G&L pickups on a non-G&L bass...?

[Cat-A-Tonic]

G&L pickups on a non-G&L bass...?

Has anyone done this?

Am I simply better off using Nordstrand pickups or some other maker?

I've been playing a bunch of basses in shops trying to get a feel for what suits me.
So far, the pickups that pleased me most were the G&L P style in the SB-2,
and the G&L humbuckers in the L-2000 & M-2000.
I wasn't blown away by the J style pickup in the SB-2.

I'm trying to decide between just buying a G&L (used if possible),
or building a Warmoth parts bass.

I have a Phil Jones P-1 preamp.
So I'm leaning towards a passive bass.

 

[walterw]

G&L pickups on a non-G&L bass...?

Has anyone done this?

it's allowed

i actually just put together a shop bass for testing amps at the store, a mexi P body that i routed to fit two G&L humbuckers i had lying around (after fixing a coil wire or two on them); i placed them pretty much at the P and J spots.

those into a simple EMG 2-band preamp, wired for neck series/outer coils series/bridge series, sounds absolutely huge.

 

[Cat-A-Tonic]

What size are those routes?

Do they match any other standard pickup size?
...like something Warmoth could route for me?

How do you go about routing something yourself?
Do you have a CNC machine, or do you just have to be really careful with a dremel tool?

 

[craigb]

FYI the G&L P-style MFDs are standard P pickup dimensions -- so you can drop those in anything routed for a P pickup. The MFD humbuckers are a unique size.

 

[ac11367]

I am thinking about installing a G&L P-style pickup on my Fender P, which is currently equipped with a DiMarzio Model P. However, I think those 2 pickups are more similar than they are different, especially that both feature that lower midrange thump.

 

[arginator]

Why not just get a G&L?

 

[Cat-A-Tonic]

FYI the G&L P-style MFDs are standard P pickup dimensions -- so you can drop those in anything routed for a P pickup. The MFD humbuckers are a unique size.

Thanks, I figured the P would be the same size, but wasn't sure about the MFD humbuckers.
That unique size would make them difficult to use in a custom build.

Why not just get a G&L?
I am really considering it.
I am also the kind of person who likes to build things for the learning experience,
and I suffer from the human desire to compare things subjectively in the hopes of finding a good deal (cost performance).
So I'm drawn to the idea of a parts bass to get something with my own feature set, hopefully at a reasonable price compared to a factory build.
I don't think it is possible to get a good parts bass for cheaper than a Tribute series Indonesian G&L,
but I might be able to put a really nice one together for comparable price to a Premium MIJ G&L.

 

[Humbled]

Why not just get a G&L?

Yes indeed.

IMHO, A G&L USA L2500 is one of the least expensive basses available that might just change your life.

Good deals for used ones are frequently found right here in TB Classifieds.

 

[arginator]

I totally understand the need to build and experiment, so if that's your main goal I say have a go at it. But if you're also looking for the best bang for your buck, it's really hard to beat a G&L Tribute. Very well made.

 

[goff]

ok, so what are the dimensions of these?

not easy getting info from G&L these days they've closed their email to questions and ask you to search for yourself on their guitars by leo site which has no info either. their online store is into saving internet ink as well so dead end there.

 

[walterw]

What size are those routes?

Do they match any other standard pickup size?
...like something Warmoth could route for me?

How do you go about routing something yourself?
Do you have a CNC machine, or do you just have to be really careful with a dremel tool?

sorry, i just now saw this.

CNC is way above my pay grade, while a dremel job would be ghetto and look it.

in regular small repair shops like mine, pickup routing is done with Invalid Link Removed and a plunge router with a [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] to roll along the template hole edge.

for the G&L 'buckers i had to fake it by positioning some template with a larger cutout to rout two sides then moving it to rout the other two sides.

also, since i've put this bass together i've concluded that series through the EMG pre was just too hot, it was clipping the inputs of the amps we're trying to demo at the store!

i re-did the two pickups for parallel, as in neck coils parallel, one coil from each parallel, and bridge coils parallel; crisper, with a more "sane" output level that the amps seem to like better.

 

[goff]

sorry, i just now saw this.

ok... so again, what are the dimensions
of the pickups?

• 

 

[dedpool1052]

ok... so again, what are the dimensions
of the pickups?

• 

1-5/8" x 3-3/4" is what I got.

 

[Cat-A-Tonic]

Thanks for all the good info and links contributed to this thread.

I ended up getting a used and modified MIA G&L.
Then I modified it a bit more to suit me. ^_^

SB-2 style split MFD
on a USA L-1500
with a Bartolini 3 band preamp, active passive switch,
separate volumes for each pickup,
a 3-way mid freq. selector switch,
and a shielded control cavity.

Flat Chrome strings.

 

[goff]

1-5/8" x 3-3/4" is what I got.

thank you dedpool!!!

 

[Matt R]

G&L pickups on a non-G&L bass...?

Has anyone done this?

My USACG "M1500" smokes, I love this bass!! G&L M2000 MFD pickup & L2000 preamp, USACG Pea bass body and Jay neck. Hipshot hardware, 8 Lbs.

 

[dedpool1052]

My USACG "M1500" smokes, I love this bass!! G&L M2000 MFD pickup & L2000 preamp, USACG Pea bass body and Jay neck. Hipshot hardware, 8 Lbs.

Nice bass
I'm curious though.
How is the output of the M-series pickup in passive mode?

 

[Matt R]

Nice bass
I'm curious though.
How is the output of the M-series pickup in passive mode?

Thank you! I use the onboard circuit in passive 90%+ of the time on gigs. To my ears it's as audibly loud if not louder then any of my passive Precision basses. I swap basses between tunes for a down-tuned P bass and neither bass or amp needs a gain adjustment to maintain the same level of bass volume in the mix. The G&L M series pickup is a fantastic pickup and it's "Fender" in character, all the way IMHO.

 

[dedpool1052]

Thanks for the info.
Been thinking about modding a bass with an M-series pickup but was curious about the output, considering it's underwound by 12% compared to the L-series. Wasn't sure how much difference that would make as far as overall volume goes.

 

[DangYankee]

Adding a mfd to my p bass. Can anyone tell me the dimension from the bridge pick up to the bridge?