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help on alternative to G&L2500

tcydennis

tcydennis

Jun 27, 2007
56
5
#1
My church owns a G&L2500 (USA made, not tribute), and I play it often through a nice trace elliot combo. The G&L2500 is a powerful bass, with heavy tones full and punchy. I really like its tone.

The problem is I'm Asian and I have small hands and thin fingers. The G&L2500 has too wide a neck width to my liking. I personally own a yamaha RBX765 which i find to have a very comfortable neck for me.

Any good recommendations for a close alternative to the G&L2500 but with a narrower & more comfortable neck? I prefer a 5 stringer to a 4, with a budget close to US$800 on the resale market.

(I have practically no experience trying out different basses. I have never tried a fender deluxe jazz or precision, but from youtube clips, it seems to me that the js and ps are slighty too thin sounding to my liking. If like the tone of the G&L2500, would it mean that I would prefer humbuckers to single coils basses?)
 
#3
Maybe Ibanez is for you. The slim necks on the SR & SRX series are a bit snug for me (I'm a G&L man) but it just might might be what you're looking for.

Consider
SR505 (poor man's Warwick),
or SR905 (poor man's Spector?),
or SR 655 (haven't tried).

For a more aggressive G&L-ish vibe minus the hefty neck, the SRX's are outfitted with powerful humbuckers:

SRX 655
SRX 705

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
r
 
#4
dgce said:
Maybe Ibanez is for you. The slim necks on the SR & SRX series are a bit snug for me (I'm a G&L man) but it just might might be what you're looking for.

Consider
SR505 (poor man's Warwick),
or SR905 (poor man's Spector?),
or SR 655 (haven't tried).

For a more aggressive G&L-ish vibe minus the hefty neck, the SRX's are outfitted with powerful humbuckers:

SRX 655
SRX 705

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
r
Click to expand...

+1 for the srx, it would be a really good replacement since they are offered with an ash body.
 
#6
Come to think of it, Schecter Stilettos have pretty good bang for the buck with a narrow fingerboard. I'm partial to the Studio (neck-thru) and Custom (bolt-on) models. Both have sexy-smooth oil/matte finishes.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#7
IMO there is no 5-string substitute for the L-2500, but a couple 5ers with tight spacing that I like are the G&L L-5000 and the '90s USA Hamer Criuse Bass. The L-5000 is definitely a different take on the MFD tone, but it still has tons of attitude like the L-2500, albeit with much less versatility.
 
#8
vroc38 said:
IMO there is no 5-string substitute for the L-2500, but a couple 5ers with tight spacing that I like are the G&L L-5000 and the '90s USA Hamer Criuse Bass. The L-5000 is definitely a different take on the MFD tone, but it still has tons of attitude like the L-2500, albeit with much less versatility.
Click to expand...

Yes! How could I forget about the L-5000. But the hitch is that they're not always easy to find. On the other hand I've heard the necks were fairly heafty despite the tight string spacing. In fact, I might have read about that somewhere on TB in the past. But to be fair, I've never actually tried one.
 
#10
Trying to match the tone and power of MFD humbuckers is a tall order indeed. The only bass I've played that's a potentially viable substitute is the ESP Surveyor 400, which has really hard-hitting EMG pickups that remind me of MFD's. It's available in a five string version (405) that looks to have a skinny Ibanez-type neck, but I've never tried one. You should look around for one though, because I think the tone will work.
 
#11
Gee, never really heard someone call the SR series basses a "poor mans Warwick" and a "poor mans Spector".

The SR505 is a poor mans Warwick because it has a wenge neck?
The SR905 is a poor mans Spector because... wait, what is so Spectorish about the 905?

Almost 21 years and going strong. I don't see the SR series as a bunch of copies.
 
#12
ROON said:
Gee, never really heard someone call the SR series basses a "poor mans Warwick" and a "poor mans Spector".

The SR505 is a poor mans Warwick because it has a wenge neck?
The SR905 is a poor mans Spector because... wait, what is so Spectorish about the 905?

Almost 21 years and going strong. I don't see the SR series as a bunch of copies.
Click to expand...

