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G&L L1000 Frustration

#21
This happens to me ALL the time. Whenever someone asks me what type of bass I play and I answer G&L, I get a confused look. I think unless you play guitar or bass the chances you will know about G&L are very low. Ofcourse when I show them the bass and they hear how awesome it actually is, the quality is no longer in question. :smug:
 
#22
Shoot me a message. I will take it off your hands :-)

TakePride said:
I own a '81 G&L L-1000. I love this bass so much. It is by far one of the best sounding passive basses ever made. I've been playing for 14 years and have had tons of high end basses. I don't know why more people aren't familiar with G&L. I have been getting frustrated recently because nobody knows about this bass. I went to the studio to record bass for a band about 5 months ago. They didn't know anything about this bass. They said it wasn't good enough and tried to make me record with a Squire P-bass Special! Needless to say I just walked out. Within the last week alone I have had two people comment about how I need a new bass, saying that in the professional circuit I can't get away with playing a "crappy" bass. Apparently I am better off with a P-bass. Don't get me wrong, the P-bass is a fine instrument and I have even owned a couple MIA P-basses, but IMO it is not even comparable to Leo-era G&L's. The build quality, tone shaping and overall sound of G&L's is far superior to anything coming out of Fenders doors since the mid '60s. It seems that it is more important to have an instrument people have seen before than one that sounds great. Anybody else have this problem with G&L instruments?
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#24
I hear you. I started this thread a while back. In fact it was the first thread I ever posted on TB. There are several answers people have given to the question but that fact still remains my G&L L-1000 sounds better than my Sadowsky, Mike Lull, Lakland or CS Fender. Maybe as good as my Fender 62 RI which has tone to die for.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=377975&highlight=

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#26
kraigo said:
Mine was pretty much identical to your burst with maple (second from right). I thought it was a great bass. I had it for at least 13 years.

I finally sold it for two reasons:

1) It was one of the first 500 made, but it had a "hump" around the 3rd fret that made it difficult to get a great set up on it. I didn't want to mess up a "vintage" instrument but I was never thrilled with how it played.

2) I had a hard time getting away from OMG mode. It sounds so good soloed. But it was hard for me to hear myself in a band situation, so I kept getting bigger and bigger amps and more and more complaints about being too loud.

I have no regrets getting rid of it. After 13 years or more of it being my primary bass it was time for it to go. My primary bass now is an old Tokai (just post-lawsuit) '57 reissue style P-Bass with Duncan Antiquities II pickups. It's the right bass for me. My weakness for OMG mode made the bass unsuitable for me. The P-Bass slots right in. None of this is to say that the L-1000 is a bad instrument, but my L-1000 wasn't right for me.

It's funny - the people I play with could care less about what the pedigree of the instrument is, as long as the tone fits in and the playing is OK they wouldn't care if it was a Sadowsky or a Rondo SX. I don't know why anyone should.

KO
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I've had experience with huge sounding basses (the "on steroids" thing) disappearing in mixes, particularly live mixes. Good old passive Fender Precisions (or even Squiers, or, yes, SXs) simply just fit in. There's no escaping it. (IMHO.)
I have a 1981 G&L L2000 that I love, but to make it work for me, I have to use it in passive mode, solo the neck pickup, and roll off lots of low end in all the ways possible. In other words, I have to try to make it sound like a Fender Precision. :hmm:
So, I usually leave it at home and use a Fender or SX. If there's a lot of room in a mix for large, warm bottom end (so to speak), the G&L is great.
 
#28
Believe me, I always inform people about G&L instruments when they don't know about them. I rarely have a problem with fellow bass players, most of them have done their research. It is usually sound techs and guitar players for some reason that just have no clue about them.
I always keep my keep in top notch shape. Action, intonation, fresh strings and always cleaned. When I go into record I always check everything before hand.
When I had the recording issue this past year, it was for some little pop alternative band. The lead singer / vocalist was pretty ignorant about music gear. He did tell me that he used to be the manager at the local Guitar Center. Its my guess that if GC doesn't sell the equipment you use, the typical run of the mill musician probably wont know what it is.

So bottom line: I love my L-1000, I hate Guitar Center! Haha
 
#29
Feel your pain dude~ I had a 1982 L2000 in high school and went through this throughout the 80's~ even from other bass players. I used to play a G&L that was 'like a Fender' and now I play a Lakland that is 'like a Fender'. I may just give in and get an actual Fender Jazz bass so I can have peace in my life~
 
#31
I've gotten the "Why don't you just get a Fender" comments before. Sometimes I take the time to explain to people that my L1000 is more of a Fender than anything you can buy at GC. Most of the time I don't.

I have played in situations where it just dissappeared in the mix though. I must admit I was surprised. It was in a Grateful Dead cover band and the two guitarists both favored a very mid-heavy sound. I found I actually cut through much better with a somewhat scooped tone.
 
#32
I had a Tribute L-2500 awhile back. My bandmates, usually oblivious to bass tone and instruments, noticed this beast and made it clear that it was their favorite. The neck did not suit me and often made my hand hurt. The fact that I kept trying to get used to it for 13 months indicates--aside from stubborness or stupidity--how much I loved its sound.
 
#33
I own an 81 L1000. Its my second one. My first I sold to a friend, and it was heavily damaged and I still miss. My current one is in desperate need of a refret, so its been sitting until I can get the money together. Its a great sounding passive bass, but people kept asking why I didn't use a P-bass like I usually do. Once I start to play it, those comments go away.
 
#38
smcd said:
Just for the record, I've never ever had anyone look askance at me over a G&L. Never even heard of such a thing until now.
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Well obviously you don't get around enough! I've got both an L-2500 fretless and a fretted (tribute). And yes they create flack from producers etc that listen to bass with their eyes. Oddly I've never had flack over my very trad looking Fender Deluxe V (tobacco sunburst and tort guard). Apparently the extra string doesn't register but the G&L look does. Personally I'm not a huge fan of Fender tone compared to the G&L, but clearly many people have the Fender tone burned in their brain and can't break out of that habit.

As for the L-1000 I've always preferred the greater versatility of two pickups. But one pickup certainly does not ruin the tone!

At least Takepride now has created one more studio story: "We were recording XYZ and this kid comes in with this crappy beginner bass (G&L L-1000). He was a pretty good player, but the bass just wasn't bringin' it at all. So we handed him the studio P-bass (Squirer) and told him to use that. He left in a huff. Kids today!" :)
 
#39
bassbenj said:
At least Takepride now has created one more studio story: "We were recording XYZ and this kid comes in with this crappy beginner bass (G&L L-1000). He was a pretty good player, but the bass just wasn't bringin' it at all. So we handed him the studio P-bass (Squirer) and told him to use that. He left in a huff. Kids today!" :)
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Haha! I love it! I am sure that's pretty close to what they said too.

Thanks bassbenj!
 

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