Plotting a route through the 27 tones of the L-2000

[Ricky Rioli]

I came across this video, G&L L-2000's Twenty-seven Tones. The same 4-bar phrase played 27 times as the tester goes systematically through the 3 × 3 × 3 options: neck-bridge-both, parallel-single-series, passive-active-activeplus



Since I'm currently both locked down and away from my bass, I decided I was bored enough to rate all of them in turn. Don't worry, I'll spare you my scorecard.

I was expecting to be more generous when neck only, and more mean when bridge only, but actually, that made no difference to how much I liked or disliked a combination of the other two switches

I really liked series both in active and in passive

I liked parallel in passive

I liked single coil in active

In that active+ mode, I liked series
....but really disliked the other two

Nonetheless, if I had one, I bet I would spend 90% of the time stuck with the neck pickup in series, in passive, because I'm like that

 

[mongo2]

I had L2Ks and L1Ks. I found OMG from the L1K is all I need from G&L.

 

[mouthmw]

Yeah, go for L1000 if neck pup is all you need.

 

[RyanOh]

I don't understand one part. No turning EQ knobs!? 27,000 tones maybe?

I'm usually both pickups, parallel, passive. EQ 50-70%, slighter more on the bass. Sometimes roll back on volume too. There is much more to the tone than the switches....and I don't even have the K-mod option.

I love my G&L L-2000 and L-2500. The 5 string has become a main player.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

I don't understand one part. No turning EQ knobs!? 27,000 tones maybe?

Yeah I had thought about that: 5 positions for treble × 5 positions for bass × 3 positions for volume × 27 .... would take all day to watch that video

 

[luciens]

I had a fretless L2K for 20 years (destroyed 1 yr ago, may it R.I.P.) and now I have a fretted one. On the FL L2K, I basically lived on the bridge PU only in parallel mode/passive, plucking directly over the PU. But on the fretted one, I mostly live in both PU's on, parallel/passive, plucking over one or the other pickups depending the tone I want. If I want a "sharper" attack, I pluck over the bridge PU, and the neck PU when I want something woolier.

I almost never use the bridge PU soloed on the fretted bass. That's probably largely due to my crappy playing and lack of musical talent, but it's also the frets. I "drop" a good attack on more notes on the fretted than I did on the FL. This is partly why I went to the FL many years ago when I bought my original L2K.

The fretted bass is much more forgiving and sounds more machine-like and precise, though, and with both PU's on I get a more compressed kind of sound with less tendency to "drop" certain notes. Especially if I pluck over the neck PU, I get a meatier, more consistent attack.

But I have to say this is making me GAS for an FL L2K again..... I want to see if this isn't just my imagination.

L

 

[luciens]

I don't understand one part. No turning EQ knobs!? 27,000 tones maybe?

I'm usually both pickups, parallel, passive. EQ 50-70%, slighter more on the bass. Sometimes roll back on volume too. There is much more to the tone than the switches....and I don't even have the K-mod option.

I love my G&L L-2000 and L-2500. The 5 string has become a main player.

I've given some thought to adding the K mod to mine. I think I can get a 3way switch from G&L and the wiring diagrams too. But I haven't looked into it yet. I too seem to have always preferred parallel mode so it might not be worth the messing about with it...

L

 

[Ricky Rioli]

This is looking like the start of a pattern:

I'm usually both pickups, parallel, passive.

I mostly live in both PU's on, parallel/passive

When I've been daydreaming about how a L-2000 might be used, taking account of the tone controls being just as useful passive or active, I imagined practising on passive, and turning on the active once there was a texture to need coming through...

 

[RyanOh]

This is looking like the start of a pattern:




When I've been daydreaming about how a L-2000 might be used, taking account of the tone controls being just as useful passive or active, I imagined practising on passive, and turning on the active once there was a texture to need coming through...

I stay passive 99% of the time. When playing live, I may change to series mode for a little boost. I always start off parallel and 75% volume; I prefer making adjustments on the bass as needed instead of turning back to the amp.

 

[jd56hawk]

Is he going to do a second video where he uses a pick?

 

[Ricky Rioli]

Is he going to do a second video where he uses a pick?

And a third where he uses the G string

 

[Leonid Nidis]

I researched that considering the k mod.
Miss my l2500,the only bass I regret selling.

Splitting to inner coils gives more usable sounds and a better p sound.
Outer coils remind of a jazz bass but boring somehow.

 

[BrentSimons]

I came across this video, G&L L-2000's Twenty-seven Tones. The same 4-bar phrase played 27 times as the tester goes systematically through the 3 × 3 × 3 options: neck-bridge-both, parallel-single-series, passive-active-activeplus



Since I'm currently both locked down and away from my bass, I decided I was bored enough to rate all of them in turn. Don't worry, I'll spare you my scorecard.

