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Musicman Stingray or G&L L2000

Which would you recommend?

  • Total voters
    276
  • Poll closed .
#41
This much too a subjective issue to be black or white. What I think is interesting is the price-point / manufacturing similarities between modern G & L and Music Man. BOTH companies wanted to have a lower price-point option, both went to Asian out-sourcing to achieve that. And (only opinion obviously) both have issues with their lower priced models hurting their MIA-higher quality sales.
I'm not sure if G&L offered a lower-priced MIA option but MM did and the SUB may have been discontinued due to a pinch into the StingRay's sales. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if the Tribute was pulled after a few years if it DID hurt the G&L MIA sales.

If you like them (Trib's) I would grab one NOW.
 
#42
StrangerDanger said:
The L-2000 is obviously more versatile tone wise but the Tribute L-2000 has a baseball bat neck so if thats a concern then maybe the MM. I recently tried the Ray 34 Classic at Scam Ash and it sounded and played great for about the same price as a Tribute L2K.
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First of all, the Tribute L2000 has a very flattened oval neck. It's not baseball bat like at all. It more than makes up for the slightly wider neck profile(compared to a Jazz) and is a dream to play. The neck on a Stingray isn't that much differant than the Tribute L2000. Warwick's are like a baseball bat! Secondly, when comparing the two offshore made basses from each company(Tribute vs. Ray 34), the Tribute is much better. I own both basses and love them, but the L2000 is more versatile.
 
#44
eff-clef said:
First of all, the Tribute L2000 has a very flattened oval neck. It's not baseball bat like at all. It more than makes up for the slightly wider neck profile(compared to a Jazz) and is a dream to play. The neck on a Stingray isn't that much differant than the Tribute L2000. Warwick's are like a baseball bat! Secondly, when comparing the two offshore made basses from each company(Tribute vs. Ray 34), the Tribute is much better. I own both basses and love them, but the L2000 is more versatile.
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The thickness is the same for both the L2k and the SB2, which is to say that they are both pretty thick compared to say, a modern Fender. The L2K is a full quarter inch larger at the nut however than a jazz. What you're describing is how I would describe the neck of a 57 RI p bass not the trib L2k. I'm not saying it's a bad thing. I'm saying it's big and thick And the ray34 was much easier to get around on. That's all.

They're both great basses.
 
#47
Gomeztool said:
G&L are very flexible and have many tones but none that jump at you as "that's a G&L". It's like two or three okay tones and many bland ones.
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For me, they have a character that is very distinct from a J/P/MM. Its sound has some kind of fullness and aggressiveness that makes it a G&L.

You can set it in a way that it reminds you of a J/P/MM but the MFD tone is still there and that is why it doesn't really sound like any of those.
 
#49
Popbumper said:
So, I'm an old guy who has GAS, absolutely is LOVING the bass as he learns, digs the Fender sound but needs a better instrument to hone skills.
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If you're mostly rooted in the Fender sound, then IMO you should lean toward G&L. The L-2000 does its own thing, but in passive mode captures a more raw, vintage vibe than any EBMM bass IMO. With the L-2000, ol' Leo did a masterful job splitting the difference between vintage passive basses and modern active basses, and EBMM basses are firmly on the modern active side. Now, an HH 'Ray with both pickups split sounds a little like a Jazz bass, but a modern, active Jazz bass. The Sterling HS on the neck pickup sounds surprisingly similar to a P-bass IMO (and is an awesome bass overall), but even so a G&L can get a little more old school.

Also, the modern Tributes are excellent. Don't shy away from them at all. I play USA Fender and G&L basses, and IMO the current Tributes are amazingly close for the price. They're a good value, even bought new.
 
#50
Went out at lunchtime today to local GC and played a used G&L L-1500. Pretty much seals it for me, the poll here shows a slight edge of EBMM over G&L, but I gotta tell you, even sitting down and playing the 1500 for 30 minutes was a REAL pleasure. It just has that smooth, warm, rich tone and excellent action I am looking for. I think G&L is going to be my choice, after much test driving.

Thanks for everyone's participation. Now to find one (the GC unit was a transparent white, used instrument for $899. Maybe I need to walk in with $700 cash and make an offer).

Chris
 
#60
On resale i think the value of mm is dropping lately. I had a heck of a time trying to sell my sr5. 800ish offers were the best i got. The market is simply saturated with ebmm basses and buyers can take their pick of the lot. They are everywhere plus every other one is ltd so good luck selling if yours isnt.

Otoh i think more and more players are getting wise to the great value on used g&ls and their resale is slowly climbing. Plus they are much rarer. The used value gap between the two is definitely shrinking though ebmm is definitely better.
 

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