G&L Club Part 7

[Glazenn]

Nice bass. I thought you couldn't get custom neck sizes in 5-strings, though. What's your secret?
I LOVE the sound of L2500s but can't get use to the string spacing…. It's got to be at least 18mm for me, alas.
I played an M2500 in the shop last week and was totally impressed with the playability and B string, but <sigh> I just can't do the string spacing (and I prefer the L2000 electronics).

Thank you, JES, there is no secret, the 1-15/16th was the factory nut width on L-2500 (regular) and L-2500 Custom in 1996 and early 1997. I wish you to find one from this period.

This one is dated Jan 1997. A few months later, G&L trimmed the nut to 1-13/16th (when they changed the headstock from 4+1 to 3+2 with a few other things, by mid- or late 1997), though it's been again narrowed to 1-3/4 since then (#10 neck).

However the string spacing at the bridge is 17mm (68 mm from B to G, center to center), I believe it's still the same as of now.

I had a M-2500 until last year, I had no problem with the #10 neck that I liked much, the problem for me was the tone. I prefer that L-2500 and I am now familiar with the wider nut. I am gathering information on the special coil tapping electronics that produces the particular tone of that bass and will let you and others here know soon.

 

[mpdd]

finally put the Alleva Coppolo vintage flatwounds made by La Bella on the sb-2, after about an hour and a half the strings seem to be settling down a little and I finally have the sb-2 getting the warmer old school p tone i've been looking for, it'll be good to have another bass that can cover what i usually use the 83 L2000 with the dying xl170s for

 

[strost]

So I've been combing Youtube for the rare samples of the L-1000 and stumbled across these brothers from Maine who have a band. The drummer is like 9 or 10 in the videos and the older guitarist plays an L-1000 (usually overdubbed). Anyway, it was interesting to hear it on a variety of songs. I like.

Here are a couple of more bass-heavy songs though they have lots more.





Just thought I'd share.....

 

[jfh2424]

Thanks for posting Strost. I enjoyed it.

Wow, that dude really learned So What. Note for note. Very impressive.

I really dig the tone of the L1000. Sounds completly G&L to me. Thick, unrelentless bass. Just beautiful.

I have to say, though, you can get a tone very similar to that with an L2000, front pickup, passive, lots of bass, not much treble. Anyhow, that's my opinion of what I hear.

Thanks again.

John

 

[wrench45us]

made my day
in another year or so when that drummer brother smooths out they'll be killer

 

[Kubicki Fan]

looks like G&L are going to look after me.
Making me a new neck. 3 to 4 weeks out. woot!

Did you have to send the whole guitar in?

It seems I have the same problem: the truss rod sits too deep (deep with respect to the cross section of the neck) so to reach it i'd have to excavate the access hole. As it is the allen key can't go in because the access hole is off center. The thing is that I really like the neck!! Action is super low without buzz, the neck is thin and sits perfectly, the fretboard is beautiful (made of ebony which is not so common).

 

[Tunaman]

Did you have to send the whole guitar in?

It seems I have the same problem: the truss rod sits too deep (deep with respect to the cross section of the neck) so to reach it i'd have to excavate the access hole. As it is the allen key can't go in because the access hole is off center. The thing is that I really like the neck!! Action is super low without buzz, the neck is thin and sits perfectly, the fretboard is beautiful (made of ebony which is not so common).

Yeah, my neck has not needed an adjustment with my flats hanging out on it but next time it does & I change strings I'm gonna Rotozip more access to mine

 

[R&B]

After a few weeks' break, tonight I pulled out my 2014 Old School Tobacco Burst LB-100 and whaled away for a hour. What a magnificent piece of lumber! The #12 neck is utterly perfect, unlike my playing. The tone is solid yet more refined and sweet than my ballsiest Precisions. Not boomy at all. Very even across strings with the E and G poles lowered and the A and D poles raised.

Another TBer referred to the LB-100 as "inspiring." Yep.

