G&L L-2000 series/parallel

[luzceloffan]

Nothing was sacrificed. The bass still has the original preamp, and you can still get the series and parallel settings of the stock setup. The only difference is that I can switch the pickups independently, and each pickup now has a single coil option to go along with series or parallel. It should be this way from the factory.

Do You have any schematic or wiring diagram so I can check it? it sounds good...since I'm in love with the DaveBass mods I would like to check what You did.

 

[pandathe3]

This might be some help in wiring up the dpdt switches. Theres some diagrams too.

http://www.bassesbyleo.com/passive_l_series.html

 

[bassbenj]

Outer coils will sound jazz-esque, inner coils will sound MM-esque (but not exact).

I just finished modding my Trib L2500 (again!) I had originally modded it with the single coil switch listed in the paper just posted. Yes, I gritted my teeth and DRILLED my bass for another switch. I sort of hated to do that because it kind of spoils the look of the layout plus it's now not original. But I figured hey, it's just a Tribute so it's better to experiment on that than may MIA L2500. And so it came to pass...

After using it this way for a few years now, I came to decide that the "inner coils" were just never used. They simply sounded too much like the non-single coil settings. I was always using the "outer coil" setting because of the purity of tone you'd get that way. So I was sort of sorry I drilled the bass for the coil choice switch. But hey, how ya gonna find out if you don't try it?

So after experimenting with my SX basses modding them with series/parallel and the like, I came to decide that what the L2500 needed was a "global" series parallel switch. In other words the current series/parallel switch works on the COILS of each pickup. I wanted one that took the two pickups and put them in series and parallel. Not wanting to drill even more holes I embarked on a modding plan that included:

1. Removing the inner-outer selector switch.
2. installing a series-outer coils-parallel switch (from the modding paper) in place of the series-parallel switch.
3. putting a "global" series-parallel switch as a push-pull on the volume (pull = series the two pickups).
4. To deal with the old hole I drilled I put in an LED pilot light that runs from the TRS phantom power mod I installed. So now it takes no batteries! Runs right from my modded amps with a TRS cable.

THESE MODS ARE AMAZING. Especially the outer coil-global series settings. Pure highs, deep lows. You gotta try it. I'm getting stoked now to start digging into the "real" G&L L2500.

 

[luzceloffan]

I just finished modding my Trib L2500 (again!) I had originally modded it with the single coil switch listed in the paper just posted. Yes, I gritted my teeth and DRILLED my bass for another switch. I sort of hated to do that because it kind of spoils the look of the layout plus it's now not original. But I figured hey, it's just a Tribute so it's better to experiment on that than may MIA L2500. And so it came to pass...

After using it this way for a few years now, I came to decide that the "inner coils" were just never used. They simply sounded too much like the non-single coil settings. I was always using the "outer coil" setting because of the purity of tone you'd get that way. So I was sort of sorry I drilled the bass for the coil choice switch. But hey, how ya gonna find out if you don't try it?

So after experimenting with my SX basses modding them with series/parallel and the like, I came to decide that what the L2500 needed was a "global" series parallel switch. In other words the current series/parallel switch works on the COILS of each pickup. I wanted one that took the two pickups and put them in series and parallel. Not wanting to drill even more holes I embarked on a modding plan that included:

1. Removing the inner-outer selector switch.
2. installing a series-outer coils-parallel switch (from the modding paper) in place of the series-parallel switch.
3. putting a "global" series-parallel switch as a push-pull on the volume (pull = series the two pickups).
4. To deal with the old hole I drilled I put in an LED pilot light that runs from the TRS phantom power mod I installed. So now it takes no batteries! Runs right from my modded amps with a TRS cable.

THESE MODS ARE AMAZING. Especially the outer coil-global series settings. Pure highs, deep lows. You gotta try it. I'm getting stoked now to start digging into the "real" G&L L2500.

I like a lot what You did .. what about sound clips?

 

[luzceloffan]

This might be some help in wiring up the dpdt switches. Theres some diagrams too.

http://www.bassesbyleo.com/passive_l_series.html

Checking, thanks for the link

 

[millahh]

I just finished modding my Trib L2500 (again!) I had originally modded it with the single coil switch listed in the paper just posted. Yes, I gritted my teeth and DRILLED my bass for another switch. I sort of hated to do that because it kind of spoils the look of the layout plus it's now not original. But I figured hey, it's just a Tribute so it's better to experiment on that than may MIA L2500. And so it came to pass...

After using it this way for a few years now, I came to decide that the "inner coils" were just never used. They simply sounded too much like the non-single coil settings. I was always using the "outer coil" setting because of the purity of tone you'd get that way. So I was sort of sorry I drilled the bass for the coil choice switch. But hey, how ya gonna find out if you don't try it?

So after experimenting with my SX basses modding them with series/parallel and the like, I came to decide that what the L2500 needed was a "global" series parallel switch. In other words the current series/parallel switch works on the COILS of each pickup. I wanted one that took the two pickups and put them in series and parallel. Not wanting to drill even more holes I embarked on a modding plan that included:

1. Removing the inner-outer selector switch.
2. installing a series-outer coils-parallel switch (from the modding paper) in place of the series-parallel switch.
3. putting a "global" series-parallel switch as a push-pull on the volume (pull = series the two pickups).
4. To deal with the old hole I drilled I put in an LED pilot light that runs from the TRS phantom power mod I installed. So now it takes no batteries! Runs right from my modded amps with a TRS cable.

THESE MODS ARE AMAZING. Especially the outer coil-global series settings. Pure highs, deep lows. You gotta try it. I'm getting stoked now to start digging into the "real" G&L L2500.

