor doesn't eventually get embedded and we get our choice of 32 or 64 standard and programmable configurations. That's all in effects boxes now not that much more to just embed it. It's coming.
As far as series/parallel. It's a nice to have, but I think after some fiddling most find the position the like and leave it there.
You know there's no reason with all these electronic configurations that some sort of micro processor doesn't eventually get embedded and we get our choice of 32 or 64 standard and programmable configurations. That's all in effects boxes now not that much more to just embed it. It's coming.
Some would say yes, but if you roll off the volume about 20% and take off a little bass then series sounds close enough to parallel to fool most people. One mod you could do without too much hassle would be to wire a 0.1uf capacitor from the series jumper to a switch and then to ground. When activated you get "single coil with bass boost" which is fat like series but sounds very single-coil like.
Did they change the pickguard shape?
When the G&l lb-100 came out I noticed the pickguard shape didn't match the body contours exactly, like the sb1 sb2 and fender precision.
Like in this pic, the pickguard is closer to the edge of the bass at the lower horn and output jack.
My ocd brain won't stop looking at it.
The pickguard on Yours looks more even and uniform.
I've had a chance to put my MJ5 thru the paces and I thought I would share my impressions about it.
I used the MJ5 in three different live settings with a band that includes (Drums, Tubs, Guitar, Keys, Trombone, Trumpet, Sax, Vocals and of course, BASS) We played in three different size rooms ranging from small club size to my living room. I haven't played live with it yet, but have enough information to ascertain wether or not it will work for me.
I used three different rig combinations ( Streamliner 900 W/ GB Neo X 212, GBE 1200 W/ Uber 4x10 and Streamliner 900 W/ Uber 212) I am not going to touch too much on settings of these amps, but will say the controls for both amps were pretty much run flat.
Feel/playability:
The instrument balances well and is very comfortable to play sitting or standing (9.2 lbs on my bathroom scale). It is not heavy to me, but may be on the heavy side for some. The string spacing is a tight 17MM? w/1.75" wide nut. The thickness/radius of the neck seems just right. Being that my first five string bass was a Modulus Q5, I am comfortable with the tight string spacing which allows me to breeze through bass runs with ease. It is an easy transition when I switch to my four string jazz bass as the string spacing is similar.
Fit/Finish:
The neck pocket/routings are neat and precise. No noticeable gaps or parts that don't seem to fit squarely. The finish is beautiful. I had this one done up in Metallic Tangerine. The Paint edges on the matching headstock are neat but not perfect. The neck is finished in the clear satin which allows my hands to glide down the neck with ease. The frets are dressed perfectly and there is no buzzing on the fretboard. I ordered the Quarter sawn neck option in the hopes that it is more stable and less susceptible to movment as compared to a flat sawn neck. I have no observations for this.
Sound/EQ:
The active electronics are voiced perfectly for these pickups. The frequency selections for the bass, mids and treble are very effective and dramatic. I have owned a good share of basses with active electronics and this bass gets high marks for the eq package, good job on this G&L! This is primarily why I did not find my self reaching for the eq on the head. There are no noise, hiss, interference issues to speak of.
The sound/voice is very modern and not like that of a passive bass. The eq is very useful on this bass. It allows me to dial in a burpy tone for the the jazz tunes (with the neck pup rolled back a little) or a low/ mid heavy sound (with the treble rolled back) for the Motown tunes. The bass came strung with Nickel D'Addario's, I didn't feel that they were complementing the bass so changed them to pro steels. The pro steels really brought the bass to life and made it growl. It doesn't have a scooped sound with the stainless strings as some might expect. Between the highs/mids and lows it is very balanced sounding. .I have no problems hearing myself in a heavy mix whatsoever. I found myself reaching for the mid control a few times in order to make adjustments. No matter what combination of rig I used. the bass sounded good.
Overall I am very impressed and the MJ gets a big thumbs up. If you are looking for a nice modern playing/ very affordable jazz style bass, than this one is worth considering. I am into this bass for about $1500 with all the options I chose. There are a ton of standard options to choose from as well. A custom G&L bass can be created here.
