• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

G&L Club Part 7

#2,761
A-HA! You are correct sir. Here's their schematic, I'll be fixing it later (WHT is actually yellow). Curious to hear the difference it makes. Thanks!
SB1.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kubicki Fan
#2,762
TDR1138 said:
Loved running flats on my L-1500 when I had it. I say go for it.
Click to expand...
What brand strings did you use and did you string through the body? I've read many good posts where people really like La Bella flats; not many stores carry a set of flat wound strings for a 5 string. I read somewhere else that G&L does not reccomend top loading their bridge if they have the the routes through the body, as the string tension is important in coupling the bridge to the body on those basses, that the two wood screws are on the bridge are smallish and really only keep it in place, but the strings anchor it.

Stringing through the body adds to the effective overall length, further reducing the pool of available strings.

thx
 
#2,765
jefff100 said:
What brand strings did you use and did you string through the body? I've read many good posts where people really like La Bella flats; not many stores carry a set of flat wound strings for a 5 string. I read somewhere else that G&L does not reccomend top loading their bridge if they have the the routes through the body, as the string tension is important in coupling the bridge to the body on those basses, that the two wood screws are on the bridge are smallish and really only keep it in place, but the strings anchor it.

Stringing through the body adds to the effective overall length, further reducing the pool of available strings.

thx
Click to expand...

I used Chromes, just because they're what were easily available at the time. The 4-stings don't have the string-through-body option, so length wasn't an issue.

If you want to string through the bridge, there's a mod where you basically use some threaded bolts in the string-thru holes to clamp the bridge down to the body. That way, your bridge is secure and you can use the string-through-bridge instead. I'll find a link when I'm not posing on my phone, but it's a pretty simple mod.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dtsamples
#2,766
bdgotoh said:
Glad I could help, congrats on the lovely bass!! Empress is a wonderful body wood, I have a bunch of Empress G&Ls now and love them all.
Click to expand...

@bdgotoh: if you've got a bunch of empress basses, perhaps you can answer some questions:

--do they consistently run light, i.e., under 8#?
--do you think any of the tonal differences in the wood would be noticeable in a mix vs Alder (again, all things being equal)?
--do any have neck dive?
--with G&L's awesome finishes, are they any more delicate, given the softer wood?

I have an old basswood Ibanez Roadstar II that sounds fine but dents easy, which is why I'm asking. I was thinking of building my dream G&L but am not always graceful and so don't want to instantly dent the crap out of a fancy finish
 
Last edited:
#2,767
TDR1138 said:
I used Chromes, just because they're what were easily available at the time. The 4-stings don't have the string-through-body option, so length wasn't an issue.

If you want to string through the bridge, there's a mod where you basically use some threaded bolts in the string-thru holes to clamp the bridge down to the body. That way, your bridge is secure and you can use the string-through-bridge instead. I'll find a link when I'm not posing on my phone, but it's a pretty simple mod.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I saw the mod on bassesbyleo. I may consider that, but will have to look at material compatibility, see what my options are. The guy who creatsd that post used SS screws, most likely 304 as it is the common hardware variety. He used Aluminum nuts however. Mixing types of metals on threaded fastners is not good to do, it promotes a galvanic action that over time will eat at the softer aluminum and make them difficult to dissasemble.
Stainless is also prone to galling of the threads quite easily

I'd rather not mod the bass at this point.
 
#2,768
jefff100 said:
Thanks, I saw the mod on bassesbyleo. I may consider that, but will have to look at material compatibility, see what my options are. The guy who creatsd that post used SS screws, most likely 304 as it is the common hardware variety. He used Aluminum nuts however. Mixing types of metals on threaded fastners is not good to do, it promotes a galvanic action that over time will eat at the softer aluminum and make them difficult to dissasemble.
Stainless is also prone to galling of the threads quite easily

I'd rather not mod the bass at this point.
Click to expand...
I think this might be the mod you are talking about. L-2500 Bridge Mod
 
  • Like
Reactions: Soundchaser11460 and dtsamples
#2,769
JES said:
bdgotoh: if you've got a bunch of empress basses, you can answer some questions:

--do they consistently run light, i.e., under 8#?
--do you think any of the tonal differences in the wood would be noticeable in a mix vs Alder (again, all things being equal)?
--do any have neck dive?
--with G&L's awesome finishes, are they any more delicate, given the softer wood?

I have an old basswood Ibanez Roadstar II that sounds fine but dents easy, which is why I'm asking. I was thinking of building my dream G&L but am not always graceful and so don't want to instantly dent the crap out of a fancy finish
Click to expand...

I have not tried an empress. Around 7.5lbs (+/- a few ounces) I'd imagine neck dive may become an issue. I am quite comfortable with 8.8lbs.
 
#2,772
JES said:
@bdgotoh: if you've got a bunch of empress basses, perhaps you can answer some questions:

--do they consistently run light, i.e., under 8#?
--do you think any of the tonal differences in the wood would be noticeable in a mix vs Alder (again, all things being equal)?
--do any have neck dive?
--with G&L's awesome finishes, are they any more delicate, given the softer wood?

