G&L Club Part 7

[jfh2424]

I've had mostly older or prebuilt instruments from them. My SB-2 was my first option order, and I didn't think the process was bad at all.

I'm happy it worked out well for you. And I hope it works out for mmbass21.

 

[MrB64]

I've been looking for video of an L2K being played in a band performance but haven't had much luck. Any links provided would be much appreciated.

 

[bullitproof]

I've been looking for video of an L2K being played in a band performance but haven't had much luck. Any links provided would be much appreciated.

Hold my beer:

 

[Confunk]

Live At Leo's: Tribute Series ASAT Classic & L•2000 - YouTube
Try this maybe.

 

[jmlee]

Hold my beer:

There's a ton of Aerosmith stuff out there with Tom Hamilton playing his sparkly ASAT bass which is essentially an L-2000 with a different body shape.

 

[gunai]

Hold my beer:

I know this is just audio, but still a good excuse to share an older recording.
The MFD is integral to Helmet's sound!



And of course, featured prominently on their KEXP studio performance:


P.S.
Also serves as a personal reminder how much I'd fancy an L-1000, but given the price hike on options and CS orders, I suspect that ship has sailed - short of hunting on the secondhand market on this side of the Atlantic at some point in the future.

 

[bonin in the boneyard]

Speaking of Helmet:

They're on a mission to make some noise this fall.

 

[jbhaugh]

Just picked up a 1983 SB-2 with 2 single coils. The bi-cut neck was replaced with a new one from G&L but it's otherwise all original.

Holy crap, guys! This thing is incredible. The only complaint is it weighs almost 10.5 lbs. Otherwise, totally perfect. I threw a set of Chromes on it and off to the races.

I would have posted a family photo with my '86 El Toro but it's in the shop getting the preamp serviced.

 

[BigBigGuy44]

I appreciate the feedback. With sweetwater you don't have to put anything down with a credit card on file for the order. If you use your sweetwater card they will start charging you immediately based on the payment plan which is 36 months right now.

I may go to another dealer but now your info scares me. I feel safer with the way sweetwater does it. As much as used would be the way to go, I want Andromeda and single coil mode. I'm more than comfortable waiting, I've waited 20 months for a bass before, didn't love that but it was worth it.

RocketMusic requires 20% down and the remainder due when the bass ships from the factory. If you don't absolutely need the financing terms, I couldn't recommend Rocket enough. Sweetwater is great for in-stock items. Any time I've had to special order something I found their customer service and communication to be lacking.

G&L has a reputation for botching option orders. I have never had that issue (knock on wood) on five orders I've placed over the years but should there have been one, I am 100% confident Greg with Rocket would make it right. He knows the product extremely well and his customer service really is outstanding during the sales process and even long after the bass has been delivered. I would say bounce your order off him. He may be able to give you a quote quicker than Sweetwater and even beat their price.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

G&L has a reputation for botching option orders. I have never had that issue (knock on wood) on five orders I've placed over the years but should there have been one, I am 100% confident Greg with Rocket would make it right.

I'm curious if the reputation is deserved, i.e. they botch a significant percentage of orders, or it's just a few loud folks that have congregated here on TB? You've had 5 so far without any experience. A few TB'ers have had one botched order and that's all you hear about. If you took the total number of option orders they build every year, what's the actual botch-rate?

I've never done an option order with G&L, but I've been thinking about it for a while and wouldn't hesitate to do so when the time is right. I will most certainly go through Rocket Music when I do.

Just curious.

 

[mmbass21]

So G&L finally wrote back and I have a quote. I also now have a quote from rocket at the same price (although sweetwater will have tax but payment plan). Outside the financing I'm wanting the bass to be lighter weight than my current L2k which is 9lbs. I know that isn't incredibly heavy but prefer lighter weight for my not so great back. Rocket can get empress but sweetwater can't so I have pine on that sweetwater quote but not sure if that's going to bring me to the lower side of 8lb territory. Anyone have experience with the G&L pine?

 

[BigBigGuy44]

I'm curious if the reputation is deserved, i.e. they botch a significant percentage of orders, or it's just a few loud folks that have congregated here on TB? You've had 5 so far without any experience. A few TB'ers have had one botched order and that's all you hear about. If you took the total number of option orders they build every year, what's the actual botch-rate?

I've never done and option order with G&L, but I've been thinking about it for a while and wouldn't hesitate to do so when the time is right. I will most certainly go through Rocket Music when I do.

Just curious.

