So today, I thought I’d share a little of the research going into the G&L book that Gabe Dellevigne and I are working on. It’s this kind of detail, among other things, that is making for a lot of work. I wish I knew when it will be finished, but when it is, it will be great.
Many bassists seem to think that the L-1000 and L-2000 basses fitted with slot-head pole piece pickups were the best sounding. Others thinks the large allen head L-1000s from 1980 are best. As a quick aside, I have played fabulous sounding basses that use large allen head, slot head and small allen head pole pieces as well as examples of each type that were “won’t kick it out of the house” good, but not mind-blowing. With that said, here’s a peek at what’s going on with those pole pieces.
Shown here is a large allen head slug from 1980 and a slot head slug from 1981. The differences are quite obvious. The slot head is has more mass (it’s bigger!) compared to the large allen head.
Shown here are the pickups themselves. Note that the large allen head pickup is threaded to the top while the slot head pickup is note. The slot head pole piece will not fit in the large allen head pickup, but the allen head slug will fit in the slot head pickup.
So do the pole pieces affect the sound of the bass? Maybe. I swapped large allen head pole pieces into the slot head pickup. For this particular bass, the difference was subtle. The slot head slugs seemed (no science here) to have a bit stronger attack (punch). But again, no science here, just seat-of-the-pants. I probably would fail a blind taste test.
Now, some of you may be thinking “Hey, the vast majority of G&L basses use small allen head pole pieces. What about those?” Good question. Amazingly, they are exactly like the slot-head slugs, but with a small allen head. Same length, same unthreaded shoulder, and perhaps they have a little more mass since the small allen key removes less metal from the slug compared to a slot head. So one would think they would sound the same as a slot-head. So, I substituted small allen head poles in a slot-head pickup and couldn’t really tell a difference in sound.
Nitty gritty details are fun, but with tone it all comes down to this – an instrument’s voice is derived from the sum of its parts. You really have to a judge each bass or guitar individually. I have stellar examples of the same model (guitar or bass) with different woods, different pole pieces, etc. I simply can’t say maple is better than ash, or slot heads are better than allen heads.
As usual, YMMV as everyone has their own preferences (aesthetic or perceived) which are completely valid.
GG
might not always be obvious with all players/amps/rooms , but when it does...
, ...)
