Fender vs. Musicman vs.G&L

[tbassist]

When I started getting into G&L I researched George Fullerton and learned quite a bit about the designer of the classic body shapes that we all love. I recommend a quick Wikipedia search if there's anyone reading this thread who isn't familiar with his contributions.

 

[edsand]

Neopolitan!!

Van Chocstraw!

 

[AngelCrusher]

When I got a P, I tried Fenders, the AVRI the CS, some boutique stuff, the G&L - I made a thread about it. The G&L played so well, it was really impressive. But the tone of the Fender AVRI just has the sound. With G&L's I just never hear that, and I have tried quite a few. They still play great and I really like them. Just never had the desire to buy one.

 

[mesaplayer83]

When I got a P, I tried Fenders, the AVRI the CS, some boutique stuff, the G&L - I made a thread about it. The G&L played so well, it was really impressive. But the tone of the Fender AVRI just has the sound. With G&L's I just never hear that, and I have tried quite a few. They still play great and I really like them. Just never had the desire to buy one.

I totally get that - I've actually bought 3 of them, and flipped the first two mainly because of their sound... Playability and build quality was excellent with all 3 - that was never an issue... I'm keeping the third because it's an early L2K - it plays great, and is built to last forever... It will only gain in value, looks great, and does offer an alternative to what I usually play... While the sound of my '83 L2k doesn't wow me, it does seem to sound better than the other 2 G&L basses I've owned(SB-1 and an ASAT)...

In the end, all 3 brands are great, IMO - and a person can't go wrong with any one of them, or all of them - if that happens to be their cup of tea...

 

[sigterm]

Pretty much settles it

 

[Hooday]

So look, Leo did not start at square one with MM or G/L. Both efforts were a continuation of his previous work, (which is why both look and sound so much like off-shoots of the originals, rather than truly unique instruments in their own right.)

G/L makes these "tribute" instruments, which are copies of Fender originals. Well... okay. I get you. They are created and setup to sound and feel like the "original" instruments that Fender created many, many years ago.

But it's a different company, (regardless of provenance.) G/L has no more claim to being actual Fender guitars than any foreign copy that's ever come along, (and some would put Squier in that mix as well.)

They are not unique instruments, but extensions and offshoots of his original work. If Leo hadn't sold Fender in 1965, surely we would have seen a lot of his later innovations as later models of the originals.

Because he developed plenty of funky instruments back in his day, right? Anybody remember the Teisco, or the Maverick, or Swinger? And even though the period Mustang and Jazzmaster are still produced, it's not like they're any more embraced than today's MM or G/L.

My amazement with "vintage" Fenders is how - without having a world of choices already made - Leo was able to center so many innovations in these classic guitars. How they not only sound good, but they look and feel good as well. (They are iconic and classic for a reason.)

And aside from Gibson and Ricky, no one has ever been able to create signature looks and sounds anywhere close to these creatures. You have a lot of copies, radical departures and sounds, and plenty of fusion instruments, but you just don't have any truly centered instruments coming out of nowhere, like Leo produced almost 70 years ago.

So that's why MM and G/L don't have more followers. They are simply incremental improvements on the originals.

 

[Architeuthisrex]

Queation,

I had a g&l stray legacy tribute. I thought it sounded better than any fender strat guitar in that price range

Anywho (I like the headstock by the way), I have always been drawn to the L-2500 buy I have never tried one that either felt or sounded weird either I've had bad luck or don't know how to utilize the controls. Any advice.

I love G&L's.
All of what people have said about market saturation and name recognition and first market movers and all that I'm sure is right.
I think G&L's 2 main problems are:
1. the name
2. the headstock
the name is just not great, hard to google, hard to even write half the time because of the ampersand.
the headstock (though it has grown on me to the point where I actually like it) will never look as good as Fender's iconic headstock. Most people really do not like the G&L version and it took me like 10 years to come around to it all the while basically playing a G&L exclusively.

 

[Bassist Jay]

I am very familiar with Fender and Music Man but I always thought G&L guitars and basses were more Fender like in body style. But I am not as familiar with them as I am the other two brands. When Fender was owned and operated by Leo, he got it right the first time around. They are great basses that have passed the test of time. Yes, Fender has gone through different owners but other than upgrading electronics and hardware, the instruments are pretty much the same design that Leo came up with.

With Music Man, I have only played the Ernie Ball Music Man instruments. My understanding of the original Stingray was that it was a tank. But I think it was also one of the first attempts at using active electronics. I think Music Man instruments really flourished though once Ernie Ball acquired them.

With G&L, I can’t really say if they are better, just as good or worse than the other brands. I’ve never played one before and honestly, other than knowing the name as a brand and knowing Leo Fender was one of the two that started the company, I really can’t comment on them because I’m not familiar enough with them. I do know that the musicians who use G&L basses and guitars seem to like them though.

 

[andruca]

I've owned all 3 brands. I chose Musicman long ago. Fender is like the lottery, you have to find the winning piece (wouldn't mind owning a MIJ Geddy Jazz). I also wouldn't mind owning some modern G&L instruments (JB5, Kiloton5, the nice modern necks), the one I had, an L-1505, was probably the worst bass I've owned (my impression on the 2500s I've played is the same, doesn't play remotely as nice as an equivalent Musicman, noisy orthopaedic "active EQ"). I didn't particularly love the pre-EB Musicman basses I've played, so probably my fave out of those 3 is in fact Ernie Ball.

