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G&L Club Part 7

New pickguard day.

My '93 LB-100 has an original aged perloid guard, and the yellowness of it has just been wearing on me. I had a couple of attempts at cutting my own, that ended functional but not the best looking. I tried mint and ivory (somewhere between cream and parchment), and really didn't totally like either color.

So this time I went to Pickguard Heaven and got plain old W/B/W. And I love it. Crisp and vibrant and makes the Belair green pop, just like an old Chevy.

The new guard fit great, everything lined up, went on super easily. There's just a small gap on the E string side around the neck pocket, but it's pretty negligible.

Before:
View attachment 4046987

After:
View attachment 4046988
View attachment 4046989

They really make nice pickguards. That's a gorgeous bass.
 
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Hmmmm this is very interesting
8F0B48A6-84A7-430C-8704-C1B60B6E1635.jpeg
 
Hello! I own 5 L2000s. (I know, I know...it's a disease, what can I say). All very similar sounding. Except this one, with a maple top. Body is ash, like the others. It sounds decidedly...snappier. Less lows. Very defined. All that can be fixed with the twirling of the knobs, it's not that big of a deal. But it is noticeable. Immediately.

I have a couple of questions. Would the maple top have that big of an effect on the sound? Does any one else have a bass with a maple top and if so, have you heard this difference too?

This one is much lighter than the other ones, clocking in a 8lbs exactly. I would have thought that the maple top would've made it heavier but no. Do you guys think that G&L uses especially lightweight ash when they do an ash/maple top combo?

I notice that this bass has longer tuner stems than my other one. On the build sheet, it just says G&L ultra lite tuners, like the other ones. I bought this bass NOS from a reputable dealer, I have faith that they did not tamper with it. Are there different sizes of stems from G&L?

Thank you for your input!

View attachment 4040913 View attachment 4040914 View attachment 4040915
G&L used to use German made Schaller tuning machines with short stems. The newer USA builds use Korean made Ping tuning machines with a modified aluminum post and G&L branding. I prefer the look of long stems like the old Fenders or Gotoh GB640 machines.
 
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I was wondering about exact pickup placements, and found myself making this. The guidelines are I think all in the exact same place.

20201110_122345.jpg


Interesting to see where the Kiloton pickup is compared with the bridge pickup of the L-2000 - getting quite close to the neck pickup of the SB-2.

Also interesting to compare the bridge pickups of the SB-2 and the JB.
 
G&L is having a renaissance.
I don't know how well known G&L's are in the US, but I have the feeling that a lot of people here in Germany are just finding out about the brand. Every single one of my friends has been positively surprised by the quality and sound of the tributes and Fullerton basses. Lots of bass for the money
 
I don't know how well known G&L's are in the US, but I have the feeling that a lot of people here in Germany are just finding out about the brand. Every single one of my friends has been positively surprised by the quality and sound of the tributes and Fullerton basses. Lots of bass for the money

I have been aware of G&L's for around 20 years (certainly not as long as some on this thread). At the time, I wanted to buy a Stingray 5 as my first 5 string. I read online that I should try the L2500. Started looking for one. Took a good amount of time to find one to try. My search included a trip to a store that told me "We do not carry off brands" when I asked about G&L (their stock was mostly low-end Dean and Traben, so I laughed and left the store). I finally found one to play (well an L2000 anyway) at a mom and pop shop in Oolitic, Indiana (Kenny's instruments in the unlikely instance that someone else on here met Kenny). Played it and talked to the owner about G&L for over an hour. He had been a long time G&L dealer and had a personal collection (including a Commanche VI Signature that was beautiful). When the shop closed, I bought up a bunch of random G&L merchandise (including several bottles of unused G&L scratch remover; still not sure why I bought them; still glad that I did).

Awareness has gone up significantly since then. G&Ls are available in most of my local stores now and the closest guitar store too me primarily sells G&L. While I have no proof, I credit the expansion to the addition of the Tribute line. Once G&L sound was accessible to more people, more shops were willing to sell them and more people became aware of them.
 
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While I had awareness of the G&L line since the mid-80's (being a SoCal kid), I did not take the plunge until 2007, with the TribbyJB-2. The assertion that the Tribute is a gateway line is spot-on. I now own a trio of American instruments, and am excited about the newer, passive MFD offerings. I came very close to getting a Tribby Kiloton, but opted for the LB-100 instead. I somewhat regret that decision, and will likely look to rectify it as COVID comes to an end. My preference is for dark, skinny necks; maybe that's why I chose the LB-100, which is a great bass in and of itself. The daughter's father-in-law inquired about purchasing it, a year ago, and will be coming for Thanksgiving dinner. I'll give him a good deal.
 
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I was wondering about exact pickup placements, and found myself making this. The guidelines are I think all in the exact same place.

View attachment 4047580

Interesting to see where the Kiloton pickup is compared with the bridge pickup of the L-2000 - getting quite close to the neck pickup of the SB-2.
That's a great comparo. I recently went from an lb100 to an L-1000,but i tend to think i would prefer the single pickup's position on the Kiloton. I love the passive sound,switching and bass and treble controls of the wunkay,it also has a alnico pickup which i like too.
 
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I was wondering about exact pickup placements, and found myself making this. The guidelines are I think all in the exact same place.

View attachment 4047580

Interesting to see where the Kiloton pickup is compared with the bridge pickup of the L-2000 - getting quite close to the neck pickup of the SB-2.

Also interesting to compare the bridge pickups of the SB-2 and the JB.

G&L pickup locations.JPG
 
That's a great comparo. I recently went from an lb100 to an L-1000,but i tend to think i would prefer the single pickup's position on the Kiloton. I love the passive sound,switching and bass and treble controls of the wunkay,it also has a alnico pickup which i like too.
I'm a big time fan of the Wunkay.
I just recently got the Kilo.
I strung them both up with the same strings.
I say, they compare very favourably.
Single Coil setting is my favourite on both. I thought I'd miss the bass cut control on the Kilo, but it works just fine without it. Rolling back the volume a touch in series helps reign it in nicely.
 

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I have been aware of G&L's for around 20 years (certainly not as long as some on this thread). At the time, I wanted to buy a Stingray 5 as my first 5 string. I read online that I should try the L2500. Started looking for one. Took a good amount of time to find one to try. My search included a trip to a store that told me "We do not carry off brands" when I asked about G&L (their stock was mostly low-end Dean and Traben, so I laughed and left the store). I finally found one to play (well an L2000 anyway) at a mom and pop shop in Oolitic, Indiana (Kenny's instruments in the unlikely instance that someone else on here met Kenny). Played it and talked to the owner about G&L for over an hour. He had been a long time G&L dealer and had a personal collection (including a Commanche VI Signature that was beautiful). When the shop closed, I bought up a bunch of random G&L merchandise (including several bottles of unused G&L scratch remover; still not sure why I bought them; still glad that I did).

Awareness has gone up significantly since then. G&Ls are available in most of my local stores now and the closest guitar store too me primarily sells G&L. While I have no proof, I credit the expansion to the addition of the Tribute line. Once G&L sound was accessible to more people, more shops were willing to sell them and more people became aware of them.

Bought a Ric bass, a Gibson Triumph bass and many other items from Kenny's in the 70's. Great guy, great store. When he retired he sold to a guitar player that kept it going for a couple of years. The building now sits unused with the Kenny's signage intact. I moved my allegiance to a store in Bloomington that went under in August because of Covid. I now am building a relationship with your big store in Greenwood. Actually preparing to order an Empress L-2000.
 
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