Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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.
I know Greg has it posted in the RocketMusic sponsored forum, but G&L has listed the Custom Shop options on their website.
Invalid Link Removed
Invalid Link Removed
Pretty sure that's emerald. Blue I guess.
Actually they have two different "Emerald" finishes now that I'm looking :
Invalid Link Removed
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
They also have Lake Placid :
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Last edited:
Unless it's changed in the last 4 weeks...
That's how it was when I placed my order.
Unless it's changed in the last 4 weeks...
That's how it was when I placed my order.
Ah, I didn't get that Chechen was Rosewood. Yeah, Greg at Rocket told me that Indian Rosewood cost extra too.
I ended up getting the maple, but was considering Rosewood for some finish options I was entertaining.
So what's the upcharge?Unless it's changed in the last 4 weeks...
That's how it was when I placed my order.
Well I'm 2 for 3 in the last couple of weeks:
#1: Trib SB2 from GC used: really grimy/grungy, listed as "fair" condition, cheap. It cleaned up very nicely, the truss rod adjusted smoothly, and at 9.25lbs was "meh" weight. Overall unbeatable for the price but it's going back to GC (look for it from the Willowbrook Texas store) tomorrow because of #3. Batting 1/1
#2: Trib L2K from ebay: bid low not expecting to win, plan was to swap body with Trib JB2 for a skinny necked Trib L2K. Arrived and had a big chip/shatter in the finish on the edge of the arm contour that didn't show in the pics - could be shipping damage. Also had plenty of maple board darkening and misc dings. Without the damage it was a reasonable deal but with it, not so much. If the damage was existing and pictured I would not have bid. Return was accepted, will ship back as soon as label arrives. Batting 1/2
#3: US SB2 from ebay: bid low since it had an EMG pickup and pics of at least one ding. A copper shielding job could be seen around the J pickup and peeking out from under the white pickguard. 6-bolt neck and body binding. It arrived and I am very satisfied. Weight is meh at 9lbs 7oz but a wonderful slim satin neck, serial number plate era which matches my other US G&Ls, and hey - a free quartersawn neck. And the fretboard sure looks like ebony to me when I put it next to my other G&Ls. I have an MFD split-coil in the drawer to install. The stack pots seem to be linear, or are interacting really strongly but I'll rewire it completely when I install the MFD. Once I get it electronically set up I'll be ordering a tort pickguard from Chandler/Pickguard Heaven and the transformation will be complete. Batting 2/3
In a few weeks once I have it all fixed up I'll get "beauty shots" on the hardwood floor
#1: Trib SB2 from GC used: really grimy/grungy, listed as "fair" condition, cheap. It cleaned up very nicely, the truss rod adjusted smoothly, and at 9.25lbs was "meh" weight. Overall unbeatable for the price but it's going back to GC (look for it from the Willowbrook Texas store) tomorrow because of #3. Batting 1/1
#2: Trib L2K from ebay: bid low not expecting to win, plan was to swap body with Trib JB2 for a skinny necked Trib L2K. Arrived and had a big chip/shatter in the finish on the edge of the arm contour that didn't show in the pics - could be shipping damage. Also had plenty of maple board darkening and misc dings. Without the damage it was a reasonable deal but with it, not so much. If the damage was existing and pictured I would not have bid. Return was accepted, will ship back as soon as label arrives. Batting 1/2
#3: US SB2 from ebay: bid low since it had an EMG pickup and pics of at least one ding. A copper shielding job could be seen around the J pickup and peeking out from under the white pickguard. 6-bolt neck and body binding. It arrived and I am very satisfied. Weight is meh at 9lbs 7oz but a wonderful slim satin neck, serial number plate era which matches my other US G&Ls, and hey - a free quartersawn neck. And the fretboard sure looks like ebony to me when I put it next to my other G&Ls. I have an MFD split-coil in the drawer to install. The stack pots seem to be linear, or are interacting really strongly but I'll rewire it completely when I install the MFD. Once I get it electronically set up I'll be ordering a tort pickguard from Chandler/Pickguard Heaven and the transformation will be complete. Batting 2/3
In a few weeks once I have it all fixed up I'll get "beauty shots" on the hardwood floor
Thanks.
Looks like G&L needs to update their website and Greg needs to update his pricelist.
Not sure when this upcharge was put in place as even the price breakdown on the
RocketMusic recent arrivals don't show the upcharge on those with RW boards.
As an aside, I'd love to seen them offer pau ferro as another RW alternative.
They have Carribean Rosewood as alternative apparently. Indian Rosewood is the one that's harder to get.
I know that, and it's good looking.
I like pau ferro and think it would be a good addition to fretboard options.
Yeah I didn't realize it was what it was when I ordered one recently.
Pau ferro I've heard is closer to maple in tone?
I saw your new Kiloton 5 and it's absolutely killer. Congrats
As far as the pau ferro/maple comparison, I can't say as I've never had a bass with a maple fretboard.
Most of my basses are RW, one has ebony and one has PF. I'd say it sits somewhere between RW and ebony in tone.
What do you guys think about ebony for fingerboard material? I prefer the brighter sound of maple but am looking for a dark fingerboard. To my eyes Chechen is too light and even rosewood can be if it has streaks in it. Any pros/cons to using ebony aside from upcharge?
The maple gets the brighter sound from the hardness of the wood. Maple has a Janka rating of 1450 and ebony is 1780. Given ebony is harder, I would expect it to be similar. This, however, is conjecture. You might want to ask in the Luthier's Coner about this.
First we need to put aside the basic question of whether the fingerboard wood plays any significant role in the brightness of a fretted bass. [My inclination is no since I have lots of different fingerboards on my 2 dozen basses and the sound is easily dominated by strings, pickups, and body—maybe neck—woods...] That said, I have a Warmoth jazz bass that is the cat's butt: very bright and snappy. It has a bound pau ferro fingerboard with nice big blocks. I really like how the texture in the pau ferro's grain contrasts with the binding and the detailed features in the blocks. That's one reason why I think I'm going to like chechen on fingerboards. On a bass with blocks, though, a lot of the time I'm actually pushing the string down on a block rather than on the pau ferro at all. I just tried fretting on a block versus on the pau ferro next door and I can't hear an iota of difference.
Strings have the largest impact, hands down, I agree.
I've found some minor difference based on the neck woods but I think it's a complex function to optimize really. Neck thickness, Fret size and bridge probably factor in as well.
Some basses seem to resonate more through the neck and body than others, so something is going on. I just can't reduce it down to a single variable. More like a sum of the parts.
For a recent G&L purchase I opted for the quartersawn maple neck, with the board made of the same piece of wood, as I reasoned it would make the neck more stable in the long run. Also to a lesser extent there is reduced waste.
On the Pau Ferro vs. Rosewood question, the only thing I recall even thinking about that is that Fender shouldn't have picked Pau Ferro to replace their rosewood boards, as the wood is denser. So it was more about color that any tonal consideration, assuming that it matters.
G&L is having a harder time finding dark Indian Rosewood now that the CITES stuff is starting to have an effect. They've burned through their back stock, and G&L says Indian Rosewood is now more expensive and difficult to source. So much so that Caribbean Rosewood (aka Chechen) is now the new default/no charge rosewood. Indian Rosewood can still be ordered, but it is now a $72 MSRP / $50 Street upgrade.
Fretted ebony goes for $215 MSRP / $150 Street.
Caribbean Rosewood is lighter in color and more red than Indian Rosewood. Indian Rosewood is sometimes quite dark, sometimes not. Ebony is pretty much always dark.
Last edited:
