• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

First, Second or Third gen Fender?

L

LoveMyBass

Aug 18, 2009
16
0
#1
Oke, so I just learned this the other day, and it got me wondering!

There are three 'generations' of Leo Fender basses I'm interested in:
- The good old p-bass (I won't bore y'all with uninteresting facts, since I assume you know the specs, more or less). It has a kind of more modern variant (the 'special series', which includes a P-J config, with active electronics).
- The MusicMan Sterling Ray 34 (Kindoff cheap MusicMan, but quite kicks some ass for the price, only got one pick up though, which cuts its tonal variety)
- The G&L L2000 tribute (cheap Indonesian produced L2000, same electronics, and since that's what it's all about on that axe, it got me stoked).

So there you go, three gens of Fender basses (al right exclude the jazz for a moment... *flame shields up*) and they frankly come in at around the same price (somewhere below a thousand quit). I got the bucks, but I do not own the knowledge, so en light me, what would an all-round bass player choose?
 
#3
I am primarily a jazz player (but generally an all-rounder)who gigs with fender (jazz & precision)and musicman (4 string stingray fretted and fretless) basses, so I offer my opinion for what it is worth.

It really depends on what style of music you are playing. If i were wanting a good all round bass, I would consider the p bass. The basic p bass tone will fit ANY genre of music. It is especially good for blues, country, straight -ahead rock reggae, even jazz. It sounds great for funk too. I imagine the active version would have a greater output, albeit slightly less "warm" sounding than the passive one Humbucker p/up models available.

However....you say you are ALSO considering a jazz ?.... Well... I think jazz basses are very versatile: 3 basic, very good sounds(front P/up solo, Both P/ups on full, rear P/up solo). I'd have to sit down, play them and compare how they sound.

The mm sterling?...well the american ones sound great, but are more suited to styles where you want the bass to really cut through. I think it would be a good bass for aggressive rock and funk styles. Not sure about the cheaper variant

I am not really hip to the G&L although I imagine it would sound pretty fat with the humbucking pickup. Once again...I'm not sure about the cheaper variant.
 
#4
If you are looking for the bass with the most tonal versatility, the L2000 wins.

If you are looking for the P sound the P wins.

If you like the tone of a Stingray, go for that one.

All three are perfectly useful and acceptable as all around basses and all three will work for most musical situations, but the inherent voices of the P and Stingray are unique and must appeal to you. The L2000 won't nail either but there a ton of useful tones in there if you need or want them.
 
#5
Just throwing out an alternate idea.

Have you given consideration to an older MIA Precision Deluxe that has the dual jazz pickups at the bridge?

They have warm, rich, thick lows, a good midrange frequency that's not too aggressive nor to weak, and a crisp top end clarity that doesn't sound thin, sterile, and brittle. Excellent playability and work well in any genre.

They can be had for under $1000 too.
 
#6
+1 on the Precision Bass. If I could only have one, that would still be it. Some think it's limited. I disagree. For my money, it IS the sound of electric bass and fits well in most any genre of music.
I've played for almost 40 years and have owned MANY different axes, some very pricey "fancy" models. I still come back to the P Bass..
i would also give the Jazz Bass honorable mention and, in fact, many prefer it to the P Bass siting it's greater range of tones. I own both and would recommend you eventually do the same.
Now, it is ultimately up to YOU! Spend some time with these instruments and others to see what "floats your boat". And don't be surprised if your tastes change over time. You may find that today's solution is tomorrow's hurdle.
 
#8
LoveMyBass said:
Oke, so I just learned this the other day, and it got me wondering!

There are three 'generations' of Leo Fender basses I'm interested in:
- The good old p-bass (I won't bore y'all with uninteresting facts, since I assume you know the specs, more or less). It has a kind of more modern variant (the 'special series', which includes a P-J config, with active electronics).
- The MusicMan Sterling Ray 34 (Kindoff cheap MusicMan, but quite kicks some ass for the price, only got one pick up though, which cuts its tonal variety)
- The G&L L2000 tribute (cheap Indonesian produced L2000, same electronics, and since that's what it's all about on that axe, it got me stoked).

So there you go, three gens of Fender basses (al right exclude the jazz for a moment... *flame shields up*) and they frankly come in at around the same price (somewhere below a thousand quit). I got the bucks, but I do not own the knowledge, so en light me, what would an all-round bass player choose?
Click to expand...

I guess if you look at it from Leo Fender's perspective, you'd have to say the G&L would be the one with all the mods and fixes for the various problems that were in his earlier designs. And I would say that's definitely the case.

I've said this many times, but the L2000 is sort of what you'd get if you took that old crappy 60's/70's P bass to Leo Fender and asked him to fix everything he found wrong on it. When you get it back:
- it has new pickups in it, instead of that muddy old split, it's got a pair of new humbuckers in it that give more highs, lows and everything else.
- new solid bridge that you can lock down as tight as you want, gone is the old piece of plate steel.
- redesigned neck, the bi-cut deal on older ones anyway (the new G&L has a different design, tho).
- made of good wood, like a big piece of swamp ash for the body, maple neck, ebony or rosewood fingerboard, but you can order it with other woods.
- neck pocket is routed right so neck stays put.
- aluminum hardware in the headstock to help with the balance (at least on the L2000, the L2500 still suffers from neck dive). This is a severe problem still with the old Fender and the MusicMan, lessened a good bit in the L2000.
- you can order it with an unlined FL board!

and a few other improvements.

