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NBD... 1981 G&L L-1000

#21
Ebony and maple, no special orders. Ebony was one of the selling points. However, G&L changed it to rosewood after a year or do (don't recall exactly)without telling dealers until after they shipped instruments with rosewood boards. And the price was the same.

As much as I like these early L series (and the original F and G series guitars), the administration and management of the company was awful. They made being a Gibson dealer look pleasant.
 
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#22
davelowell2 said:
Not really it just doesn’t show up in the photo. It’s been around and shows it’s age in person. You have the OHSC case, I wish I did. Mine came with the “student” model case, I believe it was called.

Here’s my neck and body markings. Super early.
View attachment 3550468 View attachment 3550469 View attachment 3550470
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I want to say my L1000 had a serial number in the low 300's. I know I bought it towards the end of 1980 because it was my junior year in college.
 
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#23
JRA said:
;) yep!

i hope a couple of the OPs of a few current threads read/look at your thread --- they seem to be 'all in' on the fender thing without even looking at other options for a simple ax which delivers. i think you've found a great instrument --- and a great looking ax at that! congratulations on your new instrument! :thumbsup:
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I've owned dozens of fenders, mostly custom shop and vintage. Some of them are great instruments, some aren't. Vintage doesn't always equal good quality. Precbs doesn't either, although a good one is often VERY good and magical.
I had wanted an old g&l for a long time and I am so impressed. I can't believe people would pay much more money for a late seventies fender than for one of these early g&l. The quality gap is insane. Some day theses will be the new holy grials :)
 
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#24
FYI, if the preamp ever dies, or you want to change to active, G&L still sells an improved version of the original preamp, Mine got fried due to ill considered tinkering on my part (less said the better), so I bought two never installed boards from another TB’er for $ 25. Mine has a brass plate as a big star ground and shielding for the whole bottom of the control panel, really impressive (and complex) wiring job in there.
 
#26
drums1977 said:
Does any of you own the L2000 too? And in that case, how does the tone of both models compare? Thanks!
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My L2000 was a first year.

I have always had two pckups.

That bass was stolen and it was my favorite. It was also pretty broken in as I was working at a music store and it was owned by a regular customer and taken in on trade for a new one.

The store owner offered it to me for $100.00 in 1994. Case was held together with a belt. I started to say "no" and then he threw in a new set of strings. That clinched the deal.

Mine was white with a rosewood? board and finish checking was everywhere.

Looking for another.
 
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#27
drums1977 said:
According to the 1981 g&l catalogue, ebony and maple were the standard options back then. It seems like rosewood was not in the picture back then, although I suppose you could custom order it to the factory. I prefer ebony over rosewood any day of the week.
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My '81 is rosewood; not a special order. I had it refretted a few years ago so it's good for another thirty years!
 
#29
Spupilup said:
I want to say my L1000 had a serial number in the low 300's. I know I bought it towards the end of 1980 because it was my junior year in college.
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I don’t know if it’s true but I seem to remember reading somewhere that serial numbers started with 500. As in BOOO500.
 
#30
davelowell2 said:
I don’t know if it’s true but I seem to remember reading somewhere that serial numbers started with 500. As in BOOO500.
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Could very well be. 1980 was a long time ago. For some reason 300 something was a number that seemed to be what I remember but I could easily be wrong. I do know it was late 1980 because that was the first time I didn’t go home for Christmas. I wish I could remember the dealer in St. Louis I bought the bass from. I just remember buying a bass was the last thing on my mind when I went into that shop. A minute after I started playing that L1000 my mind was racing to figure out how I was going to pay for it.
 
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#31
Paul Bechtold wrote a book about the early history of G&L which I imagine is quite rare. In it he stated that the first 500 G@L serial numbers were set aside for “special issue” instruments, but didn’t provide more explanation. This thread has the lowest serial number I’ve ever seen on one - my December 1980 L-1000 is in the 001390’s. ...and it looks identical!
 
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#32
TomB said:
Paul Bechtold wrote a book about the early history of G&L which I imagine is quite rare. In it he stated that I the first 500 G@L serial numbers were set aside for “special issue” instruments without more e.xplanation. This thread has the lowest serial number I’ve seen on one - my late 1980 L-1000 is in the 001390’s.
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Any idea what were the production amounts of the early years? Did they make a lot of them? Not many turn up in the classifieds.
 
#34
I’ll see if I can dig up the Bechtold book. I think it lists early-year production numbers, but am not sure he separates guitars from basses. Also, there are a lot of G&L experts on the dedicated G&L site - I don't have the link handy, but someone on this thread might.
 
#40
It’s funny, I only started playing guitar and bass a few years ago but every once in awhile I’d check eBay to see if a transparent electric blue L1000 with the original headstock was up for sale. I’ve yet to see one exactly like what I once had. The only solace I get from selling that bass is I sold it to someone who had actually seen it in the store around the same time I did. I was able to come up with the money to buy it before he did. When I put the bass up for sale, the guy suspected it might be the bass he missed out on. It was! He told me the story when he came to check it out. I felt like I was turning it over to someone who would really take care of it. So, I know it was still in the St. Louis area when I moved back to NY.
 
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