Not trying to be a dick, but this is pretty easy to do yourself. Need a soldering iron, a beverage and some patience.
But I know some people just feel uncomfortable working on their own gear.
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But I know some people just feel uncomfortable working on their own gear.
Pine and blackburst is not a happy combination. The front is better ... as its half covered by a nice tort guard
View attachment 4437751
I really like the way the grain and uneven color looks. Gives it a rustic or organic feel. Black pearl or black anodized pickguard would look killer on it.
Of course shielding should be included from the factory considering the price point for a USA G&L. On the entry level Tributes?...sure, no shielding is understandable. Gotta make compromises somewhere to keep the price down, and to not discourage potential buyers of USA models.
I'm reminded of the infamous G&L "spring ping" noise issue that was caused by not inserting the much needed little rubber bits into the pickup mounting springs at the factory before installing the pickups. Without those little dampers the springs would vibrate and make an audible ringing sound, which was heard by the pups and added to the output signal. I can only imagine how many players were turned off to the G&L marque when they heard that unacceptable noise.
It seems G&L failed to dampen the springs right around the time that Leo passed, and continued to ignore the problem well into the 2000's. When the issue was finally addressed, their answer was to abandon the spring system in favor of the old school rubber pad system. The original spring system that Leo developed was superior to the simple (read; crude) foam pads of yesteryear, a true improvement. But he realized the springs needed damping to stay quiet. Little rubber chunks dropped into the springs....cheap, fast, and effective. How that little detail was overlooked for so long (and apparently never understood) by BBE is remarkable to me.
That said, I benefitted from the failure when the JB-2 was introduced in 2001 (sans rubber dampers, of course). Having s/c pups meant the JB-2's pickups were microphonic, which is good. But s/c pickups 'hear' everything, way more so than the MFD's. Thus, the JB-2's suffered badly from the "ping" noise. Nice used JB-2's popped up on ebay for cheap money because of it. Score!
I don't have any noise issues with my G&L's, neither older ones nor newer ones. But now I'm curious to know which ones have shielding, or not. Guess I'll have to look inside....
There are quite a few new Tribute colors and fingerboard variations being available now. I've seen new L2000, L2500, Kiliton and LB100s. Sweetwater has several and they are awesome. I couldn't help myself. I have 3 Tribute LB100's already, but when I saw THIS.....I had to have it for Christmas
Wow that is awesome. Probably my favorite color/pickguard/fretboard combo.
Bravo to G&L for offering new and more exotic colors. Not many brands would do that at that price point. Sweetwater has already sold a few of these. I got the lightest one they had listed.
Damn. For Tributes, Lefties get natural or crappy attempt at sunburst/
While I'm persecuting your eyes with unwanted tort....
I haven't managed to find a decent photo of a bass in this combo, but I did find this example of emerald green metallic and tort. (Upfront Guitars yet again, they love the metallics!)
I haven't managed to find a decent photo of a bass in this combo, but I did find this example of emerald green metallic and tort. (Upfront Guitars yet again, they love the metallics!)
Happy G&L Owner here 2020 CLF L1K 1993 SB1 1994 LB100 1981 L1K
Nice collection, but I have to have the L1K 1993. Shall I send my shipping address?
Absolutely! send it on over lol Sorry my friend these are all keepers
IvanBassist
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- Jun 8, 2008
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Here's my 2018 emerald green metallic Kiloton, which I bought used about a year ago. It came with a black 3-layer PG, which I found dull. I eventually replaced it with a 4-ply aged white pearl, giving it a much more elegant look (IMO). I think I like the aged white pearl better with the metallic emerald than I do the tort, though I love tort PGs. I put one on my natural '78 Peavey T-40. Ain't it great to have so many options?!?!
The Emerald Green + pearl pg combination was used for the 35th Anniversary range:
