G&L Bass Electronics Explained

When I first bought this G&L L2000 tribute the electronics were kinda confusing, and didn't fully understand what everything did and how. I hope you find this video useful, and subscribe!
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[@chrisckelly]

Some might consider this a very minor detail, but I just want to thank you for repeating the same melody when demonstrating the differences. It gave the presentation a nice control device.

[@OliverTobyn]

I'm glad it was useful, thanks for watching! 😊

[@67NewEngland]

So, unlike a Stingray, if your battery runs low, you can simply switch to passive mode and not worry about cutting out.

[@joemunzer]

The best explanation of the L2000 electronics 👍

[@drewlawrence696]

Without a doubt the most succinct, straight to the point, without the waffle, BEST description of what those switches/control knobs on my (and indeed anyone else) G&L L2000 actually 'do'. Thank you for taking the time :D

[@davidrotter3862]

Great video, thank you for breaking down exactly what each toggle switch is and does and for explaining about the knobs and pickups as well.

[@JGBMOY]

Recently acquired a 1981 G&L L2000e. This video helped me greatly to begin to explore its full potential. Thank you!

[@scottking387]

This is a super helpful review. You not only explained "series" vs. "parallel", you did it in a way that anyone ca understand. There are so many videos out there where people just use those two words and never explain what they even mean, and so they're assuming that everyone watching already understands what they mean. I never did, even when going and reading up on them, because explanations were technical and/or convoluted, if they existed at all. Now I get it, so thank you so much! And thanks for everything else you covered in this video. Really great.

[@Jutty17]

perfect, thank you! just ordered one of these (l2500) and was curious how the switches effected the tone. very helpful!

[@benncart10]

Just got this bass and needed a video like this to explain thank you so much

[@bDoom88]

Chiaro ed esaustivo come sempre! I effetti penso che, per molti, l'elettronica G&L sia davvero un mistero. Daje, bomba come sempre!

[@OliverTobyn]

Ti ringrazio tantissimo! Ero dubbioso anche io finché non l'ho sezionata componente per componente, haha

[@DevilsFourString]

Cool. Would love for you to a rundown of some good settings for finger and pick style on the L2000. Cool basses.

[@OliverTobyn]

Sounds like a cool idea! Will definitely try to come up with some settings!

[@holcombjamesa]

Just ordered the exact same bass. Will be here in 2 days. Thanks. I am playing out in 3 days and only have a day to paly with it. This will help me out alot on setup. Again thanks.

[@mixc8]

@Tony how do you like this bass a year later?

[@holcombjamesa]

@@mixc8 it's my primary go-to bass. Use passive electronics mainly. Has great low end in live venues.

[@mixc8]

@@holcombjamesa Thanks Tony I am thinking about picking up one. Had a G&L back in the day just curious about the L 2500

[@mannymonteiro]

Thank you so much for this video, I just got a vintage L2000 (tangerine clear finish) mapple scale, and I had no idea how the electronics work! 🙏

[@OliverTobyn]

I'm glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching, and enjoy your bass! 😁

[@BLOVECU]

my black l2000 will be here friday. thanks for the tips. love the figured maple but not available now.

[@4stringz.]

been looking at this model for a while. I think your vid just made my decision to get one!

[@Dwightpower88]

It's a great bass but definitely takes some tinkering. There are also some mods out there that are somewhat popular for even more versatility

[@PaddyLeggBass]

Absolutely excellent explanation! Great vid

[@mouthmw]

The only active thing about G&L L2K are the 2 modes: 1st - active mode - it's basically a buffer, nothing more, can be useful when using long cables or a bigger pedalboard with true bypass pedals. It doesn't boost your signal, it doesn't do anything to your EQ, it's only a buffer. 2nd - active mode + treble boost - it's a buffer and a prebaked high end boost which you can't control. It's the only mode that changes your EQ like an active preamp would, but you can't control it. G&L M-2000 is what you'd want if you want a more traditional active preamp in an L2K type of configuration. L2K is definitely a unique animal, and I'd never describe it as an active bass.

