Dealing with G&L Tech

Theosbass · #1 04-12-2009, 03:08 PM

I bought a L2500 in Oct. '08 and after 4 months the preamp went out on it. ( at least thats what I believe ) Since the initial warranty of purchase was up ( 3 Months ) , I shipped it back to G&L for troubleshooting and determining if its under warranty.
My question is... has anyone here dealt with the G&L tech dept.? After about a week and a half I e-mailed them to make sure they had received my bass. ??? I got a bit of a snotty e-mail back letting me know that they did. I since then have met a former G&L Rep. who told me i'd better stay on top of them. ??? Not sure now that I should have sent it in.
I would like to hear how anyone elses experience went .

Hoping to get my bass back...

Ken Baker · #2 04-12-2009, 05:30 PM

Yes, do stay on top of them. Be firm, cordial, and respectful.

If you feel that you're getting the runaround or back-burnered, register and post your experience here. The guitar side seems to get more/better attention than the lowly bass side.

Note that you should be CERTAIN that you are in the right before becoming a vocal and public squeaky wheel. Be prepared with documented dates and names of contacts. Bottom line: If you're going to get their attention, do it well but do it right.

Finally, G&L is not known for speedy warranty repairs. Electronics repairs should be quicker that physical instrument repairs, but don't expect overnight service.

Ken...

NE4TT · #3 04-12-2009, 06:00 PM

From the G&L website:

* Out-of-warranty repairs in USA and Canada:For repairs only, you may contact G&L technician Chris Robosan directly.

Phone: Call 714-897-6766 extension 118 and leave a voice mail including contact information such that Chris can call you back. Please allow two to three business days for him to call."

Madcity Fats · #4 04-13-2009, 09:10 AM

I dealt with Chris Robosan on a warranty replacement of a SB-2 neck with a frozen truss rod. Time was of the essence because the bass literally had only one month left on the warranty.

Email communication was great, G&L honored their warranty without flinching and Chris left me a message on my home phone to let me know when it was on its way home. The whole process took a little over a month, I think. Less than two, for sure. The bass arrived beautifully setup. I couldn't have been happier.

YMMV, of course. Just thought I'd throw one feel-good story out there because often all you hear are the so-called horror stories.

Hugh Jass · #5 04-13-2009, 02:31 PM

Hmmm. My L2000 has a bad pre-amp according to the rep (parallel has no treble control) and I have been waiting for G&L to get back to me on what they are going to do for over two weeks now. Supposedly they are going to replace the pre-amp but I don't know if that means they are going to have it done locally or if it is heading to California. Doesn't bode well for a quick fix.

I really loath giving this thing up for months on end as I really love playing it.

Do you think I could convince them to just send it to me and I can put it in? Yeah I doubt it.

Ken Baker · #6 04-13-2009, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Madcity Fats

I dealt with Chris Robosan on a warranty replacement of a SB-2 neck with a frozen truss rod. Time was of the essence because the bass literally had only one month left on the warranty.

I've talked to Chris on several occasions and he's good people. How things fall apart is beyond me, but they seem to on a regular basis. Hence my admonition to stay on top of them.

Ken...

Ken Baker · #7 04-13-2009, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hugh Jass

Do you think I could convince them to just send it to me and I can put it in? Yeah I doubt it.

Nope, but I'd bet they'll let a local authorized dealer do it. They'd just have to arrange for the parts shipment and the labor reimbursement.

Ken...

TDR1138 · #8 04-13-2009, 03:45 PM

Chris is a good guy, but I think they have him doing more than warranty there. At times, he can get back to you within an hour, and other times, it takes a few days.

My L1500 has been there for about 3 months, but they're building a new body from scratch for it, to mate up with the old 3-bolt neck plate. But I give them a lot of props... I bought a used L1500 that I came to realize had the pickup routed in the wrong position (in the L2000 bridge position). See thread. L1500 gas finally quenched!
Chris and the boys have been cool enough to get a new body in the works for me. I don't mind waiting.

Theosbass · #9 04-13-2009, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Baker

Yes, do stay on top of them. Be firm, cordial, and respectful.

If you feel that you're getting the runaround or back-burnered, register and post your experience here. The guitar side seems to get more/better attention than the lowly bass side.

Note that you should be CERTAIN that you are in the right before becoming a vocal and public squeaky wheel. Be prepared with documented dates and names of contacts. Bottom line: If you're going to get their attention, do it well but do it right.

Finally, G&L is not known for speedy warranty repairs. Electronics repairs should be quicker that physical instrument repairs, but don't expect overnight service.

Ken...

Thanks! Trying to be patient, I would just like to be informed about whats going on with my bass. BTW, I shipped it on the 10th of March. Just over a month.