I was really commenting on aesthetic more than anything else. The SR 505’s wenge-bubinga combo neck, and oil finish give it a more organic, Warwick-like sensibility though clearly not a Warwick. The SR 905’s flame top and finish made me think of higher-end Spectors that regular people can afford hence the comment. Actually I tried a SR 900 (4 string) in transparent black a couple of years ago. Wow! That bass was stunningly beautiful that felt wonderful to play. Pity, I didn’t have enough time to hang out and plug her in.

Anywho, I wasn’t knocking the SR Series. I think the 900/5 & 500/5 are real winners; just a bit snug in the finger spacing department for my taste. However given tcydennis’ dilemma, I thought these two basses my fit the bill for him quite nicely.

r
 
#14
dgce said:
Maybe Ibanez is for you. The slim necks on the SR & SRX series are a bit snug for me (I'm a G&L man) but it just might might be what you're looking for.

Consider
SR505 (poor man's Warwick),
or SR905 (poor man's Spector?),
or SR 655 (haven't tried).

For a more aggressive G&L-ish vibe minus the hefty neck, the SRX's are outfitted with powerful humbuckers:

SRX 655
SRX 705

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
r
Click to expand...


How do the bartolinis on the SR series (even the prestige models) compare with the humbuckers on the SRX? I presume the humbuckers on the SRX would be closer to the MFD humbuckers on G&L?

what about the BTB1205?
 
#15
I've never tried the Bart equipped Ibanez and compared it directly to a G&L. Off hand, I'd say the G&L’s pickups are more powerful. However I've tried a Bart equipped SR side by side with an older SRX and wow, those little humbuckers on the SRX are no joke. Of the two, I'd say the SRX's pickups come closer to approximating the G&L as far as output goes. But I will say, I really did like the tone of the SR quite a lot. The SRX was REALLY in your face almost to a fault at least for what I do.

As for the Ibanez BTBs, I've tried a few models in the past and really liked them. However I suspect this might be the right fit for tcydennis as the BTBs sports wider finger spacing and a 35" scale. Great for me but not well suited for smaller hands.

r
 
#16
dgce said:
I've never tried the Bart equipped Ibanez and compared it directly to a G&L. Off hand, I'd say the G&L’s pickups are more powerful. However I've tried a Bart equipped SR side by side with an older SRX and wow, those little humbuckers on the SRX are no joke. Of the two, I'd say the SRX's pickups come closer to approximating the G&L as far as output goes. But I will say, I really did like the tone of the SR quite a lot. The SRX was REALLY in your face almost to a fault at least for what I do.

As for the Ibanez BTBs, I've tried a few models in the past and really liked them. However I suspect this might be the right fit for tcydennis as the BTBs sports wider finger spacing and a 35" scale. Great for me but not well suited for smaller hands.

r
Click to expand...


thanks dgce... u are really helpful. i will go try out these Ibanez basses. I guessed you meant that BTBs
might "NOT" be the right fit for tcydennis as the BTBs sports wider finger spacing and a 35" scale.
 
#18
Alright this is my neck of the woods!

If you can settle for a 4 string. You are best suited to find an ASAT or an L2000 with the jazz neck. I have two L2000's, one with a #6 neck, one with a #7, and the difference is absolutely huge. The jazz neck is perfect for you, and you already like the tone. If you can live without the low B, that's your move.

If you want a 5 string and have your heart set on it, go for a EBMM Bongo. I bought one in 5 string to see if I wanted to switch from G&L and go with a slimmer neck. I noticed right away with the Bongo that the string spacing was dramatically tighter. I liked the feel of it, it had good tone and satisfied me with it's 18v preamp. It will NOT sound like an L2500 in any way. It will give you a tighter less organic sounding tone. I ended up buying my second G&L based on me liking the tighter string spacing on the Bongo, but the Bongo is being sold!

When I first bought my L2000, it was up in the air between it and the SR900, so yeah, check the 5 string version of it out. Pretty good preamp. It's a very small, very light, very fast playing bass. Personally the reason I'm getting rid of the bongo is although the neck feels good, the body is way too big for me.
 
#19
I own an ASAT bass. Agreed, the J-style neck is quite different than the stock P-neck of a L2000 and far more user friendly. Were he not looking for 5 string, I would have suggested a used ASAT or perhaps a G&L SB-2 (also fitted with a J neck). I think the Tribute SB-2s have pretty good bang for the buck too. As for the MM Bongo, I thought even used you couldn't score one around $800, especially a 5! If that is the case, heck, I'll buy one!

r
 

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