 

[Cat-A-Tonic]

When I wired up the new pickup I followed the wiring that the bass was initially set up with.
Both before and after it sounds fine, but at a certain (high) volume blend between the 2 pickups you can hear some phase cancellation.
This is not totally undesirable, but I wonder if the ground and signal wires might be switched or something...
*(noob question blush)

I shielded the control cavity with copper tape and rewired the split pickup as I suspected it should be.
(Ground and signal were initially switched).
Now all the noise is gone.
No more phasing at any volume blend.
It sounds better than ever.
The treble EQ can actually be put to use now instead of just cutting noise.

After cleaning up the wiring nest
there seems to be enough room for an extra 9V.
The Bartolini preamp can optionally be run on 18V for more headroom.
Has anyone tried this kind of thing?
One battery vs. two?
How much difference does it make to the sound?

 

[wrench45us]

I bought an L2500 used a few months ago. I bought it because originally I wanted another m2500 to put different strings on the same model for more options, but figured why not go with more options and get an L2500.
The one I picked up had a big foam pad adhered to the bridge. I removed that and cleaned it up as best I could, but there was gunk all over the side of the bridge.
Anyway I finally noticed last week after playing the M2500 that the action was awfully high on the L2500 and that's why I never really warmed up to playing it, so I took it in for a setup and to get the gunk cleaned off the bridge with whatever secret solvent techs have on hand. I'm thinking now whoever owned it raised the action to get just the right amount of damping from that foam piece. That made it hard to play and I can see why the previous owner got rid of it
So I got it back last night with action lowered a good 2-3 mm and not only is it smoother playing, but the pickups are more sensitive and it plays and sounds -- just wow. It came back from the shop with settings I hadn't tried before and that was -- just wow as well: both pickups, series, passive, no cut at all on treble or bass.
I don't feel any desire at all now for a 5 string LB100 or SB-2 or the MJ-5.

This has LaBella Quarter rounds run string-through that are about 2 months old and I think that bass has found its matching strings.
I may have to try those strings on the m2500 as I have an ongoing sometimes love/ sometimes not love relationship with the DR Fat Beams on it now.

 

[Chef]

I've never seen anything like that.
Is this owner modified, or is G&L Japan doing this?

View attachment 580572 View attachment 580574
I shielded the control cavity with copper tape and rewired the split pickup as I suspected it should be.
(Ground and signal were initially switched).
Now all the noise is gone.
No more phasing at any volume blend.
It sounds better than ever.
The treble EQ can actually be put to use now instead of just cutting noise.

After cleaning up the wiring nest
there seems to be enough room for an extra 9V.
The Bartolini preamp can optionally be run on 18V for more headroom.
Has anyone tried this kind of thing?
One battery vs. two?
How much difference does it make to the sound?

 

[JES]

HEy Cat-a-Tonic:

I was JUST planning to post a question to the group asking if anyone has done this kind of thing and somehow I missed all these amazing posts from Cat-a-Tonic and bdgotoh. Now I've read them.

To answer your question, I don't have Bartolini experience, but with an old EMG preamp I had in a bass, 18v took it from that kind of "compressed" EMG sound that sounds good recorded but almost everyone on TB hates to a big, open dynamic sound that was just great. I would recommend trying it if it's an option.

Now, my own madness. I love the sound of G&L basses. I am doing 1 project and thinking of another:

Project 1: The GGLM (Geoff, George, Leo and Michel). I am having a new body built for a Modulus Bassstar neck (which was a drop-in P-J replacement). I was thinking of modding the body attached to that neck, but it's quite heavy and the TB Modulus Mob convinced me not to mess up a piece of bass history. For the new body, I picked up a used MFD split-coil precision type pickup and assuming I like the tone with the graphite neck, add an MFD humbucker at the bridge that with a k-switch wiring so I can run it as a P-J if I want. For tone, I'm initially trying out passive with a Stellartone tone-styler and a bypass switch. It'll be a couple months since I'm having the body built and need to hear it with the SB-2 pickup before doing the routing. So, questions on that:

A. Has anyone heard a G&L split coil or soap bar MFD with a graphite neck? Bonus if it's modulus, though I suppose Status would be in the same neighbourhood tonally and even Moses would give us a sense of what happens when you swap wood for synthetics.
B. I bought my SB-2 pickup used from a guy who's now banned on TB. He delivered on my deal, but now I'm suspicious: is there any difference between the US and Tribute SB-2 P-style pickups? I assumed not.

