G&L compared to Musicman Basses

[mpdd]

when i play live now i play as cleanly as possible, so i've been using the sb-2 for bright tone and the l2000 for dark tone, they get a clear and punchy tone that i haven't been able to get with any other bass, like an extremely loud piano

 

[Emanuel Apascaritei]

The MFD pick-ups on my L2500 are really really good. I modded mine and installed a Glockenklang preamp and did a recording with the low eq maxed out (14db at 40Hz). The recorded tone was clear as a bell and you could identify every single note without fighting the kick. Now that´s awsome!

The recording tone of the Stingray 5 always get lost in the mix without eqing the cr@p out of it. IME, and I recorded a lot of staff with the Stingray 5.

 

[Iridescentone]

I guess Leo started a seperate company, MFD, that made electronics for one or both...

Dunno where that info came from, but there was/is no "company" called MFD. MFD stands for Magnetic Field Design, the patented pickups designed by Leo Fender.

They were hand wound in-house on the same old winding machine that Leo built himself, when he ran Fender.

 

[awilkie84]

My dream bass: 5 string Spector USA neck on a Fender P body in Nitro black finish w/ mint guard wired with G&L MFD humbuckers & a MM pre-amp.

 

[unclejane]

The G&L thing, on a whole, more thicker, woolier, and more lo-fi than the J bass thing I'm currently into

I had an L2500 fretless for a while - it got stolen a few years ago - and, interestingly, it didn't have the wool of my L2K. It was a more recent model - 2006 or 7 - but it had a much flatter tone than my L2K.

Even in series mode, it had only a little more wool to it than it did in parallel mode.

I have no idea if the newer L2K's are similar, though.

But Chef speaks the truth, My L2K is an older unlined model with the old "bicut" neck with the 3 bolt attachment. It's super super thick in parallel mode on both pickups - nowadays I run it only with the bridge PU in parallel mode, no battery, everything dimed and always with compression. It does give a good nasally jazz bass type of sound setup that way.

As for the OP, the only problem I had with MM basses was the balance. It's terrible. My L2K, though, is perfectly balanced, as good as my Carvin Bunny. Don't know if that's an accident or not, due to the 10 ton swamp-ash body (I like heavy basses).

My L2K did come with a ski-jump in the fingerboard, which required sanding down the last 4 inches or so of the heel to flatten it out, and grinding down some of the saddles on the bridge. But this is an older model which I don't think is made as well as the new ones (my L2500 was impeccable quality)...

LS

 

[MaddAnthony_59]

Dunno where that info came from, but there was/is no "company" called MFD. MFD stands for Magnetic Field Design, the patented pickups designed by Leo Fender.

They were hand wound in-house on the same old winding machine that Leo built himself, when he ran Fender.

My bad, the Leo Fender side venture was CLF, which was kept seperate from MusicMan. CLF developed the MFD pickup, which my Sabre "Mysteriously" had installed.
Have a Read, the transition from MusicMan to G&L is pretty twisted...

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed])

 

[Moe Hickey]

I am currently playing a USA SB-2. I like the simplicity. The MFDs are so hot I have had to ditch my Sansamp. The neck is quarter-sawn and the newer ones have the larger neck pocket and the six counter sunk screws. Such a solid feel.

To me it's a P bass, albeit a hot one, and the bridge pup is an exercise in how much brightness you want to add.

 

[mntngrown]

I have an SR5 H, an L-2500, and an SB-2. I'd rank them all equal on quality.

I think the G&Ls both have a more "aggressive" sound (for lack of a better word) than the SR5. I usually play my L-2500 in passive mode yet it and the SB-2 are both as "hot" as any other bass I have owned.

Regarding the SB-2's lack of a Tone control: I also thought that was a problem, so I bought all the parts so that I can add a Tone control. But, before I did the upgrade, I took it to a jam and played it like it is. And, in the mix, I found that it sounded just perfect like it is. So I have never bothered doing the Tone mod to it. The next thing I want to try with it is some flatwound strings, just to tame some of the high end noise that I can hear when playing alone. I use flats on my Fender P, my fretless J, and I just put some on my L-2500 and I really like them on all those basses.

Yeah, I have well worn GHS precision flats on a P/J SB-2, and there is no denying that mofo it's place in the mix.
The bass happened to have a Moses graphite neck when I bought it used. Not a significant change probably. I have had 2 or 3 L-2000's and for old school fingerstyle, I found that L-2000's had dozens of settings, 2 of which were useful,(for me) but probably a slap or metal happy laboratory.
I like Stingrays too. Bongo 4 held my love for quite a while too. We all change as we get new gigs or investigate new music, or whatever, but as one post recently pointed out, high end boutique builders get more custom requests for Leo designed PUPS than any others. (not my claim).
P's and J's and MM's on more recorded history, than Gibson or Ricken or whatever combined. You will dig any Musicman or G&L if you can EQ to your zone.

 

[moucon]

...The few GLs I've played were comparable to some of the better MIM Fenders I've played.....

I know this is an old thread and I need to learn to chill, but I cannot let that nonsense stand. A fair comparison to a MIM fender has to be a made in Asia G&L (both good, both well under a grand) NOT repeat NOT with a USA G&L which are as good as it gets for a factory bolt-on bass. I'm betting you played the Asian G&L. The difference beyond the electronics and hardware of all imports is little things like how the frets are end-dressed and the general set-up which is Plek on all USA models I believe. In terms of MM vs G&L it's a Ford vs Chrysler thing. Quality is identical - but there are the intangibles of which neck suits you better, which PUPs suit your playing style and just general which feels better to you. IMO there might be as much variability between 2 basses from the same maker as between two companies. That is why you have to go to the store and PLAY them, and pref through your own rig if you can. And better yet in the environment (gig , studio, etc ) you're going to be playing it. The current trend of buying online from a spec sheet is a crap shoot if you're into nuance. If not - neck profile would matter to me - and every model from Fender G&L and MM is different, and if you're looking for a 5-string it can be dramatic. I can't imagine buying anything I'm going to spend a lot of time with sight-unseen.