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G&L L2000 & L2500 question

Dardas92

Dardas92

Jun 9, 2010
192
218
Glens Falls, New York
#1
Do you prefer using the passive or active switch on your G&L L2000 or L2500?

I'm trying to figure out which I like better. I've been using active on my L2500 for over 5 years now because it's been more beefier than passive mode. But I noticed a lot of people prefer passive mode on them.
 
#3
85% Passive on my two. One has rounds and the other flats. Passive just has a bigger-ish sound. Occasionally I'll go active, but it's generally for quick volume or just for a change. Active is fun, but I could live with no batteries just fine.
 
#9
I always ran my L2K passive and in fact for most of its life it didn't even have a battery in it. That turned the active/passive switch into a poor-man's mute switch, which I used absolutely all the time.

Mine was an older L2K and the preamp was pretty bad - the MFD's had so much power and output that they'd harshly overdrive the preamp on hard plucks, giving a really nasty ratty noise if I really dug in. So I took the batt out and just kept it in passive mode. But even without that it had a really brittle sharp kind of treble that was a lot softer in passive. So I never had a use for its sound anyway.

I'll eventually get another L2K and even if the preamp is better now, I'll probably still run it passive all the time.

L
 
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#10
It all depends on the gain staging. If I'm going into an amp with no gain control, I may flip it to active to drive the pre-amp a bit harder (if needed). Other than that, I always start in passive and only switch to active if I need more gain.

If you try both, and adjust for the gain difference on your amp, there really is not that much difference in tonality.

I often wonder how many people on these forums give up on certain basses that they try, simply because they really didn't understand gain staging.
 
#11
luciens said:
I always ran my L2K passive and in fact for most of its life it didn't even have a battery in it. That turned the active/passive switch into a poor-man's mute switch, which I used absolutely all the time.

Mine was an older L2K and the preamp was pretty bad - the MFD's had so much power and output that they'd harshly overdrive the preamp on hard plucks, giving a really nasty ratty noise if I really dug in. So I took the batt out and just kept it in passive mode. But even without that it had a really brittle sharp kind of treble that was a lot softer in passive. So I never had a use for its sound anyway.

I'll eventually get another L2K and even if the preamp is better now, I'll probably still run it passive all the time.

L
Click to expand...
My fix for that was to drop the pups to the floor and it still gets a bit hot to handle! :D
 
#12
I have two(2) G&L 2500 one is fretless I have never used active settings.
To that end I have modified both of my 2500s to full coil tapping by installing On/On/On switches in the bridge and center spots. This way one could rerun them to stock easier.
For any G&L people out here who would like to do the same
PM me as I have all the wiring diagrams for all of the choices of how the MFD pickups can be wired.
Duke
 
#13
lug said:
My fix for that was to drop the pups to the floor and it still gets a bit hot to handle! :D
Click to expand...

That definitely helps; I used the rear pickup face as a "ramp", so I couldn't drop it all the way down, but the neck pickup I took out the foam underneath and screwed it all the way down till it was hard against the body. It was like 1/2" below the strings after that. I did that mostly to stop the "chorusing" effect of the super strong magnets, but a unexpected side benefit was the neck pickup gave a nearly perfect Precision bass imitation. It dropped the output but it also changed the tone into that milk-chocolatey P bass pickup sound. Especially in parallel mode it was the splitting image of a Fender Precision, soloing the neck pickup in passive mode.....

I thought that was kind of cool.

But anyway, like I said that bass was a '99 or '00 model, so it was pretty old. The newer preamps may be better...

L
 
#14
When my L2K still had frets, I preferred passive and never used the treble boost function. After pulling it's teeth, the pre-amp switch is in the middle position most of the time and occasionally gets bumped either way for certain tunes and/or moods.
I assume this is because a fretless inherently has less zing but maybe my tastes just changed.
 
#16
I have a 1996 L2500 with the original v1.0 preamp. I’ve been using it Passive mostly. The preamp in mine adds a bit of gain, and a little hiss in Treble Boost mode.
As far as I know, the current v1.3 preamps have only minor changes like relocating resistors from one of the switches onto the PCB, and an updated, more efficient (battery life) chip. I don’t think any perceptible tonal changes have occurred in the updates.
I have been thinking about getting the whole new preamp harness with updates module from G&L...or maybe just replace the chip on mine...
 
#19
I modded mine to have about half the treble boost in the first active position and I use it most of the time. I like the bit of zing it gives even when you turn the treble pot down a bit, the preamp seems to boost higher frequencies than the treble pot cuts. I almost never run the volume past 2/3, it is just too hot them.
 

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