DavePlaysBass · #10 04-13-2009, 10:42 PM

After you get the bass back, you should protect the input to the preamp by placing a 10k-ohm resistor in series with the preamp input wire. This could be done by snipping the wire and inserting a axial 10k ohm resistor. I know this sounds cheesy, but the failure you have is a common one and is a weakness in the G&L preamp design. The chip they are using in the Tributes is different than the two I have seen in the US models. And it would appear that the Tribute chip is weaker in regards to its inputs. I just helped a friend figure out how to pull out the bad chip, solder in a socket, insert a new chip, and put the resistor protection mod in place.

spideyjg · #11 04-13-2009, 11:09 PM

What is in there Dave?

Jim

DavePlaysBass · #12 04-14-2009, 01:45 AM

TL031 if memory serves correct. This chip has a FET or MOS front end. And FETs are what made the world realize that ESD was a bad thing. The LM4250 in comparison is a bipolar front end.

http://focus.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/tl031.pdf

http://www.national.com/ds/LM/LM4250.pdf

Theosbass · #13 04-14-2009, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavePlaysBass

After you get the bass back, you should protect the input to the preamp by placing a 10k-ohm resistor in series with the preamp input wire. This could be done by snipping the wire and inserting a axial 10k ohm resistor. I know this sounds cheesy, but the failure you have is a common one and is a weakness in the G&L preamp design. The chip they are using in the Tributes is different than the two I have seen in the US models. And it would appear that the Tribute chip is weaker in regards to its inputs. I just helped a friend figure out how to pull out the bad chip, solder in a socket, insert a new chip, and put the resistor protection mod in place.

Okay, sorry I play bass, not keyboard! Really, i've done a few electronic repairs but not sure I would want to tackle this. Can you draw this out simple like for me and e-mail it. I might still get a tech to do it. Is this for static protection?
So how do you think my pre-amp got blown, if that's the case. I never opened up the battery panel until after it went out. If it's subject to static charges , is it possible to affect it by plugging in guitar cable? I dont want anything happening to it again so i'm interested in this.
I dont know if the rules here will allow me to display my e-mail adress but.. theosbasss@yahoo.com thanks for your help!

DavePlaysBass · #14 04-15-2009, 06:59 AM

The chip is a TI TL061 which is nearly the same as the TL031 linked above.

http://focus.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/tl061.pdf

As for how does this happen, it is thru the instrument cable and jack connection. When the bass is in passive mode, there is a direct path thru the input jack to an opamp input pin. This could be static or it could be the transient associated with plugging in a cable. I will post an explanation I wrote for someone. Its at work but I will post it later.

sunbeast · #15 04-15-2009, 01:07 PM

You're lucky you got it as far as you have with little issue! I think they might have a different person in charge of Warranty work than when I dealt with them-

I had a pretty bad experience with the only warranty work I tried to get done through G&L. I called and called over a period of about 3 months (must have left 4 messages and called over a dozen times!) and never got a call back until I finally posted about my experience over on the "Guitars by Leo" forum- they got in contact with me in a day after that (it seems making it public didn't look too hot for them)! What made it even worse is that I was concurrently trying to get it worked on via an authorized G&L dealer (not the one I bought the bass through, which was in another state)- but they never called him back either after leaving 2 messages over 2 weeks on my behalf...

The problem was with my SB-2 when bought new- the bridges saddle-lock screw hole was drilled badly. When I first recieved it, the screw was only screwed in about half way and stuck in that position- I managed to get it free but it turns out that you couldn't screw it any farther than the original position (which left part of the screw sticking out the outside of the bridge- pretty obvious!). Due to crossed threads in the bridge it would just bind. The hole was probably just not tapped out properly after drilling, and then the threads were eaten up by metal shavings the first time they put the screw in at the factory. Seems like a small issue I will admit, but also not something I felt like should be my responsibility to deal with on a brand new instrument. The local dealer agreed with my diagnosis after trying it himself, but it didn't do much good.

In the end, they wanted me to ship my bass back to them to decide if it "qualified" as a warranty repair. The email interactions I finally recived seemed rushed and irritable Having heard so many stories about how long G&L warranty service took (and having waited so long just to recieve a CALL BACK which never came), I decided to just eat it- I bought a new bridge plate on Ebay and installed it myself with no issue. After about 4 months of absolutely no response, I didn't look forward to what would have probably been a couple more months of waiting. It was a hell of a bass (and I miss it badly now, having sold it later on), but I don't think I could bring myself to buy another new G&L after all that...

I sincerely hope things have changed for the better since then (its been a couple years now), but recommend that if you can get in communication with someone, make sure to get all the info ASAP you need before hanging up! And don't have any qualms about posting on the other G&L Forum- it was the only thing that worked for me.

