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G&L Basses

#82
Keef said:
TOP TEN REASONS G&Ls AREN'T MORE POPULAR

(donning flame-retardant suit)

  1. Lack of a Unique, Original Design – a Rick is instantly recognizable from across the room, as is a P, a Jazz, a Stingray, a Steinberger, a Thunderbird, a Wal, a Status, a Hofner, a Burns, a Mosrite, a Danelectro, a Spector, a Corvette, etc, etc. When I see a G&L from a distance, my first thought is "what is that... a Carvin..? A G&L..? A Washburn..? A Dean? A Stingray without a pickguard? A... ???" G&L's most instantly-recognizable, distinctive body style is the ASAT... a TELECASTER GUITAR COPY! All of the other G&Ls lack a unique style – they're just kinda... there. To my eye, they're just, well... generic. And dare I say it..? Carvin-y. :hiding:
  2. Brand Recognition – I think it would have been of great help to G&L if they had chosen one headstock shape, and stuck with it. Brand recognition matters (and I'm sorry, but that pointy little doohickey on the headstock is so blatantly the quickest, laziest, least-inspired way to get around copyright infringement – MusicMan did the Fender headstock copyright-dodge better.... Lakland did it better... Sadowsky did it better... cripes, RONDO/SX did it better!).

  3. Weight – All the G&Ls I played (many years ago) were absolute boat anchors – maybe they've changed (?), but bad impressions (and back pains) last a long time.

  4. Too Complex – Most basses (at least the ones that sell in the zillions of units) have Volume/Tone or Volume/Volume/Tone. Even the classic active Stingray established itself with only three knobs. Start putting mini-toggle switches on a bass, and people get confused and intimidated – it's sad, but true – even a cursory glance at the forum reveals this. Give 'em a Jaguar, they start clamoring for schematics! :rolleyes: Want to scare your average bassist? Show him a mini-toggle switch!

  5. No "trademark" Sound – Read any of the threads here, people want "P-Bass thump", "J honk", "Rick clang", "Warwick growl". When was the last time you heard someone ask for a "G&L sound"? IS there even a "G&L sound"? Which leads us to...

  6. Too Versatile – What people don't seem to want is true versatility. Don't believe me? Do a forum search for Wal basses, like I did last night – all you'll read are a bunch of complaints from people who couldn't instantly "dial in their tone". :rolleyes: From what I've witnessed, 99% of bassists don't want to have to experiment to get a sound that suits them (aka: P, J, 'Ray).

  7. Unorthodox Colors – If G&L offered more traditional colors (Candy Apple Red, Lake Placid Blue), I have no doubt they'd sell more instruments. People like tradition.

  8. Lack of B&M Vendors – I like to try a bass out before I buy it. There aren't enough G&Ls in STORES.

  9. Lack of Celebrity "star" Players – no Jaco, no Entwistle, no Geddy. Granted, this is a really STUPID reason, but no one can deny it's veracity – no McCartney = no Hofner. People buy what their idols play. If Flea/Claypool/Fieldy started using G&Ls exclusively, G&Ls would start flying off the shelves.

  10. Carrots.
Anyway, these are my honest thoughts – no offense intended to the faithful. And I'm no hater, either – I'd really like to try an L-2500 (the headstock doohickey looks much better on a 3+2, IMO).

I'd probably have bought one, had I been able to actually try one first.
Click to expand...

I agree with some of these reasons but some points:

1 A Lakland doesn't have a design on its own but they're sold like hot dogs, a lot of 'em are easily found at 2nd hand forums. Why? It's a "superjazz" look, so that's why they look "generic" (but with pickups on their own style).
2 About the weight and switches, you've got that Peavey T40 who is even worse to that respect and they also sell nuts.
3 Versatility is also a "weak" argument: Lakland sells A LOT because of that, so why some brands do not sell with that quality and some others do?
4 Here you've got the three real reasons: they're marketed for "country" or "quiet styles" but they do have punch for other styles but completely ignored by the marketing department; they have too many models and they're hard to test because you only have the chance of playing at a shop, leaving perhaps the one you want out of your mind; and the most famous players were artists who had success during the 80s (now I can remember the guy from Fine Young Canibals), and many people think that 80s are "bad" in musical terms, while other brands don't come with that tag (Steinberger NOT being one of them, that's why they're sold at reasonable prices).
 
