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G&L Club Part 7

#14,561
stingray69 said:
I've heard of the G&L brand, but I've never seen one in a local store or in the wild until last weekend. I sat in on very short notice on a gig and used a "house bass" L-2500 Tribute in the Transparent Blue. It was definitely in need of a truss rod adjustment and a new set of strings, but even in the very less than ideal playing condition it was in - I was very impressed!

I could tell this thing had the potential to be a real tone monster with a proper setup and a new set of strings. I couldn't get it out of my head for the following few days afterwards - and I knew I had been bitten by the buying bug, lol. So I found an L-2500 Tribute in Transparent Redburst on GC for a great price. It should be here Tuesday and I'm beyond excited to slap a fresh set of strings on it, give it a proper setup and see what these things are all about.

I've been researching, reading up and all that - just curious about a couple of things. Does anyone know what size allen wrench the truss rod takes?

And also - I understand the pole pieces are individually adjustable - I'm not real clear on the type of tool or allen wrench that's required to do this.

Adjusting the pole piece height is probably not something I'll be doing too much, but I'm the consummate tweaker and just like to know these things.
Click to expand...

Congrats! It's all downhill from here... Make sure you notice the set screw on the side of the great G&L bridge. It locks all the saddles together to form a single mechanical mass unit (after you've adjusted intonation and saddle height). Great system. Sometimes the bridge saddle lock screw is missing on used basses, God only knows why. The Allen key used for the bridge lock is the same size as that used for raising/lowering the saddles and may be the same as that used to raise/lower the pickup poles. You can get replacement bridge lock screws if you need one directly from the G&L store. Have fun!

P.S. G&L basses ship with the Allen keys you need. Maybe they'll be with your new one. Here's hoping!
 
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#14,562
stingray69 said:
I've heard of the G&L brand, but I've never seen one in a local store or in the wild until last weekend. I sat in on very short notice on a gig and used a "house bass" L-2500 Tribute in the Transparent Blue. It was definitely in need of a truss rod adjustment and a new set of strings, but even in the very less than ideal playing condition it was in - I was very impressed!

I could tell this thing had the potential to be a real tone monster with a proper setup and a new set of strings. I couldn't get it out of my head for the following few days afterwards - and I knew I had been bitten by the buying bug, lol. So I found an L-2500 Tribute in Transparent Redburst on GC for a great price. It should be here Tuesday and I'm beyond excited to slap a fresh set of strings on it, give it a proper setup and see what these things are all about.

I've been researching, reading up and all that - just curious about a couple of things. Does anyone know what size allen wrench the truss rod takes?

And also - I understand the pole pieces are individually adjustable - I'm not real clear on the type of tool or allen wrench that's required to do this.

Adjusting the pole piece height is probably not something I'll be doing too much, but I'm the consummate tweaker and just like to know these things.
Click to expand...
Good choice!! These are fantastic instruments.
IMG_20180704_154808_2.jpg
 
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#14,563
KaseOfBass said:
Loving this classifieds acquisition so far. Just got it last night, but so far I've went through a three set show on it this morning and I'm very impressed at the comfort of the G&L JB-5 neck. It feels and plays very "fast" and is one of the better feeling necks I've ever played. Jury is out on the 9.5" radius as I normally prefer something a bit flatter (I'm used to the 16" radius of my Roscoe JJ5 right now), but wow, what a fantastic bass! I'm not normally one to prefer burst finishes, but the old school tobacco sunburst finish is very nice in person.
Click to expand...

I got a used JB-5 a few months ago, and my experience is similar. I also prefer flatter fretboards and was concerned I might not like the neck with the 9.5" radius, but it's great. I think the slim rear profile and nicely rounded fretboard edges contribute to the easy, comfortable feel, like a well broken-in bass. I also think it plays "fast," and I loved it when I played it live. (Tone was excellent too--no surprise there.)

Of course, given the nature of GAS, and G&L fanatic GAS in particular, this only makes me wonder how much more I'd like a JB-5 with the optional 12" radius! So of course I want one.
 