Project 2: A wide-spaced 35" G&L-based 5-string I love the sound of the L2500 (I have an L-2000) but can't stand the string spacing. Since G&L offers no string spacing options, I am wondering:

A. Has anyone installed a L2500 pickup in a bass with wider-than-17mm string spacing at the bridge? I'm assuming with the pole pieces that's a terrible idea.
B. Has anyone ever had a custom after-market MFD made to fit in a different spacing than G&L offers? I was thinking I could get an MFD with 18mm spacing made….

--JES

 

[craigb]

HEy Cat-a-Tonic:

B. I bought my SB-2 pickup used from a guy who's now banned on TB. He delivered on my deal, but now I'm suspicious: is there any difference between the US and Tribute SB-2 P-style pickups? I assumed not.

The MFD pickups in Tribute basses are the same - still made in Fullerton MFDs. I believe the rest of the electronics (pots, etc.) are made elsewhere but the pickups are identical. I know the pots in the Tribby SB2s I've modified are smaller/cheaper than the ones in the US SB2s I've modified but the pickups were the same.

 

[Cat-A-Tonic]

I've never seen anything like that.
Is this owner modified, or is G&L Japan doing this?

It's an older USA model.
It was user customized to add a Fender P pickup, and the Bartolini Preamp.

I've seen Japanese made G&L Premium Series.
They look nice, and seem better built than Tribute Series.
The only unusual Japanese factory customization I have seen is a pick-guard on an L-2000.
I think they are built by FGN (FujiGen). "Gen" means strings BTW.

 

[JES]

Thanks Craig, I feel better!

 

[Glazenn]

I bought an L2500 used a few months ago. I bought it because originally I wanted another m2500 to put different strings on the same model for more options, but figured why not go with more options and get an L2500.
... So I got it back last night with action lowered a good 2-3 mm and not only is it smoother playing, but the pickups are more sensitive and it plays and sounds -- just wow. It came back from the shop with settings I hadn't tried before and that was -- just wow as well: both pickups, series, passive, no cut at all on treble or bass.
I don't feel any desire at all now for a 5 string LB100 or SB-2 or the MJ-5.

With my newly acquired L-2500 Custom 1997, I feel exactly the same, and I play it in passive mode.... I too had had a M-2500 before.

 

[Handyman]

I didn't realize there was such a thing as a MIJ G&L. Are they only sold into the Japanese market?

 

[Glazenn]

I didn't realize there was such a thing as a MIJ G&L. Are they only sold into the Japanese market?

These are Japanese version of the Tribute, with the name Premium, I don't think they are for export.
Invalid Link Removed
L-2000s may come with a pickguard, and fivers have either 3+2 or 4+1 headstocks (see page 87 of this forum).

 

[wmmj]

I think the original Tributes were made in Japan (I've seen a few l-2000s from that era with 4-bolt necks)

Right now, in the Japanese market, you can buy Fujigen - made premiums which sit right between the Indonesian Tributes and the USA models price wise. Should be using same electronics (at least the pickups) and the bridge as the USA models. All 3 are available over here.

Kurosawa Gakki, the main distributor in Japan, will do pick guards for the l-2000. Even if you don't order through them, they'll install one for you (was expensive though if I recall)

These are Japanese version of the Tribute, with the name Premium, I don't think they are for export.
Invalid Link Removed
L-2000s may come with a pickguard, and fivers have either 3+2 or 4+1 headstocks (see page 87 of this forum).

 

[Glazenn]

Kurosawa Gakki, the main distributor in Japan, will do pick guards for the l-2000. Even if you don't order through them, they'll install one for you (was expensive though if I recall)

Someone in this forum (Basslogic) had a custom pickguard made for his now sold M-2500 Tribby from quickguards.com. Awesome.
SOLD - G&L M2500 Tribute (Cool Mods!) | TalkBass.com
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Try Chandler's Pickguard Heaven (official supplier to G&L), they did a new pickguard for my SB-2 (they had the template ready at the shop, but they also take custom orders).