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I would absolutely love to hot rod one of my JB4's with a MFD set !!! WOWZA!
I'm not much of a p-bass guy either. But an SB-2? That's a whole different animal.
Oh, they'd definitely look great with black hardware. I have an old Tobias with all-black hardware that's really pretty, but it would look pretty goofy if the black knobs were replaced with chrome.
I'll try to take some good pictures of my L this weekend for a "before" and "after" comparison.
EDIT: Hey, I just noticed you're local as well. I know @armyadarkness lives pretty close to me, also. The G&L force is strong in South Jersey!
Yeah - I used to live in East Brunswick, job change about 4 years ago left me with a 100 mile daily commute. I like the new job much better so last fall I moved to Shamong. Nice & peaceful out here, I'm on the edge of Wharton State Forest.
Ugh... I guess I can stop complaining about a half hour one way, then.
I was doing 53 miles each way. Mornings took about 60 to 70 minutes, unless I took the NJTPK and pushed hard. Evening commute was about 75 minutes; if I took the TPK. The alternate route 130 was actually more direct but the traffic lights were a killer. I drive a 4 cyl Outback & I was buying a tank of gas every 3 1/2 days. Now a tank of gas lasts me 2 weeks, I have a 16 mile drive through farmland & cow pastures. On nice days I take the motorcycle in.
IMHO - I think you're safe buying G&L product at this point. I have two G&L basses.
A '13 L1505, clearly a BBE era instrument. Overall quality, fit & finish are top notch; plays well & sounds good.
About 6 months ago I picked up an early'80s (I believe its an '82) Mahogany L2k. Its got some playing wear; it was gigged pretty hard - but its a well made instrument & still plays & sounds fantastic.
Certainly there are better values in the used market; but all in all I'm pretty happy with my G&L's.
I just checked mine, no weird hums touching poles or anywhere.
But then, I noticed this. The bass has been in its hardcase for the last two months, stored indoors, strings tuned down a half step. This can't be good....
Please tell me your child got loose with a sharpie
But seriously, how could the headstock/neck crack backwards with string tension on it? Or is this because the strings were loosened and the truss rod has a severe backbow?
Oh my!
I don't think warranty will cover that.
I feel for you
Worst case, take it to a pro and reglue it.
Hmmm, well I can say I have not heard of an El Toro reissue...
Ugh, yeah, I'd shorten that commute if I had the opportunity, too. So you're even closer than armyadarkness is. We're in the far north end of Marlton, in between Mt. Laurel and Medford. It's away from all the hubbub along Rt. 73 and pretty quiet here, but not quite the nice, woodsy quiet you have in Shamong.
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@Templar
I had that happen to a bass of mine too a few years ago. I took it to a pro and he glued it. Its been about 8 years since and it's still holding good. You should be OK. I had thought the bass neck broke on its own. I took it out of the bag a rehearsal one night, the first one after a gig, and discovered the crack. When I brought it in, the luthier asked if it had been stepped on. Then he showed me the bent tuning key. Thats when I realized it didn't just happen. Have you figured out how it happened to yours?
I had that happen to a bass of mine too a few years ago. I took it to a pro and he glued it. Its been about 8 years since and it's still holding good. You should be OK. I had thought the bass neck broke on its own. I took it out of the bag a rehearsal one night, the first one after a gig, and discovered the crack. When I brought it in, the luthier asked if it had been stepped on. Then he showed me the bent tuning key. Thats when I realized it didn't just happen. Have you figured out how it happened to yours?
You're definitely touching on many of the wonders G&L ownership... Outstanding build, stunning finicshes, poor resale, incredibly awesome used selections, are all things the most of us love and cherish.
As for the recent issues, yes, recent is the key. If your builds are anything over two years old, then the wheels hadnt fallen off the cart yet... Although, a couple of older truss rod issues have occurred.
As for the used market... So many mint used models exist, because in my exp, it takes a few builds to really find your sweet spot and what you want, so all of those trial and error basses wind up on Reverb!
