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G&L LB-100 owners...

#61
Flabass said:
I did change out the pickups that came with my Legacy (see avatar) to the LB 100 pickups from G&L. Great tone but I since changed them to SB-1's with a 0.47 cap and now I have a really beefy P sound.

Also have GHS Precision Flatwounds on it.

My go to bass now. Thinking of selling my SB-2 because I like the Legacy more.
Click to expand...

flabass,
What was involved in changing the pu on the Legacy?

I have a newer LB-100, I'm also thinking of going to the SB1 pu, but did you require another pickguard so the pu fits properly?

And, if so, where did you get the pickguard, and are you happy with the fit?

Thanks,
B.
 
#62
justbass57 said:
flabass,
What was involved in changing the pu on the Legacy?

I have a newer LB-100, I'm also thinking of going to the SB1 pu, but did you require another pickguard so the pu fits properly?

And, if so, where did you get the pickguard, and are you happy with the fit?

Thanks,
B.
Click to expand...
No issues on the change out. Has some small spacing between the pu and pickguard. Doesn't bother me.
 
#64
MoonQuake said:
I haven't compared the pickups from the Legacy to those of the LB but about the pronounced midrange, that's the feeling I got when I tried a new LB-100 at the store. It felt like it had a bit of a Jazz bass bridge pickup bark mixed in it.
Click to expand...
Do those have MFD pickup? I have two SB-1's and have never missed having a bridge pickup. The vibe is there, somehow. Different than other split P's. Love it.
 
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#66
David Jayne said:
Same shape as other P's but you will need a .1 cap or use two .047's, close enough.
Click to expand...

Thanks David Jayne,
I'm not an electrical guy, and I never thought of installing the cap with the pu.

If memory serves (it sometimes fails me) but someone said on the BassesbyLeo said that the pu's are different enough to consider a different pickguard.
B.
 
#69
Yes, even so the OP wrote these questions some time ago, I'm adding my $0.02 for those researching the LB-100 and stumbled upon this post... ;)

I want to hear your experiences with it so far. How long have you had your G&L?

I've had the Himalayan blue LB-100 since October 2013, and Loved it so much that this past summer I ordered the Plum Crazy (from the Detroit Muscle Series, R/T Collection), and played it with the band all summer.

- Satisfied...? To what extent...?

VERY satisfied! Of all my basses, these are the two that get the most playing time.

Has it replaced other basses like Fender, Lakland and other custom Precisions?
I purchased each-- no trades. I am however seriously considering selling/trading my Music Man Stingray for a third LB-100. These things are really, really fun to play!

- Have you had the chance to directly compare it to CS Fender Precisions? How did it compare?

Yes, I have compared them to Fender US, and CS versions, as well as Mike Lull basses. The Fender US model seems to have a noticeably thinner neck, which I don't care for. The nicest of the Fender CS models I played had a nice chunky neck, and was very nice-- it just didn't have the resonance of the G&Ls, and it also fell behind in terms of tone and usefulness of volume/tone controls. The Mike Lull was nice too, but just didn't make me want to play it-- even before I noticed the price tag(!!)

I also ordered two separate Carvin PB basses to compare with the G&L. Again, they are nice instruments but I didn't care for the thin neck, and the Carvin bodies were also noticeably thinner, which after playing the G&L, made the Carvin feel... kind of like a toy. I hate to say that, as I love Carvin-- and it's a completely subjective statement-- but it was the main reason I returned each of the Carvin PBs. I should however note that the Carvin pickup sound/tone was outstanding!

- Or did you decide to sell it... If so for what reason?
Nope-- not selling either of them.

I originally planned to put a G&L SB1 pickup in the purple bass, but the stock pickup has such a great tone, I can't bring myself to change a thing. My two LB's sound different from each other... perhaps because the blue one is about 11.5 pounds (sounds very warm, big & sweet), and the purple one weighs in around 8 pounds (sounding big & aggressive when full up, but 'vintage-like' when by adjusting the controls), but I also think that G&L may have changed something in the current pickups compared to the earlier batch of reissue LB-100s that the blue bass is loaded with.

If I had to find one thing to criticize, it would be the G&G case the instruments ship with. G&L has recently changed from a fitted design (that came with the blue bass), in favor of a generic, empty rectangle with a flimsy little neck brace. The new cases allow the instrument to move around side to side, and front to back. Granted, a case is kind of a minor thing, but still bugs me a bit.

In the end, I love these bases. Top notch quality, reasonable price, lots of options... what's not to love? They are every bit as good as the CS Fenders, cost around the same as an off-the-shelf US Fender, but with MUCH more options to choose from. As a bonus, there aren't any Tribute versions (yet). Don't get me wrong, Tributes are great, but these are unique to the US and that makes these feel a little special... to me anyway :D

LB100s.JPG
 
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#71
Just got a brand new LB-100 this week with the empress body. I love it so far, but I noticed something a bit odd after looking it over. On the left side of the body contour, there are a couple divots under the finish where it seems like the wood wasn't cut or sanded properly before finishing. When I run my hand over them, they're definitely noticeable. Is that type of flaw typical with empress?

I attached a pic, but it was really difficult to photograph.

IMG_1461.JPG
 
#72
Hey guys,
Hope you don't mind me posting these but I just uploaded another series of samples of my G&L LB100. I think you can hear the LB100 tone a lot better in this one. I think the first pickup swap is going to be a Nordstrand NP4.

Here is the second video in my series of pickup comparisons with my G&L LB100 P Bass. This is still the G&L LB100 P Bass Pickup
 
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#74
Flabass said:
Mine (see avatar) is actually a Legacy, the name before they had to change it. Beautiful bass and have had it for several years. It came with "Schaller" pickups and while I like the tone, I have been thinking about putting originals in. You can get them from G&L.
Click to expand...


Hmm... I was wondering if the pickup in the '90's LB-100 was the same or different than the pickup installed in the reissue LB-100.
Here's the pickup I pulled out of my LB-100. I take it they are not the same pickup that are being installed in the newer version.
 

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#75
sheltjo6 said:
Hmm... I was wondering if the pickup in the '90's LB-100 was the same or different than the pickup installed in the reissue LB-100.
Here's the pickup I pulled out of my LB-100. I take it they are not the same pickup that are being installed in the newer version.
Click to expand...
The original Legacy/LB100 basses from the 1990s had outsourced pickups... the new (2013ish - present) LB100 basses have pickups made in-house at G&L, designed by G&L's Paul Gagon

Who is Paul Gagon? Tech Voices: BBE Sound and G&L Guitars' Paul Gagon
 
#76
zombified thread - got a 94 black LB100 with a 2016 custom chunky 1.625" nut maple neck, as has been stated i'm not loving the xl170s, but how would you guys compare settled down dunlop nickel plated rounds versus the chromes, because the dunlops sound epic on my 83 L2000 and i don't want to put the same alleva coppolo flats on my LB100 that i have on my sb-2 just to keep some variety
 
#78
Clipped said:
View attachment 996346
Love this bass. It's solid as a tank and sounds like butter.
Click to expand...

Looks like mine! Candy apple red! The Gagon designed pickups are as permanent on mine as the G&L bridge. They are hotter than Fender's and approach active output. I had to lower mine a bit on the bass side to get it as clean as I like it and never run them full open. There's way more nuanced tone possible at 70-80 % volume. If I want louder, I turn up the amp. Great thump through Aguilar DB's. Ed was right. It's a lifetime bass.
 
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