The answer is much simpler.
His name is Clarence Leonidis Fender.
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Educate me on G&L basses
- Thread starter Axtman
- Start date
His name is Clarence Leonidis Fender.
When I bought my first G&L back in High School, a rather sweet Translucent Orange ASAT Bass with white top binding, some douche bag told me G&L stood for "Gambled and Lost"...Hardy Har, Har! 
I am glad that they offer 19mm spacing now for their 5 string. If I start all over I'll get me a couple CLF. I was "forced" to play one for a singer songwriter project maybe 30 years ago. I listened to it again on spotify and the bass sounded good.
I love the SC-2 start that my wife got as a factory second. It has the bullet truss rod
I love the SC-2 start that my wife got as a factory second. It has the bullet truss rod
I have been playing G&L guitars and basses for decades and still own three - I love them. Since no one else has mentioned it, the “G” in G&L is for George Fullerton who worked with Leo for a long time at Fender, MusicMan and G&L.
Have three G&Ls, 1992 SB-1, 2017 Kiloton 5, and brand new L-1000 five string. The SB-1 is on the way out bc I have another p bass I play more and bc I already have my share of MFD pickup tones. All three and brilliant basses with lots of tonal variety and flexibility, especially for the Kilo and L-1000 as passive fivers. Incredible easy necks, very comfortable and well-balanced. I wouldn't pass on one if you're interested in testing the waters.
The big caveat is I haven't played any G&L Tributes, so I can't speak to them.
The big caveat is I haven't played any G&L Tributes, so I can't speak to them.
An older article those on this thread may find interesting. Note that the article is from 1993. G&L was tiny relative to current size back then. In 1993, everything was build to order, no CNC machines, and no import models.
Leo Fender's Legacy: G&L; Sales on Rise
Leo Fender's Legacy: G&L; Sales on Rise
Tributes are really good for the money. You get the G&L sound at a fraction of the cost. Build quality and material quality is lower on the Tributes, but that is to be expected given the price difference.
I have played G&Ls since 2002. Currently have 4 US G&L basses, 2 Tribute G&L basses, and 1 Tribute electric guitar. Back when I bought my first one, the brand recognition for G&L was well below what it is now. Tributes seem to have positively impacted brand recognition since they came out.
Thanks for the word! I have no business looking into G&L Tributes but now I just might. Especially an LB-100.
I remember reading about G&L’s headstock and seeing a photo that had a tele headstock over top of a strat headstock coming in the opposite direction. The hook represented the bottom edge of the strat headstock. I looked and looked but could not find the website or photo and showed it.
That's a little ungenerous, I think. The MFD pickups in the G&L L-1XXX/L-2XXX and M-2XXX basses, as well as in the SB-1/2 series, were a real innovation and don't sound like anything else out there. For me the uniquely "G&L" sound is the sound of those pickups (in the basses and guitars). The other instruments are in general nicely done versions of earlier Fender stuff. There are some other features that add character to the G&L basses: the saddle-lock bridges, that odd passive/active EQ set-up in the L-series basses, aluminum shaft tuners, and for a long time the quite affordable option-order system to customize instruments. G&L also do some of the nicest finishes in the business. I own 7 G&L instruments (5 US basses, 1 Tribute bass, 1 Tribute guitar) and a lot of others (US *and* Tributes) have passed through my hands over the years. The company's been a bit quirky re: quality control over the years, perhaps due to an awkward transition in scale from small to kinda medium-bigger where it wasn't clear who did what. *And* they can't seem to be bothered to shield anything properly. It's long been almost impossible to find stock in a store anywhere and I've ordered all my G&Ls either from the wonderful Greg at Rocket Music, or the odd one online during a sale. All that said, I've really loved some of my G&Ls (M-2500 and JB-5 being particular standouts) and I don't expect the others to be going anywhere. I hope some of that helps the OP.
While both George Fullerton and Leo Fender lived and worked, G&L did not make a bass with G&L-made alnico pickups.
Always primarily a pickups-and-circuitry man, Mr Fender insisted on G&L basses having MFD pickups and circuits of his recent design.
It took sustained market demand and back-door dealings by G&L's third founding partner, Dale Hyatt, for G&L to make a bass that closely resembled the Precision. See the post by fatherska about the SB-1 model at Basses by Leo here.
Only after Mr Fender passed away did G&L begin to make basses with non-MFD pickups. For example, the JB-2 model - with alnico J pickups and circuit in the body of an L-2000 - did not appear 'til eleven years after his passing. The LB-100 (originally Legacy Bass) model - now essentially a G&L P bass with alnico pickups - was introduced with outsourced pickups six years after his passing.
Mister Fender was all about advancement. Only after both George and Leo were deceased did the G&L catalogue include obviously Fender-imitating basses with Fender-like pickups. Yet, even those instruments include G&L advancements, such as saddle-lock bridges and ultra-lite tuning machines.
So what you are saying is, Leo's first works at Fender had no room for improvement. Your saying the early Fender's were perfect in every way ....... NOT, lol
Now hold on, he only changed the way the neck was crafted, how the pickups were made, an enirely new bridge system, and how the electonics were implemented. Everything else is a tired retread, such as using wood in construction, normal number of strings, etc.
I thought the same thing! If it's there, at least make it functional!
My experience is the opposite of yours. I have owned over a dozen USA made basses and about as many guitars over the years. Still own 5, including a Custom Shop fretless 5. All outstanding instruments. Not even a minor issue with any of them. Their QA greatly exceeds Leo's original company by a wide margin IME.
And the Marty Bell heavy flake finishes are AWESOME, IMO. YMMV.
I've bought three G&L basses. Issues across the three:
Neck built to wrong spec; mounds of dirty polishing compounded dried on around frets of gloss maple neck; maxed-out trussrod bowed by 180 lb rounds; replacement neck delivered with maxed-out trussrod, can only take 125 lb rounds; tuner rattle; uneven string spacing on nut; screw dropped out of bridge; bad hum from lack of shielding; pg not entirely covering rout.
One bass was stolen in transit; one bass, after plenty of attention from my tech, is an excellent instrument; one bass is an expensive pile of regret, deep regret. Far too risky a proposition for me to consider ever giving them another cent. Not to mention the absurd amount of time they take to build orders / correct orders / mend instruments.
