G&L made in Fullerton vs. Indonesia (Tributes)

[Pluckoff]

I would guess that this has been asked before.
I've played six-string guitar for decades and a bit of bit of bass about 30 years ago. About a year ago I picked up a Sterling Stingray at a local GC. After a couple weeks I returned it and came home with a new G&L Tribute JB-2. The quality and playability of the Tribute seemed much better (IMO) compared to the Sterling.

Since then I've purchased a used 2021 Tribute JB and a 2003 Tribute L2000 (pretty sure made in Korea). On the JB and JB-2 I had the plastic nut replaced with bone. I like a straight neck so I adjusted the neck, set the saddles string height, set intonation and all are using 45-105 NYXL strings.
All three of them play consistently, no neck ski-ramp issue, frets are clean and without burrs or edges. The JB has a bit of hum when not touching the strings, but otherwise quiet when played through a solid-state amp. Basically, they sound great and play great (IMO).

Is the cost of an American made version, which is about three time more, justified?
I don't have any experience with an American G&L or American made Fenders. However, I just can't picture them being much better than these Tribute's, which seem to be excellent quality already.

 

[Bikeguy57]

 

[B String]

A few of my player friends and I were just talking about this. It's all about the magic of the wood and quality of the build. We've played $5,000 basses that ate poop and barked at the Moon, as well as less expensive basses that were just magic. You can always get a great setup, and upgrade pickups and tuners etc, so imho its all about if the bass speaks to you. I would have to play any bass before I'd buy it...PERIOD! Price is important but it doesn't guarantee a great bass.

 

[Pluckoff]

View attachment 5111636

Lol.

I am being serious though. I just don't have a base (pun) of American made bass guitar experience as a comparison. I own a 2009 American made Fender Telecaster and it's well made. Not really any better quality than these Tribute's though.

 

[mindwell]

The Tributes I've played aren't comparable to my JB-5, in feel, tone or build quality. But that's probably a total of three or four basses, and as is the case with two out of three of Leo's children, a cheapie can be a gem and a higher-priced one a dog. By contrast, Musicman and then EBMM always have been more consistent. And yes, the product coming out of Indonesia can be stunningly good, and sometimes plays well above price point.

 

[Pluckoff]

A few of my player friends and I were just talking about this. It's all about the magic of the wood and quality of the build. We've played $5,000 basses that ate poop and barked at the Moon, as well as less expensive basses that were just magic. You can always get a great setup, and upgrade pickups and tuners etc, so imho its all about if the bass speaks to you. I would have to play any bass before I'd buy it...PERIOD! Price is important but it doesn't guarantee a great bass.

I've owned an American Tele for about twelve years. I bought it used for $450 from a guy that developed Tinnitus (which I also have since a few months ago) and sold off a lot of his gear.
Five years ago I purchased a semi-hollowbody knock-off Tele for $50 at a local flea market type place. Paid a dude $100 to dress the frets and setup the action/intonation. Also replaced the cheap humbuckers with a set of Seymour Duncan JB's that were in another guitar.

I play and record with the $50 guitar much more than the American Tele. It's not the nearly the quality comparitively, but it's more pleasing to my ear. Most likely due to the humbuckers and resonance from the semi-hollowbody design.

 

[Wood and Wire]

I would guess that this has been asked before.
I've played six-string guitar for decades and a bit of bit of bass about 30 years ago. About a year ago I picked up a Sterling Stingray at a local GC. After a couple weeks I returned it and came home with a new G&L Tribute JB-2. The quality and playability of the Tribute seemed much better (IMO) compared to the Sterling.

Since then I've purchased a used 2021 Tribute JB and a 2003 Tribute L2000 (pretty sure made in Korea). On the JB and JB-2 I had the plastic nut replaced with bone. I like a straight neck so I adjusted the neck, set the saddles string height, set intonation and all are using 45-105 NYXL strings.
All three of them play consistently, no neck ski-ramp issue, frets are clean and without burrs or edges. The JB has a bit of hum when not touching the strings, but otherwise quiet when played through a solid-state amp. Basically, they sound great and play great (IMO).

Is the cost of an American made version, which is about three time more, justified?
I don't have any experience with an American G&L or American made Fenders. However, I just can't picture them being much better than these Tribute's, which seem to be excellent quality already.

G&L is probably the hardest company to navigate this argument with.

For the likes of Fender, and Music Man, it's pretty easy : On their budget friendly foreign offerings, the pickups, pre-amps (where applicable), bridges, and tuners are completely different - almost to the point of them needing to be upgraded from the get-go.

