FS: USA L2500

[Ancient Mariner]

Up for sale is The Black Beauty .. USA L2500 with birds eye maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. Also included is a generic HSC in good working order.

This bass is a “mojo machine!” It’s had some upgrades .. the fingerboard replaned, the edges rounded, and the bass refretted, all of which give it a really nice broken-in feel. The frets are perfectly level and allow for low action with no fret buzz.

The only marks on the instrument are a couple of small blemishes and some pick scratches, the latter of which have dulled a small surface area but none of which extend down to the wood (I’ve tried to show this area in the pics but it’s hard to see).






Price is $800, shipped and insured, USA addresses only. Paypal accepted.

[ciubz]

ash or basswood ?

[Ancient Mariner]

Originally Posted by ciubz

ash or basswood ?

I had to find out myself!! The TB gentleman I bought this from says that all USA L2500's are basswood.

[fullcircle]

From the G&L website:

"Alder on Standard and all solid finishes, Swamp Ash on all Premier finishes", although I think they used to be American Tilia with swamp ash laminate on the top. I guess it depends on the year. Nice bass, though!

[ciubz]

so it's alder? what year was it made ?

[RCCollins]

what strings are those?

[Ancient Mariner]

Originally Posted by ciubz

so it's alder? what year was it made ?

The headstock serial # is CL02405. I'm assuming that means the 405th axe produced in 2002, but that's only a guess. Maybe someone more familiar with G&L serial #s can help?

[Ancient Mariner]

Originally Posted by RCCollins

what strings are those?

The strings in the pic are Chromes, but I've since changed them to DR High Beam flats. Yummy!

[fullcircle]

From what I've heard, determining the year from the serial number on the headstock is next to impossible. The only sure way is to remove the neck.

[theschnitt]

That's my old bass and I told Ancient Mariner that I thought it was basswood - I could easily be mistaken. I thought I read an article when I got it that said G&L used basswood for all L2500's with solid finishes, but I can't find the citation now. I'll update if/when I do.

I do know that when I saw this ad I IMMEDIATELY contacted the seller to try to get this bass back. It's a killer and if I can wrangle the funds to get it before you can I surely will! Also a great TB'er to deal with.

[ric stave]

That bass is hot, but Screaming for a matching headstock!

[Ancient Mariner]

Briday Fump.

[SteveC]

USA G&L's are not Basswood. Ash or Alder. Probably Alder with a solid finish like that.

One of my first "custom" basses was a G&L L2500 that I ordered with a Birdseye maple neck/board and ash body with a quit maple top in Honeyburst finish. That was a sweet bass. I also had a swamp ash Honeyburst fretless L2000 with an unlined ebony board. My 3rd was an L2000 Blueburst with a maple neck/board. All 3 were very sweet. I think I went to Ken Smith instead, but that was a mistake. That started my whole "quest" that cost me thousands and got me nowhere. In hindsight, I should have kept those 3 basses and saved myself about 10 years of misery.

I was thinking of getting a Ray 35 but they aren't in locally yet. I could have this for the same price. Hmm......

[Ancient Mariner]

Bump for price reduction (now $800).

[munkeyfish]

Looking for any trades?

[Ancient Mariner]

Originally Posted by munkeyfish

Looking for any trades?

Well, maybe, but it would be a fairly short and specific list. I've hesitated to talk about trades but, since you asked, what would primarily pique my interest would be a DJ5, JO5 or some other passive jazz bass (a G&L JB would definitely cause me to raise my eyebrows). Deal could involve cash in either direction depending on specifics.

[Ancient Mariner]

Bump

[SteveC]

Well, I played the Ray 35 yesterday. It's a really nice bass, but I think the preamp is the weak link. Not a deal breaker, but this bass has really caught my eye. I really loved the USA L2500 I had a few years ago.

[Ancient Mariner]

Nudge

[Ancient Mariner]

Man! Hard to believe that nobody wants this beautiful G&L. Anyone got some creative ideas? Shoot me some offers .. the worst I can do is say "no"!