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G&L basses...?

L

LeE_bass

May 4, 2006
4
0
Kerrville, Texas
#1
i was looking on around on the internet for jazz basses, and this one caught my interest, it said G&L Tribute bass:confused: made by leo fender in perfect condition and blah blah blah. i have been thinking of getting a fender j bass, but i want to know how good these are, what kinda sound, and if they are a good quality, basically if its worth some $600-700, and if it would be a better choice than the standard j bass. this will only be my second bass so i dont know much about the different kinds of basses or pretty much if this is a good guitar (why i'm here) if anyone owns or knows anything about these G&L basses any info will be appreciated. thx:)
 
#2
IMO the Tribute is a LOT better than the fender jazzs (if we're talking the MIM and CIJs), and maybe as good as an american.


It sounds fantastic, as good as a 'real' G&L as far as I'm concerned. (the Tributes are made in Korea, the real ones in the US. They're both G&Ls as far as I"m concerned) The only problem with them IMO is the size of the neck as there are no options on them with the tributes.. It'll be a little bigger than a jazz, more like a precision neck if you're familiar

All in all they're fantastic for the $$$ and a bass I'd be happy to play anywhere
 
#3
G&L makes a Tribute jazz bass??? That would be sweet.

I have to assume that you are talking about the 2500 and 2000 Tributes. They are great basses for the money, but are very different from a Fender Jazz. They sound very different and feel very different in my opinion.
 
#8
I would agree with that. I did not notice any quality issues that would be considered 'worse' than a few Americans I've seen/played. If they have the same options, etc., or if you like the feel, tone, etc. is PERSONAL PREFERENCE. But the quality and workmanship on the one I had was very close if not on par with the American I played as well. That's not what the question was, though.

They are nice basses, and targeted towards someone who would like to have versitality. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
There's a place called Oklahoma something or another on ebay that has GREAT prices on them. Oh, and they come in a fantastic gig bag.
 
#9
oldrocker said:
You're saying that a Korean G&L is as good as an American Fender?

Don't think so :rollno:
Click to expand...
I put the In My Opinion there so that I wouldnt get anything like this

I would buy a Tribute before an American Fender because I personally like the feel and sound better, and I personally think its a better bass. You might not, but :spit:
 
#12
i see ebay there are some with buy it now price at around $499 for a brand new one.
I have interest on it too, but do not know how the sound it look likes.

That is a active or passive one for the tribute model actually?
Also, is that bass cool for a slapper and funk?
As i see they use 2 humbecker, i just wonder hows the sound when comparing with the new MM...
 
#14
I was seriously gunning for the tribute 2500. But when I tried it out (through an older SWR redhead) it lacked depth of tone. Also I found the fret job to be appalingly bad. Not just buzzy, but painful to fret. The wood looked very cheap, but then I guess I am used to more amber looking maple on older guitars? It seems a lot of basses have these pale maple necks, even the more expensive bolt ons by other companies.
Besides that it was pretty much dead on to the USA 2500. the on ly visible difference being a bigger bushing on the output jack and a bigger washer on the toggle switch for the USA.
 
#15
shop around. Like all Korean made basses, they will be hit or miss. I've played some that were very, very good. Allot of that has to do with shop setup too. Don't go to a "big box" guitar store. Shop your local stores with an in-house setup man. Don't shop at the "big box" guitar stores period!
 
#19
Hi, this is my first post here after a year of hovering. Just wanna add my.02.
I worked in hongkong as a bassist for two years and moved to Hamburg, Germany in September of last year. I recently purchased a Tribute L2000 in blueburst. I've been interested and been looking for one for a long time, and I luckily found one that's relatively ok priced for german standards. As it turned out, the guy who owns the shop had been waiting for it for 6 months, and I grabbed it just 30 minutes after it arrived.
Now to the point: I also own a Fender Roscoe Beck five, which I've been using in HK in the duration of my playing there. While I love it's sound, I was itching for a four stringer that has a bit more bite, as I wanted to re-experience the comfort of slapstyle on a four. The Tribute nailed my expectations to a tee. Feels like it's built to last, has an active/passive function, can be coaxed to mimic a variety of tones (from a precision to a musicman, at least to my ears), just flat out great for the money (keep in mind I paid more coz they have a high import tax here). I'd say the only considerable advantage my RB5 has is the bridge pickup soloed (fartier sounding for lack of a better word), it's warmer sounding and suites genres that demand this, and it's looks (not particularly fond of the G&L can opener headstock). Otherwise it is at par, and even surpasses it at some aspects.
I'd recommend the premium model to anyone who wants an inexpensive, versatile active four.
 
#20
G&L basses are considered to be the "true" Fender basses by most people who use them. I've had five L2000's over the years, and still use one when I play 4-string. I'm usually on a Stingray 5 now, but believe it or not, the Stingray won't touch the different tones that G&L will get. I dont know a whole lot about the new Tributes, but the one I played was so close to my US-Made L2000, that I was a little pissed! I highly recommend ANYTHING made by G&L. And I won't even pick up a MIM Fender and look at it in a pawn shop!
 

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