 

[sawzalot]

"Fender" has only two syllables and thus rolls off the tongue quicker. The other two have three or four syllables, not as quick.

Tom

 

[BassGH]

I rarely buy the thing you're supposed to have-which in basses is a fender p or j. But my two main instruments (a g&l legacy sb2 and a birdsong with a split coil pickup) are both on opposite ends of the p bass spectrum. The G&L sb2 is a sexy pbass on crack--looks great, sounds like what a pbass would if you could turn it up to 13. But comes with no tone control--huh? No bass needs a tone control more than this one!! The birdsong (with flats) covers the upright and country end of pbass sound.

I admit pbass sound is still the point of reference. Leo got the main thing right early on. But fender p's are still one ugly plank. Give me the g&l instead. And I LOVE the g&l headstock.

 

[rodv66]

Never played a G&L. Heck I'm in NJ and only have seen one for sale in a store. The MM is an incredible bass and I prefer them over Fenders. I need a Fender for my band and do think many are great basses. I do notice a wide range of quality differences with Fender and still think the MIJ ones are the most consistent. I would buy a MIJ without concern. I have played MIMs and MIAs right after each other and sometimes the MIM was a better build and quality. I have never played a MM that had QC issues.

I'm sure G&L are great basses and know they depreciate quickly. Guess that's good news for the used bass consumer. But bad for the brand name.

Fender has a huge marketing and advertising budget and that will let them keep the advantage they have had for decades.

 

[Architeuthisrex]

I've owned all 3 brands. I chose Musicman long ago. Fender is like the lottery, you have to find the winning piece (wouldn't mind owning a MIJ Geddy Jazz). I also wouldn't mind owning some modern G&L instruments (JB5, Kiloton5, the nice modern necks), the one I had, an L-1505, was probably the worst bass I've owned (my impression on the 2500s I've played is the same, doesn't play remotely as nice as an equivalent Musicman, noisy orthopaedic "active EQ"). I didn't particularly love the pre-EB Musicman basses I've played, so probably my fave out of those 3 is in fact Ernie Ball.

Thank you this confirmed my suspicions about the L-2500.

I appreciate it

 

[andruca]

Still, try for yourself, my experience is limited to models from 10-15 years ago, I'm sure G&L improves their products constantly and MANY people love them. As I said, I like other lines, just not the Ls.

 

[Briton]

I currently own four of the most well known Basses that Leo made in his career.

Fender Precision

Fender Jazz

Musicman Stingray

G&L L-2000

And my personal preference in order is:
1. Musicman Stingray.
2. Fender Precision.
3. G&L L-2000
4. Fender Jazz.

Leo Fender once stated that the G&L L-2000 was the best Bass he ever made, I don't know if that was a marketing ploy at the time but it sure is the most versatile of the four Basses shown above.

 

[Architeuthisrex]

Yeah, everyone I try either has bad buzz by the nut or electronics issues. And I've only known about that bass for about 5 years. Didn't know Leo was there until I bought my strat.

Still, try for yourself, my experience is limited to models from 10-15 years ago, I'm sure G&L improves their products constantly and MANY people love them. As I said, I like other lines, just not the Ls.

 

[Architeuthisrex]

Leo Fender once stated that the G&L L-2000 was the best Bass he ever made, I don't know if that was a marketing ploy at the time but it sure is the most versatile of the four Basses shown above.

I, too, have heard this. My experience has been poor. I really wish it hadn't. This seems like a better version of a Warwick $$. I don't know since I've never found one I like and have never had the electronics explained to me.

I have a thread similar about my choices of a new bass to buy. The l-2500 was one of them. I'd like to hear your thoughts

 

[Briton]

Leo Fender once stated that the G&L L-2000 was the best Bass he ever made, I don't know if that was a marketing ploy at the time but it sure is the most versatile of the four Basses shown above.

I, too, have heard this. My experience has been poor. I really wish it hadn't. This seems like a better version of a Warwick $$. I don't know since I've never found one I like and have never had the electronics explained to me.

I have a thread similar about my choices of a new bass to buy. The l-2500 was one of them. I'd like to hear your thoughts

I have never tried the L-2500 which is basically the L-2000 but with a B string so I cannot comment as B strings on a lot of Basses are not that great. So I would defo try before you buy. Everything else is the same, but what I would say is to save yourself some money go down the Tribute route which is basically the same tonally as the MIA version. I tried both and could not tell the difference.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

I don't think Leo got it right first time, as he started with the Telecaster and SCPB, both of which are less popular than what followed. And the early bridges are awful, and ergonomics were suspect, and dead spots are still an issue.

However, they were sufficiently affordable and serviceable to capture market share at a critical point in the development of popular music, which was driven by US teen culture. I suspect if the revolution had been in Germany we'd be talking Horner and Framus, and if it had been France, the latest hot accordion

If you look at basses on pop shows in 1980s the MM is there, as are Ibanez, Aria, Wal, but Fenders were much less prevalent, and quite a few bands just had synths. Being old I would say that the excesses of the late 80s led to kids raising their parents' records and rediscovering bass and Fender, even as another group continued along the electronic R&B route.

 

[bovinehost]

Leo Fender once stated that the G&L L-2000 was the best Bass he ever made.

When you give it just a moment of thought, what else was he going to say, really?