[@kylemundy8871]

Did you copy and paste this from another KZbin video? I just read the exact same thing minutes ago 😅

[@mouthmw]

@@kylemundy8871 I might have posted a similar thing on another video haha. I don't know :D

[@braindeadtoo]

I had an American build L2500 and there was a definite rise in output when the bass was switched from passive to active. I didn't realise that the tone controls were passive until I bought a fully active Lakland. They feel much more responsive that the normal passive tone controls found on every other bass I've owned. I like the pickup switch, rather than a mix pot or separate volume pots. I now have a couple of custom made basses, both with pickup switching and an active/passive switch, purely to offer redundancy if the batteries (18v) ever fail.

[@mouthmw]

@@braindeadtoo yes, it depends on the input impedance of your amp/device. When I used it with my Gallien Krueger 2001RB, there's not much difference, almost none (just the way the amp handles the impendance), going through buffered pedalboard also makes the difference negligible. Going straight to my audio interface though? Huge difference, and the buffered (active) mode boosts the signal quite a bit. But that's how buffers work.

[@Bassplayingypsy]

Wow. Mystery solved finally. Thank you for this video.

[@kubasmrk3116]

btw if set series mode and roll-on both bass and hi cut you get a sound similar to JB .. :) , it is somehow all previous Leo´s basses in one :)

[@macewbee]

Thank you for posting this.

[@alexmora2723]

i got that bass , what i don’t like si the fact of the volume pot, i think to put a blend pot instead, you cannot select the volume independent. Another thing is to change the 3 way for a four way to activate the outher coils, called the K mod. This bass is so versatile.

[@OliverTobyn]

Personally, I prefer the switch. I never use the in-betweens anyway. Pickups either full on or off, but I understand different preferences. Yeah, I've heard about the K mod, would love to try it on this one

[@iandavies7471]

Hey there. Thanks for the demo. I’ve just bought exactly the same coloured bass and am trying to work out roughly what year it’s from. Given that these sorts of colours tend to be specific to one or two years, do you know what year yours is from?

[@absoluteai41]

Thanks for explaining. Mine didn't come with a manual unfortunately.

[@iceicebuddy]

Very helpful thanks!

[@analytics8055]

Very good, thats just what I needed to know...

[@leegonzalezrecordings9643]

thanks!! good info!

[@jemmareno7979]

Diretto è coinciso! E comunque ho sempre pensato che era un basso sottovalutato. Continua cosi🤘🏻🙂

[@OliverTobyn]

Ti ringrazio molto! Concordo, è un gran bel basso dal quale puoi tirar fuori un sacco di bei suoni!

[@ViglieroG]

Ciao Oliver! Grazie mille intanto per il video esplicativo, è da un po' che tengo d occhio questo basso, secondo te per una principiante per un po' di rock e funk può andare? Grazie mille

[@OliverTobyn]

Ciao! Assolutamente sì, è un basso estremamente versatile che a mio avviso si addice un po' a tutti i generi. Bisogna solo capire bene come usare l'elettronica. Ad esempio nel funk sarebbe ideale usare entrambi i pickup collegati in parallelo, mentre per il rock andrebbe bene il pickup al manico collegato in serie. Le possibilità sono davvero tante!

[@WE500CD]

Good explanation

[@greatwhite61967]