G&L Bass Index
Here are the options I chose:
G&L MJ-5:$1950 MSRP
Tangerine Metallic: $0
Matching Headstock: $150
Maple board: $0
Satin Neck Finish, no tint: $0
Quartersawn Neck: $100
This is my first time writing a review on a bass so hope it is useful.
Feel free to ask any questions as I am predisposed to vague descriptions about observations at times.
I used the MJ5 in three different live settings with a band that includes (Drums, Tubs, Guitar, Keys, Trombone, Trumpet, Sax, Vocals and of course, BASS) We played in three different size rooms ranging from small club size to my living room. I haven't played live with it yet, but have enough information to ascertain wether or not it will work for me.
I used three different rig combinations ( Streamliner 900 W/ GB Neo X 212, GBE 1200 W/ Uber 4x10 and Streamliner 900 W/ Uber 212) I am not going to touch too much on settings of these amps, but will say the controls for both amps were pretty much run flat.
Feel/playability:
The instrument balances well and is very comfortable to play sitting or standing (9.2 lbs on my bathroom scale). It is not heavy to me, but may be on the heavy side for some. The string spacing is a tight 17MM? w/1.75" wide nut. The thickness/radius of the neck seems just right. Being that my first five string bass was a Modulus Q5, I am comfortable with the tight string spacing which allows me to breeze through bass runs with ease. It is an easy transition when I switch to my four string jazz bass as the string spacing is similar.
Fit/Finish:
The neck pocket/routings are neat and precise. No noticeable gaps or parts that don't seem to fit squarely. The finish is beautiful. I had this one done up in Metallic Tangerine. The Paint edges on the matching headstock are neat but not perfect. The neck is finished in the clear satin which allows my hands to glide down the neck with ease. The frets are dressed perfectly and there is no buzzing on the fretboard. I ordered the Quarter sawn neck option in the hopes that it is more stable and less susceptible to movment as compared to a flat sawn neck. I have no observations for this.
Sound/EQ:
The active electronics are voiced perfectly for these pickups. The frequency selections for the bass, mids and treble are very effective and dramatic. I have owned a good share of basses with active electronics and this bass gets high marks for the eq package, good job on this G&L! This is primarily why I did not find my self reaching for the eq on the head. There are no noise, hiss, interference issues to speak of.
The sound/voice is very modern and not like that of a passive bass. The eq is very useful on this bass. It allows me to dial in a burpy tone for the the jazz tunes (with the neck pup rolled back a little) or a low/ mid heavy sound (with the treble rolled back) for the Motown tunes. The bass came strung with Nickel D'Addario's, I didn't feel that they were complementing the bass so changed them to pro steels. The pro steels really brought the bass to life and made it growl. It doesn't have a scooped sound with the stainless strings as some might expect. Between the highs/mids and lows it is very balanced sounding. .I have no problems hearing myself in a heavy mix whatsoever. I found myself reaching for the mid control a few times in order to make adjustments. No matter what combination of rig I used. the bass sounded good.
Overall I am very impressed and the MJ gets a big thumbs up. If you are looking for a nice modern playing/ very affordable jazz style bass, than this one is worth considering. I am into this bass for about $1500 with all the options I chose. There are a ton of standard options to choose from as well. A custom G&L bass can be created here.
G&L Bass Index
Here are the options I chose:
G&L MJ-5:$1950 MSRP
Tangerine Metallic: $0
Matching Headstock: $150
Maple board: $0
Satin Neck Finish, no tint: $0
Quartersawn Neck: $100
This is my first time writing a review on a bass so hope it is useful.
Feel free to ask any questions as I am predisposed to vague descriptions about observations at times.
I have read the preamp has not been designed to support that option. So, active only.
This review is useless without pics!
Also for fun I tried to make the most expensive custom build and came up with this:
Last edited:
Just got offered an L2000 as a trade for my American SUB. Waiting his reply for pics/details.
Are there any issues common with these basses? Anything to look out for when I go check it out?
Are there any issues common with these basses? Anything to look out for when I go check it out?