#83
It's OK that G&L's are not more popular; they maintain some cachet as a result. I am one of the real "outsiders" among G&L fans, because I play the JB2, and not an active model with MFD pickups. To me, the JB2 is the ultimate evolution of the J-bass, with P-bass ergonomics, and outstanding build quality. If a recent Bass Player poll is to be believed, the vast majority of bassists out there would pick a 4-string J-style bass as their one and only gigger, so I am surprised that there are not more ordinary "working stiff" bassists singing the praises of the JB2. Having said that, the only thing that I could ask for more from G&L on would be a 5-string JB2, but a look at Carvin's catalog reveals that they already make it, calling it the B50.
 
#84
Had a JB2. Loved it; tho I did replace the pickups with something more traditionally J sounding.
I'm not surprised it hasn't caught on, and I'll be surprised if the new G&L J clone does any better...despite the fact that they are mega-quality basses.
 
#85
Keef said:
TOP TEN REASONS G&Ls AREN'T MORE POPULAR

(donning flame-retardant suit)

  1. Lack of a Unique, Original Design – a Rick is instantly recognizable from across the room, as is a P, a Jazz, a Stingray, a Steinberger, a Thunderbird, a Wal, a Status, a Hofner, a Burns, a Mosrite, a Danelectro, a Spector, a Corvette, etc, etc. When I see a G&L from a distance, my first thought is "what is that... a Carvin..? A G&L..? A Washburn..? A Dean? A Stingray without a pickguard? A... ???" G&L's most instantly-recognizable, distinctive body style is the ASAT... a TELECASTER GUITAR COPY! All of the other G&Ls lack a unique style – they're just kinda... there. To my eye, they're just, well... generic. And dare I say it..? Carvin-y. :hiding:
  2. Brand Recognition – I think it would have been of great help to G&L if they had chosen one headstock shape, and stuck with it. Brand recognition matters (and I'm sorry, but that pointy little doohickey on the headstock is so blatantly the quickest, laziest, least-inspired way to get around copyright infringement – MusicMan did the Fender headstock copyright-dodge better.... Lakland did it better... Sadowsky did it better... cripes, RONDO/SX did it better!).

  3. Weight – All the G&Ls I played (many years ago) were absolute boat anchors – maybe they've changed (?), but bad impressions (and back pains) last a long time.

  4. Too Complex – Most basses (at least the ones that sell in the zillions of units) have Volume/Tone or Volume/Volume/Tone. Even the classic active Stingray established itself with only three knobs. Start putting mini-toggle switches on a bass, and people get confused and intimidated – it's sad, but true – even a cursory glance at the forum reveals this. Give 'em a Jaguar, they start clamoring for schematics! :rolleyes: Want to scare your average bassist? Show him a mini-toggle switch!

  5. No "trademark" Sound – Read any of the threads here, people want "P-Bass thump", "J honk", "Rick clang", "Warwick growl". When was the last time you heard someone ask for a "G&L sound"? IS there even a "G&L sound"? Which leads us to...

  6. Too Versatile – What people don't seem to want is true versatility. Don't believe me? Do a forum search for Wal basses, like I did last night – all you'll read are a bunch of complaints from people who couldn't instantly "dial in their tone". :rolleyes: From what I've witnessed, 99% of bassists don't want to have to experiment to get a sound that suits them (aka: P, J, 'Ray).

  7. Unorthodox Colors – If G&L offered more traditional colors (Candy Apple Red, Lake Placid Blue), I have no doubt they'd sell more instruments. People like tradition.

  8. Lack of B&M Vendors – I like to try a bass out before I buy it. There aren't enough G&Ls in STORES.

  9. Lack of Celebrity "star" Players – no Jaco, no Entwistle, no Geddy. Granted, this is a really STUPID reason, but no one can deny it's veracity – no McCartney = no Hofner. People buy what their idols play. If Flea/Claypool/Fieldy started using G&Ls exclusively, G&Ls would start flying off the shelves.

  10. Carrots.
Anyway, these are my honest thoughts – no offense intended to the faithful. And I'm no hater, either – I'd really like to try an L-2500 (the headstock doohickey looks much better on a 3+2, IMO).

I'd probably have bought one, had I been able to actually try one first.
Click to expand...

1. Lack of a unique, original design has never been an obstacle to sales. Just look at the number of companies that make P-bass/Jazz clones. Cloning Fender designs seems to be more of a formula for sales success than an obstacle.

