G&L Club Part 2

[tehuti]

 

[oldrookie]

Somehow, I have smaller hands but skinny necks tend to tire my fretting hand at the muscle that joins the thumb to the forefinger... I like chunkier necks both on guitar and bass. That's why G & L's are a bit of a gamble for me.

Pretty average sized hands. Can't palm a basketball.

Why would the G&L be a gamble? Generally pretty chunky necks.

I had the same issue with neck on the beatle bass I had as a first bass. Neck was so skinny that my hands cramped up exactly as you describe.

 

[rust_preacher]

Pretty average sized hands. Can't palm a basketball.

Why would the G&L be a gamble? Generally pretty chunky necks.

I had the same issue with neck on the beatle bass I had as a first bass. Neck was so skinny that my hands cramped up exactly as you describe.

Well, to me the G&L necks are often skinnier than I like. I have a Fender Telecaster bass with a HUGE neck, that's a bit overkill. My "go to" bass is now a Fender Am Dlx that has a moderately chunky neck. The L-1000 I have has a much slimmer neck profile, but manageable.

 

[oldrookie]

Well, to me the G&L necks are often skinnier than I like. I have a Fender Telecaster bass with a HUGE neck, that's a bit overkill. My "go to" bass is now a Fender Am Dlx that has a moderately chunky neck. The L-1000 I have has a much slimmer neck profile, but manageable.

Ahhh. I also forgot that the USA necks are available in different sizes. As a Tribute owner the choice is pretty limited, as in, this is what's on it, take or leave it.

The Tribute L2500 has a very chunky neck. Doesn't give up much to the USA version in build quality or finish. Might take look at one. No skinny neck here.

Had the Tribute L2k (sold only to fund the L2500) and the neck, while not skinny, was not as meaty as the L2500.

 

[Chef]

I don't believe the 2500 is available in different options, only the four strings.
Could be wrong, but, I don't think it is.

It's really a shame G&L is stick on that chunky neck.

 

[oldrookie]

I don't believe the 2500 is available in different options, only the four strings.
Could be wrong, but, I don't think it is.

It's really a shame G&L is stick on that chunky neck.

Was not aware of that.

I know I almost dismissed the L2500 the first time I picked up. Thought the neck felt like a tree trunk. Handled it for about 3 minutes and put it back.

It just kept gnawing at me. Kept thinking, "What is there about that thing that me unable to forget it and move on.?"

Still don't have answer, but I know the next time (probably six months later) I picked it up I started looking for one I could afford. Just feels right to me.

 

[Chef]

If you like it, you like it.
It's kind of an odd duck though.
5 strings on 4 string width. Narrow spacing. Chunky neck.

They need to get with the year 2000 already.

 

[jacoby75]

I didn't know different G&L necks were available either until I very recently saw someone on the forums say something like, "This bass has the #9 neck on it." I have no idea what the difference would be between, say, a #1 neck or #8 neck, but the fact that they have numbered necks must mean something. Any clarification out there?

 

[Chef]

all the specs are posted on the G&L site.

 

[InFlux bassman]

Has anyone played both the American made and Tribute extensively?

Is there a noticeable difference?

The Tribute fit my budget, and after a few years, I'm still quite happy with it. Just wondering what others think...

 

[jacoby75]

There's a video on youtube of someone playing a Tribute and a US version back to back. Although, if I remember correctly, he doesn't speak english. Still, for the purposes of hearing the basses, it works quite well.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

Ok, all you G&L aficionados!

Sorry for the re-post of my 2 L2500s (ok, not real sorry), but I'm considering the potentially unthinkable; I'm considering having the fretless board coated.

There's something missing in each of my 3 fretless basses that only coated fingerboards seem to have. I've played a few different coated boards over the years, and listened to a TON of them; they all have a certain characteristic I want, regardless of the pickup or string type. Considering my stable of fretlesses, the L2500 seems the best option.

Has anyone else done this to a G&L, and do you have pic and/or audio samples to share?

Thanks

 

[JohnnyB53]

I didn't know different G&L necks were available either until I very recently saw someone on the forums say something like, "This bass has the #9 neck on it." I have no idea what the difference would be between, say, a #1 neck or #8 neck, but the fact that they have numbered necks must mean something. Any clarification out there?

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed].

 

[jasonbraatz]

They need to get with the year 2000 already.

I could go with a slimmer neck but the only things really out there with this kind of string spacing are G&L's and Music Man's, and that's NOT ENOUGH. You can go tighter with an Ibanez or Warwick, but the 1.75" nut / 17.5mm bridge is a nice middle ground.

There are plenty of other options for those of ya'll who like 19mm spacing and 2" nuts.

 

[bowthing]

I really wanted an L1000 bad! Made this last night from a pawn shop P.

I do have a question on the bass cut. I got the 1M reverse pot from G&L, and I wanted to make sure it was setup as clockwise=full bass/ccw=tinny? It seems to work but has to be rolled off about 1/2 way before it does a whole lot.

 

[PluckyThump]

Word on the street is the recent USA L-2500 basses have slimmer necks but I haven't sampled one myself. At this point I am so pleased with my modified Tribute L-2500 that I will likely take it to a luthier to get the neck shaved down. It doesn't bother me all that much but the Ernie Ball 5 string necks are much nicer. There is no reason for it to be so thick. It's the most stable neck of any bass that I own, never needs adjusting unless the strings are changed.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

Word on the street is the recent USA L-2500 basses have slimmer necks but I haven't sampled one myself. At this point I am so pleased with my modified Tribute L-2500 that I will likely take it to a luthier to get the neck shaved down. It doesn't bother me all that much but the Ernie Ball 5 string necks are much nicer. There is no reason for it to be so thick. It's the most stable neck of any bass that I own, never needs adjusting unless the strings are changed.

My fretless L2500 is approximately 0.1" *thinner* than my fretted, at the first fret, fret height NOT included. I meant to bring home some calipers from work to get a precise measurement, but I forgot... The fretless neck is about the same thickness as my EBMM SR5, though. BTW - the fat fretted neck is flatsawn birdseye maple and the thin fretted neck is 1/4-sawn maple.

I haven't had the SR5 long enough to determine it's long-term stability, but there is a SIGNIFICANT difference in stability between my thick-neck L2500 and my thin-neck L2500. A couple months ago I took both into a studio for a week and left them in an iso booth overnight. The booth was fairly warm, but had an area AC that was activated between takes. The fretted neck was fine the next afternoon, but the fretless neck had changed significantly. What's worse was how much it started changing when the AC was turned on between takes. I moved out of that booth to a more stable environment and it settled down.

I LOVE the feel of that neck and sound of the bass, so I just deal with constantly changing set up. But a neck that thin really needs something to help stiffen it.

 

[erigod23]

Number please!

 

[jasonbraatz]

I heard a rumor that the body thickness on the L-2500 was reduced a bit as well, is that true?

And are the necks on the USA models not graphite reinforced or anything?

 

[Chef]

IIRC, all the bodies were reduced some...don't remember when.
I don't believe the necks have anything other than a trussrod in them, but, I also quite caring what G&L did many years ago.
They haven't had a new bass in a long time, and their old ones are, well, old.

I love my old ones though.