Tribute vs. American G&L

[The Aardvark]

Ok, so I bought a Tribute and I

[sunburstbasser]

I think a G&L got missed in QC.

[i_wanna_les_paul]

Hmm...my series/parallel switch is a mute in both active and passive modes. I'm trying to decide if I have an extra feature or if it's just extra flaky.

 

At any rate, mine has the infamous scratchy pots and I need to visit my local G&L dealer to get replacement parts.

 

Dustin

[The Aardvark]

Hmm...my series/parallel switch is a mute in both active and passive modes. I'm trying to decide if I have an extra feature or if it's just extra flaky. At any rate, mine has the infamous scratchy pots and I need to visit my local G&L dealer to get replacement parts. Dustin

 

Mine has the scratchy pots as well.

[i_wanna_les_paul]

Mine has the scratchy pots as well.

That was an issue on early Tributes, both guitars and basses. Mine is an '03 model and I bought it used. I felt the price was low enough I could stand to replace the electronics. I just haven't gotten around to doing anything about it because I don't play out, but it's getting old. The volume, bass and treble pots don't do anything unless they're full-on - it's all or nothing. At least two out of the three switches work correctly

[mike fitzwell]

 

I think a G&L got missed in QC.

 

 

Agreed.

[The Aardvark]

That was an issue on early Tributes, both guitars and basses. Mine is an '03 model and I bought it used. I felt the price was low enough I could stand to replace the electronics. I just haven't gotten around to doing anything about it because I don't play out, but it's getting old. The volume, bass and treble pots don't do anything unless they're full-on - it's all or nothing. At least two out of the three switches work correctly

 

I'm not sure how old mine is (I bought it used as well) and everything seems to work correctly (with the possible exception of the series/parallel mute thing) it's just noisy. I'd be really disappointed/pissed off if the pots only worked if they were full on. Are you planning on replacing all of the electronics? Are you going to shield the cavity at that time as well? Do you know if the American made G&L have some of the same issues?

[i_wanna_les_paul]

I'm not sure how old mine is (I bought it used as well) and everything seems to work correctly (with the possible exception of the series/parallel mute thing) it's just noisy. I'd be really disappointed/pissed off if the pots only worked if they were full on. Are you planning on replacing all of the electronics? Are you going to shield the cavity at that time as well? Do you know if the American made G&L have some of the same issues?

I need to talk to my local G&L guys and see what they say. G&L sells replacement parts online for the US basses, but not for the Tributes. I don't know that I'll bother with shielding the cavity further because it's not an issue.

 

I don't think the American basses have the electronics issues because I believe they use CTS pots, so the quality is a bit higher.

 

To find out what year yours was made, look at the back of the headstock - the first two numbers should indicate the year of manufacture.

 

Dustin

[bassman1956]

 

 

Yummm!

[The Aardvark]

 

I need to talk to my local G&L guys and see what they say. G&L sells replacement parts online for the US basses, but not for the Tributes. I don't know that I'll bother with shielding the cavity further because it's not an issue. I don't think the American basses have the electronics issues because I believe they use CTS pots, so the quality is a bit higher. To find out what year yours was made, look at the back of the headstock - the first two numbers should indicate the year of manufacture. Dustin

 

 

Cool, mine is an '03! Thanks for the tip.

[NSPBass]

That's odd. I've got a used '03, as well, and while the pots were a bit scratchy, they've since cleared up for some reason. Also, my series/parallel switch doesn't act as a mute, but it does result in a noticeable difference in volume and tone. I think I just lucked into a really, really nice one that plays wonderfully and everything works well with no noise, whatsoever.

 

nspbass

[whoneedstherapy]

Yummm!

 

 

that can have my children

[Narcosynthesis]

Ok, so I bought a Tribute and I

[mike fitzwell]

 

I don't know about the noise, but I wouldn't worry about the series/parallel switch acting as a mute when soloing one pickup - the way it works it connects the pickups one after the other where only one pickups volume control is active, so if you have the active one zero'ed when you switch to series, then it will act as a mute, nothing to worry about David

 

 

Mine's an '06 and the series/parallel switch works when either pup is solo'd, active or passive.