Wow...that's impressive. I'm going to need to draw that out to wrap my head around it.

Personally, I love the inner coils, and probably use it >50% of the time. To each their own!

 

[luzceloffan]

Wow...that's impressive. I'm going to need to draw that out to wrap my head around it.

Personally, I love the inner coils, and probably use it >50% of the time. To each their own!

I'll too ... however wirings diagrams are not my best xD .. wanna share? hahaha

 

[bassbenj]

Wow...that's impressive. I'm going to need to draw that out to wrap my head around it.

Personally, I love the inner coils, and probably use it >50% of the time. To each their own!

Yeah it takes some time to figure it all out. The way the switches are drawn in the PDF kind of messed with my mind until I sort of drew it all my way and figured it out.

If you want to not drill a hole and use the serie-single coil-parallel switch option, you do have to make a decision as to which set of single coils you want to use. For me the outer was easy to choose. If you are 50-50 then maybe you want to drill the hole for the selector switch.

As for the "global" series-parallel. That was pretty simple. If you just look at the wires coming OUT of the series-parallel switch you see that you simply have a hot and ground from each pickup going to the one-both-other switch. At that point it's no different than if ANY pickup were feeding that switch. So I just copped a Series-parallel circuit (I think it was for a Jazz bass...in any case it wasn't a G&L) off the net. Just the usual push-pull series parallel thing. The previous switching complication makes no difference!

I wish you guys could hear this. Unfortunately my recording setup is all torn apart at present and doesn't look like it will be going back together for a while. Sorry!

 

[luzceloffan]

Yeah it takes some time to figure it all out. The way the switches are drawn in the PDF kind of messed with my mind until I sort of drew it all my way and figured it out.

If you want to not drill a hole and use the serie-single coil-parallel switch option, you do have to make a decision as to which set of single coils you want to use. For me the outer was easy to choose. If you are 50-50 then maybe you want to drill the hole for the selector switch.

As for the "global" series-parallel. That was pretty simple. If you just look at the wires coming OUT of the series-parallel switch you see that you simply have a hot and ground from each pickup going to the one-both-other switch. At that point it's no different than if ANY pickup were feeding that switch. So I just copped a Series-parallel circuit (I think it was for a Jazz bass...in any case it wasn't a G&L) off the net. Just the usual push-pull series parallel thing. The previous switching complication makes no difference!

I wish you guys could hear this. Unfortunately my recording setup is all torn apart at present and doesn't look like it will be going back together for a while. Sorry!

Heya bassbenji, thanks for your answer. My concern or dificulty to understand the global series parallel is that the lines coming out the series/outter/parallel go to the pickup selector switch, rigth? So if go to the push/pull selector before the pickup selector switch then the pickup selector just won´t work, or am I wrong?

 

[bassbenj]

Heya bassbenji, thanks for your answer. My concern or dificulty to understand the global series parallel is that the lines coming out the series/outter/parallel go to the pickup selector switch, rigth? So if go to the push/pull selector before the pickup selector switch then the pickup selector just won´t work, or am I wrong?

This is correct. You can't have one pickup in series because it takes TWO to be be in series with each other! The series parallel circuit I copied was like that too. The secret is that you use one set of contacts to do series-parallel and the second set of contacts shorts the two input lines of the selector switch together on series. So what that does is it means that ALL the positions of the selector switch are the same when you pull the knob out into series. In parallel the selector works normally. This allows you to flip between say neck only or bridge only and series both just by pulling the volume knob and not fooling with the selector switch at all!

The diagram for this was posted not too long ago on TB which is where I saw and copied it, but now I seem to have lost that file. It might not be too hard to find or just sort of work it out again. It's not all that complex. Oh wait. I found my little diagram and let me see if I can describe it for you:

Two pickups P1 and P2. Volume switch is DPDT with two SPDT halves. S1 and S2. Each has a center toggle C that connects either to terminal T1 or T2.

OK. P1 low side goes to ground. P1 High side goes to S1 T1 and to S2 T2. P2 low goes to S2 C2. S2 T1 goes to ground. P2 high side goes to S1 T2 and also out to one side of selector. S1 C1 goes to other side of selector. That's it. Position 1 is parallel. Position 2 is series. Selector works in parallel, but is series in any position when push/pull is in series mode. See if you can draw it out from this description.

 

[luzceloffan]

This is correct. You can't have one pickup in series because it takes TWO to be be in series with each other! The series parallel circuit I copied was like that too. The secret is that you use one set of contacts to do series-parallel and the second set of contacts shorts the two input lines of the selector switch together on series. So what that does is it means that ALL the positions of the selector switch are the same when you pull the knob out into series. In parallel the selector works normally. This allows you to flip between say neck only or bridge only and series both just by pulling the volume knob and not fooling with the selector switch at all!

The diagram for this was posted not too long ago on TB which is where I saw and copied it, but now I seem to have lost that file. It might not be too hard to find or just sort of work it out again. It's not all that complex. Oh wait. I found my little diagram and let me see if I can describe it for you:

Two pickups P1 and P2. Volume switch is DPDT with two SPDT halves. S1 and S2. Each has a center toggle C that connects either to terminal T1 or T2.

OK. P1 low side goes to ground. P1 High side goes to S1 T1 and to S2 T2. P2 low goes to S2 C2. S2 T1 goes to ground. P2 high side goes to S1 T2 and also out to one side of selector. S1 C1 goes to other side of selector. That's it. Position 1 is parallel. Position 2 is series. Selector works in parallel, but is series in any position when push/pull is in series mode. See if you can draw it out from this description.

I'll try to draw it tomorrow at work, i won't have tie now, then You'll tell me if that's correct