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G&L Club Part 7

#21,261
Jim C said:
Honestly, I've received some of the best customer service from smaller builders.
I wonder just how much volume G&L does? That one video with Cheech and the shop tour was an eye opener. Seemed like a good time video while the shop look reasonably quiet & unorganized. I don't know this for sure but based on the QC and ridiculous issues that I and friends have had makes me wish they would improve.

And the reason they seem like a family run business is because they are. Look who heads up BBE.
In 1991 (when they were purchased) they were reported to have sales of $2M and 30 employees.
Click to expand...

I think that was fellow-Canuck Tommy Chong, who's been a pretty credible musician at times.
 
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#21,262
Jim C said:
And the reason they seem like a family run business is because they are. Look who heads up BBE.
In 1991 (when they were purchased) they were reported to have sales of $2M and 30 employees.
Click to expand...

I have a friend who toured the plant a couple years ago when he was in the area, even having his picture taken sitting on Leo's stool in his workshop--hallowed ground! He told me that that figure of 30 employees is still about right. That was pre-pandemic, so it might even be smaller now.
 
#21,263
Agree that their web presence needs work. I'll admit, I have to knowledge of putting together a demo video and Steve could play me under the table, but I've never been a fan of his product demos. And Dave McLaren spends a lot of effort on Facebook to look like a kid in a candy store rather than someone who runs a business. Yeah, there are some cool things to keep abreast of what's going on, but a lot of it is "I'm cool, I have a guitar company and I eat fast food for lunch." I dunno. Some of it just seems so disconnected to me.
 
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#21,264
mouthmw said:
Yeah, their video making skills have been awful for quite a while now (stock watermarked applause jpg pic across the screen, really??), including the video and the audio quality. I've also never liked Araujo's demo videos. I think most of it sounds awful (bad audio, usually fret buzzing all over the place), his demo basslines are random noodling (never well thought out, always just random noodling). Ed Friedland on the other hand, is awesome. So that's a plus for sure.
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Totally agree on Araujos videos. The random noodling tells me nothing about this bad sounds. The Lobster guy on YouTube does a much better job of exploring a bass's sound.
 
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#21,266
mellobud said:
Thanks. I think it is one of these:
Introducing The G&L; Detroit Muscle Series: SS Collection
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7DA01559-05D1-4679-B8B3-1C2BF8296794.jpeg

Really cool information on that link!
Now I need to find a G&L from the muscle car series to match my Camaro lol
 
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#21,269
jglunt said:
I have a friend who toured the plant a couple years ago when he was in the area, even having his picture taken sitting on Leo's stool in his workshop--hallowed ground! He told me that that figure of 30 employees is still about right. That was pre-pandemic, so it might even be smaller now.
Click to expand...

I've been to the shop several times 2018-2020 and the last time I was there was literally right before the lock-downs on Friday afternoon 3/13/20. I'd be hard pressed to count 30 employees at any point, but then they are mostly a very early morning crowd there, esp in the summer. Oh and I do remember them having some job openings back then.

Add to that growing, and many new for them, in areas on: instrument development, new pickups and how they will be marketed (ie: MFD Jazz and more), new options that require re-design and sourcing (big chonks), new distribution deals (ie: Sweetwater), new production levels based on that (ie: Fullerton delux and SKU based US builds) and starting in on doubling the size and production capability of the factory. All in motion prior to that pesky little covid bug popping up and many including the size increase still moving forward.

Now I would say they do have some very "family business" approaches on things, but that's not all bad either. And most all my clients here in SoCal are complaining about staffing shortages, and several being hit hard with the import issues at the docks. So yeah, I'm sure G&L is working under some fair pressure and constraints.
 
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#21,270
jglunt said:
I have a friend who toured the plant a couple years ago when he was in the area, even having his picture taken sitting on Leo's stool in his workshop--hallowed ground! He told me that that figure of 30 employees is still about right. That was pre-pandemic, so it might even be smaller now.
Click to expand...
Wow, I had no idea. That they produce the number of basses that they do and have a fully custom shop is pretty incredible.
 
#21,273
Jim C said:
Or that Ivan kid that demos some G&L gear. Love him. Great grooves, playing, & tone, and can really get info across about the subtitles of an instrument
My top 2.
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Also he makes the individual clips short enough that you can actually compare and contrast the different sounds, doesn't interrupt by making some unnecessary interjection between one clip and the next, and doesn't bury the sound in some slick backing track.

Oh and doesn't move his right hand around the bass. If I want to hear the difference in tone that plucking a string in different places makes, I don't need to watch a video. I'm watching because I want to hear the different sounds the bass makes, not because I'm in need of swooning over the sophistication of your technique.
 
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#21,277
Question for the JB owners, particularly those that have owned or demoed the USA and the Tribute models. I've been looking into the JB model. Recently a Tribute JB popped up at a local shop. I checked it out and really liked the neck profile, in particular the front to back thickness. Should I expect the USA necks to be the same profile or are they slightly different?
 
#21,278
Z-Bass said:
Question for the JB owners, particularly those that have owned or demoed the USA and the Tribute models. I've been looking into the JB model. Recently a Tribute JB popped up at a local shop. I checked it out and really liked the neck profile, in particular the front to back thickness. Should I expect the USA necks to be the same profile or are they slightly different?
Click to expand...

I have a JB Fullerton and a JB2 Tribute.
The necks are very much the same. The Tribute uses a smaller bridge pup like the Mexican Fenders although the sound is similar. I'm not so certain I love either one as much as my 72' J bass.
IMO, assuming the QC was good, the thing to look for is weight assuming that's an issue for you. I've seen the Tributes vary from about 8.5 lbs to 11!!!
In Empress more like 7.5 lbs.
 
#21,280
Jim C said:
I have a JB Fullerton and a JB2 Tribute.
The necks are very much the same. The Tribute uses a smaller bridge pup like the Mexican Fenders although the sound is similar. I'm not so certain I love either one as much as my 72' J bass.
IMO, assuming the QC was good, the thing to look for is weight assuming that's an issue for you. I've seen the Tributes vary from about 8.5 lbs to 11!!!
In Empress more like 7.5 lbs.
Click to expand...
Is G&L still offering Empress?
 

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