Sometimes the wiring is different (series vs parallel), and usually the neck dimensions, and radius is different.

Additionally, there is a less premium wood selection, that is generally heavier, and less interestingly figured (that said, the Sterling by Music Man models offer figured wood tops, which is something that EBMM have only done on a handful of special edition / anniversary instruments).

With G&L, pretty much everything on the foreign made instruments is identical to the U.S.A. made counterpart.

It used to be a much simpler decision, because the U.S.A. made instruments were significantly cheaper, had many more options (such as neck shape / dimensions / radius), and came Plek'd as standard.

Whilst there certainly is an appreciable difference in quality / fit and finish etc, there are basically three areas where you are paying for the American model :

1) Weight (Indonesian = ~10lbs vs USA = ~7.5lbs)

2) Cache of owning premium USA brand.

And the really important one, that applies to all these brands, that everybody always goes into denial about, without really properly considering it...

3) USA workforce.

Not only is there a vast difference in the cost of labour, between the USA and the far east, and Mexico (Fender's Mexican factory is practically just across the street from its USA factory, which just goes to highlight the disparity), both in terms of the individual employees, and their associated rights - or lack of - but furthermore, all three companies are based in California, which carries further responsibilities, and expenses for employers.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

I don't know if this is STILL the case, but I had heard that the pickups used in the Tribute Series were the same as in the USA built models. If so, it REALLY narrows the gap between the two.
When I get a G&L in to work on, I have to look close at the decal to see where it was made. But they're all always pretty darn good!

 

[Pluckoff]

G&L is probably the hardest company to navigate this argument with.

For the likes of Fender, and Music Man, it's pretty easy : On their budget friendly foreign offerings, the pickups, pre-amps (where applicable), bridges, and tuners are completely different - almost to the point of them needing to be upgraded from the get-go.

Sometimes the wiring is different (series vs parallel), and usually the neck dimensions, and radius is different.

Additionally, there is a less premium wood selection, that is generally heavier, and less interestingly figured (that said, the Sterling by Music Man models offer figured wood tops, which is something that EBMM have only done on a handful of special edition / anniversary instruments).

With G&L, pretty much everything on the foreign made instruments is identical to the U.S.A. made counterpart.

It used to be a much simpler decision, because the U.S.A. made instruments were significantly cheaper, had many more options (such as neck shape / dimensions / radius), and came Plek'd as standard.

Whilst there certainly is an appreciable difference in quality / fit and finish etc, there are basically three areas where you are paying for the American model:

1) Weight (Indonesian = ~10lbs vs USA = ~7.5lbs)

2) Cache of owning premium USA brand.

And the really important one, that applies to all these brands, that everybody always goes into denial about, without really properly considering it...

3) USA workforce.

Not only is there a vast difference in the cost of labour, between the USA and the far east, and Mexico (Fender's Mexican factory is practically just across the street from its USA factory, which just goes to highlight the disparity), both in terms of the individual employees, and their associated rights - or lack of - but furthermore, all three companies are based in California, which carries further responsibilities, and expenses for employers.

Very informative reply. The Indonesian Tribute JB and JB-2 are fairly heavy. The JB is a bit lighter than the JB-2. The Korean L2000 is probably closer to 7.5 pounds. The body is more contoured and less thick than the JBs. I haven't weighed any of them, so I'm guessing.
FWIW the design and mass of the G&L bridge alone is what drew me to it when I brought the Sterling back.

Seems odd that G&L might be willing to sacrifice it's Fullerton made sales against its own Indonesian made sales being the difference amongst them appears to be minimal. From just my own perspective I'd have to be pretty damn impressed to pay an additional $700-$1,000 over the price of Tribute.

 

[jdjk7]

I would guess that this has been asked before.
I've played six-string guitar for decades and a bit of bit of bass about 30 years ago. About a year ago I picked up a Sterling Stingray at a local GC. After a couple weeks I returned it and came home with a new G&L Tribute JB-2. The quality and playability of the Tribute seemed much better (IMO) compared to the Sterling.

Since then I've purchased a used 2021 Tribute JB and a 2003 Tribute L2000 (pretty sure made in Korea). On the JB and JB-2 I had the plastic nut replaced with bone. I like a straight neck so I adjusted the neck, set the saddles string height, set intonation and all are using 45-105 NYXL strings.
All three of them play consistently, no neck ski-ramp issue, frets are clean and without burrs or edges. The JB has a bit of hum when not touching the strings, but otherwise quiet when played through a solid-state amp. Basically, they sound great and play great (IMO).

