well i am still waiting for my usa l2500 to get done, its been i think almost 4 months now, my question is how are the necks made currently, i know they are pleked and have read about the new truss rod,i see on the web site that they are hard rock maple, but are they quater sawn necks,or flat sawn? do they have graphite support rods? etc...., it does not matter at this point i have already ordered it, but i was just wondering?
This page explains the new truss design: http://www.glguitars.com/features/neck.asp Doesn't say anything about graphite but they've definitely revamped the process. My most recent G&L bought about a year and a half ago still has the old bi-cut neck design, with the maple board sawed in half right down the middle of the fretboard, so I can't give you any sort of comparison of old vs. new. As for quarter vs. flat sawn necks, I think all of the newer US models I've seen have been quarter sawn. Tributes appear to be flat sawn. Then again, it may be that the guys at the factory approach every piece of wood differently. Some harder examples of maple may lend themselves better to flat sawn necks since that method produces a more flexible neck. Pure speculation on my part. All I can say for sure is I got a new SB-2 neck under warranty at the same time I bought a new SB-2 and they both arrived quarter sawn. As for ditching the bi-cut method, well, I never met a G&L neck I didn't like, however it was made, so I can only assume this new technology carries on that fine tradition of rock solidity.