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G&L vs. Tribute necks question

#23
Ken Baker said:
I think so.



High praise indeed. EBMM 'Rays are very good basses.



US. No fretless Tribs.

Ken...
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High praise when it's due. I bought the bass without trying it first, purely based on reviews and the stunning pictures the previous owner posted (beautiful grain on that ash body, matches my Stingray nicely :smug:) and I was amazed when I received it.

I nearly pulled the trigger on a US fretless... but it was cherry sunburst, and that's about my least favourite finish (call me vain ;))
One day...

G&L don't seem to get the love other brands do, like MusicMan and Fender, but if their "second tier" instruments are this good... can't wait to get my hands on the "real" stuff.
Those MFD pickups are sweet.

here's my baby

GL_L2500.gif
 
#24
chadhargis said:
The range of tones you can get out of a G&L is amazing. It's like a crazy skitzo bass....multiple personalities. :)
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yeah, it can be a bit daunting at first too, with all the switches in the L2500/L2000... but soon it becomes very useful and intuitive.

I tend to use my bridge pickup, set in parallel, and passive... so those are the three switches set. Then tone controls are about 80% open, or maybe the bass one fully open. So that's my basic tone.

parallel vs series? I rarely touch that. Need extra volume and "girth? switch to series... but I like the parallel sound better, so this is rarely used.

passive/active? I play passive most of the time. For a bit of extra oomph, switch to active (middle position). For extra high frequency "clank", move switch further to the active + high boost. Moving between these three positions is simple and intuitive.

Then, the pickup selector as usual. For me mostly on bridge... but when less definition and more fat is required, the neck pickup gives you a P-territory type of sound (of a P-bass that ate all the doughnuts), whilst the both-pickups-on position has the usual scooped sound.

The tone controls I don't use much, the bass one stays fully or nearly fully open. I may back it down a bit if playing on the neck pickup. The treble one stays nearly fully open... turn one way to get a bit more treble, and turn the other way to make the sound more nasal/mids rich, which allows you to cut through even better...

It seems complicated at first, but if you really start playing with it, in no time all the combinations become second nature and you learn to get those basic 3 tones you want easily.
 
#25
steamthief said:
I played an ASAT a month or two ago with a #8 neck and it really felt good - width of a Jazz neck, but thicker and more substantial.

A couple of weeks ago I tried a Tribute SB-2, and the neck felt all wrong. Maybe a little narrower, although I thought it was also 1.5" wide at the nut, but really, uncomfortably thin.

Do the MIA #8 necks have different dimensions, thickness or depth-wise, as a Tribute Jazz-width neck?
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I've recently found that not all USA G&L #8 necks are created equal. The ASAT neck you describe, with Jazz nut width but thicker rear profile, matches my 2007 USA SB-2 and the 2006 L-1500 I used to have. However, my new USA JB has a thinner rear profile, and feels different. I've encountered a 2010 USA SB-2 in a shop like this too, so I suspect G&L has shaved down the #8 to feel more like a typical Jazz neck. I love my JB, but prefer the "classic" #8 on my SB-2. It's just about perfect IMO.

I believe the recent Tribute JB-2 and SB-2 I've tried also have the thinner rear profile, which matches your experience. The Tribby JB-2 felt darned close to my USA JB.
 

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