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G&L Club Part 7

#25,161
Robert Booker said:
Agreed but apparently not at G&L where job #1 is how to produce enough videos featuring Davie Boy McClaren to keep him happy and away from the production floor. Some days I swear that if G&L was in the home building business the home would have a kitchen sink in the bathroom and crapper where the stove should be. :banghead:
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They call it 'Sh!π on a shingle' for a reason.
 
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#25,162
Ian774 said:
You said it very well. When they're properly built, G&Ls are incredible instruments for value (Music Man prices anyone?).

But they're clearly lacking in terms of QC. If 9 out of 10 instruments are outstanding and 1 is poorly made, it casts a bad image on the brand. Yes, we'll all rave about the amazingly built ones but that 1 bad seed will leave a sour taste for whoever ends up getting it.

It really sounds like G&L is badly managed and it's a shame.
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I don't think it's very much a case of poor QC with G&L. Poor QC usually means poor workmanship, finish flaws, janky electronics, etc. It seems that most of what gets discussed around here is about cockups re custom-ordered specs on new builds, and (yet again) as in this case, the spec sheets sometimes being inaccurate. Anecdotal I know, but I bet I've had at least 50 G&L basses over the years...none have been poorly built in any way. The one significant warranty claim I had on one was not a pleasant experience, so no more brand new G&L basses for me.

Not saying that G&L always makes a perfect guitar, very few production makers do. I'm just not seeing real problems with actual build quality. Warranty service and communication?...hit or miss. Talking USA builds, no experience with the Tribute stuff.

As it turns out, this whole 1/4 sawn neck issue is not the issue that we had initially assumed it was. It was caused by G&L and their idiosyncratic habit of sending out wrong build sheets. A tempest in a teapot, really. Still, the bullet has left the barrel, irretrievably on the interwebs, and it will serve to reflect poorly on G&L's reputation for attention to detail. Eventually, the marketplace will assume the position that "they're decent guitars IF you can find a 'good one'". It happened to Fender and they'll never live it down.
 
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#25,164
jfh2424 said:
I agree Templar.

Its not QC with them, it's the frequent inability to produce what was contracted.

And the inability to hire someone to verify what they produce before they ship it out.

There's a difference. And you nailed it.
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Also agreed. Few of us would ever say that the basic quality, variety of options, and the value G&L instruments offer isn't what attracts us to them. It is. But along with it goes the gnawing feeling that somewhere along the line at least one thing is gonna get screwed up at least once.

They always seem to make good on most of these issues but why they happen to begin with is still a mystery when it costs them so much more to have to re do something any hope of a profit on that piece is pretty well shot. All I can figure out is that somehow they seem content with their return rate.
 
#25,166
Was in a music store (Loud and Clear in Cotati, CA) yesterday for a few minutes as I was driving home from SFO. (About an 8 hour drive, back to Brookings).
They had a few interesting basses I wanted to check out, including an 8-string Fernandes like one I already own, and a Turner hollowbody.
I just happened to spy a Tribute series Fallout, and wanted to give it a spin, but when I picked it up,
It felt like it weighed 10 or more pounds, so i just put it back. ;)
It was probably just because I had just played the Turner, which was uber light, like 4-5 pounds. :laugh:
 
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#25,168
woodyng2 said:
Was in a music store (Loud and Clear in Cotati, CA) yesterday for a few minutes as I was driving home from SFO. (About an 8 hour drive, back to Brookings).
They had a few interesting basses I wanted to check out, including an 8-string Fernandes like one I already own, and a Turner hollowbody.
I just happened to spy a Tribute series Fallout, and wanted to give it a spin, but when I picked it up,
It felt like it weighed 10 or more pounds, so i just put it back. ;)
It was probably just because I had just played the Turner, which was uber light, like 4-5 pounds. :laugh:
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Some Fallouts, especially some of the early Tributes, were real boat anchors. Some of the newer ones at Sweetwater are ~ 8.5 lbs. Still pretty hefty for a short scale, but the Fallout is a unique beast due to the big body. I think they designed it to play like a larger bass, with a short scale fretboard. I tried a short scale Stingray today and it kind of felt toylike. I expect the Fallout would feel more like a "real" bass.
Would love to hear from those that have one and can compare it to some of the other mass manufacturer short scales out there
 
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#25,169
ShawnG said:
Would love to hear from those that have one and can compare it to some of the other mass manufacturer short scales out there
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My Fallout Tribute weighs 9lb 6oz on my digital shipping scale. It's my stage bass at church while my main home one is a '96 L-2000 (9lb even). You're right about the larger body on the Fallout. It feels more like the L2K than it does the shorty Sterling Stingray I had tried for grins a while back at the local GC. I wonder if some of the similarity in playing it is due to nut width, spacing and neck profile.
I recently bought via the classifieds a Reverend Sentinel shorty. It's due to arrive in a few days. It should be interesting with its much lighter weight (about 7lb) and smaller body than the Fallout. It does, however, have a 42mm nut, chunkier neck and wider spacing vs many of the other short scale offerings out there. I'll update after I've had a chance to live with the Sentinel for a while.
 
