In desperate need of help!!! (G&L content)

[ninerfan]

Let me start by saying that I am a dumbass and feel like one so please don't just bash me.

Today after much deliberation I purchased a G&L L2000 from a pawn shop in So. Cal. It is a beautiful bass and was recommended by some here on TB which I truely appreciate and there was no way for them to know the flaws of the bass. I was driving home with my family from vacation and swung by the shop since it was only 50 miles out of my way, where I would have to drive 120 miles tomorrow. We had been on the road for about 9 hours and as i pull up to the shop my 5 year ols says she needs to go to the bathroom really bad. We are 10 miutes away from my sisters house so I run in check out the bass, plug into a cheap practice amp play a few notes and buy the bass. I thought I had done all of my research and felt really good about it.

I get home and plug into my amp and it sounds good. I try to turn down the volume and nothing happens. Tone knobs....nothing. Switches...parallel/series kinda works but they are oriented weird (more side to side, not up and down). I open up thecover, which strangely still has plastic on it and find the worst hack job of wiring that I have ever seen! (see pics). My heart sank!! Me-->

Now I am suspicious of everything on the bass.
The neck seems legit. The serial # starts with CLFXXXXX which is for "Clarence Leo Fender" which I believe they only use on USA basses. It is maple with a bird's eye fretboat and a vintage tint gloss finish ($450 in upgrades). It has some flames drawn and some letters on the heel of the neck (see pics).

The body has a quilted maple top ($750 upgrade) and and honeyburst finish. In the neck pocket is stamped May 05 2004 with a "W" underneath it. Some of the flames that were drawn on the neck are visible in the neck cavity. The sharpie wasn't quite dry when the neck went on. I hope that means that is the original USA neck and body from 2004. If that's the case I may work through the problems since I priced this out to be about a $2,600 bass MSRP and I got it for $750.

Now for the bad, the wiring. It seems like some tweaker owned this bass at some point and decided to see if the could take it completely apart and put it back together. It is really bad and it seems like parts are missing (preamp). (I compared it to my tribby L2500). How can I tell if these are the original parts? The pups have PAT. 4220069 on them. I can't make out any distinguishing marks on the pots. I don't know why anyone would change them out, but I also don't know why anyone would do this to this bass after paying $2k for it.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

If the preamp is missing, it's most likely that someone took it out. Very common, actually. Not all of us like the G&L preamp, which has no tone controls anyway those are passive, before the preamp. The treble boost can be a bit harsh (I kinda like it for certain things, but I took my own preamp out of a fretted L2500 for a while). The battery is removed from my fretless L2500 right now...

It's almost 100% a real G&L and a VERY fine one, at that - assuming the neck is straight and all that. I don't think there has every been a counterfeit G&L as it's just not a "money" bass to counterfeit. Nor is it an easy task of creating the G&L body shape and slapping any old parts onto it; the pickups, bridge, and even tuners are all branded and proprietary. Not easy to slap together...

You might call G&L and see if they can get you a preamp. Or, if you want to get it going totally passive, take it to a good tech who can sort it out and make sure it's working at 100% passive, without the preamp. All G&L's schematics are available online, so that's not to big a deal.

Sorry to hear it wasn't quite up to snuff. Glad the seller is being very reasonable about it.

 

[fourstringbliss]

Let me start by saying that I am a dumbass and feel like one so please don't just bash me.

Today after much deliberation I purchased a G&L L2000 from a pawn shop in So. Cal. It is a beautiful bass and was recommended by some here on TB which I truely appreciate and there was no way for them to know the flaws of the bass. I was driving home with my family from vacation and swung by the shop since it was only 50 miles out of my way, where I would have to drive 120 miles tomorrow. We had been on the road for about 9 hours and as i pull up to the shop my 5 year ols says she needs to go to the bathroom really bad. We are 10 miutes away from my sisters house so I run in check out the bass, plug into a cheap practice amp play a few notes and buy the bass. I thought I had done all of my research and felt really good about it.

I get home and plug into my amp and it sounds good. I try to turn down the volume and nothing happens. Tone knobs....nothing. Switches...parallel/series kinda works but they are oriented weird (more side to side, not up and down). I open up thecover, which strangely still has plastic on it and find the worst hack job of wiring that I have ever seen! (see pics). My heart sank!! Me-->

Now I am suspicious of everything on the bass.
The neck seems legit. The serial # starts with CLFXXXXX which is for "Clarence Leo Fender" which I believe they only use on USA basses. It is maple with a bird's eye fretboat and a vintage tint gloss finish ($450 in upgrades). It has some flames drawn and some letters on the heel of the neck (see pics).

The body has a quilted maple top ($750 upgrade) and and honeyburst finish. In the neck pocket is stamped May 05 2004 with a "W" underneath it. Some of the flames that were drawn on the neck are visible in the neck cavity. The sharpie wasn't quite dry when the neck went on. I hope that means that is the original USA neck and body from 2004. If that's the case I may work through the problems since I priced this out to be about a $2,600 bass MSRP and I got it for $750.

Now for the bad, the wiring. It seems like some tweaker owned this bass at some point and decided to see if the could take it completely apart and put it back together. It is really bad and it seems like parts are missing (preamp). (I compared it to my tribby L2500). How can I tell if these are the original parts? The pups have PAT. 4220069 on them. I can't make out any distinguishing marks on the pots. I don't know why anyone would change them out, but I also don't know why anyone would do this to this bass after paying $2k for it.

I contacted the seller and he gave me 2 options: 1) return it. or 2) he'll split the repair costs with me. He is being really straight up and standing behind his deal and wants to make it right. How much could it cost to get this thing right again?
What would you do?

Edit: having trouble with pics, I'll get them up soon in the meantime any advice is greatly appreciated.Here's the CL ad: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Please tremember the seller is being VERY helpful and I don't think he was aware of the problem so PLEASE don't try to contact him and screw this up for me.

If the preamp is missing and you want it all back pretty much the way it was I might be able to help you. I have a G&L L2000 Tribute and I removed the preamp so I could go all passive with extra switching options. It really depends on what you want to achieve tonally. I still have the preamp, which isn't exactly the same as the USA version, but it does the same thing. I'm sure we could work something out if you wanted to get my old preamp installed in your bass.

My bass is currently totally passive but I replaced the volume and tone controls with 500k pots, so I have a lot of the original treble back. I can now choose parallel/inner singles/series for each pickup and activate the famed OMG "single-coil with bass boost" mode with a push/pull pot. I've got lots of options and don't miss the preamp at all - especially since it's just a boost circuit. When the treble and bass controls are wired correctly they are cut only - no boost like a normal active preamp.

What do you want your bass to be?

 

[ninerfan]

Neck pocket and neck heel.

 

[dukeplaysbass]

Yep, looks like the preamp is gone.

Unless you (or a very good friend) is excellent at soldering I suggest you take (or send) this back. Between the cost of a new preamp and the cost to install it, you're looking at a major investment (prolly $200+, in a VERY conservative estimate) which you will not get back if you ever decide to sell this axe. In fact, if you tried to sell it right now, and disclosed the missing preamp, I'd be surprised if you could get $600 for it. Compare that to the $30 loss in shipping fees (or gas if you take it yourself) to get it back to the pawn shop you got it

Hate to be the guy that tells you, but there's really no good way to come out ahead on this. I strongly suggest you take the pawn shop up on their offer to refund your money. That's the best play given the options.

 

[Iridescentone]

Some things to consider...

The flame "artwork" on the neck is fine. I've had the same design drawn on at least three G&L necks from that time period. It's authentic G&L. Why is it on there? No clue, I don't think it means anything.

The wiring in the L-2000 control cavity from that era looks like a bowl of spaghetti to begin with. It's infamous. But if the preamp is missing, then its been hacked on obviously.

The controls not functioning explains the super low price for that bass. I'm assuming that you somehow didn't notice the deadstick controls when you demo'd it at the shop?

If you want accurate info re the elecs, ping "Ken Baker" or "Sunbeast". They know the G&L elecs very well, and can advise you.

Also, since you bought it at a shop, a refund shouldn't be out of the question either. Good luck.

 

[4Mal]

I had to order a preamp from G&l a few yers ago. It was $27 ... I order through Buffalo Brothers... The wiring in an L series is a PITA. It is however a doable PITA....

The trib preamp is direct replacement for the MIA except the op amp in the trib was surface mount and the MIA was socket mount - or vice versa...

Got a bass that you dig. Got a story to tell about it. Going to do a little work to restore it. Sounds like a winner to me...

 

[ninerfan]

I appreciate the feedback.

So it looks like someone just removed the preamp and didn't really know what they were doing.

If I got a preamp how much could it cost to rewire the bass?

Would the tribby pre work in this?

Most of the time I would play in passive mode anyway, but i would want the bass to function properly and right now none of the knobs have any function.

 

[willsellout]

Your picture looks pretty standard of G&L instruments in general. IT looks like a robot threw up in the cavity. I'd guess most of that is original. They obviously took out the preamp as per the pic below:

G&l's have sloppy and noisy electronics cavities. Buy the tribby preamp and have it installed. It will work like a charm.

 

[Iridescentone]

I appreciate the feedback.

So it looks like someone just removed the preamp and didn't really know what they were doing.

If I got a preamp how much could it cost to rewire the bass?

Would the tribby pre work in this?

Most of the time I would play in passive mode anyway, but i would want the bass to function properly and right now none of the knobs have any function.

If it were me, I'd definitely want it returned to stock, and would not want a Tribute preamp installed. As mentioned, the USA preamp is not expensive (concur with the Buffalo Bros recomendation).

For the install you need a competent tech, one who routinely does preamp installs and mods.

Cost could vary.

