G&L L1000 vs L1500

[PawleeP]

Found this pic in a thread about the L-1000 here on TB.

I've never seen one in person, but my guess is that the pickup is more in the forward position than in the sweet spot.

Cool lookin' bass, though.

not sure if they make these anymore!
didn't see them on the america made page of products.
maybe they are special order! pp

 

[noeinstein]

I think there was a special run of L1000 reissues a while back for the BABP site, but they aren't a stock model as far as I know.

 

[TDR1138]

@PawleeP They do special runs now and again, usually for a good dealer that has a minimum order. Check Rocket Music - I think they still have a few.

 

[Chef]

^^exactly
Rocket Music.
Yup

They're on eBay all the time, but generally for prices where it would really make more sense to buy a new one

 

[Iridescentone]

That's hawt. Glad it's already sold or I might succumb to an unavoidable GAS attack.

 

[Chef]

That is EXCELLENT

I'm sure you could order one like that thru rocket music eh?

 

[noeinstein]

That's hawt. Glad it's already sold or I might succumb to an unavoidable GAS attack.

This color is kickin!

 

[Antisyzygy]

If this has already been discussed to death somewhere, please point me in the right direction. I've searched, though, and can't find it.

What is the difference between a G&L L1000 and L1500?
Is the 1500 the new and improved 1000? Or are they different animals all together? I like the 1000, but the 1500 seems easier to find and people have very high opinions about the 1000's they are selling.

The L1000 is like a super P bass. Somewhat like an active P but it's not active.

The L1500 is a G&L themed Stingray.

G&L seems to focus on creative passive wiring schemes that approximate active functionality. The L1500 has an active circuit you can toggle but every other feature works passively. The L1000 is all passive.

Each of them have the Series/Parallel switch, however the L1000 also offers a single coil mode in addition to tweaking the series mode so that it actually shorts the highs off one coil but leaves the low-end boost (AKA the OMG mode).

The L1500 is often described as harsher than a Stingray though. More highs and less low-end.

 

[Iridescentone]

la la la la la

I can't hear yous!

 

[calypsocoral302]

Can someone bring me up to speed on this?

Full disclosure: I seriously GAS for an El Wunkay. It's a cool bass, and not something you see everyday.

But I've been thinking about this question lately-- Is there any real advantage that the L-1000 has over the L-2000 that makes it such a hot commodity? To my eyes, the front pickup is in the same exact position as the pickup on the L-1000, just with a rear pickup added. To my admittedly-untrained eyes, it looks like you can turn your L-2000 into an L-1000 simply by flipping the pickup selector up to the front pickup, deactivating the rear.

Am I missing something? Is it the sheer "unobtainium" factor of the L-1000 that makes it so revered?

Again, honest question, not trying to troll or urinate on someone's joy.

 

[dukeplaysbass]

la la la la la

I can't hear yous!

@Templar JACK! You know you wants it....!

 

[dukeplaysbass]

?...Is there any real advantage that the L-1000 has over the L-2000 that makes it such a hot commodity? To my eyes, the front pickup is in the same exact position as the pickup on the L-1000, just with a rear pickup added. To my admittedly-untrained eyes, it looks like you can turn your L-2000 into an L-1000 simply by flipping the pickup selector up to the front pickup, deactivating the rear.

Am I missing something? Is it the sheer "unobtainium" factor of the L-1000 that makes it so revered?

Good question. The differences revolve around the circuitry, not the pickup number or placement.

Until recently, expect for the E series L-2000, most L2ks did not have anything that really equated to the Wunkay's "OMG switch." Some more recent L2ks were wired with what I believe was called the "K-switch" circuit, which approximates the old "bass boost" from the 2000E, but by then the preamp had changed quite a bit, not to mention the MFD pickup had evolved, too.

So, the answer to your question is... Yes, if you have an old L-2000E, the differences between that and an old L-1000 are pretty much the extra pickup. Otherwise, the evolution of the MFD pickup and the L2k preamp have mitigated those similarities significantly.

 

[Iridescentone]

@Templar JACK! You know you wants it....!

I can't deny it, Tris. It's tempting as hell.

I don't suppose you still have that Cherryburst pre-production L-1000?

 

[dukeplaysbass]

I can't deny it, Tris. It's tempting as hell.

I don't suppose you still have that Cherryburst pre-production L-1000?

It IS tempting. What color is that?? Looks a bit like Burgundy Mist, but a shade or three lighter...

I do still have the cherryburst Wunkay. I've had and sold a few other Wunkays in the past couple of years, but I still have the two on the left in that pic.

BTW, this thread is getting ready for kindergarten, right? Gotta be 4 or 5 years old....

 

[Iridescentone]

It IS tempting. What color is that?? Looks a bit like Burgundy Mist, but a shade or three lighter...

I do still have the cherryburst Wunkay. I've had and sold a few other Wunkays in the past couple of years, but I still have the two on the left in that pic.

BTW, this thread is getting ready for kindergarten, right? Gotta be 4 or 5 years old....

I think he said it was Shoreline Gold with an empress body?

 

[dukeplaysbass]

I think he said it was Shoreline Gold with an empress body?

Ok, I was way off there. Don't mind my colorblindness...

Empress is very cool, and light. I've owned two empress Wunkays, both at about 7lbs each. Unfortunately they came with the new pickup design, which leaves something to be desired....

 

[Temcat]

Ok, I was way off there. Don't mind my colorblindness...

Empress is very cool, and light. I've owned two empress Wunkays, both at about 7lbs each. Unfortunately they came with the new pickup design, which leaves something to be desired....

What do you mean by the new pickup design on Wunkays? Is it really the pickup, not electronics?

 

[noeinstein]

BTW, this thread is getting ready for kindergarten, right? Gotta be 4 or 5 years old....

Turned 6 in June

 

[Loretta]

I seriously GAS for an El Wunkay. It's a cool bass, and not something you see everyday.

But I've been thinking about this question lately-- Is there any real advantage that the L-1000 has over the L-2000 that makes it such a hot commodity? To my eyes, the front pickup is in the same exact position as the pickup on the L-1000, just with a rear pickup added. To my admittedly-untrained eyes, it looks like you can turn your L-2000 into an L-1000 simply by flipping the pickup selector up to the front pickup, deactivating the rear.

Am I missing something? Is it the sheer "unobtainium" factor of the L-1000 that makes it so revered?

Good question. The differences revolve around the circuitry, not the pickup number or placement.

Until recently, expect for the E series L-2000, most L2ks did not have anything that really equated to the Wunkay's "OMG switch." Some more recent L2ks were wired with what I believe was called the "K-switch" circuit, which approximates the old "bass boost" from the 2000E, but by then the preamp had changed quite a bit, not to mention the MFD pickup had evolved, too.

So, the answer to your question is... Yes, if you have an old L-2000E, the differences between that and an old L-1000 are pretty much the extra pickup. Otherwise, the evolution of the MFD pickup and the L2k preamp have mitigated those similarities significantly.

Well, i was attracted to GandL looking for an "aggressive" sounding bass guitar and picked up a used L2k tribute model. After a while I realized I was only using the neck pup, but it sounded too harsh in active mode, but was lacking in power in passive mode. So I started looking for an L1k as an "prec on steroids" and it really does it for me! It's an 80s model with mahogany body, maple neck and rosewood fretboard. It sounds warm and powerful, thunderous through an SVT6, although passive completely. Really beats my Rick, but that's a different beast.
The old 2000Es seem to be different as well, so I agree with dukesplaysbass.

 

[Loretta]

I'd like to check a Kiloton for comparison, but they are rare in Germany.