I have not tried Fralins on anything yet. They are well liked on TB. Too many quality pickup builders out there to try them all.
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I have not tried Fralins on anything yet. They are well liked on TB. Too many quality pickup builders out there to try them all.
I'd echo what Murch says. I'd add checking that the electronics are working right, and that they are original to the bass. The e-series elecs are the heart and soul of those monster basses. Accept no substitutes!
There are too many cool pickups in general. Those oval shaped Delanos? Cool.
Thanks for the info. I have a Fender jazz that I put Seymour Duncan Apollos in and I love how they sound in that bass. I'll probably go that route in the JB if and when the time comes.
I have a 2003 alder/maple Fender J with noiseless Fralins and a 2010 alder/rosewood G&L JB, which now has Lace Man o' War pickups. My Fender is an especially great sample, with fantastic resonance, and I prefer its maple fretboard. They're pretty close overall.
But the G&L has some advantages, like the 12" radius fretboard (which was standard at the time, and which I prefer) and massive bridge, which is very well-suited to palm muting with a pick. Mine also came with a rigid quartersawn neck, which helps provide more focus and sustain (but I think is now available only through the Custom Shop). And the lightweight tuners make it feel slightly more maneuverable on stage. With that 12" radius and Plek-leveled frets, it gets slightly lower action than my Fender, but they're close. It also has a more premium look and feel, with the incredible finish (Midnight Blue) and details like the countersunk neck screws. Apart from its weight, which is similar to an average Fender, it's like a boutique J-bass.
I've also owned the five-string versions of both, and I think the G&L JB-5 was better than my 2008 Fender Jazz V. I found the neck's rear profile extremely comfortable, and overall it had slightly better playability than the Fender. (Both had the 9.5" fretboard radius.) The tone was fantastic. Unfortunately, it was difficult to achieve a great setup on my sample--I couldn't get anything like on my four-string JB. I don't remember all the issues, but the neck and some frets seemed out of whack, and my local (excellent) tech couldn't get it there even with shims, dressing some frets, etc. It was certainly playable, but not stellar like my other three G&L basses. I was the third owner, so I can't attribute this to G&L's QC, but it is suspect. Even so, I think I would love a JB-5 with the 12" radius, maple fretboard, and empress body.
I've tried several noiseless J-bass pickups across three different basses, and Fralin's Split-Jazz are my favorites. Punchy vintage tone, zero noise.
What I like most about my G&L JB is how solid it feels. The neck is an inch and a half at the nut like a Jazz, but a little chunkier. It's heavier than my Fender Player II Jazz, but about the same as my Geddy Signature (MIM). As was said before, the bridge is a great innovation, too. Overall, it's a great Bass guitar.
They still respond to email.
[email protected]
They answered my email quickly, as though they could not wait to let me know I have to wait until mid-November for my Kiloton 5 replacement neck.
See that gorgeous Custom Shop semi-hollow figured maple top L-2000 !!!
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Have you watched this? With SBL I suspect click bait.
I refuse to watch it based on the title screen alone. I am sure that is not what it is about, but if it looks like click bait, then it probably is.
I watched it. More than just click-bait, though the way they title it really sucks.
OK, I watched it. At least it's putting the brand out there, but I think they aren't giving the MFDs enough credit as far as their versatility goes. Playing 4 measures of September is ok, but more could have been done. Is this going to make people want to go try one? Well, that wasn't their job. I hope some go pick one or more up and give it a spin, though.
I enjoyed the video ... G&L do make good basses, I say the tone is more modern but not too much. However, G&L did not market their product as hard as Fender or MM did.
Yeah, their marketing department is Dave doing YouTube videos.
I found the video funny, Ian? thinks the L-2000 gives off dad bass vibes, and doesn't like the shape of the body nor headstock (both of which I like).
I don't think it's "Guitars by Leo" either is that a thing?
Although I do play Classic Rock and older metal music, the mid heavy sound of both my L2K and M2K really cuts through in a loud volume band setting.
Anyways it was a cool video and fun reading through all the comments. So many people absolutely hate the hook headstock sheees, I think it looks a lot sleeker than my Fender and Lakland paddleboard headstocks. To each their own.
Headstocks for effect.
I don't think it's "Guitars by Leo" either is that a thing?
Although I do play Classic Rock and older metal music, the mid heavy sound of both my L2K and M2K really cuts through in a loud volume band setting.
Anyways it was a cool video and fun reading through all the comments. So many people absolutely hate the hook headstock sheees, I think it looks a lot sleeker than my Fender and Lakland paddleboard headstocks. To each their own.
Headstocks for effect.
I now see that ! Cool! I still think the G&L stands for "George and Leo" or no?
