New G&L shortscale

[Chris P.]

Last NAMM I asked the G&L guys if a cheaper tribute version would be released: the guy nodded YES very happy and said, with some diplomacy: I can't day anything 

Well, it's here:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/FalloutSSSG--g-and-l-tribute-fallout-short-scale-bass-guitar-surf-green

[Pilgrim]

I like that.  It looks like something that would be fun to play.

[Dave W]

That's a lot more reasonable, especially with the MFD humbucker.

[Denis]

I like that green one!

[BTL]

I really love what G&L is doing, both US and Tribute.

[morrow]

G&L carry on the tradition , but a lot of their basses tend to be on the heavy side , and I found the pickups too hot . Even run passive .
I know that's a weird thing to complain about .

[Dave W]

My L-1000 (passive) is only about 8 lbs. The MFD humbucker is very hot. Not as hot as a Gibson mudbucker, but still one of the hotter bass pickups out there.

[morrow]

I have the Tribute premium L2500 , early Korean made , it's a surprisingly well made bass . Pickups are ungodly hot .
I wanted to get used to a five string , and then decided I was pretty much an old school four string guy . Rarely play it , really should move it .
I seem to prefer lightweight shortscales these days , I'd love to try a Fallout , unfortunately I don't see much G&L around Halifax .

[slinkp]

Hot like loud and more lows/mids than highs?
I see this thing has a series/parallel/split switch, does it make a big difference?
I like the white one.

[Chris P.]

I have a Warwick with MM-humbuckers with this switch and I recently tried an older G&L of a friend with a similar switch.

It's very useful. Because of the woods, construction, etc. the vibe of the sound of the bass stays fairly the same in the three positions. In single coil modus - especially with two piickups - you can get more into a J-bass kinda vibe. Playing solo the nuances between series and parallel are small, with series being louder. For a while I played in a duo with the other person playing guitar or piano. While retaining the same sound, I doscovered parallel blended in better with her guitar and series with the piano. It's just some extra tools to use.

I think parallel gives a bit of a tighter sound and series a bit rounder and wilder. 

[Psycho Bass Guy]

Hot like loud and more lows/mids than highs?
I see this thing has a series/parallel/split switch, does it make a big difference?

G&L MFD pickups just have ungodly output overall. It's an even tone. If I had to describe it to someone who plays but had never played a G&L I would say that they sound like an early active Precision from the 80's. The Magnetic Field Design pickups don't roll off the high end like a Gibby mudbucker.  Most G&L's with the MFD humbuckers have an onboard preamp, but all it does is brighten the tone a bit. I've never noticed much difference in level when I toggle it in. The switch for it is passive/active/active with treble boost. The difference between active and active with treble boost is noticeable, but not as much as you might think. "Plain" active adds almost as much high end. (Note that this will vary TREMENDOUSLY depending on your amp's input stage. I use tube amps with high input impedance that is naturally brighter overall and more sensitive in general.) Parallel switched mode tames the volume and tone somewhat. Series is fatter and louder. My G&L's don't have a split switch; it's just series or parallel.

[Chris P.]

Oops, yes. The G&L doesn't have the series/parralel/single switch like Music Man and Warwick. My bad.

[Dave W]

The L1000's switch has three positions: series, parallel and the so-called OMG mode.  Some people think it's a bass boost, but the bass is passive. It's actually a .1uf cap across one of the pickup coils, which sends a lot of high end to ground. The other coil is still full frequency. So it's dual coil but not humbucking since the coils aren't equal. There's hum but it's minimal, at least to my ears. The output is still massive.

[slinkp]

Oh that's interesting, sounds like OMG mode is electronically similar to the "tap" on the recent Gibson DC tribute? Somebody (I forget who) looked inside and said it put a cap on one of the coils rather than disabling it entirely.

Doesn't sound much like the OMG clips I've heard in demos of the G & L; the DC in "tapped" mode sounds brighter to me. but that's not surprising ... different pickup, different bass, likely different cap...

[Dave W]

Oh that's interesting, sounds like OMG mode is electronically similar to the "tap" on the recent Gibson DC tribute? Somebody (I forget who) looked inside and said it put a cap on one of the coils rather than disabling it entirely.

Doesn't sound much like the OMG clips I've heard in demos of the G & L; the DC in "tapped" mode sounds brighter to me. but that's not surprising ... different pickup, different bass, likely different cap...

The L1000 sounds noticeably different in each switch position.