Is the cost of an American made version, which is about three time more, justified?
I don't have any experience with an American G&L or American made Fenders. However, I just can't picture them being much better than these Tribute's, which seem to be excellent quality already.

G&L Tributes, in my experience handling them, are much higher quality than other comparable import brands.

 

[Grizelda100]

The G&L tributes are particularly good.

A lot of what attracted me to G&L is the bridge, tuners and the pickups, which are consistent between the USA and the tributes.

The reason I bought USA models is because I wanted some of the available options: color, ebony, blocks, binding. Now it seems way more expensive and time consuming to order these options.
I'm glad I got my three basses when I did but today, in this market, I would just get a tribute.

 

[FearNoEvil65]

I read the Tributes made by Cort Indo G&Ls aren't exactly the same as USA made, different hardware, different but similar bridges, and pickups are made in Asia from what I read, different pots and wiring also. At least that's what I've read consistently for a while on all the G&L pages and sites. Used to be certain MFD humbucker pickups were the same as USA model basses, but I've heard those in the tributes are now made in Asia also and not the same ones exactly as USA, but made to the same specs.
Is the USA made better than a Tribute? Possibly better fit and finish, or woods and paint job etc., better potentiometers, but man are the USA models costly now. Only you can decide if you can afford and want the USA models.
I will say, of 4 USA made G&L basses all bought new, on 2 the necks warped and had to be sent back to California for a neck replacement. G&L was good about it and fixed them, but what a bummer on a new bass to have to send it back and get a neck replacement.
Anyways, you can go on the G&L thread here and ask for more info
G&L Club Part 7

 

[Miles_ONeal]

All I know is 15-20 years ago, I bought a G&L Tribute Legacy (their Strat) and it was one of the sweetest FSOs I have played. Sounded snd felt great, and had a sunburst like few I’ve seen. If I still played guitar I’d not have sold it.

Epiphone basses are top notch, too. Some models want tuner upgrades, maybe a nut, but overall they’re excellent.

 

[selowitch]

I’ve played the Fullertons and the Tributes (basses and guitars) and honestly I have found that I like both a lot. The USA models are in some measure a bit nicer, but it’s generally not commensurate with the increase in cost. One can certainly invest in an American-made instrument and it won’t upset me if you do it, but it’s not really necessary.

Play what fits your budget. If you can afford luxury, buy the luxury if you wish. I happen to own a couple of USA Fenders and I enjoy them. It’s all about picking an instrument that meets your needs.

 

[dBChad]

I bought a G&L Tribute last year and it's absolutely killer. It has a scratchy volume pot, but other than that, everything about it looks, feels, and sounds quality.

I'd love to own a Fullerton model one day, but I'd keep the Tribute and upgrade the volume pot if I started playing out again. Less than helpful, I know, but G&L pretty much puts quality on anything with their name on the headstock.

 

[jfh2424]

Tribs sound exactly like USAs.

So it boils down to feel and aesthetics. And the workforce you want to support, I guess.

I’m in the minority here. I play bass for sound. Tribs are great for that.

What about you?

 

[Indiana Mike]

I’ve had both. The USA is by far more refined. They are not equal. I wish that would stop. It’s not helping someone who has to buy online.

Whether or it’s worth $2k(new) is up to you.

 

[Bright Midnight]

Got a Tribby from 2005, South Korea, a real quality bass. Sadly I never truly fell in love with it. I tried a USA version of a friend, and couldn't really vibe with it either. Apart from that, yes, the USA is better built and has a better feel, but other than that the differences are negligible imo.

 

[Heisenbass]

Tribs sound exactly like USAs.

So it boils down to feel and aesthetics. And the workforce you want to support, I guess.

I’m in the minority here. I play bass for sound. Tribs are great for that.

What about you?

Not quite. Im my experience that is. I own a 99 Fullerton L2500 and had a 2011 L2000 Tribby. The Tribby was a decent player. Noticeable differences were that it didn‘t have lightweight tuners and there were minor glitches in the paintwork (i.e. fingerboard coating). But soundwise I could never bond with it. Other than the US model, it produced lots of overtones (both basses were stringed with DR Sunbeams, BTW) I could never tame. It always sounded unpleasingly barky. So, something in the wiring must have been fundamentally different. I have enough four-bangers, so I got rid of it. But still, Tributes are among the best bang for the buck you can get.

 

[ADHD librarian]

I've got a kiloton tribute and an option order SB-2T. The tribute has the same pickups as a USA kiloton and I love it...
but the feel of the SB-2 neck is perfection!

I'm no luthier, so I can't tell you why it's a better instrument, it just is.