Karl

Miles Smiles · #16 04-16-2009, 01:36 AM

Found in the factory tour on www.gulguitars.com:

The infamous neck returned for warranty replacement because it was deemed "defective" by the owner.

jfh2424 · #17 04-16-2009, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunbeast

You're lucky you got it as far as you have with little issue! I think they might have a different person in charge of Warranty work than when I dealt with them-

I had a pretty bad experience with the only warranty work I tried to get done through G&L. I called and called over a period of about 3 months (must have left 4 messages and called over a dozen times!) and never got a call back until I finally posted about my experience over on the "Guitars by Leo" forum- they got in contact with me in a day after that (it seems making it public didn't look too hot for them)! What made it even worse is that I was concurrently trying to get it worked on via an authorized G&L dealer (not the one I bought the bass through, which was in another state)- but they never called him back either after leaving 2 messages over 2 weeks on my behalf...

The problem was with my SB-2 when bought new- the bridges saddle-lock screw hole was drilled badly. When I first recieved it, the screw was only screwed in about half way and stuck in that position- I managed to get it free but it turns out that you couldn't screw it any farther than the original position (which left part of the screw sticking out the outside of the bridge- pretty obvious!). Due to crossed threads in the bridge it would just bind. The hole was probably just not tapped out properly after drilling, and then the threads were eaten up by metal shavings the first time they put the screw in at the factory. Seems like a small issue I will admit, but also not something I felt like should be my responsibility to deal with on a brand new instrument. The local dealer agreed with my diagnosis after trying it himself, but it didn't do much good.

In the end, they wanted me to ship my bass back to them to decide if it "qualified" as a warranty repair. The email interactions I finally recived seemed rushed and irritable Having heard so many stories about how long G&L warranty service took (and having waited so long just to recieve a CALL BACK which never came), I decided to just eat it- I bought a new bridge plate on Ebay and installed it myself with no issue. After about 4 months of absolutely no response, I didn't look forward to what would have probably been a couple more months of waiting. It was a hell of a bass (and I miss it badly now, having sold it later on), but I don't think I could bring myself to buy another new G&L after all that...

I sincerely hope things have changed for the better since then (its been a couple years now), but recommend that if you can get in communication with someone, make sure to get all the info ASAP you need before hanging up! And don't have any qualms about posting on the other G&L Forum- it was the only thing that worked for me.

Karl

Wow, that is incredible. Really sorry you went through that.

John

taquitos43 · #18 04-16-2009, 12:48 PM

I custom ordered an L2000 several years ago. I received it and it was beautiful. I got home, plugged it in and very little output. The sound was horrible. I called G&L and talked with a rep (this was several years ago and I don't recall his name). He acted like I was bothering him. I visited the tech at the store I ordered it through. He checked it out and replaced the input jack and the battery connector. The store paid for the repair. It was nice that the store was stand up because it sounded like G&L wasn't going to be without a problem. I was pretty annoyed that their quality control was so poor, in this case. Also, there was quite a dead spot on the Gstring that I never could get to go away.

DavePlaysBass · #19 04-16-2009, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theosbass

Okay, sorry I play bass, not keyboard! Really, i've done a few electronic repairs but not sure I would want to tackle this. Can you draw this out simple like for me and e-mail it. I might still get a tech to do it. Is this for static protection?

You are basically going to break the chain (white wire) and insert an additional link (10k resistor).

1) Open up the back and locate the preamp "block". It has five wires attached to it and just sort of floats in the cavity.

2) Find the white input wire. It is the middle wire on the side of the preamp block that has three wires going to it.

3) Clip the white wire leaving some room to strip the wire on either side of the cut.

4) Strip back a little bit of wire on either side of the cut. Apply a little solder to each of these stripped back ends (tin the exposed ends).

5) Take a 10k axial resistor and cut the leads pretty short. Just enough on each side to solder onto the wires. I like to make U shaped bends on the resistor leads and the wires being soldered to. I placed these U shape bends inside each other and crimp them with my small needle noise plyers so they are mechanically attached.

6) Apply some solder to both ends of the resistor and the white wire ends. The resistor is now rejoining the two ends of the cut wire.

7) Place electrical tape over the resistor and the exposed metal. Make sure this there is no metal showing.

You are done. 1 snip. Two strips. Two solder joints.

Ken Baker · #20 04-16-2009, 10:07 PM

These might help a little.

L-2000 / 2500 / ASAT wiring diagram in JPG form.

Click here if the image isn't displayed.

The above diagram in PDF form, suitable for high quality printing:

http://www.bassesbyleo.com/images/g&...ng_diagram.pdf

An image of the rev 1.1 preamp board

Click here if the image isn't displayed.

Ken...