NBD, A Shocker I'm Sure

[darwinohm]

New Bass Day! I have been looking for the perfect G&L bass. Weight has been a consideration. I happened to stop by AGB today and I had looked at an EQ Mah L-2500 and it very nice but has been used a bit and had some dings and marks. I had been struggling with this and it became clear to me that I would not be happy.

A couple of nights ago I was perusing the living room and Ginny asked me what I was doing. I told her I was looking for something I could trade. I took several out to the garage over the evening and brought them in and back on the wall. A lot of deep thought and a couple of cold ones to help the decision process. I finally came back in and said to Ginny, " I have a problem" I kind of got "the look" but she finally asked " what's wrong"? My response " I don't have anything that I can trade". Now I really got the look!!! It is true, I have no trading material. Out of this whole mess there is nothing I want to part with. They are all very special.

The G&L rep was at AGB today and we spent quite some time talking. He has requested light guitars before but they will not guarantee a weight. I had been thinking about this a lot as I was concerned about a special order for a light weight bass could very well be a crap shoot. If I ordered something and I did not like it, I would not refuse to take delivery on it. I would not leave the dealer holding the bag as that is who would get stuck with it. I had talked to TIm (dealer) before he left for NAMM and told him that I had reservations.

I have 3 great basses already. Last weekend I used the Pink Lady, 10 lbs 13 oz, and it did not bother me. One thing that I have noticed is that it is balanced very well. My Carvin weighs 8lbs 1 oz and is a breeze for a 4 hour gig. It does not quite have that G&L growl, close but not quite. I love the Asat Savannah, especially for recording but it is a 4 string and I prefer a 5 string for gigging.

About 9 months ago I saw a new M-2500 at AGB and looked at it. It was gorgeous but it was a Tribute much to my surprise. The workmanship and finish was flawless. The neck was nice, the pocket tight and it was pretty sweet. I didn't plug it in. I have been to AGB many times since and that Tribute always drew my attention and a couple of months ago I considered dealing on it a bit. Then I would ask myself, why get a tribute. That is not good reasoning but it is what it is.

Today I went back to look at the L-2500. I couldn't do it. I looked at that M-2500 again. The neck looked perfect. It played extremely well, no buzz and it was nice to look at. I like maple necks and had one on my last L-2500 and it always felt heavy. In retrospect I think is was more balance than weight. It weighs a flat 10 lbs. This Tribute felt so well balanced and it just felt good. I finally asked the big question, "what is it going to take to get this one". It was marked at MAP. I got an immediate response which surprised me and my answer was "Ring it up".

I brought it home and the neck relief and setup was perfect. I didn't make a change to anything. It was one of those no risk deals. If I didn't like it, I could recover most of my purchase price. It turns out to be a gem and I hope that it will remain so. I have owned one other tribute and it was an Asat Special, a very nice guitar and sold to a friend who really wanted it. So, this Tribute is joining my other 16 American G&L's and is proud to do so. Here are a couple of pics. It is supposed to be a Honeyburst but has very little burst on the edge. I like it. This will be a gigger. My quest may be over.-- Darwin

[Salmon]

Congratulations on acquiring a honey do gigging bass.

If you had to pin point specifics about the Tribute that distinguish it from your USA models what would you describe? For instance, X radius is X radius but a USA and Import neck with the same X radius might have other things that stand out.

Is that a clear orange Heritage 5th from the left on the bottom rack?

[darwinohm]

Good question Salmon. I don't have my American L-2500 any more so a fair comparison is impossible but here is what I think. The radius and nut width are the same. I believe the profile is also the same as the feel is very similar. This is also a satin neck which seems to have a bit more finish than my American model. The American had finish was so thin that it felt almost unfinished. I think after that time period G&L starting adding a bit more finish. I suspect the neck is built to American profile standards. The only visual difference is the way the bridge is mounted. The American Saddlelock on only the 5 string is mounted with 2 screws through each end of the saddlelock and the strings are string through the body. There is a mod that is documented on the Basses By Leo Forum that put screws through the string holes into threaded inserts that are placed in the ferrules, securing the bridge firmly to the body and then stringing the strings from the bridge. It was an improvement to the American bass. The Tributes have the bridge mounted with 5 screws through the string holes and the 2 on the ends which are the only ones the American model has. A much better mounting arrangement in my opinion. The strings on this are bridge mounted rather than through body. That is the only visual difference.

