Just got a G&L-JB5 in September and I couldn’t be happier! Here’s a little backstory if you don’t mind the read. I’ll try and cover everything.
I have been playing a Lakland DJ5 since 2013. I still adore that bass and love it like it’s my child. It can do no wrong. But my “want” for a new bass kicked into overdrive. I had been looking at a variety of new Basses for a long time. Laklands, Fender Ultras, real good solid Jazz Basses. I’m a very active working musician so I knew quality and functionality were important. Like you, I set out with a budget around/sub $2000. With all the research and scrolling, I ALWAYS came back to G&L. I’ve been fascinated with them for a while and I always went back to the RocketMusic website to look at all the Basses they’ve sold for ideas. One day early July I said screw it and emailed Greg at RocketMusic and got the build started. Side note - Buy or build through Greg. He’s the best and he’s incredibly nice and helpful.
The bass took around 13 weeks but it finally came, and wow. WOW. It was flawless, and I mean flaaaaawwwwlesssss. I’ve never been so impressed by just opening a case before. Even my girlfriend said “wow”.
I had a few concerns and I was worried before getting it. I thought maybe I bought too fast. I mean, the idea of being able to get literally whatever you want seemed too good to be true. My main concern was what if I hate the specs? I’m used to a Lakland 5. And I’ve always hated Fender 5s. That made me sweat a bit. The Lakland was voiced different than Fender and Fender type Basses. It stood out to me and I was worried what if Leo’s G&L design wasn’t for me? No string thru bridge/body? Fear number 3. Let me tell you, I held it in my hands and smiled. I plugged it in and laughed. It was perfect. What a relief!
I’ve always heard these are heavy. I play for 4 hours at a time sometimes non stop, sometimes 2-4 nights in a row. So I went with the empress. It’s a game changer. The resonance and tone and punch aren't compromised one bit. The bridge, the tuners, everything is high high quality. Whatever Daddario strings they put on were kind of trash though. I swapped them for my regular Daddario nickel set and we were back in business.
I’ve gone on for a while here! But I want you to get a good sense from a first hand perspective. Other brands are great, don’t get me wrong. But I wasn’t in the mood to pay $2000+ for a noisy active bass hoping I can get the fret board wood I want with a body color I like because there’s this option or that option. Or a passive bass with less options, for almost the same price. I spent just shy of $1900 for a one off, hand made in the USA, passive jazz with my choice of everything. In my opinion, it was the best value ever. And I’m going to do it again with a 4 string.
If you have any other questions, PLEASE feel free to ask! I can talk about this all damn day!