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#25,170
PinkFloyd60 said:
My Fallout Tribute weighs 9lb 6oz on my digital shipping scale. It's my stage bass at church while my main home one is a '96 L-2000 (9lb even). You're right about the larger body on the Fallout. It feels more like the L2K than it does the shorty Sterling Stingray I had tried for grins a while back at the local GC. I wonder if some of the similarity in playing it is due to nut width, spacing and neck profile.
I recently bought via the classifieds a Reverend Sentinel shorty. It's due to arrive in a few days. It should be interesting with its much lighter weight (about 7lb) and smaller body than the Fallout. It does, however, have a 42mm nut, chunkier neck and wider spacing vs many of the other short scale offerings out there. I'll update after I've had a chance to live with the Sentinel for a while.
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I'll look forward to the update. Thx!
 
#25,171
IcyApollo56 said:
spec sheet just says a maple neck. No mention of quartersawn which is what threw me off
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I've just been getting my G&L cardboard box ready for reuse, and I came across a small sticker on the end. It gives the serial number and this string of codes:

SB1-PHG-RW
TOR VTSN EMPRESS QS

SB-1 / Pharaoh Gold / Rosewood
Tort / Vintage Tint Satin / Empress / Quartersawn

What the guy typing up the spec sheet was working from, who knows :speechless:
 
#25,172
A few weeks ago I looked through the weights for the all the Fallouts Sweetwater had in stock.

The Tributes, Poplar and Basswood, occupied the same range of weights as the Alder USAs, from light-ish to not light. (8 lbs 2 to 9 lbs 2, iirc)

The lightest Tribute they've got in stock is a white Poplar one at 8 lbs 4 oz, which is lighter than any of the Fullerton Deluxe ones they've got atm
 
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#25,176
ShawnG said:
Some Fallouts, especially some of the early Tributes, were real boat anchors. Some of the newer ones at Sweetwater are ~ 8.5 lbs. Still pretty hefty for a short scale, but the Fallout is a unique beast due to the big body. I think they designed it to play like a larger bass, with a short scale fretboard. I tried a short scale Stingray today and it kind of felt toylike. I expect the Fallout would feel more like a "real" bass.
Would love to hear from those that have one and can compare it to some of the other mass manufacturer short scales out there
Click to expand...
I didn't really notice, but most of the bass stuff at Loud and Clear is used,
so it could have been an older one.
As soon as I lifted it off the hanger, my brain just said "no", and it went right back, without me even playing a note.:p I'm usually short-scale averse, but the one SS bass I've really enjoyed playing was a Japanese Fender Mustang (not a boat anchor), so, I was curious about the Fallout.(but it would have to be much lighter for me to even consider it).
 
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#25,177
I have 2 MIAs and 2 Tribs. The two MIAs I bought used because I simply can't afford a new one. They all sound great and are well built. I find the tolerances on the MIAs are a little tighter. That's both a curse and a blessing. For example, I was pulling the neck on my MIA Kiloton to put a shim under it. The neck fit was so tight that I actually knocked a chip out of the finish alongside the neck as I worked it out of the saddle. I also feel the finishes on the MIAs are better. To me, they seem to be richer and deeper-looking. While the necks on both play really well, the necks on my MIAs seem to play easier to me, maybe because the radiuses (radii??:cool:) are different. I know the MFDs are all MIA, and both of my MIA basses have MFDs, so I haven't been able to compare the alnico pickups that are on the MIA basses and the ones made overseas.
 
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#25,178
On the bad side of comparing USA vs Tribute models, the Tribs have come up a lot in price,
and the terrible resale value of the US models puts them very close in price.
I recently sold a newer USA Kiloton in pristine condition for about $300 over what the buyer said
a new Tribute Kiloton costed. I've played a few Tribs in stores, and personally didn't think they were
all that bad for the $400-500 they used to cost, but overall they just don't compare to the US ones
for feel, fit, or finishes.
 
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#25,179
Neck radius is definitely different on the 2 I am looking at. 9.5 vs 12. But the US model is twice the price of the Trib (both used). I like to colors of both, but I'm sure the finish on the US model would look better. Torn on what I will do. I'm not a working bassist. Playing with a band that has yet to play out, and I'm sure once we're ready to play out, we won't play out often and won't get paid a lot. There just isn't a strong market here. So these are more for me to enjoy more than anything.
 
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#25,180
RL5 said:
Neck radius is definitely different on the 2 I am looking at. 9.5 vs 12. But the US model is twice the price of the Trib (both used). I like to colors of both, but I'm sure the finish on the US model would look better. Torn on what I will do. I'm not a working bassist. Playing with a band that has yet to play out, and I'm sure once we're ready to play out, we won't play out often and won't get paid a lot. There just isn't a strong market here. So these are more for me to enjoy more than anything.
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Then I'd say buy a Trib. They're a quality bass for a good price. I'd never hesitate to buy another. In fact, if I needed a bass, a Tribute would be the first bass I would look at.
 
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