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G&L vs. Music Man

Stingray or L-2000

  • Total voters
    368
#22
Joe.shaffer said:
Neck profile isn't really an issue to me. I've been playing 5 and 6 for the past few years, so yeah really any 4 feels somewhat thin to me. Except a Warwick I tried with some sort of crazy wide spacing option.:eyebrow:
Click to expand...

Actually, I was referring to front-to-back profile...
 
#28
After much thought and dreaming, I have made a choice. I'll be picking up a G&L L-2000 in the tobacco burst. Versatility has won this round. I expect to add a Stingray to my collection before the end of the year though! God, I have horribly expensive taste.:help:
 
#29
Other than those pretty hard to find pre-Ernie Ball models, I've never liked the Stingray's tone. Though, it's hard to beat what Tony Levin does with them. Leo called the G&Ls the best instruments he ever made. Maybe it was just a marketing ploy, but they are pretty well built and versatile.
 
#31
I have had 4 or 5 Stingrays and 2 GLs in the past. I would prefer all the time the Stingray, even with a single humbucker. While GL does have great versatility, the Stingray is a knife in the mix. Just ingenious. With even one pickup you can reach quite different sounds developing your fingering technique a bit. When it is slapping, Stingray is one of the best basses on Earth. The neck is much more comfortable. It has more character, actually I think GL does not have a real character.
The only thing about Stingrays that you should not buy it without playing the one. They are made of different woods, the quality can be very different, the weight can be very different, the sound and bite can be very different too. Make sure you try it before you buy it.
 
#32
As I own and like both, I think I need to say something here. The point is, they're very different and can't sound at all like each other. If you want to be heard, use a Stingray. Most of the time though, I take the L2K to make those pillowy lows you can feel rather than hear in a mix, that a Stingray just can't produce. And that's just one quality of the L2K...

As someone said earlier, you can't beat an L2K in a band setting; it just always works, where a Stingray sometimes doesn't (for me).
 
#34
FWI, in case it hasn't been metioned, the G&L can be ordered with 4 different neck profiles so the neck size isn't an issue if you are ordering new. The default on an L2000 is a baseball bat but G&L's number 8 neck (more jazz sized) is the finest neck profile devised by the mind of man. :D
 
#35
I am a MM fan from WAAAAAYYYYY back. But be advised that Ernie Ball has some weird policies about servicing their instruments. I had a preamp go out on my Stingray back in the 80's. I didn't have the money to replace it, so I swapped the electronics out with my Cutlass I (I never used it). Fast forward 2 decades... I'm not starving anymore and I'm trying to get all my instruments back in playing condition. EB would not even talk to me about replacing the preamp unless I returned the old one (it has long been lost). I understand proprietary parts and all that, but I offered to send the bass to them so that THEY could do the work... no go. Adding to my frustration is the fact that I don't think they even use the 2 band preamp anymore!!! It just seems like an odd policy for a company making mass produced instruments. Fortunately, the preamps are a simple design and I was able to get an exact duplicate from a 3rd party. The flip side of this business model is a company like Alembic: their electronics really are unique, but they will be glad to sell you whatever you want. Sorry... I'm still pissed.
 
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#36
Why do people worry and fret(pun intended) about which one is cooler?Im all about the sound,feel,versatility and value.IMO the l2000 is a far more versatile bass.If you are going to slap and pop EVERY SINGLE NOTE,go with the Ray.screw the cool factor ,ive been playing for over 30 years.A bass could be skybluepink with puke on it .If it plays and sounds good,im there!
 
#38
Joe, I'm glad you chose the L2000. I've been pounding on the same 3-bolt, Swamp Ash bulldozer since 1988 and it's never, ever let me down in terms of tonal versatility, playability, durability, and "cut-through-the-mix-ness".

I had a 5-string Music Man in the mid-90s. While the neck was a bit flatter and easier to play than on the L2000, it really did seem like a "one-tone pony" (as stated here and elsewhere...). It's a good tone, but it doesn't fit in some situations. Shortly after getting the bass, the electronics started to randomly fail (a good smack on the body would SOMETIMES bring the sound back), and my guitar tech was unable to find the problem, so I sold it.

Again, congrats on choosing the G&L. In my opinion, it really is the pinnacle of Leo Fender's bass designs.
 

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