Maybe because it's fast approaching 4am but it took the 2nd viewing to catch on to what you were describing... Plus it didn't help as I was being distracted by something I was eating but I can assure you it wasn't because us men can't multi task... lol Definitely got it as each part was explained on the 2nd viewing & I've always had a curiosity about the G&L range whether its the USA Built G&L Fullerton range or the G&L Tribute range made in Indonesia!.. I've only watched this video & just looking into them & if I may ask for some assistance as to what I think this bass guitar could doubt for a MusicMan Stingray as both seem to have quite distinctive high levels of treble but is there enough bass with these G&L Tribute 2000 Bass Guitar's & what's the difference between the Tribute L-2000 range & the USA built G&L Fullerton range!.. I know the G&L Tribute L-2000 versions are built in Indonesia & when I tried a Lakland 44-02 Skyline Bass Guitar & was blown away by its built quality/the quality of parts used & of course the sounds & it's one of my favourite modern style bass guitar's... I'm not going to lie & say it was cheap as it wasn't & I could've bought a well known Brand Name Bass Guitar for the price I paid for the Lakland 44-02 Sklyline but I was just smitten & the American equivalent was even more expensive & after a few weeks after buying it a demo of the US Version of the Lakland 4-94 vs the Indonesian Lakland 44-02 Skyline Bass Guitar's & I have a pretty good trained ear & there wasn't huge difference in their sound... If I remember correctly & I think many American Brand Names do this which is the body is built in Indonesia but then set back to either get the pickups in & checked or they are just checked before giving them the stamp of approval... Honestly the USA Built Lakland 4-94 which is the same as the US Version but built in Indonesia & even now the USA Built 4-94 version of this bass has & preowned price of up to £2900 or well into the £3K range & as much as I'd prefer any product to come from the country it was created & for this purpose bass guitar's its no wonder the Lakland 44-02 Sklyline range sell so well as American built bass guitar's are always too expensive & hence why many smaller independent guitar builders aka luthiers & though countries outside of America see new american built guitars or even the cheaper brands price rise as the stord are charged import tax which they want back & thats added into the price of every Guitar being shipped into another country... As its bad enough & with respect to them that American buyers don't pay the inflated price of countries outside of American but some of the price for American Built Bass Guitar's are just through the roof & why most if not all , at some point , all European Buyers buy the versions built in Indonesia or other countries were there's cheaper labour laws... I've had 2 Sterling Ray Stingray 34 Bass Guitar's wit 1 being a Classic Active & the only difference was & is the back is completely flat & there's no body contours added to them & I've owned 1 American Built Ernie Ball MusicMan Stingray & it was difficult at times to tell the difference in sound as Sterling really made a great product that was affordable to mid priced buyers then her brought out the cheapest version being the Sub & honestly apart from not have the same bridge & no doubt other cheaper components but sound wise, again , Sterling managed to now have a 3 Tiet Range of Low/Mid to Highest models of the MusicMan Stingray... This why I checked out this video as I read that Leo said this was his last & final completed bass guitar that had a lot more various sounds but I'm wonder does it mimic the MusicMan Stingray at all as the G&L Tribute L2000 bass guitar in this explanation of the electronics sounds like it could reproduce a MusicMan Stingray sound or are my way off!... Sweet looking & sounding bass guitar's for the G&L L-2000 Tribute but if it weren't for the at times insanely higher price for their US built G&L & the Indonesian priced bass guitar's I think the American companies would sell more if not so expensive... I understand all to well that imported products have an Import Tax slapped on them which just upd the prices even more for those not buying one unless they stay in America... In light of this still ongoing coronavirus and it's variants stay safe and healthy wherever you are in this world... .....

[@JipegOsorus]

Thank you dude !!

[@randallsnell5767]

Is upgrading the electronics feasible on a CLF era L-2500 ? Thanks...

[@maciejbrusio8321]

I'm wondering how the passive bass cut would work with a Jazz Bass.

[@ribaluigi]

Ciao Oliver! Grazie per la presentazione. Credo, però, che ci sia un'errore sulla SeriesMode. La series mode mette in serie le 2 bobine di ogni pickup separatamente. Infatti, ha un impatto anche con un solo pickup selezionato.

[@OliverTobyn]

Ciao Luigi! Perdonami, ma è esattamente ciò che ho detto!

[@azenhar]

get rid of the battery (the bass hat tones of output anyway so why bother with more) and you have a on off switch

[@ZodiacEntertainment2]

Genius. I might actually do this, lol.

[@psobecke]

I bought an orange one today

[@rachelnewyorktruth2564]

How do you change the battery ?

[@OliverTobyn]

You just unscrew the panel on the back and the battery is inside

[@jamiebibo4287]

Sorry, still found your description of the parallel/series switch confusing. Is that switching the relationship of the pups to each other or the relationship of the coils within the pup, or something more novel?

[@OliverTobyn]

It switches the relationship of the coils within one pickup. If it were in relation to each other they would work as one big pickup and you'd be unable to use just one or the other, only both

[@marcocorazza96]

Veramente molto versatile

[@OliverTobyn]

Assolutamente sì!

