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G&L Club Part 7

#20,101
Hey all,

Let me tell you the story about my new Tukay Tribute


20210520_082316.jpg


Here she is hanging out in front of my wife's makeup stuff.

So, this story starts off with the acquisition of an OLP MM2 Stingray in a trade for some stuff -- I got it as a beater/backup, and put a GFS MM Pro pickup in it and ended up really liking the sound. I'd owned a Sterling Ray4 in the past and actually liked the sound...and I got bit by the Stingray GAS bug. So I sold some stuff to raise the funds for a nicer Sterling ray.

And as I was checking eBay and Reverb, I saw this Tribute pop up. Sunburst finish (which I love), rosewood fretboard, and since it was a customer return it was going for a solid $150 below retail. I've owned a Tukay in the past (had a maple fretboard though) and had also been GASsing for another since it's the closest I can get to a Wal.

So I jumped on it.

And here's the thing. By all objective metrics, this bass is fantastic. Tone is incredible, versatile, and hi-fi. The neck is perfect. This bass is absolutely effortless to play. It's a bit on the heavier side, and I have yet to dial it in with my Rumble 500 in a way that makes it sound as good as it does through my amp sims on my computer but every time I pick it up and play it I'm like "damn, this is an awesome bass." I have yet to use it in a gig but I'm sure it's just a matter of finding a way to make it sound better through my amp.

However.

HOWEVER.

I'm still GASsing for a Stingray. And I can get the Tukay in the same ballpark tonewise, but there's some of that throaty rasp and snarl that the Stingray has that nothing else can come close to. The Tukay is growly and thunderous, but it's also a bit more filled out in the mids and, again, it's a lot closer to a Wal than it is to a Stingray. And, truth be told, for the setlist my band plays, a Stingray would be a better fit than the Tukay is.

Part of me wants to hold on to the Tukay and find another way to fund a Stingray. Another part of me wants to just sell the Tukay and be done. But I know I'll regret selling the Tukay in a month or so.

Any advice/thoughts?
 
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#20,103
@nabilhuakbar. What do you expect a Sterling By MM ray will provide you that your OLP does not already? other than being "nicer/newer"? If it were me, I'd save up for the nicer Ray, get it, compare it to the OLP, and sell the one that's not doing it for you then. Keep the L-2000 as a change of pace.
 
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#20,104
You should trade it to me for my Tribute Kiloton. That's pretty close. ;)

nabilhuakbar said:
Hey all,

Let me tell you the story about my new Tukay Tribute


View attachment 4275240

Here she is hanging out in front of my wife's makeup stuff.

So, this story starts off with the acquisition of an OLP MM2 Stingray in a trade for some stuff -- I got it as a beater/backup, and put a GFS MM Pro pickup in it and ended up really liking the sound. I'd owned a Sterling Ray4 in the past and actually liked the sound...and I got bit by the Stingray GAS bug. So I sold some stuff to raise the funds for a nicer Sterling ray.

And as I was checking eBay and Reverb, I saw this Tribute pop up. Sunburst finish (which I love), rosewood fretboard, and since it was a customer return it was going for a solid $150 below retail. I've owned a Tukay in the past (had a maple fretboard though) and had also been GASsing for another since it's the closest I can get to a Wal.

So I jumped on it.

And here's the thing. By all objective metrics, this bass is fantastic. Tone is incredible, versatile, and hi-fi. The neck is perfect. This bass is absolutely effortless to play. It's a bit on the heavier side, and I have yet to dial it in with my Rumble 500 in a way that makes it sound as good as it does through my amp sims on my computer but every time I pick it up and play it I'm like "damn, this is an awesome bass." I have yet to use it in a gig but I'm sure it's just a matter of finding a way to make it sound better through my amp.

However.

HOWEVER.

