This baby is tentatively back on the block. It's awesome and I've gigged with it several times. But you know how G.A.S. is, right? Of course you do...
Here we have something awesome. A 1986 G&L El Toro in a delicious vintage creme color with a dark chocolatey rosewood fretboard.
I own a '95 G&L L2000 so I've always been a fan of what many consider Leo's finest instruments. But it wasn't until I played this mid-80s El Toro that I realized how
truly awesome his older instruments are.
Holy. Freakin'. Monster. Tone! This thing is a BEAST. It's like a Jazz bass on steroids. The pickups are "G&L bi-pole pickups" - and anybody who knows G&Ls knows that their proprietary pickups will knock you on your butt. They're loud, punchy, and awesome. This bass is a rock machine. According to some info I found online, the controls are: master volume; bass and treble controls; series/parallel/bass boost switch, 3-way pickup selector.
-1 5/8" nut width.
-Weight is about 9.5 lbs.
Body is a creme/vintage white sort of color that was probably actually white at one time but has that great aged look, probably from 20+ years of playing in smokey bars. Fretboard is gorgeous dark rosewood that is pretty tightly grained, with some great-looking mother-of-pearl dot inlays. This particular bass has a natural headstock instead of the painted headstock that some El Toros have. I personally like the natural better - it's got a cool vintage gloss finish. The neck was re-finished and it appears to be a pro job. It's an awesome vintage tint gloss that appears to be just about flawless. The chrome tuners have some cloudiness that comes with age, but not any rust or pitting that I found. The body has some dings, scratches, and wear/buckle rash, particularly around the edge. There's a thin finish crack at the bridge and some checking near the butt strap button. Honestly, though, it's in great shape for a 25 year old bass and has just the right amount of "character." I am normally really picky about wear, tear, and scratches but none of the cosmetic flaws on this bass bother me - it just wouldn't be as cool if it were totally pristine. There is a small, thin piece of birdseye maple in the neck pocket acting as a shim. The bass has been set up and feels awesome to play. Action is great, tone is even better. Strings appear to be fairly new.
I'm only shipping in the lower 48 United States right now.
$795 $695 temporary price drop + shipping in a black G&G hard case (fits well) $745 $645 temporary price drop + shipping without a hard case Or make an offer. No trades unless you have a maple-neck El Toro or a "bowling ball" finish G&L (maple or rosewood) - prefer SB-1 but open to others.
Photos below.
All photos here (tried to capture the flaws as well as I could.)
