G&L 2000 vs stingray

I was the owner of two G&L 2500's, and IMHO, neither compared with the sound of the StingRay5 I now own, although the necks were, of course, very similar

I would say that the StingRay has more balls

 

It's a satin finish on the neck. Of course, mine didn't have a matching headstock, so I'm not sure what they put on those (maybe it's like MM, and they stop the gloss finish at the neck on matching headstocks). The body is a gloss/poly nitro finish standard, but stain/oil finishes are available.

How similar are the sounds? I believe xcental84X (or some such) had a Stingray and an L2K back to back, so maybe he can help you out.

I've never owned a Stingray (not yet...), and was pretty tone naive when I had my L2K (otherwise I wouldn't have sold it), so there you have it.

 

I had a G&L 2000 years ago, loved the look of it, mahogany body, maple neck. The tone was more Smith like if I remember right, not too much bottom, not too much highs, tight and growly, not fat and ponderous. It was pretty good.

I just got a Stingray. No comparison. Try them both, they are nothing alike. I have always been looking for the Stingray sound, if the G&L had it, I'd still have the G&L.

Randy

 

I have had both. To me the SR was the better of the two.

 

I personally own a Stingray 5 but I think that the G&l L-2000/2500 are great basses. Some say they can get the G&L to sound like a Stingray, but I don't hear it like that. G&L's remind me a bit of Ken Smiths but since their coils can be split, they can get pretty close to a J-bass also. With neck pickup soloed, G&L's do a fine P-bass impersonation. They are very versatile and can mimic other basses.

Stingrays are also versatile, but they are good at giving different shades of Stingray tone, except they can mimic a P-bass if they are played good touch and reduced treble. I hope this helps.

 

I think the L-2500, with both pickups on and in series, has a deeper, fuller, sound than a Stingray 5. It makes sense, since the G&L has a neck pickup. The Stingray 5 has that signature sound, though, and if you want that sound, the G&L can only do a so-so imitation of it. The G&L has a lot more flexibility and is a true tonal chameleon, something that certainly can't be said of a Stingray.

 

I once owned a Stingray, but returned it after a week. It really only has one sound, which you can shape a little bit with EQ, but its always going to have "that" sound. I've had an L-2000 for over two years and I love it. You can get a Stingray-esque sound for when you want it, but also many more sounds. When I first got it, my favorite setup was both pickups in parallel with the active preamp engaged... now its the neck pickup soloed in series in passive mode. I never could've changed the sound so dramatically with a Stingray, and I probably would've gone through several basses if I hadn't bought the L-2000.

 

I sold my Sterling for an L-2000. The G&L has way more balls to it. More punch. The Sterling was good, but the G&L just makes me smile when I play it. Really tough sounding...like a beast!

 

I bought a G&L L-1505 as a backup for my SR5 and ended selling the G&L 'cause I hated it. It's neck is massive compared to that of the SR5. Also the electronics are sh*t! I bought a Cort Curbow (less than half the money) that worked much better as a backup for the SR5.

ANDRUCA

 

They are fairly different basses. I have owned 4 G&Ls and 2 stingrays (one pre EB and one post EB). The MFD pickups in the G&L have a much different tone to them than the ray pup. The MFDs have a broader tonal spectrum (more highs and more lows). The G&L can come close to a stingray tone, but better than that (IMHO) it sounds like a G&L. G&L is real ballsy and punchy. The Stingrays just sound like stingrays. I always found that I missed some of the bass response with a ray due to not haveing a neck pickup.

I personally prefer the G&L tone. It is a little more raw (and hot) and I think the G&L is a more versatile bass. Rays are good for that one good ray tone. If that is what you want then get a ray. They are both good basses for what they are, but they are really 2 very different basses in terms of tone.

 

When someone says something like this, it usually means they didn't understand how the L2000/L2500 controls work.

I've had multiple SR5s and a few L2000 (no L2500s). Different animals. I just don't like the look of the big old pickguards (looks cheap) and the unwieldy oversize body of the SR5. The G&L has a much-better designed bridge as well. Also, the Stingray can't be played in passive mode like the G&Ls. Overall, I think the G&Ls are more evolved.

 

Couldn't have said it better myself!