The actual thickness (front to back) of the Ibby neck is probably less than both the L2K and SR.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
G&L L2000 Tribute vs MM Stingray
- Thread starter MarshallNole
- Start date
The actual thickness (front to back) of the Ibby neck is probably less than both the L2K and SR.
I personally own both an L-2000 Tribute and a EB Ray34, and my experiences seem to echo the other posters'. Like the others have said, the ray does one sound very well, but I felt like its dynamic range wasn't as wide. With the G&L, digging in seems to change the character, similar to a good jazz bass. The filter based preamp and 2 pickup config on the G&L also puts it more in the Wal's ballpark.
There's no such thing as an EB Ray34. A Ray34 is a SBMM (Sterling By Music Man).
US made basses of that ilk are EBMM (Ernie Ball Music Man). Before they were EBMM, they were just Music Man basses (and guitars, but who cares about them
).
G&Ls dont have a filter based preamp like a wal or acg. I did however add an acg filter preamp to a L2000 and it was great but didnt get me closer to a wal tone (geddy's wal tone, not tool's)
I gigged with a Tribute L2000 for a long stretch, and I agree that it's a versatile bass. But my StingRay 5 has SO much more personality! The G&L had a great neck and lots of options, and was lighter than the MusicMan, but I wouldn't care to own one again. It was a "sorta" bass tone-wise: "sorta" like a J, "sorta" like a P, "sorta" like a 'Ray.
I replaced it with a Precision and now have three Ps and the SR. For me, having a "voice" is more important than sounding like somebody else.
I replaced it with a Precision and now have three Ps and the SR. For me, having a "voice" is more important than sounding like somebody else.
If you are thinking about a Tribute L-2000, the better counterpart for comparison would be a SBMM Ray34 rather than an EBMM Stingray. Tribute and SBMM are made in Indonesia.
I got a G&L Tribute L-2000 and a Sterling by Musicman Ray35 - also, I incidentally used to own a SR300 just like OP. If you are looking for a really specific sound, L-2000 is your best bet. There's a wide variety of sounds you can get out of it. Then again, Ray has the distinct Stingray sound, but can't do anything else. Luckily, the one sound it can do is awesome.
If I had to choose one to keep, I'd stay with the Ray (and it wouldn't change even if it were the 4 string version), but if I valued versatility and dialing in any sound I want, L-2000 is the ticket. The Tribute L-2000 is really well built for an Indonesian instrument, but the SBMM Ray35 is flawless.
I'd guess that given the right FX pedals, you could squeeze out a Tool sound from either one. Justin used to get a Tool sound out of a Stingray in the 90's.
I got a G&L Tribute L-2000 and a Sterling by Musicman Ray35 - also, I incidentally used to own a SR300 just like OP. If you are looking for a really specific sound, L-2000 is your best bet. There's a wide variety of sounds you can get out of it. Then again, Ray has the distinct Stingray sound, but can't do anything else. Luckily, the one sound it can do is awesome.
If I had to choose one to keep, I'd stay with the Ray (and it wouldn't change even if it were the 4 string version), but if I valued versatility and dialing in any sound I want, L-2000 is the ticket. The Tribute L-2000 is really well built for an Indonesian instrument, but the SBMM Ray35 is flawless.
I'd guess that given the right FX pedals, you could squeeze out a Tool sound from either one. Justin used to get a Tool sound out of a Stingray in the 90's.
I wasn't aware that the Tribute was made overseas. I would want the US made G&L L2000 or the MM stingray 4.
Add Bongo to your list too. Though when you say "The Wal tone", you have to be a good bit more specific as Wals cover a lot of ground. I noticed you mentioned Tool which well, is an outlier if anything in Wal tone... I'd say you should look at a lot more FXs than specific basses to get in his ball park. To me, a Bongo is a great bass that will mimic a lot of Wal tones... though an L-2000 is nice as well (I previously owned an L-2500, until I got my Bongos).
The L2000 with the #8 neck would be most similar to the neck on your Ibby if that's what you like.
I think your stated nut width for the SR300 may have been taken for the 5-string model. SR 4-string necks are pretty slim.
A US G&L would be a huge step upward from your Ibanez.
That's incorrect. All Ibanez Sound Gear 4-string basses have a 38mm nut width (1.5" or 1.496 if you want to get really specific)
Their 5-strings are 45mm, which is 1.77", so you might have been looking at a SR305.
Their original bassist used a Rickenbacker 4001CS on Undertow.
From what I understand he was around for the writing of at least Stinkfist, Eulogy and Aenima from Aenima, so you'd assume Justin's sound on Aenima was at least partially influenced by Paul D'Amour's, if not heavily influenced.
If that's what you're after then just go buy a Rickenbacker. Even if it's not directly what you're after, I'd at least try one. They're not THAT much more than a MM or a G&L (compared to a Wal at least.)
Which is precisely our point... OP needs to clarify by what he means by "The Wal tone". It can be lots of things. If he's really dead set on Justin/Tool tone, he'd be better served getting appropriate FX, IMO.
That was the reasoning for my first comment to the OP, that my 2-band Stingray Classic combined with a Darkglass BK-3 got me close enough to Tool's sound for me. I'm sure there are JC purists who will disagree, but we all there are a lot more factors than just a bass to get his tone....
Maybe I'm missing something, but I thought that was established very early:
He basically means justin chancellors tone from tool. He's knows he isn't going to be able to replicate it perfectly but he wants to get close with either one of the basses he mentioned.
+1. I concur try them out first and then purchase the one that feels and sounds the best to you. No one bass sounds the same from person to person so it is a personal choice from here on out. You did your research now to try these basses out and find out which one best suits you.
Scottee
There you go. I was going to say that given the choice between an Asian-made G&L L2k Tribute and a US-made EBMM Stingray, there's no choice - Stingray all the way. But now that it's US L-2000 vs. US Stingray, now it's a MUCH tougher choice. I don't think you can lose either way, but if I personally had to choose between these two, I'd pick the G&L. This based solely upon the greater tonal options offered by the L-2000. Both are absolutely wonderful intsruments, though