I was expecting to be more generous when neck only, and more mean when bridge only, but actually, that made no difference to how much I liked or disliked a combination of the other two switches

I really liked series both in active and in passive

I liked parallel in passive

I liked single coil in active

In that active+ mode, I liked series
....but really disliked the other two

Nonetheless, if I had one, I bet I would spend 90% of the time stuck with the neck pickup in series, in passive, because I'm like that

My favourite on my L2K is both pickups parallel in either passive or active depending on desired crispness. Kinda gives me a Stingrayishjazzbass kinda tone?
Stay healthy y'all,
Brent

 

[TDR1138]

He needs to replace the center toggle with a rotary switch and wire it up for 45 options...

Series
Parallel
OMG
Single coil (inners)
Single coil (outers)

In all three pickup selections
In all three preamp selections

5 x 3 x 3 = 45

 

[Gizmot]

I have an L-2500 and it does a phenomenal job. It's wide range of tones and flexibility are hard to beat. Thanks for reminding me that I don't play it enough!

 

[Pings Bass]

I really need that single coil mod on my L2500

 

[2F/2F]

Funny story about the many wondrous tones of the L-2000.

I got mine in 1997, as a b-day/Christmas gift (they are just a few days apart). I still have it.

When I got the bass, it was lightly used, a year old. My dad had got it for half the original price, in near mint condition. Back then, G&Ls were extremely reasonably priced to begin with, and had absolutely horrible resale value. You could get them used in near mint condition for 300–500 bucks.

The bass had an OHSC, but no manual. I was a high school senior, with my first bass that was actually MY bass, not borrowing my dad's. I had been playing bass for nine years already (electric and upright), but I wasn't very technical about the instruments themselves – pickups, switches, etc. I had no idea what all the switches did. I knew it was an active bass, so it needed a battery, and that battery needed to be changed periodically, and I shouldn't leave the bass plugged in unless using it. I knew what the volume, bass, and treble knobs did. But that's it.

So I plugged the bass in, turned on the amp, and started flipping switches. I found "the" tone on the bass – MY tone. This was December 1997. I literally have not touched the switches since! They have remained at "the" tone – MY tone for 23 years straight. All I have done is to change the battery out every now and then.

At some point, maybe 10 or 12 years later, when I got way more into the technical elements of things, I actually looked up what the switches on an L-2000 do. Much to my surprise, I determined that the entire time, the bass had been set to: neck pickup only, series coils, passive. In other words, a classic P Bass...and no need to have been changing batteries all those years.

IMO, the point of basses with a ton of tonal options is not that one person can make use of 27 tones. It's that one person can choose which of the 27 tones they like. In other words, it's not about having a bass that can do everything for one person. It's about having a bass that can do that one thing, but for a variety of people. It's about making the bass a "one size fits all" instrument. One person doesn't need 27 tones. But when an instrument has 27 tones, you can be pretty certain that every person will be able to find at least one "good" one.

 

[Frank77]

The only flaw of the L-2x00 basses is that they have so many cool and useful tones that it can be hard to pick one!

Over the years, two settings on my L-2500 have become my favorites though:

• Neck pickup, series; and
• Both pickups, parallel

I usually keep it passive but sometimes will switch to active for a little boost. I'll admit I have no use for bridge pickup soloed or active+ mode, though.

 

[TDR1138]

IMO, the point of basses with a ton of tonal options is not that one person can make use of 27 tones. It's that one person can choose which of the 27 tones they like. In other words, it's not about having a bass that can do everything for one person. It's about having a bass that can do that one thing, but for a variety of people. It's about making the bass a "one size fits all" instrument. One person doesn't need 27 tones. But when an instrument has 27 tones, you can be pretty certain that every person will be able to find at least one "good" one.

Very good point.

I've had several Ls and tend to find maybe 2 "go to" tones in each.

My mainstay is an '89 with the OMG mode. I use OMG passive, both pickups about 60% of the time, or neck only about 35% of the time. The remaining 5% is usually parallel neck only, again passive. Only time I use the pre is when I go direct into a PA with no pedals or buffering of the signal, which is rarely.

I've had L-2000s without the OMG mode, too. Those I tend to just use both pickups, series, passive almost exclusively. I did mod one with inner single coils, and found myself using the neck only single coil mode a bit. Then I got a L-1000 and that mode became redundant, so I changed the wiring to outer coils for the single coil mode, and then rarely used it.

 

[metron]

Using an L2000 regularly is an exercise in impulse control. Find a sound that works for your needs and use it. Resist the urge to fiddle incessantly especially with a group!

Also, I know a lot of folks like to dial them back a lot and emulate precisions but don't be afraid to crank it. I used mine most recently in a really heavy band and set it to active, both pickups in series, knobs all the way up. It was magical metal double buck toan. But if I were doing something different like say covering Kenny Rogers lines in a First Edition trib band, I might dial in neck-single-passive and turn it down a smidge.