Hoping I don't jinx myself here, but I have 3 newer Fullertons and the necks are awesome. On two, I haven't had to touch the truss rod at all. My 2021 JB needed an eighth of a turn tighten about a year and a half ago.
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I'm not a G&L owner or particular fan, because I've never owned one*, but I think the industry would be less without them in it.
I pray that they can come back from this in whatever manner and all the employees and customers are done right by.
* I nearly did with a blue L2500 about a year and a half ago, but someone beat me to it in between deciding to buy and try, and hitting the 'buy' button on Reverb.
I pray that they can come back from this in whatever manner and all the employees and customers are done right by.
* I nearly did with a blue L2500 about a year and a half ago, but someone beat me to it in between deciding to buy and try, and hitting the 'buy' button on Reverb.
How long has G&L been under current management?
I hope that G&L workers get paid, and there is a way for G&L to continue without being snapped up by greedy private equity stooges that don't give a $h!t about the brand or musicians.
I have been looking to buy Ultralite tuners, pickups, and other pieces from G&L online store for many months but they are always out of stock, I began to suspect there was something up management/cashflow-wise. And reading all the horror stories of busted truss rods, bowed necks, and custom orders gone sideways cooled me from the idea of ordering a BTO/custom.
I hope that G&L workers get paid, and there is a way for G&L to continue without being snapped up by greedy private equity stooges that don't give a $h!t about the brand or musicians.
I have been looking to buy Ultralite tuners, pickups, and other pieces from G&L online store for many months but they are always out of stock, I began to suspect there was something up management/cashflow-wise. And reading all the horror stories of busted truss rods, bowed necks, and custom orders gone sideways cooled me from the idea of ordering a BTO/custom.
The more I learn about various musical instrument manufacturers, the more I run into stuff like this. I know G&L has had issues getting option orders/custom shop orders correct (they admitted as much at one point). It is crazy to me how poorly some of these companies operate on just basic process design items. Part of me has a hard time blaming G&L for it because of how common it seems to be. Of course, this is a crazy statement, because the issues are their fault; they could fix them. Their leadership should not accept the issues as normal. That seemed to be happening when they acknowledged the issues. It is hard to say if they saw the necessary process improvements or if they just said they were going to fix them/never fully did.
In a similar vein (and not to excuse the G&L issues), I saw a video from years ago where Michael Tobias was interviewed about working with Lakland on improving their process. At the time, Lakland was producing roughly the same number of basses per year as MTD. The big difference was that MTD was doing it with 2 guys and Lakland was producing a few more basses with 6 guys (if my memory is any good, I think MTD was at 100 per year and Lakland was at ~120). When Dan Lakin realized this, he asked Michael Tobias to come by and help them fix their process. Michael Tobias agreed to help out and along the way, the Lakland Hollowbody (that was designed by Michael Tobias) was introduced.
Taking this back to G&L (and really even probably explains what Lakland was going through when Tobias stepped in to help with their process), I think a good chunk of G&L's concerns are related to growth. G&L was mostly unknown and saw significantly lower sales volume not that long ago. I remember having to explain what bass I was playing when I bought my first one roughly 25 years ago. Tribute line came out, which helped with brand awareness and sales. More online dealers started selling them, which helped brand awareness and sales*.
I expect what they are going through now is due to increasing capacity to meet the increased sales they had between roughly 2019 and now. The problem is that sales growth is likely declining and the price of their inputs is significantly rising. Periods like this are tough for any company to face. They are even tougher when you are not doing things right to begin with. Again, this is just my guess. That said, I read a number of struggling/failed business case studies over the years and this is a pretty common version of things.
*For anyone who has not noticed I have a problem telling stories… here comes another one. I remember for years Sweetwater did not sell G&L and if you searched their website for G&L they would have a blurb about how they did not sell G&L guitars but offered guitars from several other great brands if you would like to browse those. Perfectly normal reroute to products they do carry. It was always odd to me that Sweetwater did not carry G&L at the time. G&L was one of the most common brands to see when I would go to Sweetwater GearFest. There were several amplifier and pedal manufacturers that would bring G&L guitars/basses as the demo instrument that sat in their booth.
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Basically since Leo died in 1991. The John McLaren (CEO of BBE Sound) ran things at first. Now his sons Dave and Johnny run it. Dave is G&L's CEO. Johnny is VP/Head of Manufacturing. I want to say Dave/Johnny took over in roughly 1995, but I could be slightly off on timing.
Small blurb from G&Ls website about it: About Us | G&L Musical Instruments
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I have a 2022 BTO SB-2 where I had to add 1/4 turn when I changed the strings to 45-105 DRs. Pretty sure it's at the end of its range now. It is set up perfectly, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to adjust it in the future and I'm not going to force it. So however this shakes out, I hope the truss rods are improved, because I may make a warranty claim at some point. Im not a fan of the dual action setup. I've seen plenty rods over the years that have needed a washer or two because they were running out of threads. I've never run into a situation where the rod was needed to add relief. I'd much rather have the old single action rods that can be worked on.
I was (still am) in the process of upgrading my Tribute L2K with USA parts. So far, I've got the USA preamp, a spare jack and brass bridge saddles. I only really need the tuners as my final piece, but they've been sold out for months. I even got aluminum Tele-style knobs for the pots.
Interesting thing about the saddles. I bought a set of 4 on the G&L store and they're quite narrower (by a millimeter or two) compared to the stock saddles on my 2011 Tribute (intonation screws aren't as thick and hefty either). A quick email exchange with Memo and he was able to find the wider saddles and he sent them out to me (those were older stock and not in perfect condition). Not sure when the saddle width changed, or if these were meant for a 5-string bridge, but Memo was very helpful. Or perhaps the hardware quality did start to drop. I can't tell the difference between the stock saddles on my Tribute (which should be zinc) and the replacement ones Memo sent (which should be brass), so I'll keep them as spares.
I hope everything turns well for G&L.
Interesting thing about the saddles. I bought a set of 4 on the G&L store and they're quite narrower (by a millimeter or two) compared to the stock saddles on my 2011 Tribute (intonation screws aren't as thick and hefty either). A quick email exchange with Memo and he was able to find the wider saddles and he sent them out to me (those were older stock and not in perfect condition). Not sure when the saddle width changed, or if these were meant for a 5-string bridge, but Memo was very helpful. Or perhaps the hardware quality did start to drop. I can't tell the difference between the stock saddles on my Tribute (which should be zinc) and the replacement ones Memo sent (which should be brass), so I'll keep them as spares.
I hope everything turns well for G&L.
FULLERTON : a place not only for guitars and basses, see this below, also part of the FULLERTON history...
My SUPER TWIN guitar amp (6 x 6L6 power valves) that I changed to a bass head fitted in a DIY wooden cabinet (chassis is almost similar to a STUDIO BASS combo).
From the early 80's (CBS era). Very heavy, but sounding like heaven!
Sold in 2017 to pro bassist Laurent Preney, who is still using it on stage (picture taken in Aug. 2024).
The SUPER TWIN bass head in the making on a 4x12" Celestion cab.
My G&L M-2500, behind an AVRI '62 JB with an Allparts maple neck, Custom Shop pickups and a 3-knob control plate. A 135 watt Twin Reverb in the background.
My SUPER TWIN guitar amp (6 x 6L6 power valves) that I changed to a bass head fitted in a DIY wooden cabinet (chassis is almost similar to a STUDIO BASS combo).
From the early 80's (CBS era). Very heavy, but sounding like heaven!
Sold in 2017 to pro bassist Laurent Preney, who is still using it on stage (picture taken in Aug. 2024).
The SUPER TWIN bass head in the making on a 4x12" Celestion cab.
My G&L M-2500, behind an AVRI '62 JB with an Allparts maple neck, Custom Shop pickups and a 3-knob control plate. A 135 watt Twin Reverb in the background.
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- Aug 21, 2003
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He has some other stuff in the works for sure. You will hear some new stuff soon.Steve is back, full throttle, with his Bass Hang YouTube channel and his show Beyond 11 on Fugu.
FUGU: You Are the Show
Participatory Shows, Courses, and Events where you control the experience.fugu.com
I'm never truly worried about him. He one of those guys who always lands on his feet.
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Well. I can't say I like the sound of all this...
I've got an L2k, an L1505, and a Tribute Fallout; there's another L2k I have in parts and pieces. So I love me some G&L basses.
I've got an L2k, an L1505, and a Tribute Fallout; there's another L2k I have in parts and pieces. So I love me some G&L basses.
Stability wise you are right. The old necks had a reputation for ski jump and things like that but the old trust rods were never suspect. The new dual action design seems to break way too frequently.
And how many more players feel the same way? QC issues have been discussed to death here and in other forums. The only new G&L I ever purchased was shipped with a truss rod issue and needed to be replaced.
I would be disappointed if G&L does not survive or if someone buys or ingests them with an agenda of putting the brand down to rest like we've seen with many other gear lines. From my perspective this seems to an issue of management determining what they do well and what they do not do well or profitably and then reorganizing around that principal. But the unknown here is what the debt issue is all about.
If they're unable to get financing with which to continue then any kind of survival probably means the sale of some or all of the company. This seems to be what we're all waiting to hear.
Wishing him the best. His work with G&L was appreciated.
I live 5 minutes from G&L in Fullerton. I own a business in Anaheim and a good friend of mine has a business in the same complex as G&L. I was just over talking to him and he told me G&L is being bought out by Fender.
A big problem for G&L is that the lease rates have doubled in that complex they are in and that along with other issues drive you out. I know my buddy has the same problem. My lease rate in Anaheim has doubled in the last 2 years. California for the small guy, is unsustainable.
I own 14 L-2500s, all different colors of course.
A big problem for G&L is that the lease rates have doubled in that complex they are in and that along with other issues drive you out. I know my buddy has the same problem. My lease rate in Anaheim has doubled in the last 2 years. California for the small guy, is unsustainable.
I own 14 L-2500s, all different colors of course.
IIRC neck issues go all the way back to when Leo and George were building Music Man basses prior to starting G&L. It was part of the dispute that separated them from Music Man. And yeah, the "ski jump" issue is one often attached to G&L necks although that would seem to be an issue that could be fixed easily enough in either the design or manufacturing process.
I suspect there will be some tough decision to be made here relative to just what G&L is gonna be. Can they handle the increased production needed to supply larger national dealers at a wholesale level or do they need to revert back to a smaller firm once again specializing in producing a smaller line of stock instruments with their former BTO business in tow with that and the Tribute import line?
I can't help but thinking that is a worst case scenario for all of us who love the brand.
For me it beats the brand disappearing completely.
When I bought my first CNC back in the early 90's, it was alongside the first CNC that the Fender custom shop bought. I became friends with Steve Bollinger, Fender custom shop Masterbuilder, who was to be in charge of the CNC. As time went by he became fed up with Fender and moved to G&L. He also brought quite a few people with him. Many of Fender employees became disillusioned with the company. Sad to see it go back to the bean counters.
Should Fender acquire it, could we speculate (hope) that they might focus on promoting the unique lines, like the L series, and not on those that compete with their bread n butter, like the LB and J models - and maintain their human resources and the link to their founder. Let's hope they're wiser than to just eliminate the brand - as they have with some past acquisitions.
I do miss SWR. Produced briefly after Fender acquired them.