This is a 2 piece body but not joined down the center. The seam is located just to the left of the pickups and happens to look very well with the wood used. So in the end it is not a bookmark match. It does have a very nice grain.

The guitar on the end of the rack is a Hamer Newport. It is one of my favorites and has the Hamer version of of P90's called Phat Cats. I happen to prefer it to a 335. Hamer is like G&L, one of the best used buys on the planet. They are just hard to find and no longer produced. Thanks for asking Salmon-- Darwin

[Nnanji]

Beautiful!

[Fumble fingers]

looks great , the Burst is light but still looks good

[astutzmann]

yeah Darwin, congrats!!

[fianoman]

Nice piece Darwin. They matched it up nicely. I didn't even notice until you mentioned it. Looks good.

[glvourot]

I am surprised but happy that you found this bass. By all accounts Tributes are nothing to sneeze at. I makes me wish I kept my Chinese Gretsch which was built very well. Anyway , glad you like it and I look forward to the after gig report.

[darwinohm]

I have been spending some time with this bass. It is exceeding my expectations, especially it being a Tribute. The neck and frets are perfect although it did have a bit of fret sprout which I took care of last evening, probably 20 minutes for both sides. I also installed Schaller strap locks and had to drill them out a bit as the strap holder mounting screws are a bit larger. I also had to grind the edge of the screw head to fit in the Scaller lock. I have had to do that with all my G&Ls. I have also dressed some of my Americans for fret sprout. This is not a manufacturing issue but caused by the climate here in the winter time. That is the time to get rid of it as once you do, it most likely will not happen again.

Today was going to be my final work on this bass before gigging. My project this afternoon was going to be shielding the control cover for static electricity. I have done it to all my G&l basses and it eliminates the issue and is a very simple fix. Much to my surprise, i removed the cover only to discover that it was shielded and noticed the control cavity was shielded with shielding paint. What a surprise! I went in and grabbed the Savannah Asat Bass as I had already shielded the cover on it. I couldn't remember the cavity being shielded. I opened it up and sure enough, it wasn't, as none of my G&L basses have been. I may have been underestimating the Tributes. Time is the true test. Here are photos:

Asat Savannah, I shielded the cover and didn't go to the edges to avoid trimming and it is not needed. Also not the cavity.




Here is the M-2500 Tribute.




Hmmm??-- Darwin

[Elwood]

When you get to recording again, it would be interesting if you could 'see' a difference in dynamics
with the new "M" system. I'm eager to try one.

If it was me ...I'd get this 9.9 lb L-2500 as a back-up

http://www.ebay.com/itm/G-L-L2500-CUSTO ... 35d1a98a14

Thanks for the gut shots BTW .

elwood

[SamIV]

I think the burst looks great. I own a few Tributes and like them as well. I am on the fence on a new Fallout and might go with the Tribute so I will not spend so much on a guitar I might not like.

[darwinohm]

Elwood, we just finished 4 days of recording this evening. It is intense and the bandmates are still talking to each other! I used the M-2500 and I really like it. The panning rather than the switches is nice to get tone although the L-2500 may be more versatile in some ways for quick switching. The bandmates were happy with the tone. The M series is a keeper. I would definitely get another Tribute especially if I could look at it first.

