No love for G&Ls

Denis · June 30, 2011, 12:28:29 PM

I'm sort of curious about why more people don't like G&Ls. Everyone I've ever known who's owned them say they are terrific basses, but outside that few people even have an opinion.
Is it because people who don't know about the company think they are straight up Fender clones? Is it because they are basically Fenders without the name on it?
This has baffled me for a while now.
Thoughts?

jumbodbassman · June 30, 2011, 01:19:04 PM

that's a great question. I had an original one pup bass and it sounded great. I think Gary has the same one in pink?? Very little action back then, maybe a song or 2 at CBGB's when i put down my jazz/tele or Musician bass....

I now have an ASAT bass which again sounds great but i think in 10 years it has seen 1 gig. My 2 MM have seen alot more action and IMHO i think the G&L is a better instrument. The ASAT is a terrible neck diver but that is not the issue. I think at the end of the day when i go to reach for a fender or fender clone i just grab just that and not the g&l fender clone. ALso pickups are different than fender and MM in the way they work. i also have a 2500 tribute - 5 string asian made which is just ok...B string is very floppy

gweimer · June 30, 2011, 02:25:54 PM

Quote from: jumbodbassman on June 30, 2011, 01:19:04 PM
that's a great question. I had an original one pup bass and it sounded great. I think Gary has the same one in pink??

Yup! I have a pink L-1000. It really is a nice bass. I think the G&L is the bass my old '64 Precision wishes it could have been. Very solid bass, and I like the pickup selector switch (split-coil, humbucker, humbucker w/bass boost). The bridge on the G&L is also a big plus. I lost a saddle screw from mine one night, and it never went out of tune. I found the screw on the floor of the club the next day.

neepheid · June 30, 2011, 04:24:19 PM

I have a Tribute L-2000. It is my only sensible bass. MFD pickups are amazing. Do people really think that they're "basically Fenders"? Seriously?

Dave W · June 30, 2011, 04:34:12 PM

I'm not a big fan of the MFD pickups, and I really don't like the headstocks. OTOH they're good basses (and guitars) and they certainly have their fans. They aren't Fender clones, at least most of them aren't, but the design is close enough to Fender that some people think of them that way.

BBE sort of missed the boat by not coming out with an import version soon enough. If you're going to have a US only instrument, it needs to be distinct enough to have its own market, like Rickenbacker, or be more of a custom shop instead of a factory. They waited way too long to come out with the Tribute series and haven't really been able to get much of a foothold.

One thing that gets me, though, is when G&L fans say that Leo felt G&L was his finest work. What the hell else was he supposed to say? That they weren't as good as the company he used to own?

dadagoboi · June 30, 2011, 05:03:02 PM

Quote from: Dave W on June 30, 2011, 04:34:12 PM
I'm not a big fan of the MFD pickups, and I really don't like the headstocks. OTOH they're good basses (and guitars) and they certainly have their fans. They aren't Fender clones, at least most of them aren't, but the design is close enough to Fender that some people think of them that way.

BBE sort of missed the boat by not coming out with an import version soon enough. If you're going to have a US only instrument, it needs to be distinct enough to have its own market, like Rickenbacker, or be more of a custom shop instead of a factory. They waited way too long to come out with the Tribute series and haven't really been able to get much of a foothold.

One thing that gets me, though, is when G&L fans say that Leo felt G&L was his finest work. What the hell else was he supposed to say? That they weren't as good as the company he used to own?

I'm waiting on 1981 #2, hoping it's not as heavy as #1. Other than that I'm pretty sure it will be beautifully made and have a unique sound. The recent G&Ls I've played are top notch, including Tributes.

Yeah, it's too bad about the later headstock. Thanks, Ernie, I guess it wasn't enough to screw up the original StingRay. As far as Leo saying G&L was his best work, he may have thought so. Very powerful passive bass pickup with a wide tonal range, lockdown bridge and perfected (to him anyway) bullet truss rod/3 bolt neck. The ASAT bass is pretty embarrassing, IMO, due to its unFenderlike neck dive. If it was a good bass design Fender would not have designed a different body for the Precision.

I'm pretty sure Les Paul thought his low impedance final guitar design was the best thing he ever did, he played it until he died.

