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G&L basses...?

#21
TylerlovesAva said:
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.
Click to expand...


I am a Hker also :smug:

The one you brought is the korea made model?
I wondering hows the sound it is...
since i heard the demo on the G&L site, sound seems not deep enough i think.
 
#24
txl said:
I am a Hker also :smug:

The one you brought is the korea made model?
I wondering hows the sound it is...
since i heard the demo on the G&L site, sound seems not deep enough i think.
Click to expand...

Don't know what you are hearing, but there are not many basses that are as deep as G&L's. A G&L can make just about any amp fart out.
 
#26
txl said:
I am a Hker also :smug:

The one you brought is the korea made model?
I wondering hows the sound it is...
since i heard the demo on the G&L site, sound seems not deep enough i think.
Click to expand...
The Demo's on the G&L website don't do the basses any justice. If I remember correctly, all the samples are of slap bass style...not really a true representation of what they can do. The pickups that they use are among the strongest and loudest I've ever heard. Very aggressive sounding. Plus, with all the switching possiblities, I can get good representations of a Jazz bass and a Precision bass if I want to. I can also switch to passive mode for a smoother sound. Also, G&L makes the JB-2 bass which is a jazz bass and an SB-2 which is a JP style bass. You can find both them used on ebay sometimes for almost the same as some of the Tribute models
 
#27
I have a Tribute 4 string and it does the "versatile" job very well ! As posted earlier, you should be able to grab a new 4 string for $500 or less, which is what I got mine for, with a gig bag. However...mine needed a hundred dollar fret job, I guess my fault, but the store I purchased it from does some set ups, did a "questionable" neck adjustment and things would have developed into a "pissing" contest between the store and the BEST local repair guy around. So, see if you have a couple of days to get it checked out, and if all is good, you won't be dissapointed, especially at 5 bills or less.
 
#28
txl said:
I am a Hker also :smug:

The one you brought is the korea made model?
I wondering hows the sound it is...
since i heard the demo on the G&L site, sound seems not deep enough i think.
Click to expand...

You have to remember that the demos on the site are from the bass alone, with no drums or other instruments. Speaking from experience, high mid frequencies help in cutting through the mix, and the Tribute does more than an adequate job at that. I jammed with my drummer using it, and the notes were thunderously deep without being overbearing. Real quality lows.

There's a shop in Tsim Tsa Tsui where you can try one out (not Tom Lee). A bit off topic, but we might actually know each other. Know anyone who works in Lang Kwai Fong? (sorry to the other posters who might be alienated by this ;)
 
#29
I have one of the L2000's that has the Leo Fender signature on the upper horn. It's one heck of a bass. It's super hi-fi for it's age and the wood is awesome. I definitely would recommend getting one of the older ones. Dried wood, old mojo, handmade quality... it's all there.
 
#30
I got a chance to play an L2000 for the first time today. It was a great sounding bass. Very versatile. The string height was a little high on the set up but that could easily be remedied.

I was very impressed with the sound of that bass. Now if I could only find one in tobacco sunburst . . .
 
#31
I considering to get a 4 strings or 5 strings.
Also, anyone has try both L2500 and a OLP TL signture model?
I wanna to get a bass in around 500 USD, seems this 2 is the best choice i guess...
 
#33
txl said:
I considering to get a 4 strings or 5 strings.
Also, anyone has try both L2500 and a OLP TL signture model?
I wanna to get a bass in around 500 USD, seems this 2 is the best choice i guess...
Click to expand...

I was actually going to consider buying a TL sig the same day I bought the Trib. The OLP TL is not bad at all, but after a bit of research I found out some owners encountered neck problems (they tend to move easy, apparently), and I also wasn't keen on Basswood, as I personally prefer ash. Also bear in mind that the Trib has the active/passive capability. In general, the Tribute just felt more solid and sounded better to me, but I dig the TL sig's look more than the G&L's.

Little tip: If you're as addicted as I am to the tried and often abused E minor slap riffs, the G&L has to have one of the ballsiest sounding open E's out there.
 
#34
Ack, also remember that the Tribute has the exact same U.S. made pickups that the U.S. made G&ls have, while the TL sig has OLP pu's on 'em. But hard to go wrong either way IMO, when you consider the price.
 
#35
sound seems G&L better than it...
I still considering to get a 4 strings or 5 strings
Anyway, where get a G&L on web is better?
Also, the Active/passive switch on tribute is a true active bass or just like the fender marcus miller one ?
 
#36
txl said:
sound seems G&L better than it...
I still considering to get a 4 strings or 5 strings
Anyway, where get a G&L on web is better?
Also, the Active/passive switch on tribute is a true active bass or just like the fender marcus miller one ?
Click to expand...


Try this link. They're really good at customer service, and even if you pay the extra for shipping, I think it'd still be less expensive than getting it in HK:

http://www.bassnw.com/

this will explain the bass in better detail:

Invalid Link Removed

Hope the links work.
 
#37
It's a truely active 9 volt system, with three modes:
full passive, active on, active with treble boost.

G&L controls are not as confusing as that article would lead you to believe. Quite simple, actually.
Switches:
Pickup selector switch: neck/both/bridge.
Series/Parallel Switch wich lets you chosse series or parallel for the dual coil pups,
and the preamp control off/on/on with treble boost. Unlike some active basses, G&L's don't "go all to heck" with the preamp off, and actually have a really great passive voice.

Then you have volume, treble roll off and bass roll off.

Lots of choices? Yes! Confusing? Not so much...All this makes the G&L's basses that have many usable voices.
 
#38
Before I got the switch/knob schematic from the G&L website, I just turned knobs and pushed switches until I got a good sound, and that worked really well. Knowing what each one does helps when you're dialing in a sound on the job, without the leisure to experiment.

Personally, I think the layout is as simple as it can get, and still do everything it does. The only problem is that it looks and works a little differently from other basses, and has to be learned.
 

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