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G&L Club Part 7

#31,521
Hi guys and gals.

As I had mentioned before, I paid for a BTO L2000 from a very well known dealer well over a year ago. I received it, it had cracks, I sent it back for repairs. I received it again after they "repaired" it, it had the exact same cracks, I sent it back again. So it's been over a year since I gave them my money and I got basically two hours of time with my new BTO bass. And still no bass, well over a year ago. It's in the "repairs" department, lol.

I also foolishly bought another BTO M2000 during this time. It came to me in an unacceptable way. I sent it back. They're also hanging on to it. I don't have this bass either. Also in the G&L "repairs" department.

During this time, they've put out 100s if not 1000s of new basses. I'm guessing they did this in order to get paid, while my basses sort of sit there, since they've been paid in full.

I've offered the dealer to pay G&L more money above the full BTO price in order to try to motivate them to send me the basses in the next month. I've waited over a year, I'm getting a little fed up. I wonder if anyone has tried this with them? Has this motivated them to actually produce the basses or has the "repairs" department hung on to them for another year after you've given them more money?

I'm so sorry I sent my basses to them. Looking back, I should've just hung on to them and had them repaired here. Sure, it would've cost me more money but ultimately, I would've ended up having them. And the local guy wouldn't have "fixed" the cracks by simply giving me back the same bass with the same cracks, like G&L did.

I figure more money will motivate them, since customer satisfaction really doesn't seem to interest them at all. Someone else must've tried this here. I'm wondering how it went...

Thanks!
 
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#31,522
jfh2424 said:
Hi guys and gals.

As I had mentioned before, I paid for a BTO L2000 from a very well known dealer well over a year ago. I received it, it had cracks, I sent it back for repairs. I received it again after they "repaired" it, it had the exact same cracks, I sent it back again. So it's been over a year since I gave them my money and I got basically two hours of time with my new BTO bass. And still no bass, well over a year ago. It's in the "repairs" department, lol.

I also foolishly bought another BTO M2000 during this time. It came to me in an unacceptable way. I sent it back. They're also hanging on to it. I don't have this bass either. Also in the G&L "repairs" department.

During this time, they've put out 100s if not 1000s of new basses. I'm guessing they did this in order to get paid, while my basses sort of sit there, since they've been paid in full.

I've offered the dealer to pay G&L more money above the full BTO price in order to try to motivate them to send me the basses in the next month. I've waited over a year, I'm getting a little fed up. I wonder if anyone has tried this with them? Has this motivated them to actually produce the basses or has the "repairs" department hung on to them for another year after you've given them more money?

I'm so sorry I sent my basses to them. Looking back, I should've just hung on to them and had them repaired here. Sure, it would've cost me more money but ultimately, I would've ended up having them. And the local guy wouldn't have "fixed" the cracks by simply giving me back the same bass with the same cracks, like G&L did.

I figure more money will motivate them, since customer satisfaction really doesn't seem to interest them at all. Someone else must've tried this here. I'm wondering how it went...

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear about your experiences. I don't recommend giving them more money. I stopped buying their instruments instead. They are an absolute joke. But sometimes they make great instruments? Forget that gamble. Never again.

If I were you I would be making a big deal out of it with the dealer as well as directly contacting G&L. Stay polite - never complain about the chef until after you receive your food. They should really stop whatever they are doing and immediately fix their failures. Best of luck.
 
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#31,523
Yeah I've contacted the dealer who's doing what he can. But he doesn't make the decisions at G&L. I've asked him to offer them more cash. They are quite capable of producing basses, I see them patting themselves on the back for several new bases per day on Instagram. So when they want money, they can produce basses. It's clear.

And I've had several pleasant and friendly emails with Memo. Among other things, he assured me three months ago that the L2000 was done and was being "polished". I've given up writing to him, I can't even keep track of all the reassuring emails I've received from him. I don't think writing to Memo is the answer. I don't think he makes the decisions either. He's very friendly though. Honestly if I was retired, I guess I would set up a schedule and write him every two days. But I don't have that kind of time to dedicate to it.

Thx for your suggestions, Merton. If anyone has succeeded with them through cash or other ways please let me know as I really trying to see how people here have ended up getting their basses back.
 
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#31,524
Hi Everyone. I bought a used SB-2 a few months back. Nice bass, but while playing in a band situation the D & G strings don't come through at all. If I'm playing alone, the volume of any of the notes on those strings seems equivalent to the E & A strings, but with the rest of the band, seems no one can hear what I'm playing, especially on the G string. I've tried raising the pole pieces but that hasn't had much effect. Any thoughts?
 