I'm still GASsing for a Stingray. And I can get the Tukay in the same ballpark tonewise, but there's some of that throaty rasp and snarl that the Stingray has that nothing else can come close to. The Tukay is growly and thunderous, but it's also a bit more filled out in the mids and, again, it's a lot closer to a Wal than it is to a Stingray. And, truth be told, for the setlist my band plays, a Stingray would be a better fit than the Tukay is.

Part of me wants to hold on to the Tukay and find another way to fund a Stingray. Another part of me wants to just sell the Tukay and be done. But I know I'll regret selling the Tukay in a month or so.

Any advice/thoughts?
Click to expand...
 
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#20,105
Holdsg said:
@nabilhuakbar. What do you expect a Sterling By MM ray will provide you that your OLP does not already? other than being "nicer/newer"? If it were me, I'd save up for the nicer Ray, get it, compare it to the OLP, and sell the one that's not doing it for you then. Keep the L-2000 as a change of pace.
Click to expand...

Well, the OLP is a beater and a backup that I'm going to keep around and it's only worth like...$150 tops anyways. Not really worth it to sell it. And, honestly, it's got a great neck and it plays really nice. The main reason I'm looking for a Sterling Ray is because my OLP is completely passive and I'd like something with an onboard preamp for that "real" Stingray tone. I've been trying to simulate something stingray-esque by running my OLP through my Behringer BDI-21 preamp first (those Behringers are shockingly good, btw) -- and it sounds great but it's just not quite the same.

I put a Seymour Duncan SMB-4C in the Sub4 I used to own and it sounded amazing. The closest thing I can think to compare it to was Tim Commerford's bass tone on the first Rage Against the Machine album. It wasn't exactly the same but it was shockingly close...like 95% of the way there. I'm sure I could've gotten it closer if I knew more what I was doing with EQ at the time. I found an old recording I did with it and the tone was just so raspy and throaty and full. That's what I'm looking to replicate.

I've heard/read/seen a lot of good things about the Ray34, and there's one for sale on a local site at a really good price that I'm trying to figure out how to fund. Since I'm gigging with a band again and focusing on bass, I'm trying to sell one of my electric guitars that I'm not playing and won't miss too badly. If that doesn't work out, I'm going to just do what I did before and get a Sub4 and put a Seymour Duncan SMB-4C in it again. Something about how that pickup worked with that cheap(ish) preamp produced some real tonal magic that I didn't fully appreciate at the time. The Sub and 20-series necks are a bit narrow for my tastes but I can make it work if need be.
 
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#20,107
"Part of me wants to hold on to the Tukay and find another way to fund a Stingray. Another part of me wants to just sell the Tukay and be done. But I know I'll regret selling the Tukay in a month or so."

Keep the 2K! I had a Trib 2K that looked very much like yours, and I have about a thousand other basses (or so it seems), including a couple Fullerton G&Ls (but not a Fullerton 2K). I listed the 2K on Reverb, and it didn't sell. After a month, I was OK with that. By then, I decided I loved that bass and wanted to keep it. So a few months go by, and suddenly somebody bought the bass. I'd forgotten I still had it listed! So I shipped it off, and I miss it! I have a 2K shaped hole in my heart!
 
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#20,108
jglunt said:
"Part of me wants to hold on to the Tukay and find another way to fund a Stingray. Another part of me wants to just sell the Tukay and be done. But I know I'll regret selling the Tukay in a month or so."

Keep the 2K! I had a Trib 2K that looked very much like yours, and I have about a thousand other basses (or so it seems), including a couple Fullerton G&Ls (but not a Fullerton 2K). I listed the 2K on Reverb, and it didn't sell. After a month, I was OK with that. By then, I decided I loved that bass and wanted to keep it. So a few months go by, and suddenly somebody bought the bass. I'd forgotten I still had it listed! So I shipped it off, and I miss it! I have a 2K shaped hole in my heart!
Click to expand...

Yeah and that's why I'm still holding on to it, because I know I'll regret it later on.