[ezstep]

Actually, the "hum" has been associated with the MIA L2000 and L2500, and possibly others. I used my L2500 on passive in the studio because it hummed on active. Great feel, great sounds, but annoying hum.

[lug]

 

I don't know about the noise, but I wouldn't worry about the series/parallel switch acting as a mute when soloing one pickup - the way it works it connects the pickups one after the other where only one pickups volume control is active, so if you have the active one zero'ed when you switch to series, then it will act as a mute, nothing to worry about David

 

 

 

Actualy, on the G&L, the series parrallel switch is a bit different. In series, the two coils in each pup are series with each other, in parallel, they two coils in each pup are paralleled. The output of the two pups are always paralleled. In theory, the bass should be a quiet as a church mouse. That said, mine can generate noise in series mode, but is dead quiet in parallel. Schematics are available on G&L's web site on a link at the bottom of the Support page.

[T. Alan Smith]

I "a/b'ed" Thunderbroom's American & Tribute G&Ls. While the American was typical G&L(i.e. high quality thru-n-thru), the Tribute was more impressive just because at half the cost, your getting damn near an American G&L. You could tell that everything was better on the American...wood, components...but the Tribute is just as capable.

[unklefranc]

you should take it in to have it serviced. I own two L-2500s and an L-2000 ( both are USA models ) and the pots are as someone said, "as quite as a church mouse. " also the series/parallel switch has never acted as a mute on any of my instruments.

[scampi]

the pots on my usa l-2000's are quiet, but there is some annoying buzz in the signal whenever I'm not touching the strings or hardware - minor grounding issue...but shouldn't be present in a domestic g&l imo - at any rate I haven't fixed the problem since I've only ever used them on gigs and never for recording - for live use, the g&l's are solid workhorses - I've never seen any the switches function as a 'mute'

[Narcosynthesis]

 

Actualy, on the G&L, the series parrallel switch is a bit different. In series, the two coils in each pup are series with each other, in parallel, they two coils in each pup are paralleled. The output of the two pups are always paralleled. In theory, the bass should be a quiet as a church mouse. That said, mine can generate noise in series mode, but is dead quiet in parallel. Schematics are available on G&L's web site on a link at the bottom of the Support page.

 

 

I stand corrected then. I assumed it was series/parallel pickups rather than the coils in each pickup

 

David

[lug]

 

I stand corrected then. I assumed it was series/parallel pickups rather than the coils in each pickup David

 

 

 

The weird thing is I've NEVER seen it written up. I had to look at the Schematics to figure it out.

[bbl]

Lug, if you're quiet in parallel and loud in series, could the source be the large green caps (term?) attached to the middle pot? I had the same problem and fixed it by disconnecting those things.

[lug]

Lug, if you're quiet in parallel and loud in series, could the source be the large green caps (term?) attached to the middle pot? I had the same problem and fixed it by disconnecting those things.

 

 

Is one of them the green cap right above where the red lead off the battery comes into the control cavity?

 

 

In the schematic, there are 2 .1 uf caps thw are engaged between the pup and ground is series mode. I don't know why, quiet switching noise maybe?

[jonathan_matos5]

my tribute is completely quiet and so was the american made G&L at the store when i compared the two and i compared them in series/ parrallel mode on each of the pups singled and with both together. it might be your specific bass or it might be what i_wanna_les_paul said and your tribute is one of the older ones with a few issues.

[bbl]

Is one of them the green cap right above where the red lead off the battery comes into the control cavity? In the schematic, there are 2 .1 uf caps thw are engaged between the pup and ground is series mode. I don't know why, quiet switching noise maybe?

 

Are there two green caps connecting the pot to the series/parallel switch?

 

From the Dudepit:

 

L2000s up until the late 90s had a pair of big green resistors connected to the series/parallel switch and the pot nearby.

 

If parallel mode is quiet and series is noisy then those caps are the source of the series noise. If you simply disconnect them from the pot and put some tape on them so they don't short to anything else your problems will disappear.