passive electronics? L2500? any other suggestions?

[stewlyons]

i have a LB 100 and a jazz g&l, both passive. i am looking to get another bass, preferably a g&l, but i don't want active electronics. i would like to get a L2500. can anyone tell me if i can get a LB2500 with passive electronics. or is there another high quality g&l bass with passive electronics that anyone could suggest? (not sure yet whether i'm going to go 4 or 5 string.) thanks.

[GeorgeB]

L2x00 are basically passive basses, with a switchable(!) buffer / treble-booster. Further, this buffer is easily removed completely.

[stewlyons]

thanks for your reply. i'm confused though whether this is passive or not. basically what i want is a bass that i don't have to put a battery in. would i have to put a (9V) battery in it? i know, i'm not that electronics saavy. any other thoughts about the L2000? i like G&L, and would like to get one of the better ones, but without a 9V battery being required. i really appreciate your advice.

[Elwood]

You could leave the battery out, and the switch would just silence the signal (like a standby) instead of the
activating the preamp. You will stiil have the basic switching available in passive mode.
L-2000's sound soooo good, I often play mine with the preamp off.
If you can test one through a nice amp...I bet you'll be hooked.

[stewlyons]

thanks. ok, so it does "take" a battery. you're right, i could just leave the battery out. any other higher quality g&l bass that is passive in the sense that it wouldn't even "take" a battery?

thanks.

[stewlyons]

ok, another thought. so the L2500 would be the same, right? i mean, i could use it passively if i didn't put a battery in it, right? what is the major difference, or differences, between the L2000 and the L2500? thanks, again.

[stewlyons]

i think i just figured out that the L2500 is just the 5 string version of the L2000, is that correct?

[Elwood]

yup

[KenC]

The SB-2 is passive, with MFD pickups. I don't pay much attention to the current line-up, but if they are still building the re-issues of the SB-1 and L-1000 those would probably be passive too (at least the originals were).

If you want to hunt the used market, the first L-2000s in 1981 were passive. I believe there were some passive El Toros as well, but those will be very few and far between. The early '80s SB-1 and SB-2 were passive, and so was the Lynx.

Ken

[stewlyons]

thanks, might have to look at the SB-2 then! much appreciated

[Craig]

thanks, might have to look at the SB-2 then! much appreciated

For all the current basses (and guitars), see the G&L website: http://www.glguitars.com/index.asp.