#31,529
The frequencies produced by the D & G strings are up where they can easily blend into and get covered up by the frequencies of the other instruments in the band, making them harder to hear. Also, the energy produced by the E and A strings and the fact they produce frequencies in an area where only they reside makes them easier to hear in a mix. I suggest that you lower the E end of the pickups lower than the G end. Instead of trying to get the pickups to have a balanced sound when you're playing by yourself, see if you can get the D & G strings to actually be louder. Dunno if it'll work, but I think it'd be worth a try. Also, just to cover all the bases, fire up the bass at low volume and tap each of the pole pieces with a small screwdriver (or something equivalent) to make sure the pickups are working properly. There's probably less than a 1% chance that's an issue, but it takes less than a minute to confirm they're OK
 
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#31,530
jglunt said:
The frequencies produced by the D & G strings are up where they can easily blend into and get covered up by the frequencies of the other instruments in the band, making them harder to hear. Also, the energy produced by the E and A strings and the fact they produce frequencies in an area where only they reside makes them easier to hear in a mix. I suggest that you lower the E end of the pickups lower than the G end. Instead of trying to get the pickups to have a balanced sound when you're playing by yourself, see if you can get the D & G strings to actually be louder. Dunno if it'll work, but I think it'd be worth a try. Also, just to cover all the bases, fire up the bass at low volume and tap each of the pole pieces with a small screwdriver (or something equivalent) to make sure the pickups are working properly. There's probably less than a 1% chance that's an issue, but it takes less than a minute to confirm they're OK
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Thanks for the suggestion. I did check all the pole pieces and they are working. I'll also try adjusting the pickup heights.
 
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#31,531
RL5 said:
Thanks for the suggestion. I did check all the pole pieces and they are working. I'll also try adjusting the pickup heights.
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What jglunt suggests is actually a good idea. By lowering the E and A side it will likely balance the total output and then by increasing the volume of the amp to compensate might just cut through the mix better. I would try this before changing strings and then playing in a live mix to see how it does.
 
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#31,533
Some string sets have gauges like 40-60-80-100 or 45-65-85-105 etc.

Some string sets have the D + G a step heavier, eg 45-65-80-100.

On a bass like yours, which has a traditional split pickup, with the D+G half nearer the bridge, there's an unavoidable change in tone as you move from the A to the D. Using a set of strings with gauges a step heavier for the D+G can mitigate that effect, to a degree.

The downside to this pattern of gauges is that the D string will feel stiffer than the rest.
 
#31,534
metron said:
I don't recommend giving them more money. I stopped buying their instruments instead. They are an absolute joke.
Click to expand...

It's inevitable that sooner or later their carelessness and ineptitude will have them burn down their factory.

jfh2424 said:
trying to see how people here have ended up getting their basses back.
Click to expand...

Every morning, they roll a pair of dice; each time they score 13, they return a bass.
 
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#31,535
Ricky Rioli said:
Some string sets have gauges like 40-60-80-100 or 45-65-85-105 etc.

Some string sets have the D + G a step heavier, eg 45-65-80-100.

On a bass like yours, which has a traditional split pickup, with the D+G half nearer the bridge, there's an unavoidable change in tone as you move from the A to the D. Using a set of strings with gauges a step heavier for the D+G can mitigate that effect, to a degree.

The downside to this pattern of gauges is that the D string will feel stiffer than the rest.
Click to expand...
I previously had a 2016 Fullerton USA L-100 custom made. It was as good or better than my 2017 Fender American Pro Jazz bass. I wish I didn't have to sell it but I had to pay a bill and it brought the most money :(
 
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#31,536
RL5 said:
Hi Everyone. I bought a used SB-2 a few months back. Nice bass, but while playing in a band situation the D & G strings don't come through at all. If I'm playing alone, the volume of any of the notes on those strings seems equivalent to the E & A strings, but with the rest of the band, seems no one can hear what I'm playing, especially on the G string. I've tried raising the pole pieces but that hasn't had much effect. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Both pickups on full? I find there is some inherent difference in the sound of the D and G with both pickups on full. A little thinner due to the pickup placement.

Try rolling the bridge down just a hair. It makes the instrument sound more full while maintaining the pj mid scoop. Or turn that single off and just steamroll the mix. Thats what I do.
 
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#31,537
metron said:
Both pickups on full? I find there is some inherent difference in the sound of the D and G with both pickups on full. A little thinner due to the pickup placement.

Try rolling the bridge down just a hair. It makes the instrument sound more full while maintaining the pj mid scoop. Or turn that single off and just steamroll the mix. Thats what I do.
Click to expand...
I've been using the neck pickup only, or maybe just a touch of the bridge pickup.
 
#31,540
@RL5 I'll echo the other suggestions of thicker D-G strings compared to the E-A - for example one of those "heavy top, light bottom" sets - and also raising the D-G split coil a little higher than the E-A coil.

That being said, I find that rounds in general tend to get pretty thin on the D-G strings a lot of the time. Flats seem to balance better.

All that said, my SB-2 wears DR Fat Beams, which are neither flats nor a "heavy top, light bottom" set, and I haven't noticed an audible drop-out on the D-G when playing live. Maybe a little bit, but it definitely doesn't disappear. I'm wondering if there are some EQ points that you might need to emphasize to bring it out?

Either way, I'd start with strings (maybe ones you know you like on your L-2000, for a consistent reference) and a good setup and go from there.
 
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