Modding the L-2500: single coil vs. blend pot

[PluckyThump]

Ken's post about the Stew-Mac blend pot has me thinking.

The L-2500 I have sounds great, but I want to make it better, specifically I want better B-string tone on the neck pickup. With the neck pickup solo, the B is a bit muddy. With the bridge pickup solo, the B is nice and clear and growly, but lacks warmth. With both pickups on it's a compromise, it is warmer but lacks growl. There are two ways to try and improve this:

- Single coil mod. This may add enough clarity to the neck pickup and both pickups that I will like the B string tone in any position.

- Blend pot mod. With a blend pot I could run 75% bridge and 25% neck. That may dial in enough warmth, without sacrificing clarity.

What are your thoughts? I think I am leaning toward the single coil mod. Can anyone tell me what affect it has on the B-string tone? Thanks!

[Ken Baker]

I can offer ideas, but nothing really solid. The reasons are several, from differing woods to strings to bolts to preamps.

You need to understand that I took my L-2500, turned it upside down and shook Hell out of it, then put it back together WAY different than stock. Bridge mod, single coil (outers), and Aguilar preamp - all at once. All these things made a generally notable difference on their own.

The bridge mod added sustain throughout, to the point that I have to pay more attention to muting so that notes don't last too long. I also get more clarity as I move up the fingerboard. Notes don't have nearly so much of that muffled 7th fret sound, particularly in the lower registers. You've already done this, so you have a feel for the effect.

Single coil adds a tone that is like a big G&L soapbar cut in half (Duh!); more intangible than the others but a tad more clarity. It's a little clearer than series mode (see below), but not by much. This is the G&L wooliness talking, and I wouldn't trade for the world.

The OBP-3 adds tonal control that is REALLY nice to have. I tend to run just a skosh of boost on treble & bass and leave the mid at the detent. If I want to get really super deep, I just dial it in without the OMG cap noise. I wired the preamp so that the mid controls what would normally be low-mid.

Another part of the equation on this bass is actually what is missing, and that is the G&L preamp and active/passive switch. I have found that the difference in sound and hotness between series mode and either SC or parallel is MUCH more striking in post-mod form. Those who have taken their bass completely passive probably note this as well. Also of note is that series mode is nearly as clear as SC mode, but is obviously humbucking.

So what did I end up with? In any mode, a B string that is the equal of or better than my 35" scale Lakland. Same strings, BTW - Infeld Superalloys. The G&L is top loaded and the 55-01 is done thru-body. And the 55-01 has Nordstrand Big Splits and an OBP-3, so the comparison is sorta loaded in the Lakland's favor.

Enough about my stuff - that's for background.

===========================

So you wanna dive in? Single coil isn't too tough to do - kind of a moderate difficulty thing. This thread has a bit of info on the mod using a G&L preamp. It's reversible as well, as no wood is chewed on.

Using the Stew-Mac blend pot in place of the pickup selector will require that the hole be enlarged - CAREFULLY. You could test the effectiveness of the pot by desoldering the switch and pulling the wires up through the hole, then soldering the pot in place leaving it hanging there in the breeze. If you like it, desolder it, enlarge the hole, and make it permanent. Or just put the switch back.

Or easier still, play with strings. Not necessarily cheap, but you'd be surprised at the differences. I tried Cleartones (sounded OK but Rotosound-style tension), TI Flats (typically good, but not quite what I was after), TI Powerbass (too bright, but WOW!), Super Slinkys (very good once broken in, good value), Dunlop Mediums (excellent, cheap, short-lived), Elixer Mediums (not impressive here), and Infeld Superalloys (fat, juicy, nicely broken-in tone, decent life). Superalloys won. Most of these were also cycled off to test on the Lakland, but the Superalloys won there as well.

That give you sumpin to chew on?

Ken...

[PluckyThump]

Thanks Ken.

I ordered the 4PDT on-on-on switch from Digikey and it arrived yesterday morning (fastest shipping ever from an online purchase!). I've installed the new switch using the inner coils config from DavePlaysBass' diagrams. In single-coil mode the neck pickup solo is still a tad woolly, but both pickups on gives me the tone I was looking for. The bridge pickup solo sounds good too, more growl than parallel and more refined than series. More options is a good thing!

My saudering skills are pretty good so it wasn't difficult to do, just tedious. The control cavity is a rats nest! I needed about three hours to get it done, which includes time studying the diagrams and studying the wires in the cavity to get my head around how the circuits work.

Now back to the hockey game.........

[Ken Baker]

Excellent, Mr. Thump!

It is a tad tedious in there, but it's certainly do-able with a small iron, decent eyes, and a little experience.

Thanks!

Ken...