2. G&L has better brand recognition than most companies. I'd say that among all the countless dozens of manufacturers out there, they're solidly in the top 10.

3. I've never played a G&L that I thought was heavy. Unlike many Fenders.

4. Too complex?? Try fudging around with a BC Rich. I don't think I ever met a player that couldn't figure out G&L controls within 5 minutes.

5. I've never heard of anyone complaining, until now, that any instrument was "too versatile".

6. Unorthodox colors? Excepting the discontinued bowling ball finishes on some of the older models, all of G&L's colors are pretty standard.

7. Lack of brick and mortar vendors - yes.

8. Lack of celebrity endorsers - definitely.
 
#86
Just went to the G+L site, and I would appreciate back-view of the basses. Maybe that's just me but I appreciate it. I think they are all bolt-on necks but their site gives no info. Also the contact page has no email contact available unless I missed it. Overall I was not thrilled with the site. Bleh, altho some of the basses looked interesting.
 
#89
MEKer said:
Just went to the G+L site, and I would appreciate back-view of the basses. Maybe that's just me but I appreciate it. I think they are all bolt-on necks but their site gives no info. Also the contact page has no email contact available unless I missed it. Overall I was not thrilled with the site. Bleh, altho some of the basses looked interesting.
Click to expand...

Yes of course as we all know the website is a direct correlation to the quality and playability of their product. :rolleyes:
 
#91
"Yes of course as we all know the website is a direct correlation to the quality and playability of their product"

As to the above, I don't know that nor did I say or infer that.:rollno:

<so quick to pull a trigger>
 
#93
My biggest beef with G&L: Battery changes. Why can't G&L follow the lead of Warwick, EBMM et al and come up with a quick-change capability? Even Fender did this with their J24 model; no tools required, and battery changes take 5 seconds. This, more than any other factor, has been what has inhibited me from getting a second G&L, and I have coveted an ASAT semi-hollow for a few years. It's not reinventing the wheel here, folks. G&L is owned by BBE Sound, and apparently, they are loathe to put in any R&D. If they had a quick-change battery feature, they'd have another sale to me in a heartbeat.
 
#94
plankspanker13 said:
My biggest beef with G&L: Battery changes. Why can't G&L follow the lead of Warwick, EBMM et al and come up with a quick-change capability? Even Fender did this with their J24 model; no tools required, and battery changes take 5 seconds. This, more than any other factor, has been what has inhibited me from getting a second G&L, and I have coveted an ASAT semi-hollow for a few years. It's not reinventing the wheel here, folks. G&L is owned by BBE Sound, and apparently, they are loathe to put in any R&D. If they had a quick-change battery feature, they'd have another sale to me in a heartbeat.
Click to expand...

This is my view as well. No R&D and won't even talk about fixing design errors. I've got two G&Ls and the raw materials are there for absolute killer instruments. BUT, I ended up with a big list of design fixes to get rid of the massive noise pickup in active, the level changes with settings, and other nonsense. Yes, I now have an instrument that is to die for, but what common bass player is going to be willing to re-work the bass to get things just so? And I haven't even fixed the battery change problem yet! And that includes stooopidly using tiny wood screws to hold the backplate on where the battery is. Needless to say several are already stripped. And far as I can tell G&L could give a rat's butt about any of this. Their attitude seems to be here are the basses....take 'em or leave 'em.

Yeah, I took em. But I don't think many people are into bass redesign the way I am.
 
#96
The battery change is a valid complaint; along with the "change every two years" output jack.
One doesn't have to have a separate battery box. Threaded holes on the compartment would be acceptable, and some manufacturers even use opposing polarity magnets now.
 
#97
I don't have a lot to add other than my 1980 hog/maple L1000 has been my #1 since I got it 2 years ago. I put some chromes on it recently and it sounds killer. I love G&L but my enthusiasm for them comes mainly from the old basses.
 
#100
I have a L2500 and my thoughts on it are follows:

1. Balance is incredible, a perfectly balanced 5 string
2. nice b string, although not quite a nice as my Sadowsky
3. best neck ever for a guy with small hands, love the natural finish on the back.
4. great tones from the pickups, bright and punchy. Cut through my loud rock band almost as much as fretted bass.
5. Looks are a little blah. It is a nice sunburst, which is a finish I like, but it doesn't have the sex appeal of a P or J.
Maybe the latter is why resale value is low. However, I think the build quality is excellent. Where else can you get a handmade bass with great electronics for this money?
 

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