[@kirklarson4536]

On mine, the last switch is only a two-position.

[@OliverTobyn]

It probably doesn't have the treble boost, is it an L2000?

[@iamLexxKelsey]

so does it use a battery?

[@OliverTobyn]

Yes, 9V

[@johnreysulpico2248]

What is your pickup?

[@OliverTobyn]

They are the stock pickups, never changed them

[@PM-oq6ku]

What do you think about the fretwork and overall quality. I've never had the best experiences with Indonesian basses. But i'm really interested in this particular model. I'm a true P bass guy. But this bass caught my attention. By the way. I'm a big fan of your channel. Very useful demos.

[@OliverTobyn]

I'm definitely a P Bass guy as well, but I really like this bass. The frets are massive! Biggest frets I've ever seen on a bass, which is a matter of preference, I don't mind them, so they're ok for me. The build quality is just great, I've seen way worse stuff at this price range

[@N0B0DY_SP3C14L]

Decent explanation, however, there is something that usually gets kind of glossed over, and that is how important the volume knob is to this instrument's tone. The passive bass and treble are more versatile than one might imagine, and the character of the instrument changes as one increases or decreases the volume. I'm not sure if the circuit has some sort of tone-soak incorporated into it, but it is well worth your while to take some time and adjust your volume knob along with the gain knob on your amp/preamp and hear for yourself how the instrument goes through different characters, and how the tone knobs actually affect the sound at these various volumes. It's not like an active tone circuit bass, where the tone is consistent throughout the volume range, it really does change up quite a bit. Check it our for yourself!

[@analytics8055]

Think I may need electronics repaired on my 2000. It's just not sounding anywhere close to the right sound for a G&L 2000. Not phat, not ringy, not great sounding.

[@Eugensson]

What about the K-mod. Is it inner or outer coils? Why is it named "K-mod"?

[@OliverTobyn]

I've only heard about it after making the video! If you do the mod yourself you can choose if you want to use the inner or outer coils. I need to do some research as to why it is called k mod hah

[@rafamautone86]

@@OliverTobyn io ricableró lo strumento molto probabilmente con due switch a 3 vie che lavorano per ogni singolo pickup in maniera indipendente (single-serie-parallelo) ottenendo cosí differenti combinazioni timbriche. La cosa è work in progress peró quando risolverò se può interessarti ti spiego come avrò fatto il ricablaggio.

[@wei-chengfang9904]

Just got my L2000 with coil tap toggle switch and it is outer-coiled. The term “K-mod” is related to a Japanese music instrument shop called “Kurosawa gakki”. Back to the early 2000s, this Japanese company was licensed by G&L USA to make G&L guitars and basses in Japan for the domestic market, which is branded “G&L Premium”. Not only did those “G&L Premiums” featured great Japanese craftsmanship (actually manufactured by the well-known Fujigen factory), but “K”urosawa gakki also did some “mod”ification on those instruments, such as adding a coil tap switch on L2000s and a tone knob on SB-2s. That is why it is called “K-mod”.

[@DanielPerez-vt5ez]

Treble boost on a bass? 🙄 No mids? 🙄

[@DanielPerez-vt5ez]

@detroit retro gamer drg313 Best basses have all 3. Bass, mid and treble tone knobs. You don't have to go to your amp to adjust your mid tone. In my opinion, mids make all the difference because it brings in the balance to make bass tone complete/versatile.

[@soundknight]

Thought you might get into the details (worrying colour codes) Disappointed.

[@RedArrow73]

Trim your nails!

[@OliverTobyn]

I prefer it this way. If I cut them too short it's just a dull sound with no attack, which some like, but I personally don't

[@eliotmccann2589]

Great video, but if I might make a presentation suggestion: stop using the word "obviously". If it was obvious you wouldn't need to make the video explaining it. It can also make the novice bassist feel stupid, which I'm sure is not what you are wanting.

[@OliverTobyn]

Thanks for your feedback, it's just a word I use without realising it hah. I absolutely don't want to make anyone feel stupid, so I'll pay attention to that next time 😉