Talk to me about the G&L L2000

[RitterSport]

Someone recently posted a picture of their new L2000 and it looks beautiful. I listened to a video on the G&L website and the sound also seems fantastic. So, maybe I'll sell my TRBX604 or my old Peavey Foundation and put that money towards an L2000.

First, what's the difference between the regular and the Tribute? Korean vs. American made? Will the sound be essentially the same? How about the build quality?

Second, there are some older ones from the 80s and 90s for sale on Reverb and eBay -- would those sound the same as modern ones?

Third, can it work without a battery? That is, is there a real passive mode? The video I saw seemed to say he was boosting the bass when the switch was set to passive, which makes no sense to me.

Finally, what do all those switches to? OK, I understand the pickup switch, but what's serial vs. parallel? And, the active boost/active/passive switch -- is that just active/passive, plus active+extra treble?

 

[TDR1138]

First, what's the difference between the regular and the Tribute? Korean vs. American made? Will the sound be essentially the same? How about the build quality?

The US has a higher attention to detail, but the Tributes are no slouch. The US ones get you a lot more options, though, with colors, woods, neck profiles, etc.
The Tributes use US pickups and functionally equivalent electronics, so they sound pretty close.

Second, there are some older ones from the 80s and 90s for sale on Reverb and eBay -- would those sound the same as modern ones?

The big difference is that the older ones (1999 and prior) have what is nicknamed OMG mode instead of the current series mode. This is a thicker, bassier tone than the current series, which is a little more mid present and in your face. Parallel modes are essentially the same, though I did think my ‘00 was a little brighter than my ‘89 when compared directly. Wouldn’t notice it in a mix.

Third, can it work without a battery? That is, is there a real passive mode? The video I saw seemed to say he was boosting the bass when the switch was set to passive, which makes no sense to me.

Yes, you can use without a battery. The controls are all passive and the preamp is more or less a buffer that you can switch on.

Finally, what do all those switches to? OK, I understand the pickup switch, but what's serial vs. parallel? And, the active boost/active/passive switch -- is that just active/passive, plus active+extra treble?

From the neck, the switches are pickup select (N / N+B / B); Series/Parallel; Preamp Off/On/On with treble boost.

Series/Parallel is how the two coils in each humbucker interact with each other. In series, the signal from one coil feeds into the next where in parallel, they run in tandem beside each other. Series is louder and thicker.

As I mentioned before, the preamp is basically a buffer or linear booster. The treble boost setting just gives a little more boost in the top end.

Pots are master volume, treble cut, bass cut.

 

[lug]

I can verify the above post 100%.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

The Indonesian Tributes have a 1¾" nut, the USA basses will be all sorts. Can't remember what the old Korean Tributes were.

 

[RitterSport]

So, it does bass cut/treble cut in pre-amp off mode? I don't think I understand what the pre-amp does (except for treble boost in that one switch position). On my TRBX, when the pre-amp is off, the treble knob acts as a regular tone knob for a passive bass.

I guess parallel pickups are "standard"? In series, do both pickups have to be on? I would think that if they are really in series, turning one off would interrupt the circuit. Or, does the pickup selector switch really bypass the one not in use? If that's the case, I assume parallel and series are equivalent if you only have one pickup on?

 

[RitterSport]

The Indonesian Tributes have a 1¾" nut, the USA ones will be all sorts

1 3/4"? That seems wide, like P-bass wide. I thought they were somewhere between P and J for neck width. I guess I could get used to it.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

1 3/4"? That seems wide, like P-bass wide. I thought they were somewhere between P and J for neck width. I guess I could get used to it.

The currently discontinued Tribute M-2000 is more like your TRBX - 1½" neck, blend knob and more typical cut / boost 3 band eq (but without an active/passive switch)

 

[TDR1138]

So, it does bass cut/treble cut in pre-amp off mode? I don't think I understand what the pre-amp does (except for treble boost in that one switch position). On my TRBX, when the pre-amp is off, the treble knob acts as a regular tone knob for a passive bass.

I guess parallel pickups are "standard"? In series, do both pickups have to be on? I would think that if they are really in series, turning one off would interrupt the circuit. Or, does the pickup selector switch really bypass the one not in use? If that's the case, I assume parallel and series are equivalent if you only have one pickup on?

Think of it as a passive bass. You have controls that are fully open and will roll off the signal as they’re closed. Volume and treble are pretty standard in this regard, and the bass cut, while unconventional, functions the same way. Switching the preamp in will slightly boost everything uniformly while lowering the impedance coming from the bass. This means it can handle long cables with minimal degradation in tone quality. The treble boost just adds a little icing on top of that. But the preamp is separate from the knobs and isn’t actually directly affected by them. The knobs aren’t actually impacting what the preamp does, just what’s fed into it.

The series/parallel switch affects the coils within each pickup, not the pickups combined. Each pickup has two coils insiders it, which are what the switch is controlling. It does control both pickups simultaneously though. If the neck pickup is in parallel, the bridge pickup is in parallel; if the neck pickup is in series, the bridge pickup is in series. You can still select any of the three pickup selections at either series or parallel.

 

[RitterSport]

Ah, that makes more sense. In my TRBX, the pre-amp acts to boost or cut, whereas here, the bass and treble knobs are passive high pass and low pass filters, it sounds like. In the TRBX, if the knobs are flat and you switch from active to passive, I can't hear a difference, whereas here, it sounds like it will get louder in active.

Also, thanks for that clarification on the pickup wiring!