 

[A-Step-Towards]

The pawn shop would probably kick you some money back to a paypal account or something if you were straight up with the issues , use that to get it fixed. I am sure they are thinking , they made money and if they get it back have to sell it again and myabe discount it.

I bet 50$ at least would come back, then fix it

 

[fourstringbliss]

It really depends on what you're trying to achieve. If you're just trying to get your bass functioning like it originally did and aren't worried about selling it then I'd go with my pre or get adventurous and go passive coil tappy. If you're wanting it to eventually be able to say that the electronics are all original (as in, all USA G&L) then you should buy a replacement pre from G&L and have a tech do it. Seeming the pots are all original it's not really that complicated.

It's a shame that we live so far apart. I've kind of made G&L electronics a hobby of mine, what with all of the monkeying around I've done with all the L2K's I've owned. I'd do all the wiring for the 12 pack of beer and the price of parts!

 

[ninerfan]

I'm going to take it to Buffalo Bros today to see what it would cost to fix it. Forgive my ignorance, but it seems a qualified tech should be able to wire the whole thing up in an hour or 2. If the preamp is around $50 and the bench fee is $50-$80 an hour, I'm guessing between $100 - $200. If the pawn shop is willing to pay half, that is $50 - $100 out of my pocket to have this fully functional. I'd be into the bass for $800 - $850. I think I could live with that. It would take me 3 hours and cost prolly $25 in gas to return it.

 

[fourstringbliss]

I'm going to take it to Buffalo Bros today to see what it would cost to fix it. Forgive my ignorance, but it seems a qualified tech should be able to wire the whole thing up in an hour or 2. If the preamp is around $50 and the bench fee is $50-$80 an hour, I'm guessing between $100 - $200. If the pawn shop is willing to pay half, that is $50 - $100 out of my pocket to have this fully functional. I'd be into the bass for $800 - $850. I think I could live with that. It would take me 3 hours and cost prolly $25 in gas to return it.

Sounds like a good plan. Good luck!

 

[M.R. Ogle]

I don't know what you paid for that bass, but I'd still be pretty happy with getting one like that. G&L pickups are infamously loud, and if you just wired this up passive (500K pots are a good idea!) you'll have a killer bass on your hands that's 100% playable and will sound great.

If you're looking to re-sell it, yeah, you'll probably have to get a preamp for it and have the wiring done. Fortunately, you're nearby Buffalo Bros and if you had a free day, you could get it back to G&L themselves. And there are several really good techs in Orange County, too (I always went to Steve Soest.)

 

[cableguy]

A lot of G&L uses myself included don't use the active electronics. If you want it stock go for it. If you don't need the active hooked up maybe wire it up for passive only. It's not like the MFD's lack output. Either way it's a great bass.

 

[ninerfan]

I don't know what you paid for that bass, but I'd still be pretty happy with getting one like that. G&L pickups are infamously loud, and if you just wired this up passive (500K pots are a good idea!) you'll have a killer bass on your hands that's 100% playable and will sound great.

If you're looking to re-sell it, yeah, you'll probably have to get a preamp for it and have the wiring done. Fortunately, you're nearby Buffalo Bros and if you had a free day, you could get it back to G&L themselves. And there are several really good techs in Orange County, too (I always went to Steve Soest.)

I would like to get it back to original with the preamp while the seller is willing to pay for half. I really only play my Tribby L2500 in passive mode, but I would like to keep up the value of this bass in case I ever did decide to sell it.

 

[john grey]

I would like to get it back to original with the preamp while the seller is willing to pay for half. I really only play my Tribby L2500 in passive mode, but I would like to keep up the value of this bass in case I ever did decide to sell it.

+ 10000
I would MOVE on this if I were you. You may have one shot at it.

 

[ninerfan]

Your picture looks pretty standard of G&L instruments in general. IT looks like a robot threw up in the cavity. I'd guess most of that is original. They obviously took out the preamp as per the pic below:

G&l's have sloppy and noisy electronics cavities. Buy the tribby preamp and have it installed. It will work like a charm.

Using this I can see that all of the parts appear to be original, except for the missing pre. I would say that 50% to 75% of the wiring appears to be correct so hopefully that will cut down on the bench time. I am calming down quite a bit from where I was yesterday and realizing it may not be as bad as anticipated. I shot off an email to Buffalo Bros with a pic and hope to hear back from them tomorrow. Here's a couple of pics of the bass so you can see why I'm willing to work on it and not just return it.
Again, thanks for everyone's help. I hope the pre is cheap and not too difficult to wire up!

 

[lowfreqgeek]

That is an amazing looking bass! I'd do what you need to make it "whole" and hang on to it.

It's really not so bad as some would have you to think it is. If you can get it fixed for $50 or even $100 out of your own pocket, you'll still come out ahead in the long run, regardless of how much $$ you make or lose in the process. You'll have had the pleasure of owning/playing it during that time and that's worth something right there. At least that's how it always works for me; I rarely lose money on a bass, but sometimes a few bucks lost was worth it for the pleasure of having it...