The good news is that I have an interested buyer for the guitar I've got for sale, so it looks like the Sterling Stingray is going to be in my future still. Everybody wins!
 
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#20,109
I've bought and sold a lot of basses in the last few years. I'm down to a relatively modest number now, including an L2k tribute and a Stingray HH. I can't imagine unloading either one in favor of the other. There's almost no overlap between the two. Heck, I have a Warwick Corvette $$, and it kind of sits between the other two tone wise, and even it barely overlaps with the others.

Sorry, I know that answer is not helpful to anyone other than your credit card company.
 
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#20,110
bonin in the boneyard said:
I've bought and sold a lot of basses in the last few years. I'm down to a relatively modest number now, including an L2k tribute and a Stingray HH. I can't imagine unloading either one in favor of the other. There's almost no overlap between the two. Heck, I have a Warwick Corvette $$, and it kind of sits between the other two tone wise, and even it barely overlaps with the others.

Sorry, I know that answer is not helpful to anyone other than your credit card company.
Click to expand...

Fun fact: I actually had a Warwick $$ for a while and got rid of it a few months back. I don't really miss it much even though it was a super nice bass, but I do know I'd miss my Tukay if I sell it.
 
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#20,113
I might be interested in adding a .001uf capacitor to my Kiloton, but I'm not sure where it goes. I've seen it mentioned that the L-1500 can have the capacitor on the bass control, but the Kiloton volume/tone setup is a little different.
Suggestions?
 
#20,114
NOLA Bass said:
Hey guys, I'm gonna order a JB soon. Been debating wood choice. I'm more of a 60's J guy, so alder/rw. However, I am curious about the okoume, which seems similar to mahogany. Anyone have an okoume G&L? Thoughts?
Click to expand...
CLF L 1000, its heavy{sounds great} and the grain is small. I think I'd rather have see through finish over ash,. Ash is also a nice tone wood and sometimes light
 
#20,116
bonin in the boneyard said:
I've bought and sold a lot of basses in the last few years. I'm down to a relatively modest number now, including an L2k tribute and a Stingray HH. I can't imagine unloading either one in favor of the other. There's almost no overlap between the two. Heck, I have a Warwick Corvette $$, and it kind of sits between the other two tone wise, and even it barely overlaps with the others.

Sorry, I know that answer is not helpful to anyone other than your credit card company.
Click to expand...
But that's the correct answer. They don't overlap. L2K is a very unique sound and so is a Stingray.
 
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#20,117
woodyng2 said:
Saw this lovely thing in Revolve Guitars shop in Bartlett, Tn last week, but wasn't able to take it down for a spin. On a locked hanger….View attachment 4275878 :crying: (Shop was busy when i was in there, and I didn't have time to wait.)
Click to expand...
Man, birdseye fretboard, Ash body. I think 1200 is a great deal for that (used prices seem up to me lately). It's older too ( you can tell by the length of the tuners). That color is the "classic" L2K to me.
 
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#20,118
bonin in the boneyard said:
I've bought and sold a lot of basses in the last few years. I'm down to a relatively modest number now, including an L2k tribute and a Stingray HH. I can't imagine unloading either one in favor of the other. There's almost no overlap between the two. Heck, I have a Warwick Corvette $$, and it kind of sits between the other two tone wise, and even it barely overlaps with the others.

Sorry, I know that answer is not helpful to anyone other than your credit card company.
Click to expand...

For a moment there I thought you were going to say you're down to a modest number of 16, give or take.
 
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#20,119
woodyng2 said:
Saw this lovely thing in Revolve Guitars shop in Bartlett, Tn last week, but wasn't able to take it down for a spin. On a locked hanger….View attachment 4275878 :crying: (Shop was busy when i was in there, and I didn't have time to wait.)
Click to expand...

That's a full birdseye maple neck, not just the fingerboard - look at the headstock! Looks like it might have the 6 bolt neck, so somewhere late 1998 to 1999.
 
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