I have an old basswood Ibanez Roadstar II that sounds fine but dents easy, which is why I'm asking. I was thinking of building my dream G&L but am not always graceful and so don't want to instantly dent the crap out of a fancy finish
Click to expand...

--They seem to be much lighter, L-2000s are 7.4-8.5 lbs while alder and ash average 9.5 lbs and only rarely dip below 9 lbs. The JBs are quite heavy for some reason (9.5-10.5 lbs) but they are mid to high 8s with Empress. I have a JB-2 that's 7.0 lbs! The 5 strings are 8-8.5 lbs which is much lighter than the ash/alder versions.

--The tone is very interesting, it seems to be right between alder and ash and I really like the tone. I'm sure some people won't though. Most of my local buddies that know G&Ls like the tone which seems like a good sign.

--I wouldn't say they have neck dive, to me that's what Thunderbirds and ASATs do where you let go of the neck and the headstocks shoots towards the floor. Some of them are neck heavy, though. I have an L-2500 (8.3) and L-1005 (8.0) with Empress bodies and they are noticeably more neck heavy than my ash bodied L-1005 that weighs 9.5 lbs. When I let go of the neck it doesn't head for the floor but while I'm playing I have to give a little support to keep it where I want it. I hate neck dive and these don't bother me because they sound great and float on a strap so being slightly neck heavy doesn't bug me at all.

--I haven't had any problems with dings yet, I've wondered the same thing myself. I've had at least 5-6 Squiers and MusicMan Bongos with basswood bodies over the years and didn't see any unusual increase in damage to the finish vs my alder and ash bodies. I tend to be pretty careful with my basses though, so I'm probably not the best judge. Empress is definitely softer than alder and ash but alder is a very soft wood compared to things like hard maple so I'm not really worried about the future. G&L has a 10 year warranty and if something really crazy happens I'm sure they'll make it right. In the meantime I am super happy with my lightweight, awesome sounding basses!
 
#2,774
I'm about to join the club. Just pulled the trigger on a brand new LB-100 from Rocket Music. Fullerton Red Satin Frost finish, empress body (7.4 lbs!), quartersawn maple neck with rosewood board, mint PG. I've owned a few G&Ls in the past, but haven't had one in several years. Shoulder fatigue issues led me to discover these empress wood models, and I'm excited about checking this one out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Glazenn, wmmj, 68Goldfish and 1 other person
#2,775
68Goldfish said:
Yeah, funny thing is the seller mentioned that although the spec sheet didn't specify a QS neck that they believed it was.
Click to expand...

My theory is that sometimes G&L will build some with QS necks without QS having been purposely ordered. When that happens it may not show up on the build sheet and there wouldn't be an upcharge...bonus!
 
  • Like
Reactions: dieselman
#2,778
I'll chime in on the empress wood. It's really light. The G&L rep recommended it since I was going for the flake finish which requires many top coats. He felt this might add a pound, so empress it is. Well, my old SB-1 has the older, single truss rod bullet neck and an alder body with a thin burst finish. It's about 8 1/2 pounds. Balances near perfect, but is very slightly neck heavy. The new one (7 3/4lbs) has the new double acting truss rod (which I didn't know about) which adds some weight to the neck. And the empress body reduces weight so guess what? It dives a bit. But I'm still ahead if I want to fix that because to do so requires less than a half pound added to the ass-end of the bass (I've experimented by hanging my cell phone on the strap, which fixes it-another excuse to buy a wireless!) versus adding (roughly) a pound or more to the overall body weight which might have been the case with alder or ash. So I'm happy. I need to add a very small weight to the very backend, leaving the overall weight lower, in order to get it to balance. Win. A half pound or so. Whatever. Win.
Tone? I can't get into that since the new bass has a totally different and more massive neck construction which I think is key to the sound and feel you'll get (it's different). They're both 1/4 sawn/rosewood #11 necks. But not the same given the truss rod difference. I can't 'apples-and-oranges' them because the necks and bodies of my old /new basses can't be interchanged. So, eh. I love my old one, and I'm getting to like the new one. Wedding gig tomorrow will add to my impressions.
 
Last edited:
#2,779
Iridescentone said:
My theory is that sometimes G&L will build some with QS necks without QS having been purposely ordered. When that happens it may not show up on the build sheet and there wouldn't be an upcharge...bonus!
Click to expand...

This happened with my JB in 2010. I didn't order a QS neck, but it came with one. Back then, however, I don't think QS was on the option sheet. I think they used it when they found a batch at a good price, and I got lucky. Now that they upcharge for it, I'm not sure how often you'd get one without ordering it. I also have an M-2500 with QS, and I'd never order another G&L bass without it, especially a five string.

I just received a Comanche guitar in empress, and it's not that much lighter than my alder Strat. This surprised me, because the empress Legacy Special I tested was incredibly light. Oh well. Acoustically, the Comanche sounds close to my Strat, but it's tough to discern any tonal effect of empress because the G&L has many other differences. For example, it has much more sustain than my Strat, but that's partly the MFD's, and probably the G&L's different bridge and better overall build quality. BTW, I didn't bother with a QS neck on the Comanche because I don't think the extra stiffness matters as much on a guitar, and some Strat players dislike QS because they think it makes Strats too bright/harsh sounding.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back