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G&L Basses - Why no love?
- Thread starter BassVibes
- Start date
Yes. I flipped a 90s L-2000 about a month or so ago. Bought it for $355 from an ignorant pawn broker and sold it on the classifieds for a great price. Didn't last twelve hours...Managed to make $250 on the sale, and saved someone else about the same.
Hey, @XXL -- how you liking that thing, anyway?
Exactly! Now...everyone keep quiet about this!! =)
Ed Friedland's M-2500 review had me wanting one for quite a while.
I think G&L basses are of very high quality, are not precisely easy to find, and perhaps look a little ordinary at their price point. That may be why G&L isn't the first name off of people's tongue - but people who play them tend to keep them as far as I can see. They do sound great.
I think G&L basses are of very high quality, are not precisely easy to find, and perhaps look a little ordinary at their price point. That may be why G&L isn't the first name off of people's tongue - but people who play them tend to keep them as far as I can see. They do sound great.
But... if that was insincere... then when you googled "best guitars I've ever made" shouldn't your results show him saying the same thing about the others too?
But yeah, it IS from a G&L ad. I think he believed it though. Bass guitar was very much an ever evolving instrument in the Leo days at Fender, and his Musicman days represented a continuing advance and refinement of his vision... followed by further refinement with G&L's. They may not be as popular with players globally as Fenders, but the fact remains, Leo saw his latest and last bass creations as real, continued progress (though relatively incremental) in his knowledge of bass design. Doesn't the artist always feel that his latest work, and his present skill-set, are the best he's ever done/been? But the fans always like that one iconic thing they did 20 years ago. First two albums, blah blah blah.
Ultimately I think the reason that G&L didn't set the commercial instrument market on fire is that the designs, while improvements over previous designs like MM and Fender, were not different enough to get a lot of people excited. A slightly better widget seldom gets a lot of praise. But, it's a better widget, dammit.
I like the new G&L headstocks with the point. Really artful and classy in my book. A lot of companies tried to come up with a variation on the old Fender headstocks. Most of them are ordinary, but G&L really came up with something good-looking, a nod to the old look, yet very different. The only exception is I'm not a fan of the 3+2 headstocks, but then I don't care for many 3+2 headstocks in general.
I own an original 70s Fender jazz and a G&L JB-5. The JB-5 is exactly my old jazz, plus an extra string (sound, feel, response). I was hoping to get somewhat close, but it's dead on. I didn't consider the Fender V because their necks are too wide. I play mostly jazz basses, and I like narrow necks.
I'd like to get to know an L-2000 at some point, and get a first-hand feel for the tone switching.
The SB-2 is definitely on my list.
And in 6 strings, I'm trying to decide between a Legacy and an S-500.
Yes you can probably tell I'm biased at this point. But I swear it's the basses that made me that way
You've heard the urban myth that the headstock point is Leo's extended middle finger over the Fender Corporation's attorneys putting the kibosh on the headstock that is still seen on the oldest 80's G&ls? I love that point!
Even so, a nice L2000 used will set you back $850 or $900 bucks. I'd hate to think what they'd be at if they were "popular".
The lawsuit sounds really mean-spirited because there are/were other manufacturers with headstocks much closer to Fender's than G&L's old headstock. Today I look at the old G&L headstock and don't think "Fender" at all. Maybe because of the bazillion variations out there.
The point of the thread is why isn't G&L more popular. You attempted to make a point and I made a counterpoint. It's how this works. If you're going to get all twisted up and insulty over it because I've never heard of your favorite band then that says more about you than it does me. Good luck!
The SB series head stock remained "Fender-esque" until the late 1980s, years after the pointy one was first introduced in '83. Due to that, I think the lawsuit head stock stories are just TB rumor.
G&L basses are awesome. Possibly one of the most underrated bass brands.
G&L basses are awesome. Possibly one of the most underrated bass brands.
The really mean-spirited thing was CBS having Leo sign a non-compete clause as part of the deal to consummate the sale. He was ill at the time(part of the reason he wanted out) and probably figured he'd be out of the instrument making business entirely. He was placated to an extent by staying on with CBS (ersatz Fender) as a "consultant."
I love my G&L M2000. Really dig the pickup output and feel of the bass. Came with the original case and the spec sheet. Between this, my Alembic and the Ray 34 I'm in the process of getting rid of my Jazz basses and the ESP 6-string. At first I wasn't in awe of the matching headstock, but I've grown to like it.
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I find this to be ironic, but then again, I tend to favor humor over condescension.
I don't get the comments on looks. It doesn't get better than a telecaster shape for me (and that includes Rics) and that part of its attraction for me. Build quality is not in question - the closest I've had was my old Yammie 1200s. Fender and Ric do not touch the ASAT for build quality. The neck is fantastic and plays amazing so don't get some comments around playability of necks. Sound is really where I was coming from - after all music is audio experience. My main point is after nearly 40 years in production I can't say that's the G&L sound! Here's my bass....
Sorry, I souldnot have said "sued", I knoew it never happened - but he did get a cease and decist from Gretsch for the broadcaster name (for the second time) which is what I was thinking of - I definitely did not mean to add to all this lawsuit mythology we've all hard too much about - my point was he didn't want to redesignthe headstock yet again - and what was he supposed to do?
