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G&L ruined my life!

carlos840

carlos840

May 27, 2008
1,887
142
Down in the middle somewhere.
#1
Ok, so here it goes...
I used to swear only by the jazz bass, i own a 1966 Olympic white matching headstock that is a beauty and a new 08 jazz.
A few months ago i bought a G&L SB2 and fell in love with it leaving my fenders in their cases for a while.
Took the two jazz out to rehearsal twice this last week and it just doesnt sound right its just missing something that the SB2 has!
I am now in a situation where playing my jazz in a full band situation really frustrates me because i cant get the power i get from the G&L it just sounds thin whatever i try...
I dont know what to think or do, should i just get used to the Jazz again, am i in fact a Pbass man i denial, is it just the magic of the SB2?
Im lost...

By "ruined my life" i mean destroyed everything i believed in!
Dont want to be stoned by people taking it literally!
 

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#2
That's a beautful SB2. Ok, ALL those basses are beautiful to me!

Eh - what can you do? Play your G&L if you like it. Maybe at some point you'll pull out your Jazz bass and fall in love with the "new" sound.

Just b/c a bass sounds different, doesn't make it a bad thing. Just think of your Jazz bass as having a different sonic quality that you can use on certain songs, and the SB2 has certain qualities that lend itself to other songs.
 
#10
My Sadowskys killed the joy of playing my 1974 P and the 60th Anni MIA Jazz I owned a few years back. I sold the Jazz but was smart enough to keep the '74 P. It might not get played that much, but I still drag it out to recording sessions and Blues gigs and am soooo glad I kept it!

I'm sure something else will come up down the road that I will likelt better too, but there is nothing IMO like owning old Fenders!
 
#11
i used to be a jazz guy myself. then i got that chunky p bass sound in my blood and i had to get one. the jazz sounds like a toy to me now...i just can't get used to the sound.

i would love to have an SB2.
 
#12
Well, I just have 5 basses, 2 J's (one fretless), a Hamer Chaparral (P-type), and 2 Gibson (both with humbuckers, one active, one passive) they all sound different, and it happens that some rest in their cases for longer time than others. But I always come back to those that get fewer playtime.
 
#15
I definitely know what you mean about the SB-2's power, because it's sinfully addictive. And oh yeah, the tone rules.

But mine didn't dim my love for Jazz basses at all. Instead, it leap-frogged over my Precision and my other G&L, an L-1500, which are closer tonal relatives to the SB-2.

As a result, I almost exclusively play my SB-2 and my two Jazz basses (four and five string). The SB-2 hits much harder, of course, but my Jazzes are fantastic, and sound especially righteous through my G-K rig. The SB-2 and J's are a perfect team, and I really don't need anything else.
 
#16
Wow, that's kinda lame. Are you only in the 1 band? Chances are you'll find something where one of the Jazzes is alot more fitting at some point so don't worry about it, I was very frustrated when I came to the conclusion that my Fender Bullet's pickups compress too easily to play hard rock with and still give a nice open sound that I like to play hard rock with.

However, recently the acoustic part of the band started playing some not so acoustic stuff, with one of the guys switching to a very lightly driven strat and my bullet is perfect for those songs. I'd have never sold it but it's real nice to have a use for it, and I can think of loads of other stuff that I'd be great for that'd I'd be well up for doing like maybe some random soul band or god knows what, it has a sound that's very suiting to alot of things, just not my main band, so it's nice to have it. Also it's an excuse to try out flats for the first time ever (that weren't on a really horrible bass that is).

Can understand the frustration, but just try not to look at it as what is your "best" bass, and just try to look at all of your basses for their merits.
 
#17
One thing I have been learning. Leo Fender kicked @$$, no matter what name was on it. Fender, Music Man, G&L all of them are worth owning and keeping. Just the other day I was saying "no matter what my next bass is, it will be a fender design or a clone of one" Not that I can afford boutique right now. I would like to get a G&L 2500, I just have to wait a little long.
 
#19
I've been playing a P/J Precision for 15+ years and just bought a Jazz- it's got a whole different sound that I'm looking forward to exploring. IIRC though, the SB2 has the same thin neck as a Jazz so you don't have to get used to a new neck... for me, that was almost as big a deal as the sound! I'm sure you'll find uses for all your basses though- variety is the spice of life, after all.
 
#20
I've got a 65 Jazz that was my main bass for a few years before getting my L-2000.

My L-2000 was my main "live" bass for years. This is still before my refinned Jazz was actually "collectable" in my eyes.

What I did is evaluated what the Jazz did better than the G&L. My Jazz records so much better than the L-2000. Not that the G&L records bad, it's much more focused and aggressive than the Jazz- and it just sits better in the mix. The Jazz is a great bass, it just does things different than the G&L.
 

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