I added shielding paint to my LB-100 (none from factory - disappointed) but then added a Tonestyler - same stock pickups - this thing is a beast now! 
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Fender vs. Musicman vs.G&L
- Thread starter Papajewrry
- Start date
Music Man is known for outstanding electronics but there’s still a market to replace their pickups. You just made my point. To further that, people seldom switch out G&L electrics either. Just saying
Music Man is known for outstanding electronics but there’s still a market to replace their pickups. You just made my point. To further that, people seldom switch out G&L electrics either. Just saying
Well, the monstrous MFD pickups are a defining feature of G&L basses so equipped, so nobody buys those thinking about swapping them out. On the models with traditional pickups, like the JB and LB-100, it's no problem. My JB is on its third set of pickups.
I also have a G&L Comanche guitar, which has MFD Z-coils that are nearly impossible to replace. They're fantastic, but if I could get a more traditional-sounding (i.e., Strat-like) neck pickup, I would.
I’ve owned Fenders (two Ps and a J) and MusicMans (MIA Sterling and StingRay) and I definitely prefer the Fenders. I currently own a MIA MM Sterling and it’s fun to play plus the neck is one of the best I’ve ever played on, but it’s active and the sound comes across as unnatural and processed to me, plus my G string is completely lost in the mix no matter what I do. I’ve played G&L and they are great instruments (never owned one) but I’m kind of a Fender fanboy so I lean that direction. People say G&Ls are “a fraction of the cost” but they really aren’t that much cheaper. Well I suppose in a way they are a fraction of the cost, but the faction is more like 8/10s of the cost (when compared spec-for-spec)
Absolutely, these instruments however all so very close in comparison that it comes down to bias, habit, and non-playing nuances. G&L is on my bucket list, but I haven't gotten one yet partly due to resale value (i always end up selling (and regretting)) and partly due to they have a limited distribution channel which limits my opportunities to play their high end. From what I've heard G&L isn't the easiest to become a dealer for, otherwise I'd think they would be a bigger competitor.
Zoobiedood
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- Sep 1, 2015
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Music Man is known for outstanding electronics but there’s still a market to replace their pickups. You just made my point. To further that, people seldom switch out G&L electrics either. Just saying
I changed my Music Man (guitar) pickups to Seymour Duncans. In one guitar I didn't like the stock pickups at all. In the other one, I just wanted 2 humbuckers, and it didn't come with that. What it had was an HSS setup, with a 'Silent Circuit' which is an active dummy coil. It worked really well, but wasn't the sound I needed.
No, they couldn't be much more different from one another, to be honest... About the only thing those 3 brands have in common is the link to Leo Fender - that, and the obvious attempt by G&L to skirt *some* aspects of Fender, without getting sued...
Music Man is known for outstanding electronics but there’s still a market to replace their pickups. You just made my point. To further that, people seldom switch out G&L electrics either. Just saying
I hardly proved your point in any way - btw, name one single company that makes an aftermarket pickup for G&Ls - I'll wait... Know why that is? - it's because G&L hasn't sold enough instruments for anyone to bother doing so...
It’s because there isn’t a market for replacing MFD pickups. There’s PLENTY of G&L’s in the wild. It’s simple economics. If there’s no demand (because nobody wants to switch them out), nobody will spend the R&D to produce them.
Actually, I think replacements for G&L pickups don't exist because people buy MFD-loaded G&Ls largely because of the MFD pickups. You can't get them anywhere else, and few if any pickups compare for full-range power.
Plus, the L-series basses with MFD humbuckers have been on the market for decades. They don't have the volume of Fender, Ibanez, etc., but lots of them are around -- more than enough for an aftermarket to evolve, if, that is, anybody wanted to replace their MFD humbuckers. Nobody does.
Instead, G&L makes its MFD humbuckers available on its web site, and I've seen them installed into Fenders, a DiPinto, and others.
Whatever you have to tell yourself, I suppose...
While we're theorizing about G&L pickups, and why there are no aftermarket options for them - and that's ALL this is, theory, btw - here's another theory:
*Maybe* G&L's pickups are actually one of the main reasons why they never captured more market share - after all, it's widely acknowledged that G&L build quality, fit and finish, and playability are excellent - so, what other reason for their poor sales numbers could there be?
Besides the fact that they’re not owned by huge corporation that markets more than any other guitar manufacturer? Hmm...
G&L is small because they choose to go with a sales model allowing players semi-custom basses. They aren’t about mass production and quantity.
You can choose not to like them.
Besides the fact that they’re not owned by huge corporation that markets more than any other guitar manufacturer? Hmm...
G&L is small because they choose to go with a sales model allowing players semi-custom basses. They aren’t about mass production and quantity.
You can choose not to like them.
I suppose that may be a factor, somewhat - but making a claim that they "chose to stay small" is being pretty imaginative - you G&L fans crack me up, lol... As for not liking them, I've owned a few, and still own one - I'm just not wowed by them like G&L fans are...
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in my limited experience, i havent been able to get a usable sound out of my 1981 l1000. the pickup is obscenely high output. i always play through an all tube svt (vintage) , and basically every bass i play throught it sounds pretty decent. my musicman bass, my fenders, they all sound pretty decent. maybe leo should have included a more detailed user manual for the g&l?
Have you tried it without the volume dimed so it’s about same output as the other basses?
That's funny - I never said I didn't like them, I just believe in being honest about things... If I didn't like them, I certainly wouldn't own one...
I think there's something to this. G&L's L-series pickups are insanely hot, and the controls are unlike any other basses, with the series/parallel switch, passive bass control, and active mode without active EQ. As a result, if a player grabs one off the rack and starts messing around without understanding the controls, he/she might not dig it. Maybe there's some clipping in the signal chain, maybe it's set to active mode with treble boost which sounds a bit nutty, etc. Plus, some people think MFDs sound a little harsh. (I think this is more an issue on the guitar side, which is probably why Nordstrand builds pickups for the ASAT Special.)
But the existence of replacement pickups is a different issue. Those who actually buy the basses will typically not want to replace the pickups.
