Smaller 5 string neck

[Assumer]

I thought I had read somewhere G&L was working on making a 5 string neck with demensions more like the Stringray 5. Anyone know anything about this? the 2500 neck is to chunky for me.

[Ken Baker]

The current 5 string necks are generally pretty chunky and G&L knows it. They are said to be looking into slimming them down, but I don't believe it's there just yet. Some thinner necks slip through, but this is a "luck of the draw" kind of thing rather than intentional.

Ken...

[Assumer]

Has anyone ever successfully shave one down? Any stability problems?

[lovenotfear]

all i know is that my brand new 2008 G&L L2500 usa 4 months old, the neck is slightly slimmer than a stingray 5 i played, i think the new plek method thay are using has fixed this issue, my G&L l2500 neck does not seem fat at all to me.

[Ken Baker]

Okay - I was trying to avoid this....

I have a new-ish (7/08) L-2500. This one:


http://www.bassesbyleo.com/images/l2500/body_3.jpg

The reasons I bought it were that it's light at 9 to 9.25 pounds and it has a thin (for a G&L 5 string) neck. As thin as my Bongo 5HHp thin. As thin as my SUB5 thin. Not quite as thin as my Lakland 55-01, but close.

I've since had hands on newer G&L 5 strings and must conclude that mine is an oddity. I'm guessing that there may have been a visual flaw in it fresh out of the CNC or maybe it was dropped and nicked, and G&L decided to do some extra sanding so as to not lose it. Again, this is just a guess on MY part. Either way, I ended up with a lightweight L-2500 with a thin neck. Can't complain about that!

So...

Originally Posted by Assumer

Has anyone ever successfully shave one down? Any stability problems?

I can't in good conscience recommend shaving one. It's just too risky. Maybe a Tribute, but certainly not a USA bass.

As to stability: Shaving will make it more susceptible to environmental changes, such as temp and humidity. I can state without qualification that my L-2500 is more sensitive to humidity than any G&L I have or have ever owned. Example: I live in Orange County, CA. This is the time of year when we have "Santa Ana Conditions", where humidity drops into the teens or even single digits. I did a setup on the bass in more-or-less normal conditions, and midway through last week (it was really dry) I had to tweak the trussrod because the neck had flattened out causing buzzing on open strings. I keep my action low, but that's too low!

So, if you shave it you're going to need to carry that allen wrench with you unless your climate is fairly consistent.

Ken...

[Ken Baker]

Originally Posted by lovenotfear

all i know is that my brand new 2008 G&L L2500 usa 4 months old, the neck is slightly slimmer than a stingray 5 i played, i think the new plek method thay are using has fixed this issue, my G&L l2500 neck does not seem fat at all to me.

Interesting...

SR5s can be big ol' beasts of a bass and I've found their necks to generally be a tad thinner than a typical G&L 5 string, but not markedly so. Maybe they are now starting to get them slimmed down. I do know that this was on the agenda, though there have been mostly chunky ones coming out the last few months. If this is a trend, it's a good one.

RE: the Plek... It only works on frets and the nut. It has no effect on neck thickness.

Ken...

[lovenotfear]

Originally Posted by Ken Baker

Interesting...

SR5s can be big ol' beasts of a bass and I've found their necks to generally be a tad thinner than a typical G&L string, but not markedly so. Maybe they are now starting to get them slimmed down. I do know that this was on the agenda, though there have been mostly chunky ones coming out the last few months. If this is a trend, it's a good one.

RE: the Plek... It only works on frets and the nut. It has no effect on neck thickness.

Ken...

oh i did not know that , but all i know is that my neck is thin, thinner than the last stringray 5 i played, i think 2008 g&l
l2500'S usa's and up are now thinner

[Assumer]

Thanks for the input. I hope they are starting to make them thinner and this is not just an oddball.

[Assumer]

Originally Posted by Ken Baker

Okay - I was trying to avoid this....

I have a new-ish (7/08) L-2500. This one:


http://www.bassesbyleo.com/images/l2500/body_3.jpg

The reasons I bought it were that it's light at 9 to 9.25 pounds and it has a thin (for a G&L 5 string) neck. As thin as my Bongo 5HHp thin. As thin as my SUB5 thin. Not quite as thin as my Lakland 55-01, but close.

I've since had hands on newer G&L 5 strings and must conclude that mine is an oddity. I'm guessing that there may have been a visual flaw in it fresh out of the CNC or maybe it was dropped and nicked, and G&L decided to do some extra sanding so as to not lose it. Again, this is just a guess on MY part. Either way, I ended up with a lightweight L-2500 with a thin neck. Can't complain about that!

So...



I can't in good conscience recommend shaving one. It's just too risky. Maybe a Tribute, but certainly not a USA bass.

As to stability: Shaving will make it more susceptible to environmental changes, such as temp and humidity. I can state without qualification that my L-2500 is more sensitive to humidity than any G&L I have or have ever owned. Example: I live in Orange County, CA. This is the time of year when we have "Santa Ana Conditions", where humidity drops into the teens or even single digits. I did a setup on the bass in more-or-less normal conditions, and midway through last week (it was really dry) I had to tweak the trussrod because the neck had flattened out causing buzzing on open strings. I keep my action low, but that's too low!

So, if you shave it you're going to need to carry that allen wrench with you unless your climate is fairly consistent.

Ken...

By the way, beautiful bass!