Back when I was taking management classes the saying was that if you did something right for a customer, the customer told no one but if you did something wrong, the same customer told seven friends who then told seven friends, etc. My observation is that online forums tend to exaggerate failure rates. Example being, I'm a big time lurker on an archery forum. Mathews is one of the most popular compound bow manufacturers in the country. They sell hundreds of thousands of bows each year. Since the new V3 series came out, two bows were documented as blowing up during shooting. Based on the number of time those examples are mentioned, you'd never touch a Mathews ever. But reality is they are just as durable and as good of quality as any other mainstream brand. I do feel G&L often gets a bad shake from a handful of (rightfully so) angry customers. My order history has been perfect with the most recent one being delivered just a few months ago. I would certainly not hesitate to order another G&L but I feel the key is to order from a dealer very experienced with order options.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

I've never done an option order with G&L

That's an excellent way of ensuring you've never had them build your bass to the wrong specs

 

[jfh2424]

So G&L finally wrote back and I have a quote. I also now have a quote from rocket at the same price (although sweetwater will have tax but payment plan)

I think you will find that most dealers are in the same ballpark concerning price. Ultimately, these people are really middlemen between you and G&L.

I think this is because G&L doesn't want the hassle of dealing with customers directly for option orders. Which I can understand. They want to build them and not get too involved with other stuff.

Im not saying that G&L has messed up every option order. And it's clear that there are times when they clean up their mistakes.

There's times when they don't, though. This is also clear. Personally I'd rather warn people before they put down their hard earned cash and get emotionally involved in building their dream bass through an option order.

And I'll say it again: I currently own 6 of their products, they are simply awesome. Personally, if I ever buy another G&L bass, it won't be through option order. I'd rather take my chances buying used on TB or buying something already built and hanging in a store, where you really do know what you are getting before you lay your cash down.

That being said, there's nothing like getting a good G&L, no matter how it got to your hands.

 

[Alex-Thompson]

Hey folks. I got a new jack sent to me from G&L directly. Took it to a shop and had the jack replaced on my Tribute L2K. It still crackles when you move the jack.

The tech showed me in the store that it still crackled when moved. Are these jacks just junk? If so any advice on a replacement? Will try to post a picture

 

[80jazz]

I assume you wouldn't touch the custom shop either?

(No, I am not being flippant here. I am genuinely curious.)

 

[Doug Parent]

Hey folks. I got a new jack sent to me from G&L directly. Took it to a shop and had the jack replaced on my Tribute L2K. It still crackles when you move the jack.

The tech showed me in the store that it still crackled when moved. Are these jacks just junk? If so any advice on a replacement? Will try to post a picture

Possible long shot but......If it's a Switchcraft jack then I'd be suspicious if your cable is a economy budget import 1/4" as sometimes the tolerances are not always consistent. I've run into that and solved the issue with a 1/4" cable with a high quality plug. The cheap import plugs sometimes are slightly smaller, enough to "wiggle" in the jack enough to cause issues.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

Possible long shot but......If it's a Switchcraft jack then I'd be suspicious if your cable is a economy budget import 1/4" as sometimes the tolerances are not always consistent. I've run into that and solved the issue with a 1/4" cable with a high quality plug. The cheap import plugs sometimes are slightly smaller, enough to "wiggle" in the jack enough to cause issues.

Monster cables were notoriously over-sized, which was great for some jacks, but also pushed the springs in the enclosed type jacks out of whack so that they would fail with any plug to 1/4" spec. But this is a good observation regarding the new jack; it could be an under-sized plug.

That said, I much prefer a regular bulkhead jack mounted in a football or square plate. I've modified one L2500 to that when the original enclosed jack failed, and I will be doing that to the new L2500 build I'm piecing together (see post 24085). I'll do the same to my trusty fretless L2500 when that jack eventually fails.

 

[jglunt]

Hey folks. I got a new jack sent to me from G&L directly. Took it to a shop and had the jack replaced on my Tribute L2K. It still crackles when you move the jack.

The tech showed me in the store that it still crackled when moved. Are these jacks just junk? If so any advice on a replacement? Will try to post a picture

When it comes to these deep panel jacks, they are notorious for having issues. Switchcraft is probably the best, which you can find on Amazon. (Make sure to get the stereo.) Another solution is to drill out the jack's hole and have a plate put over it so you can use a regular stereo jack. The tech at your store should be able to do that.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

When it comes to these deep panel jacks, they are notorious for having issues. Switchcraft is probably the best, which you can find on Amazon. (Make sure to get the stereo.) Another solution is to drill out the jack's hole and have a plate put over it so you can use a regular stereo jack. The tech at your store should be able to do that.

That's exactly how I handled my old L2500. However, you need to have the right kind of bit. I think I used a step bit to keep it centered in the existing hole until I got to the 3/4" step, then I switched to a 3/4" Forstner bit to drill all the way through to the cavity. Otherwise, you'll probably want to plug the existing hole with a suitable dowel, then use the appropriate Forstner bit to drill out the larger diameter.