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#14,564
jmlee said:
Congrats! It's all downhill from here... Make sure you notice the set screw on the side of the great G&L bridge. It locks all the saddles together to form a single mechanical mass unit (after you've adjusted intonnation and saddle height). Great system. Sometimes the bridge saddle lock screw is missing on used basses, God only knows why. The Allen key used for the bridge lock is the same size as that used for raising/lowering the saddles and may be the same as that used to raise/lower the pickup poles. You can get replacement bridge lock screws if you need one directly from the G&L store. Have fun!

P.S. G&L basses ship with the Allen keys you need. Maybe they'll be with your new one. Here's hoping!
Click to expand...

Great info - thank you!
 
#14,566
Nedmundo said:
I got a used JB-5 a few months ago, and my experience is similar. I also prefer flatter fretboards and was concerned I might not like the neck with the 9.5" radius, but it's great. I think the slim rear profile and nicely rounded fretboard edges contribute to the easy, comfortable feel, like a well broken-in bass. I also think it plays "fast," and I loved it when I played it live. (Tone was excellent too--no surprise there.)

Of course, given the nature of GAS, and G&L fanatic GAS in particular, this only makes me wonder how much more I'd like a JB-5 with the optional 12" radius! So of course I want one.
Click to expand...

Yep, same boat. The JB-5 is in its maiden voyage tonight and it's performing fantastically, but I can't help but wonder how that 12" radius would feel/play. Beyond my curiosity though, the neck feels great!
 
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#14,567
Spidey2112 said:
They have Saturday delivery, Jeff. Someone had to have scanned your package, for you to get that text... hopefully, it was your carrier and he/she did indeed attempt delivery. Pretty sure they've been delivering parcels on Sundays for a while, too.

Did you try calling your Post Office? I bet they're still in... in our area, I've seen them out as late 06:30-7:00, at night.
Click to expand...

Sorrry If I wasnf clear there, I'm having the bass delivered to my office; but there's normally nobody there on weekends. I've got too much going on this weekend to go hunt it down - They should be redelivering on Monday.
 
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#14,570
kev451 said:
Question would you guys say that the neck on the L2000 models is similar a Pbass neck ?
Click to expand...

necks can vary. Take a look at this from the website.

USA Guitar Options

if its a major factor for you, play it in person first or be sure to have a return option for a remote purchase.

edit: i just noted the link is the same on the bass page & the guitar page...suffice to say the neck profiles & width for a 4 string can vary
 
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#14,571
jefff100 said:
necks can vary. Take a look at this from the website.

USA Guitar Options

if its a major factor for you, play it in person first or be sure to have a return option for a remote purchase.

edit: i just noted the link is the same on the bass page & the guitar page...suffice to say the neck profiles & width for a 4 string can vary
Click to expand...
I have a first-year L1000, same neck as the 2K, different decal. These early ones had a nut-width of 1-11/16ths", so slightly narrower than a C-width P (1-3/4"), & slightly wider than the B-width (1-5/8"), which was common on both much older and on newer P-basses. Where mine differed from most of the P's of the era was in its depth, a very shallow C ...so much so that the neck was fairly mobile in its early days, but is as stable as a rock today. The very early ones shared the 7-1/4" radius with the Fenders. All of these specs have changed over time, and most later G&L's have a flatter radius. With all of that said, the early L-series necks were very similar to a P, the later & newer ones vary as noted by others.
 
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#14,573
delta7fred said:
Here is a list of Allen wrenches for all years and models.
Allen Wrench Sizes
Click to expand...

Thank you - but I notice the chart is for US models. Mine is the Tribute series - wondering if this still applies?

Ideally, it will come with wrenches. If not I have a full set of standard and metric wrenches I can use to find the right size.

My biggest concern with any used bass is always whether any previous owner has slightly rounded out the truss rod nut.

If I can't seem to find the right sized, good grabbing, allen wrench - I won't be sure if it's me using the wrong size wrench (which can cause damage), or whether the truss rod nut has already been slightly rounded over by the previous owner who was using the wrong size wrench.

Maybe I just worry too much. :cautious:
 
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#14,577
CLF is 1 5/8th nut, slim C with a 9 1/2 radius. I have a CLF L1000 and that's what was on my build sheet. My L2000 Tribute is 1 3/4" at the nut, a medium C profile and I think it has a 12" radius. Neither is exactly like what I always thought (playing mostly late '60's and '70's P basses) a typical P bass neck was like..
 

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