+1
Quirks aside (I can deal with the battery compartment), I feel that G&L's are the closest I've found to "my sound". I've been playing bass over 40 years, and only recently (~3 years ago) found G&L's. They're pretty much all I play now.
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G&L Basses
- Thread starter SJLee
- Start date
+1
Quirks aside (I can deal with the battery compartment), I feel that G&L's are the closest I've found to "my sound". I've been playing bass over 40 years, and only recently (~3 years ago) found G&L's. They're pretty much all I play now.
<rant>
I'm a web developer by trade, and kind of evangelical about G&L. I'm always trying to excite people about the possibility of "evolved Fenders." I wouldn't say I'm a nut or anything, but I admit that I'm actually kinda pissed about the G&L website. I've been visiting the site for years, and I don't think it's been significantly updated since 2000, and it's been showing its age for a while now.
More importantly, as far as usability, the execution is pretty half-baked. The sound samples pages -- which I would argue are the most important part of their website -- have pretty meager sound samples, done in only one style (for guitars and basses), and are presented in a fairly convoluted gallery format. In the bass clips section, there isn't a single finger-style sample, or a picked sample. Only slap. Slap's cool, but it really doesn't highlight the bass's versatility. And I've never seen their list of players/endorsers change. Jeeze.
If G&L doesn't want to spend on advertising -- which would expand their market reach -- so that they can keep making instruments on their own terms, that's fine with me. I respect them for doing so. But they really should consider dropping some money on a new website. If done right, their web-presence could easily be used as a selling/buying tool. As it is, the website just makes them seem like they don't care, and I'm pretty sure that isn't the case. It's time for an overhaul.
</rant>
yes..but you are given the bass for the first time in a noisy, dark rehearsal space. You have never even seen the axe before...everybody else is tuning up, setting up and making noise. You have like a minute to make sense of things before you are off...and I did not think that was the way things worked, the pup switching was easy to figure out...
other niggles: (you can tell I have been researching)
1. Why no tone control on the SB2, I am jonesing for a P/J, but no tone control. no buy.
2. If I would buy a L2000, I would really want a 1.5 inch neck, not the 1.75.
Do they do such things in their custom program?
The person handing it to you should explain how it works. Problem solved.
Wow! Way to resurrect a zombie thread! On a related note, my G &L L2500 fretless is finally done being repaired and I should pick it up next week. Can't wait!
Just for the record, the pointy "eye gouger" on the headstock was George's idea.
While it may appear to be non-functional, it's not. The gouger is actually an ingenious "anti-lemming filter".
It acts as a disturbing visual repellent. Players with a lemming mentality are instantly so un-nerved by the headstock shape that they won't even bother to play or listen to a G&L.
In this way, G&L maintains a level of exclusivity, appealing only to those players who judge a bass with their hands and ears.
You've heard this before...."G&L's are not for everyone".
+1
Agree, while it may not be cohesive with the rest of the design as someone pointed out, there is also a point on the F headstock that doesn't jive with curves of the rest of the body. G&L's is just more obvious and pointy.
You hear a lotta complaints about the G&L headstock shape. It's never bothered me, I'm not fussy about some details as long as they work properly.
I even like this odd looking thing, tho I'm sure some would think it's hideous...
Then look at this one. Not only does it look like Gumby designed it, but it also has the strings splayed out at angles from nut to tuner. I'd have to say I don't care much for it, neither asthetically or functionally. Would it keep me from snagging a nice Spector? Prolly not. YMMV
I even like this odd looking thing, tho I'm sure some would think it's hideous...
Then look at this one. Not only does it look like Gumby designed it, but it also has the strings splayed out at angles from nut to tuner. I'd have to say I don't care much for it, neither asthetically or functionally. Would it keep me from snagging a nice Spector? Prolly not. YMMV
Finally got my L2500 out of the shop and used on Sunday to cut some jazz tracks. The shop had put Daddario nickel's on it, and I really hated it. I put TI jazz rounds on it, and was rewarded with the most amazing tone. Buzz city! As soon as our fearless leader mixes down a few tracks I'll post you tube clip or something so y'all can hear. Preferred settings:
rear pickup only, passive mode 25% treble rolloff, series/parallel switch in the rear position, whatever that is. I forgot how freaking hot these pickups are. In active mode it really is too much.
rear pickup only, passive mode 25% treble rolloff, series/parallel switch in the rear position, whatever that is. I forgot how freaking hot these pickups are. In active mode it really is too much.
IMHO, the L2500 is about the best neck I have ever played for MY smallish hands. 34'' scale with 17 mm spacing is so comfortable, and I just love the sanded down feel on the back of the neck. Awesome!
I have huge hands and it feels like a baseball bat compared to my Ibanez BTB, but the thicker neck is more comfortable for me.
I had some Carvin/Labella Nickel strings on my fretted L2500 and was seriously hating the tone. I put a set of Rotosound 66's on it and it's back to being a tone monster. Strings have such a HUGE impact on the tone of the G&L basses. I prefer stainless steel, in general, but I have a set of Sunbeams to try out. TIs are my favorites, though.
I have TI Superalloy rounds on my fretless L2500. It spends most of it's time in series mode (forward position), bridge pickup, and passive, with varying amounts of bass-cut as required. The tone is just huge, and it records *SO* well. I love the TI strings...
I agree with you about the strings, but for me at least, I gave up on flats for my L2000. Tried TI flats, LaBellas and Chromes. Each affected the tone differently, and I may have liked the TI tone best of these three, but I felt I was missing something in the tone. I ended up putting DR nickle Lo-Riders on most recently, and have concluded (for the moment) that the flats I was using seemed to suppress the rawness of the tone that I loved when I first played the bass with its stock rounds. So while I'm sticking with flats on my Fender basses, my G&L is going to wear strictly rounds for a while.
My L2000 didn't like flats either, even tho it's a fretless. It sounded like it was strung with rubber bands or something (D'Addario Chromes)...
But I still had a 5 string set of D'Addario XL's leftover as spares for my L2500 that was stolen last year, so put the top 4 strings from that set on it.
That considerably improved the tone, it's more compressed with better sustain.
I have TIJF's on my carvin bunny 6 (also an FL) and I'm not certain I really like those either. So I'll probably end up putting rounds on it too...
Guess I'm not quite the flats guy I thought I was...
LS
I was toying with the idea of TIJFs on my fretted L2500, but I've decided against it - especially after see how big a difference the Rotosound stainless made vs. Carvin nickels. As much as I LOVE TIJFs on 2 of my other basses (including a Pbass and another fretless), I don't think they'd do it for me on the L2500.
I did have some D'Addario Half-rounds on the fretless L2500 for a while, but the lower strings seemed rather dead. I put the TI Superalloys on it and it came alive. I put the same half-rounds on my Rick Turner Electroline fretless and they are considerably brighter and more alive sounding on *that* bass. I also use those on another fretless 4 w/MM pickup and it sounds amazing!
Someone said in one of the G&L threads that G&L MFDs were "high resolution" pickups in that they really highlighted the differences in strings and technique. I have to agree.
I did have some D'Addario Half-rounds on the fretless L2500 for a while, but the lower strings seemed rather dead. I put the TI Superalloys on it and it came alive. I put the same half-rounds on my Rick Turner Electroline fretless and they are considerably brighter and more alive sounding on *that* bass. I also use those on another fretless 4 w/MM pickup and it sounds amazing!
Someone said in one of the G&L threads that G&L MFDs were "high resolution" pickups in that they really highlighted the differences in strings and technique. I have to agree.
Well I'm definitely a flats guy, I just don't think the L2000/L2500 is a flats bass. But I'm okay with that, and I think it's actually good for me to have a few basses with rounds and a more modern edge to them. Everything else I play sounds like Jamerson or McCartney, etc.
I have so far been blown away with TI jazz ROUNDS on my L2500. I should be able to post some clips, but it growls like jaco with the back pickup, but a little mellower, since these are very mellow rounds. I didn't like the TI jazz flats on this bass either, even though TI flats are my favorite strings on a fretted bass.
Each bass calls for its own string and that will also depend on your amp/technique. There is no cure other than experimentation.
Each bass calls for its own string and that will also depend on your amp/technique. There is no cure other than experimentation.
Same goes for me. After a few various string tries I'm back to stock (SIT) rounds on the fretted L-2500. Flats are definitely OUT on that bass though My "real" Fender and most of my Fender clones (SX) have flats of some sort to bring out that old school tone. Doesn't work on the G&L though. You get better "old school" with half rounds or something and eventually I went back to SIT rounds to get the 'bright" end of the tonal range of the bass. But I'm still not (and never have been) totally pleased with them.
On the fretless I used D'addario half-rounds because they sound pretty good and they eliminate fingerboard chews.
But as you can see from these posts, the question of what are the "ultimate" strings for a G&L L-2000 series bass is still open. Open for me too! But it takes some time (and money) to go through all the various strings out there to try to discover THE ones to use.
Maybe I'll try some TI strings next time. Tone on these basses really does change like mad with the strings you use.
Match made in heaven IMHO. The only reason I'm not using them right now is because I currently tune a whole step down on my L-2500 and the low tension Sunbeams do not handle that very well. But in standard tuning, I don't think I'll ever use anything else.
