I'm going to get a lot of flak for this, but Musicman and G&L blow Fender out of the water...
In my opinion.
In my opinion.
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Fender vs. Musicman vs.G&L
- Thread starter Papajewrry
- Start date
For me the headstock on the G&L is my biggest hang-up. It's just too much with the hook. I've seen a couple 5 strings affordably priced used around here lately, I'd like to get one but man that thing is ugly IMO.
I really wish people would stop with threads like this. It's going to drive the price up on my beloved g&ls!
I think the people who build it today are more important that the guys that designed it decades ago.
The P, J and MM brought something truly unique to the table. G&L didn’t.
Ew... no no no. I’m not a Rick hater, but no.
Did Leo improve with age? Yes. Did the overall QC/build get better? Yes. Are the designs better? IMO no. Especially the jazz bass.
As far as reasons for popularity go, Fender was first. Pbasses can fit literally every genre and song out there. Jazz basses give you a wide variety of sounds in a simple design. Both are ergonomically perfect for large amounts of the population. No 9 volt batteries, etc. They look good. The other basses look similar, which if you're not the first makes you look like a copy.
MM makes a product that has a sound that you either like or dislike. No middle ground IMO.
G&L, do they even have a guy or gal in marketing? They're like cave salamanders. Scientists keep telling you they exist, but nobody's ever seen one. I know absolutely nothing about them aside from what I read on this website.
As far as reasons for popularity go, Fender was first. Pbasses can fit literally every genre and song out there. Jazz basses give you a wide variety of sounds in a simple design. Both are ergonomically perfect for large amounts of the population. No 9 volt batteries, etc. They look good. The other basses look similar, which if you're not the first makes you look like a copy.
MM makes a product that has a sound that you either like or dislike. No middle ground IMO.
G&L, do they even have a guy or gal in marketing? They're like cave salamanders. Scientists keep telling you they exist, but nobody's ever seen one. I know absolutely nothing about them aside from what I read on this website.
For me personally it's part that I grew up playing Fender and part that I have never liked the look of the Music Mans and G&L has that weird hook on the headstock (though I've come around a bit on G&L).
Try to find one in this town...we have guitar centers, and one Sam Ash, between the three, there were zero G & L, and one MM and one MM Sterling. The MM was used. It is apparent they have a distribution problem.
It's the "voice" of Fender P and J Basses that has become the industry standard. This nothing to do with workmanship. Fender Basses are the standard in tone just like a piano vs a harpsichord. When people hear something that sounds unfamiliar, they will often reject it. In the studio, techs have a baby if you don't show up with a Fender. I LOVE G&L Basses for their construction improvements but the one G&L I own is a JB-2 because it sounds like...you guessed it, a Fender Jazz Bass.
I respectfully disagree. I dig the G&L logo and love the headstock!
Of course, that's me. Others may feel differently.
I think the downside to G&L is lack of distribution. I’ve been playing bass for 23 years and I’ve never tried one. I’ve owned several Fenders and musicmans but they're both actually in stores around here. I’ve never seen a G&L in a store before. Btw I live in NC not Antarctica.
I own AND play daily, 2 G&L basses with no intention of making a change or to make an addition so take this with a grain of salt: The 2 Brits at Anderton's take on this very question and what do you think are the results? All examples are similarly priced and non US made. Long video I know, but i love these guys.
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Fender : the first workable bass avalaible ...
EBMM : First mass produced basses with preamp and a slap monster
G&L : ????
EBMM : First mass produced basses with preamp and a slap monster
G&L : ????
My experience is similar. I bought my L-2500 in '99 in a store here in Montreal - this store no longer exists. The only other store in Montreal that carried G&L (and from where I ordered my custom LB-100) has gone to only selling drums just a month after I received my bass...so in the second largest city in Canada, G&L is nowhere to be found. If they are sold elsewhere in the province, it probably won't last much longer : They can't possibly move enough guitars / basses in small town stores to continue carrying the brand AND small independent music stores in Canada are all being bought by the Long & MacQuade chain anyway (and they don't carry G&L).
I’ve tried really hard to like Fenders but could just never get into them. I’ve owned a MIM Jazz V, MIA P-bass, and an MIA Jazz. After a lot of playing around I discovered that Music Man’s 2-band eq StingRay is the perfect bass for me, so right now my main bass is a Music Man USA SUB. Still love the sound of the Jazz bass though, but honestly I prefer my Indonesian G&L JB2 to the MIA Jazz that I owned.