As for the sound, it can still cop a P bass sound if you need it (neck PU in parallel, passive mode), but has a pretty wide range of other sounds too. It can go as hot as you need to which covers the SR/Sterling sound pretty well also.

I'm a Carvin fanboi nowadays for other reasons, but for a Fender style instrument I just can't see any alternative that's a better bang/buck than the G&L. I still use my L2000 from time to time when I need that sound (tho that's pretty rare) and it's just a beautifully made instrument besides all that.

BTW, mine is an MIA, not a tribute series. But Ed Friedland reviews an L2000 tribute model on youtube - it takes a while for him to go through all the tonal options available too. And it's really pretty amazing.

So the L2000 is really my vote hands down. It offers basically the same as his other designs but with a lot more in addition to that....

LS
 
#9
Funk 'N' Stein said:
I am not really hip to the G&L although I imagine it would sound pretty fat with the humbucking pickup. Once again...I'm not sure about the cheaper variant.
Click to expand...

Oh good point. The Tributes actually use the same electronics that are in the MIA's, so they essentially are going to sound the same. The only real difference is the MIA's are made more by-hand at the factory in CA. You can see this on the instrument too, i.e. the neck profiles and even the body shapes will vary just a little bit between each instrument.

My L2000 for example has the #8 neck (unlined FL) on it - it's a little skinnier than other L2000 MIA's I've played and has a very subtly different shape. Also, I managed to score a swamp ash body on mine that fortunately weighs a ton, so it's perfectly balanced on the strap.

The only problem it had was a slight "ski-jump" in the middle of the fingerboard - I had to sand down some wood off the heel and file down the bridge slots to get the setup on the gnat's a$$. But mine's a 90's model (one of the last ones with the 3 bolt neck attachment) and the newer ones probably have better QC (the L2500 I had for a while before it was stolen was an '08 model I believe, and it was flawless).

So I did have to grind on mine a bit over the years to get it exactly the way I wanted, kind of like you have to do on any hand-made instrument. But it'll go with me to my grave along with my Carvins, I'll never give it up ;)

LS
 
#10
Wow that's an overwhelming response! Thanks all!

Today I found out two pretty important things:
- I played the actual Ray 34. That being said, this bass is really not going to be the one for me. I prefer all styles of playing (pick, fingered, slap, you-name-it) and this bass really is too constricted with only one pick up. The pick up does put out a ton of sound, but that's really it. You can tweak it slightly with the on-board preamp, which gives it a bit more versatility. However, when tweaking goes a little far, you end up with very strange and unsettling tones (matter of opinion i would say, but I'm not attracted, really).
- I hate p-bass necks. Al right, maybe not flat out hating it, but just disliking the feel. I've played a standard p-bass (made in 2009, USA), and just couldn't get used to the think, sluggish feel (maybe matter of opinion again). I found out as well that the P-bass special actually features a jazz neck, which fits my hand better.

Well, I would say the Ray is out the running. On the moment I'm leaning towards the p-bass special, although I must say the response on the L2000 sounds pretty promising to!

More information is always welcome!

Thanks again =)
 
#11
LoveMyBass said:
Wow that's an overwhelming response! Thanks all!

Today I found out two pretty important things:
- I played the actual Ray 34. That being said, this bass is really not going to be the one for me. I prefer all styles of playing (pick, fingered, slap, you-name-it) and this bass really is too constricted with only one pick up. The pick up does put out a ton of sound, but that's really it. You can tweak it slightly with the on-board preamp, which gives it a bit more versatility. However, when tweaking goes a little far, you end up with very strange and unsettling tones (matter of opinion i would say, but I'm not attracted, really).
- I hate p-bass necks. Al right, maybe not flat out hating it, but just disliking the feel. I've played a standard p-bass (made in 2009, USA), and just couldn't get used to the think, sluggish feel (maybe matter of opinion again). I found out as well that the P-bass special actually features a jazz neck, which fits my hand better.

Well, I would say the Ray is out the running. On the moment I'm leaning towards the p-bass special, although I must say the response on the L2000 sounds pretty promising to!

More information is always welcome!

Thanks again =)
Click to expand...

I can probably save you some time on that ;). The L2000 Tribute, to my knowledge, is only available with the standard P bass dimensioned neck. So if you need a jazz dimensioned neck you'll have to go MIA, which will of course expand the hunt to find one and increase the cost (tho you'll get a really high quality bass).

To me, I'd say the P bass special is probably the best fit. It's relatively cheap, has the neck you want and at least has the Jazz pickup at the bridge to give more tonal options than just that split P thing.

And nowadays Fender really has their act together in terms of quality, so you'll get a really nice bass....

LS
 
#12
I have the L2000, and I'm always amazed at the tonal possibilities offered by it, however when it's time for me to do a session, I'm more inclined to reach for the P bass. I have two, one that's been modified with a basslines pup and preamp, another deluxe with a humbucker at the bridge. The P bass has been around long enough so that it's had a much greater chance to define our idea of what bass is supposed to sound like. The G&L sounds really great, but often it doesn't have the "it" sound for me. That's not to say it doesn't sound good. I actually really like it.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back