Aussie Mark · June 30, 2011, 05:45:31 PM

I've owned two L2000's, and I think their build quality is on par with EBMM, and the necks are absolutely great. However, as much as I'd like to, I can't bond with the MFD pickups - I find them far too harsh and bright, no matter how I EQ the bass, even with flats.

Freuds_Cat · June 30, 2011, 07:22:39 PM

I like 'em. Never owned one but I've played a few. Not a fan of the ASATs although they are nice to look at but the L2000's are great to play. I like that sparkly snap from their pups.

Dave W · June 30, 2011, 09:38:02 PM

Quote from: dadagoboi on June 30, 2011, 05:03:02 PM
Yeah, it's too bad about the later headstock. Thanks, Ernie, I guess it wasn't enough to screw up the original StingRay. As far as Leo saying G&L was his best work, he may have thought so. ... I'm pretty sure Les Paul thought his low impedance final guitar design was the best thing he ever did, he played it until he died.

What did Ernie have to do with G&L headstocks?

Leo may have thought it was his best work, but if he didn't, he couldn't have said so. Les Paul's situation was different, he didn't own the company.

neepheid · July 01, 2011, 03:07:20 AM

FWIW, I like the "eye gouger" headstock. It's instantly recognisable as a G&L. I think the old ones look quite non-descript and boring.

Heh, we're all different. Ultimately it matters not one jot what everyone else thinks at the end of the day - if you have a G&L and you like it then good for you and keep on playing. If you have a G&L and you don't like it then you can always give it to me

dadagoboi · July 01, 2011, 03:18:42 AM

Quote from: Dave W on June 30, 2011, 09:38:02 PM
What did Ernie have to do with G&L headstocks?

Leo may have thought it was his best work, but if he didn't, he couldn't have said so. Les Paul's situation was different, he didn't own the company.

I'm wrong about MM and the headstock, G&L changed it when Fender threatened action for it's similarity to theirs or at least that seems to be the consensus. I hope that's the reason for it.

Point taken, the chances of Leo not saying G&L was the high point of his career were pretty slim.

ramone57 · July 01, 2011, 04:01:11 AM

I liked the G&L basses I've had a chance to play in stores but have never pulled the trigger. no particular reason why, but I just haven't.
a guitar player I jam with regularly has an Interceptor which sounds really good. he can get just about any sounds imaginable out of it. I'm always a bit disappointed if he brings any of his other instruments.

Psycho Bass Guy · July 01, 2011, 04:48:41 AM

G&L and Gibson have nearly identical bass marketing strategies. They differ in the fact that Gibson at least advertises its guitars. Much as I hate bright pickups and consider myself extremely picky about that, I have never found my 1997 L2500, ordered and bought new, to be that way, though I did NOT like the SIT strings it shipped with. I've always kept EB Slinky's on it. Interesting note: my bass was featured on their website for years as the color/fretboard combination I requested was not produced at all even though it was a stock option (blueburst w/ rosewood; they always paired maple with blueburst prior) which was why I had to order it, and it went on to be their most popular. My warranty card comments also appeared in a few of their magazine ads, too. IMO G&L's, at least for me, properly dealt with all the shortcomings of latter-day Fender and EBMM designs, but it's more a taste thing than any actual defect. I have a whole slew of Fenders that I would love to sound more like my G&L.

Spiritbass · July 01, 2011, 07:41:20 AM

I had a transparent blue '86 L2K for a short while. Nice instrument, but I didn't care for the MFD's. I bought a lightly used Indonesian Tribute JB-2 specifically as a vehicle for a pair of Dark Stars and I like it a lot:

It's been modified more since this pic. I put a chrome control plate on it, removed the tone pot so it's simply vol/vol and installed a redeemer circuit buffer with the output jack where the tone control was.

Psycho Bass Guy · July 01, 2011, 08:26:07 AM

Quote from: Spiritbass on July 01, 2011, 07:41:20 AM

..nice bass. I am probably one of the few here who is NOT a fan of the Guild/Darkstar sound, but that bass inrtigues me. I also have an L5500, but with EMG pickups and the BTC preamp, it's much more neutral in tonal character. I can see how the MFD's could be too bright for some people espeically in active mode, but just like all my other passive basses, I keep the treble rolled WAY back and the bass stays in passive. I would seriously love to build a parts bass with a pair of Thunderbuckers and MFD's and a seven-way switch.