 

[TDR1138]

No problem.

Its an unconventional design, but once you get the hang of it and understand how it works, it does work well. And to note, wide open isn’t the best idea. It helps to start with everything around 60-70% (including the volume) and add or subtract from there as you get to know it.

 

[Killing Floor]

Great basses. Great sounding, almost too many usable tones, great playing, great looking. No negatives.

 

[Leonid Nidis]

Great bass,very versatile ingenious electronics.
Try first the 1 3/4 nut is not for everyone.
Some can be heavy too.
Btw mine had a 1 3/4 nut but it was a five string that's strange,same width for 4 and 5.

 

[sawzalot]

My first bass was an 80's L2000, I miss it a lot. Those 80s-era L2000's are classics --er, I mean, they're crap, stay away from them, now where did you see those for sale again and for how much and do they take PayPal....?

In all seriousness, the only issue on the older L-2000's is that they had a "micro tilt" adjustment in the heel of the neck joint. It was a great way to effectively shim the neck. Unfortunately some people over-used that adjustment and wound up forcing a permanent "ski jump" into the neck, causing a lot of fret buzz on the upper frets. If you're going to get one of the older ones, make sure to check the neck for that issue. Otherwise they're great basses, some are highly sought after.

 

[RitterSport]

I don't think I've played enough basses or know enough about them to be able to tell a good 40 year old bass from a bad one, so I think I'll stick to the newer ones, if I pull the trigger. Thanks for that heads up!

 

[lug]

To me, the biggest difference between the Tribs and the USA models are the necks. The Tribs have traditional neck designs but the USA's are built quite a bit different.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

The USA models also use a Plek machine for fret leveling.

 

[Bassclef46]

Just confirmed with G&L today they no longer plek anything. However the neck team dresses the frets better than the plek. According to G&L

 

[2F/2F]

Someone recently posted a picture of their new L2000 and it looks beautiful. I listened to a video on the G&L website and the sound also seems fantastic. So, maybe I'll sell my TRBX604 or my old Peavey Foundation and put that money towards an L2000.

First, what's the difference between the regular and the Tribute? Korean vs. American made? Will the sound be essentially the same? How about the build quality?

Second, there are some older ones from the 80s and 90s for sale on Reverb and eBay -- would those sound the same as modern ones?

Third, can it work without a battery? That is, is there a real passive mode? The video I saw seemed to say he was boosting the bass when the switch was set to passive, which makes no sense to me.

Finally, what do all those switches to? OK, I understand the pickup switch, but what's serial vs. parallel? And, the active boost/active/passive switch -- is that just active/passive, plus active+extra treble?

Regular = made in Fullerton. Tribute = made overseas. When MFD pickups are used on Tributes, they are the same pickups as the Fullerton models. That means the Tribute L-2000s have the same pickups as the Fullerton L-2000s. Tribute quality is generally lower, and final setup and tweaking is only 15 minutes (performed in the U.S.A. factory), so a lot of "stuff" gets through (but can be fixed up later, by the owner). Tributes can be quite nice for the money on the used market, especially the models that have MFD pickups (which, again, means the pickups are U.S. made). I have also picked up Tributes that were so awful, they weren't even worth fixing.

The ones from the '80s and '90s have slightly different switching ("bass boost" mode), but for the most part, the L2K has been sonically the same for 40+ years now.

It is fully operational in passive mode without a battery (and this is how I use them most of the time).

Switch 1 is the pickup selector. Neck, N+B (parallel), and Bridge.

Switch 2, you choose both pickups with series coils, or both pickups with parallel coils. E.g. an 8K or a 2K pickup. Big difference in tone. It's a big mid cut when you go to parallel.

Switch three is for the pre amp: On with treble boost, on, or off.

The L-2000 excels at pretty much everything except being able to cop traditional Jazz Bass tones. You can't choose your pickup blend when in the middle switch position. And you can't split the pickups, unless your bass is specially re-wired to allow it (this is an option from the factory when you order a new one). If you are really into blended pickup tones, look at the M-2000 instead. It has a blend knob.

Your best bang for the buck with be a used one from the '90s. Their manufacturing was still very good quality at that time, and the prices are incredibly reasonable on the G&Ls of this era. This year, I got a '99 L1K for $850, with original case, with a flame top. My last L2K: $925 shipped, 1985 model with an ultra clean body in a slightly rare color. As long as the neck is still straight and the frets are still good, IMO, $1,000 for an old American one with case beats the hell out of $500 or $600 for a used Indonesian one without a case. Plus, it'll do nothing but appreciate in value.

 

[Rob1957]

I can also vouch as an Indonesian Tribute L-2000 owner everything said above is true.
I ordered mine sight unseen and was concerned about the ‘baseball’ neck. But when I had I in my hands it was so similar to my ‘59 pbass it was like coming home again.
I routinely played mine in passive mode and didn’t feel I was missing anything.
The MFD pickups are awesome and powerful! Tributes have limited color options and one size neck. You can order USA G&Ls in more colors and neck sizes.

 

[Mvilmany]

The US models have significantly better fretwork than the Tribute I own. For the money, the Tribute is the best deal around. I do love my Tribute L2000, but my next G&L would definitely be USA.

 

[Pings Bass]

I think my tribute L2500 is korean, it's a great bass, with the same pickups as the USA model. I don't think sound-wise there is any way to tell it apart. But it's got some neck dive that lighter tuners might help. It's pretty light in the body, which I like, but that's part of the reason it neck dives, so...