Grassie Posted July 1, 2022 Share Posted July 1, 2022 Hi all, I have a G&L Kiloton (Tribute) which I like quite a bit, but I'm after more of a Stingray vibe tone-wise, so the question is can I fit an L1500 active circuit to the bass without having to change the pickup? I'm guessing the answer is "yes", but was wondering if anyone here had done the same thing. As far as I can tell the KT is a passive version of the 1500, so I'm assuming it would just be a case of replacing the wiring loom and adding a battery compartment. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted July 1, 2022 Share Posted July 1, 2022 I think you're correct from an electronic point of view - pretty sure it's the same good old regular MFD in there. You'll be short of a few holes in the bass though. You'll have to enlarge the middle hole to accommodate the second of three pots and make two new holes for the switches (series/parallel and passive/active/active with treble boost). So, a bit more work than you're suggesting... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted July 1, 2022 Share Posted July 1, 2022 Another potential fly in your ointment is that the control cavity in the Kiloton might not be large enough to accommodate three pots and the preamp board even if you make a separate battery compartment. That's a maybe - I haven't seen a Kiloton up close and personal but I just thought it might be an issue. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted July 1, 2022 Share Posted July 1, 2022 Additional - the G&L preamp on its own doesn't do very much - it's just a line boost with an optional treble boost. It relies on the passive, cut only treble and bass controls separate to it for tone shaping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted July 1, 2022 Share Posted July 1, 2022 19 minutes ago, neepheid said: Another potential fly in your ointment is that the control cavity in the Kiloton might not be large enough to accommodate three pots and the preamp board even if you make a separate battery compartment. That's a maybe - I haven't seen a Kiloton up close and personal but I just thought it might be an issue. Good point. I have a Kiloton and there isn't a lot of room in the cavity. It's well named, incidentally. I had to buy an extra wide strap for mine. It may not weigh 1,000 tons, but it doesn't feel far off... Maybe think about an external preamp/line driver? It will save performing surgery on the instrument and affecting the resale value. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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