I've checked out the G&L website. These basses seem interesting, especially the L-2000. Can anyone recommend them? They could be easy to get, I mean, they're around the same price as Fenders.
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G&L basses
- Thread starter ndrly
- Start date
They are very cool and for some reason not too common at the bottom of the world.
I love mine, it has lots of different sounds, nearly all of them sound great, and it has an amazing feel to it. I can only describe it as feeling very "tight" or having a lot of tension. The only thing I don't like is the look, too modern for me.
I love mine, it has lots of different sounds, nearly all of them sound great, and it has an amazing feel to it. I can only describe it as feeling very "tight" or having a lot of tension. The only thing I don't like is the look, too modern for me.
I'd highly recommend them. Some people say that they can cop a lot of popular sounds pretty well, but they also have their own unique tone, so I'd recommend trying one out. For me, it's got the best neck that I've played on so far. They're very consistent with their quality control too, so I wouldn't worry about getting lemon like you would with some other brands.
The best thing about any G&L is that they are TONE MONSTERS, are well built, and you will not regret buying one, or two, or three, or just get them all. I love mine. 
G&Ls were the last basses Leo Fender built, and he felt that they were among his best. That's gotta account for something. You'll find several people who adore the craftsmanship and tone. I'm one of them. Even the Tribute models are built according to pretty high standards.
G&Ls too modern looking? Fender hasn't changed his designs very much since the Precision and Jazz bass days...
G&Ls too modern looking? Fender hasn't changed his designs very much since the Precision and Jazz bass days...
Considering that the Tributes are made in Indonesia, one would think that they might be available Down Under. I love mine to the point of actually weighing the decision of selling a limited edition 'wick to get a custom made-in-America G&L.
I actually don't mind if I get an American G&L, or a Tribute model.
By the way, what do the knobs do?
By the way, what do the knobs do?
I actually don't really see G&L as a boutique company. The prices I've seen are pretty similar to American Fenders. But I like the L-2000 instruments because they're pretty much original instruments.
I own 3 Fenders, a Japanese Squire, Musicman Sterling, and a Carvin. My favorite of the bunch is my '95 G&L L2000. It has the punchiest, best combination of tones, both traditional and modern of ANY bass I've ever played. The deep quality of the low notes just reek quality- very little need to mess with controls. Like a P-bass on steroids, as they say.It is the one bass I own with no tonal issues. I have the #1 neck which is slightly 1 5/8 inches at the nut-very comfortable! I've owned it for 1.5 years and it has never needed a neck adjustment. See their website under FAQ or guitarsbyleo for details about the knobs and switches.
I've got a couple of them. An '82 rat bastard L-1000 (has a L-2000e neck), and a L-2000 Tribute. The Trib is a good bass, but I haven't spent enough time working with it yet. The L-1000 is what the Precision might have become if Leo had stayed with Fender. I used a '64 Precision for years, and I can say that the L-1000 is a better bass at a fraction of the cost. Time is catching up, but if I had the choice between a pre-CBS Precision and an early '80s L-1000, I'd go for the G&L.
They are awesome. I own a Tribute L2000 and will never get rid of it. The tone possibilities, as many have already said, are amazing. I was rocking mine tonight during private practices 
I currently own a JB-2 Tribute that is outstanding, and I have never played a bad G&L of any type. G&L and Ernie Ball/Music Man are tied for best mass produced basses in the world, IMO.
I play my L2500 Tribute in a piano-rock band, a metal band, a psychedelic rock band, and in Broadway-style musicals. It sounds incredible in each one. The pickup selector actually makes the bass sound like a different bass. The preamp is very powerful and has a lot of great options.
Passive/active modes are also great. I love the bass. It has made me love playing bass even more because of it's monstrous low end, tight punchiness and attack, and insatiable ability to cut through the mix.
The neck is a log, but I have gotten used to and actually prefer it now.
Here's a soundclip of my 2500. Its a bit of the middle of a jam we recorded. There's a little fretbuzz on some parts because the bass wasn't greatly set up at the time, but the tone should speak for it's self, also I suck at bass. The bass was going straight into a Fender BXR100 combo amp, and the recording was from the DI.
Link Removed
Passive/active modes are also great. I love the bass. It has made me love playing bass even more because of it's monstrous low end, tight punchiness and attack, and insatiable ability to cut through the mix.
The neck is a log, but I have gotten used to and actually prefer it now.
Here's a soundclip of my 2500. Its a bit of the middle of a jam we recorded. There's a little fretbuzz on some parts because the bass wasn't greatly set up at the time, but the tone should speak for it's self, also I suck at bass
. The bass was going straight into a Fender BXR100 combo amp, and the recording was from the DI. Link Removed
View from the top (player's view):
the pots are from left to right: volume, passive treble, passive bass
the switches from left to right: neck PU/both PUs/bridge PU, coils in both PU in series/coils in both PUs in series, passive/active/avtive w. treble boost .
Depending on if you get a Tribute model or an american one, the switches might go up and down or left to right. But they do the same.
Have a look at the G&L Forum here on TB.
Wow! I even heard a tone resembling the Rick Clank!!!
Ps - I haven't played mine live yet, only had it a week. I'll play it live next Sunday.
Ps - I haven't played mine live yet, only had it a week. I'll play it live next Sunday.
I have not owned a lot of basses, but I did have an early 60's or maybe even late 50's precision, then a mid 60's jazz. I quit in the 70's and started again recently. I got a used G&L JB-2, and love the playability and quality. I read a great quote, "If you want a good fender buy a G&L" Obviously mine is not a scientific double blind study approach, but if I hit the lottery and can afford any boutique I'll probably still boogie my JB-2 from time to time.
I own a couple of L-2500s(five-string version of the L-2000), one fretted, one fretless. The range of tones possible out of the "L" series is one of the widest I have encountered on a bass. You can think of the L-2000 as a sort of musical chameleon - it can rapidly change colors at the flip of a switch.
While it doesn't sound exactly like any of the following, you can get close approximations of a P, J, Stingray, Ric, and several other flavors. The best thing about the L-2000/2500 is the fact that it is almost always easy to "cut-through" in a band setting. You can get it to thump, growl, snarl, and and range from passive "old school" to a very aggressive, cutting tone. A number of players think that the G&L gives the closest approximation of a Wal that you can get from a "mass-produced" bass if you place the pickups in series, turn on the treble boost and roll off the bass to about 20-30% of max.
The G&L controls take a little getting used to in order to be able to quickly dial in the sound you want, but once you are familiar, you will have a very wide set of tones at your disposal.
While it doesn't sound exactly like any of the following, you can get close approximations of a P, J, Stingray, Ric, and several other flavors. The best thing about the L-2000/2500 is the fact that it is almost always easy to "cut-through" in a band setting. You can get it to thump, growl, snarl, and and range from passive "old school" to a very aggressive, cutting tone. A number of players think that the G&L gives the closest approximation of a Wal that you can get from a "mass-produced" bass if you place the pickups in series, turn on the treble boost and roll off the bass to about 20-30% of max.
The G&L controls take a little getting used to in order to be able to quickly dial in the sound you want, but once you are familiar, you will have a very wide set of tones at your disposal.
