G&L versus Fender questions

[Brad Johnson]

It's more complicated than that with G&L. G&L distinguishes their products with patented exclusive parts such as their bridges and pickups. They aren't like so many makers out there who can change spacing by outsourcing pickups and bridges with different spacing. They'd have to make their own from scratch and that's probably what keeps them in their current zone.

Maybe someone could simply ask them?


I could easily see them modifying the saddles on the existing bridges so that probably wouldn't be that big of a deal.

With these new monorail bridges and extra wide covered Bartolinis and EMGs, other makers (e.g., Ibanez, Schecter) can change their spacing all they want just by changing where they drill the holes for the monorail bridges. G&L would have to design and cast a brand new bridge. Cost per unit would be significantly higher than for their current 4- and 5-string Saddle Lock bridges because the sales potential would be low and startup costs high.

The sales potential would be low? Why?

Ditto for pickups. They make their own, which have exposed adjustable pole pieces. They would have to design new neck and bridge pickups from scratch with new tooling, again with a long expensive amortization period and low expectations on return on investment.

I already mentioned pickups, if anything that would likely be the biggest expense (though how big is an unknown). As far as low expectations, I'll wait to see how you came to that conclusion.

G&L isn't known as a 5-string thumb-popper's bass maker the way Warwick, Ibanez, and other brands are.

Maybe that's because they don't make a bass that's comfortable for that use with many players. The other brands smelled the coffee, so could G&L.

And there's always the chance that by the time they develop the new designs and parts and spend the money, the trend for wider spaced strings could die out. Look at how many guitar companies boomed during the shred period (Hamer, Kramer, BC Rich, Dean, Charvel, Jackson) and have had to regroup when shred lost its market share.

Two completely different things. I have no doubt that wide spacing is the farthest thing from a fad imaginable. You're comparing a guitar fad with a physically limiting component of a bass.


Unless bassists (and people in general) get smaller. I don't see that happening anytime soon either. Wide spacing has been desirable by many bassists since five and up strings came to be well over twenty years ago. It was a common complaint early on and savvy companies actually paid attention to it. Eventually. The glut of custom builders who base five string spacing is 19mm bears that out.

 

[Btbp]

I thought the curse was having to answer the question, "what's with the weird headstock"?

My feelings exactly. Found this thread from a Lakland thread where Spiritfield posted, and liked the bass in his avatar so read some of his (quite useful) posts.

My first real bass was a brand new white maple neck P-bass, bought around '75, shouldn't have sold it but wanted that bridge pickup. So traded it in for a mid-70s J bass. This must have been around '78-'79 when I was getting into Weather Report and other fusion bands.

I traded my J-bass in on a brand new L-1000 in '81 or 82. Was beautiful pristine white, maple neck. Lent it once to some guy who was the bassist in my friend's band, and it came back with a big, nasty chip on the top. I wanted to kill him and the John Wetton UK-era virginal white P-bass mystique look was lost for me.

When I moved to Japan in '90 I replaced the neck with a Moon J-neck with ebony fingerboard. Also put the same neck but fretless on my P-bass Lyte. I have small hands and prefer the closer spacing, plus prefer a warmer sound than maple. Love those necks.

Still have thoses bass today, and love them both, though the Lyte/Moon never quite resonated enough for my liking (not sure what the body is made of but it's painted and I think too light of a wood), though it does really sing and the body size and shape really work for me. The G&L/Moon is my swamp bass. Simple, full, funky. My main bass for decades.

I never liked the headstock on G&Ls, less so when they introduced the points. Pure aesthetics but it was always my feeling and it's never changed. Love the Fender and Lakland headstock look.

Seeing some of these posts makes me want to consider another G&L, if I can get another Moon neck for it. But I live in Singapore now so it's not like the shop is a few train stops away....

New to this thread so will look around some more...keen to see more pics.

 

[Btbp]

Forgot to mention my main point - that I think G&L would have sold a lot more basses, maybe even guitars, if it weren't for that headstock. On this point I'm totally in agreement with Dan Lakin when he talks aesthetics about great basses like Warwicks and Spectors.

But again, this is one person's opinion....

 

[shaboda]

my drummer told me regarding my g&l's: "you can never go wrong with an arsenal of those".... and i couldnt agree more.


.......question: why all the headstock hate?

 

[Btbp]

hate's too strong a word from my perspective, it's just a preference, like color, finish, shape, etc. and a show-stopper for some of us

 

[Aspidites]

It is probably my fave headstock of all time.

 

[GeneralElectric]

It'll poke your eye out!

 

[theavondon]

G&L's are siiiiiiiiiiick. I honestly find myself looking at used G&L's when I have free time, but I don't want to ever pull the trigger because it would cause me to play the one I already own less, and I love it too much to do that to it. Far too much.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

I've posted this before, but I owned several early G&L's, a few with the black crinkle-finish hardware, and always found the ones with the bi-cut necks (no skunk stripe) the most comfortable.

I had a later G&L with a rosewood board and a skunk stripe, the neck was much meatier than my other G&L's... so I'm always looking out for those bi-cut necked ones.

 

[Btbp]

Speaking of G&Ls, I just found this, while checking out things out of course:

The Man, Mr. George Porter, on an G&L, not with his trusty P-bass.

Nobody out funks George

 

[Btbp]

I'm wondering if I should sell my '81 L-1000 maple neck, I'm not using it and don't plan to, last I saw it it was in good condition.

It's been so long I'm not sure if it's actually rosewood.....

 

[theavondon]

I'm wondering if I should sell my '81 L-1000 maple neck, I'm not using it and don't plan to, last I saw it it was in good condition.

It's been so long I'm not sure if it's actually rosewood.....

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!



Or, wait, how much?

 

[Agito]

I want a white and maple L-2000 or L-2500, though I never heard them and I don't know when I can get to the shop they are located in Israel...

 

[ljazz]

I've got 3 G&L's ('87 SB1, '02 SB2, '02 L2K), and 2 Fenders ('92 MIA J, '08 MIA P).

All of them work for me (well, the sb2 neck is not my favorite, so it doesn't get much play time). But the '08 P and '92 J (boner bass) are both really special to me. The P comes in just under 8 pounds, and when I do play the SB1, I find myself backing it off so that it sounds like a traditional P. So, it's really a no brainer when I'm gigging with a P bass..... the Fender goes with me.... it's just darned comfortable, and sounds fantastic. The J sounds beautiful, and was my primary player for about 15 years..... you can string it up with dog poo, and it would setup, play and sound wonderful.....tough to put that one away.

If I had to start selling stuff off, the SB2 and L2K would be the first ones to go.