FWIW, I bought an '08 Trib L2500 off Fleabay last year.
The major difference I could tell between USA vs Indo was the fit and finish.
The generic tuners on the Indo are definitely not up to par with USA. This is most evident on the L2500 b\c, in my experience, they add unnecessary weight to the stubby headstock and affects overall balance. It's not Thunderbird neck heavy, but it's enough to be annoying if you're not using a good strap. I did not experience this with the USA L2500 I played at a shop. It balanced just fine without any threat of neck dive. I can only guess it's the difference between generic tuners vs the Hipshot tuners (aluminum posts) on the USA. I bought a set of Hipshot Ultralites and found a significant difference in wght of a single Hipshot vs a single generic. I ended up not installing them for fear of affecting the tone, sustain or dead spots due to the significant wght\mass difference.
I have no experience with the durability of the USA G&L's, but my Tribby has a unique and bizarre (to me) issue that I've never experienced with my other active basses (Stingrays). The shielding\case (whatever you call it) on one of the capacitors is cracked. This causes it to cut out if the bass is moved or bumped. I literally have to 'spank' it to make it work when it cuts out. I have no idea how it cracked. Perhaps it's from the cramped, rat's nest that is the control cavity? Somehow damaged during shipping? Who knows. Started happening about a month after I received the bass and put it in the regular rehearsal\gig rotation.
I haven't gotten around to replacing it or getting it replaced. Not sure if it's worth it since the bass only cost me $450. Plus my flirtation with 5 string is over and I don't gig with the bass after it cut out on me in the middle of a set once.
So in that aspect, I'd suspect like in typical cases of USA vs offshore products, perhaps the components in the USA basses are better quality? I don't know anything about component manufacturing, just guessing.
All that said, my Tribby plays very smoothly after a pro setup and when it works, it sounds very good!
The major difference I could tell between USA vs Indo was the fit and finish.
The generic tuners on the Indo are definitely not up to par with USA. This is most evident on the L2500 b\c, in my experience, they add unnecessary weight to the stubby headstock and affects overall balance. It's not Thunderbird neck heavy, but it's enough to be annoying if you're not using a good strap. I did not experience this with the USA L2500 I played at a shop. It balanced just fine without any threat of neck dive. I can only guess it's the difference between generic tuners vs the Hipshot tuners (aluminum posts) on the USA. I bought a set of Hipshot Ultralites and found a significant difference in wght of a single Hipshot vs a single generic. I ended up not installing them for fear of affecting the tone, sustain or dead spots due to the significant wght\mass difference.
I have no experience with the durability of the USA G&L's, but my Tribby has a unique and bizarre (to me) issue that I've never experienced with my other active basses (Stingrays). The shielding\case (whatever you call it) on one of the capacitors is cracked. This causes it to cut out if the bass is moved or bumped. I literally have to 'spank' it to make it work when it cuts out. I have no idea how it cracked. Perhaps it's from the cramped, rat's nest that is the control cavity? Somehow damaged during shipping? Who knows. Started happening about a month after I received the bass and put it in the regular rehearsal\gig rotation.
I haven't gotten around to replacing it or getting it replaced. Not sure if it's worth it since the bass only cost me $450. Plus my flirtation with 5 string is over and I don't gig with the bass after it cut out on me in the middle of a set once.
So in that aspect, I'd suspect like in typical cases of USA vs offshore products, perhaps the components in the USA basses are better quality? I don't know anything about component manufacturing, just guessing.
All that said, my Tribby plays very smoothly after a pro setup and when it works, it sounds very good!