Sam, the Tributes are a good way to check out without spending a lot of money. I am glad I bought it as it will get used a lot.-- Darwin

[darwinohm]

I gigged the M-2500 Tribute this weekend. It is a keeper, well balanced, great tone and I really like the blend knob for the pickups. Being my first tribute bass I was happy how it stays in tune, the tuners seem just like the Americans, easy to adjust. I couldn't be happier and what a price! Great working bass. -- Darwin

[darwinohm]

This thread is old but I am posting a followup due to the feedback from listeners that I have received. I have played different basses on gigs and sometime switch basses between sets. I have been using this M-2500 most of the time since I bought it. recently I have had people come up and comment that this bass is the best sounding that I have played and they ask what it is. It is rewarding as they usually come up during breaks and look at the basses and comment how great they look. Several musicians have commented on the "killer tone' of this bass. It happened again yesterday and the guy asked a lot of questions. The pickups in this M are the best I have ever played. I think they are not the same as the L pickups but Craig could answer that. You should see the look I get when I tell them that this bass was built in Indonesia and has the American G&L pickups. I find the blend knob the best thing about the controls and I like it much better than the switches.

There are a lot of factors in getting good sound and as I explained to the fellow yesterday, I use a 2-10, a 15, and a 2-12 cabinet. The low b string in this bass is incredible. That probably wouldn't happen without the 15 cabinet. I gigged a couple of weeks ago with the 15 cabinet and really notice the low end being less pronounced. There are a lot of factors including pickup height that factor in and at this point I am not changing anything. Anyway, I just wanted to tell everyone how the M-2500 is working for me. It is stellar!! -- Darwin

[Craig]

The pickups in this M are the best I have ever played. I think they are not the same as the L pickups but Craig could answer that.

I can partially answer:

Leo’s MFD™ humbuckers have always been the heart of the iconic L-Series. In the all-new M-Series, these powerhouses are voiced to fully exploit a
studio-quality 18v preamp system specially designed for them.

What I don't know is whether the pickups are underwound or overwound to achieve this voicing.

Perhaps you could get the DC-Rs for the pickups in you Tribute M-2500 and someone else could get the DC-Rs for the pickups in a recent L-2500 bass and
post them here. A higher DC-R number will indicate more wire added (overwound).

Hope this helps.

[darwinohm]

Craig, I will find a wiring diagram and do this before long. I will post the resistance and add it to the registry entry. Thanks-- Darwin

[Craig]

Craig, I will find a wiring diagram and do this before long. I will post the resistance and add it to the registry entry. Thanks-- Darwin

Here's an easy method for getting DC-R: Measuring Pickup DC-R.

Hope this helps.

[darwinohm]

Craig, that is an excellent post and will work great for passive systems. This bass is fully active with a blend control, no switching and if it were not for the preamp, I could turn the blend konb one way or the other for the corresponding pickup. I will figure it out without having to disconnect the pickup leads. Thanks -- Darwin;

[Craig]

Craig, that is an excellent post and will work great for passive systems. This bass is fully active with a blend control, no switching and if it were not for the preamp, I could turn the blend konb one way or the other for the corresponding pickup. I will figure it out without having to disconnect the pickup leads. Thanks -- Darwin;

I checked with Paul to find out the details on these pickups and how to get DC-R readings on them:

Hi Craig,

The M series bass pickups are under wound by about 12% with gives a slightly brighter and lower output level when
compared to the standard L series pickups.

To accurately read the DC resistance of any pickup it needs to be disconnected from any circuitry. If you need to measure
a pickup in a circuit you would need to know the parallel resistance across the pickup and take that into account.

Thanks Craig,
Paul

Hope this helps.

[darwinohm]

I thought it would require unsoldering. I believe what Paul says and now I know that they are underwound a bit. They sure are sweet! Thanks Craig.-- Darwin

[NickHorne]

Regarding the measurement of pickup DC resistance via the jack, Paul is, of course, right in the strictest sense.
However, the volume pot will be at least 250Kohm, and the tone pot is only in circuit via a capacitor, so the multimeter won't see that at all. So the pots' contribution to the reading will be at least 250K in parallel with the pickup.
The pickup, meanwhile, will be in the region of 3 - 10 Kohm. 250K in parallel with this will corrupt the meter reading by such a tiny amount that it can safely be ignored.

If there is any active circuitry in the instrument, then of course no measurement should be attempted via the jack.