L2000 Mod complete!

[deltafred]

Yes, I know that I 'll also change the whole switch.

It was not obvious from your first post, I just thought that I better point it out and save you any disappointment.

I suppose that the second photo shows a three way switch. What I don't understand is the blue wiring that shows up in the second photo ....

That is the 'K' wiring which uses pickups that have a separate earth wire (I believe), probably best ignore this as it just adds to the complexity. I have never seen a 'K' bass so will leave this to those that know.

As you say the DavePlayBass is a pretty good starting point. There is a PDF of it here, or there is a thread on wiring mods here - viewtopic.php?f=9&t=278

As far as push/pull volume mods go I will leave that for someone who has done it, I believe there are one or two on here that have.

fred

[Ken Baker]

Note:
The pickup shown here is NOT, at this time, a production G&L item. It is a test pickup - a prototype. Do not compare this to the wiring you have in your current (7/25/2011 and earlier) G&L bass pickups.

Now that we have that out of the way:

See the green lead in the upper-righthand corner of the pickup. That lead connects from one end of the green/yellow coil to the baseplate of the pickup. At the lower-lefthand corner of the baseplate a long green lead is connected, and this is brought out of the pickup with the rest of the leads.

Good so far?

Put on your mind's eye glasses for a minute. In the "K" model pickups, the green lead at the upper-righthand corner is NOT connected to the baseplate, but is brought out of the pickup directly with the rest of the leads. A blue lead is added that would connect to the baseplate at the lower-lefthand corner, and this lead is also brought out with the rest of the leads.



For both pickup types, the green lead is connected to ground in the cavity. The blue lead is also grounded in the "K" models.

The baseplate, while copper coated, is ferrous and is there to apply certain affects to the magnetic fields of the underlying magnets. Because it is grounded it also provides a bit of noise reduction by shielding the backside of the pickup. The problem comes, and it is a very minor problem, when the non-"K" pickup is re-wired to a 3-way switch to provide single coil. The baseplate has an extremely minor effect on the impedance (there's that word again, Fred) of the green/yellow coil. When in either humbucking mode (series or parallel), this effect is so small that it's not worth dealing with. When in SC mode, it can sometimes be noticed because one pickup will use the green/yellow coil and other will use the black/white coil. The green/yellow coil has the baseplate in circuit and the black/white coil doesn't, hence a tiny imbalance. So.... The "K" models add the blue wire to ground and isolate the baseplate, and the coils used in SC mode are now balanced.

Okay. Let's see how much trouble THIS gets me into.

Ken...

[deltafred]

The "K" models add the blue wire to ground and isolate the baseplate, and the coils used in SC mode are now balanced.

Thanks Ken, that explains a lot.

Okay. Let's see how much trouble THIS gets me into.

Ken...

Trouble, me cause trouble! It all looks good to me.

fred

[wazdabaz]

deltafred and Kan Baker ,
thank your for your valuable posts. You really make it easier to understand. I only wish there was a unique thread with all info on modding l2's.

[Ken Baker]

When we first started considering advanced coil switching, most folks that did it followed a tried & true method & circuit. Since then there have been several variances to the basic circuit. Some want a straight passive instrument, some want to use the stock preamp, some want to use a third party preamp, some want blend.... The list goes on.

So what we have here are some basic circuits to get you started. Yes, they could be better organized and perhaps I should do something about that. Or not. Please also understand that I don't have a copy of every circuit & every mod known to G&L L series basses. Most are just outgrowths of the factory circuit or DavePlaysBass' circuit.

Too, it's also about the education and discussion, which are core values of BassesByLeo.

Ken...

[wazdabaz]

So what we have here are some basic circuits to get you started. Yes, they could be better organized and perhaps I should do something about that. Or not.
Too, it's also about the education and discussion, which are core values of BassesByLeo.
Ken...

I'd never demand to have someone do the dirty job! I love the searching and learning! (-and asking should add!)

[wazdabaz]

Project canceled. I can't find an ON.ON.ON toggle switch!!! Everyone around here seem surprised that I don't want an ON.OFF.ON. Is it such a rare switch??

[Ken Baker]

Project canceled. I can't find an ON.ON.ON toggle switch!!! Everyone around here seem surprised that I don't want an ON.OFF.ON. Is it such a rare switch??

Most local consumer-oriented shops will have no clue.

Digikey does have a clue.

CKN1139-ND DPDT ON-ON-ON This is the pickup select switch.

CKN1132-ND 4PDT ON-ON-ON This is the coil switch.

Ken...

[wazdabaz]

Project canceled. I can't find an ON.ON.ON toggle switch!!! Everyone around here seem surprised that I don't want an ON.OFF.ON. Is it such a rare switch??

Most local consumer-oriented shops will have no clue.

Digikey does have a clue.

Ken...

Thank you for this info. I live in Athens (Greece) and I visited some of the best known electronic-parts shops. None had a clue nor was willing to order some units. Maybe I have to search for some unknown hardcore e-part shops. I doubt I'll find it. The digikey will be the last resort due to high shipping costs (~25$ + the ~11$ cost of the part. That is a total of ~36$ for the coil toggle switch!)

[godblender]

Bumping this to see if anyone can direct me to any/all diagrams that relate to this mod. I want to have at it!