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Should I buy this used G&L L2000?

R

RitterSport

Apr 20, 2020
462
433
#1
I know the answer here is always yes. Given that...

My local Sam Ash has a used G&L L2000 in great shape (I don't know the year, but I can probably find out. I think it's relatively recent). They have it for $1,400, which seems high to me.

I have an early 90s Peavey Foundation with a hard case that I'm thinking about trading in for the G&L. I would try and negotiate it so it would be $1,000 out the door.

  1. What will I use it for? Just for playing around, and jamming with friends. I'm not a professional, not even a local performer
  2. What other basses do I have? I have a Yamaha TRBX-604.
  3. Why the G&L? I like all the sounds you can get out of it, and I like the thicker neck. I bought both of my other basses sight unseen, and they have similar necks, like a Jazz neck. I thought that would be better for me, but I tried the G&L and I find the thick neck more comfortable.
  4. You'll have two active basses -- seems silly? Yes, but both can be played in passive mode, and I like all the fiddlyness. I came from keyboards, so the fiddly nature and the tonal flexibility appeal to me.
  5. Why don't you just get a Fender P? First, I don't like the look of a pickguard. Second, I don't like the way my thumb rests on the pickup.
  6. Why not just get a L2000 Tribute? There are none near me, so it would be sight unseen again. And, I had some initial quality issues with the Yamaha, and this G&L is already past any of those. Plus, I would have to pay to get it setup and this G&LK is already setup how I like it.
Is this silly? Is it too expensive? I don't know!
 
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#4
New ones are $1800.00 Is it too high? That will depend on condition, any mods made etc. I love mine, new in January. But I too am not a professional, and don't have a lot of other basses, to compare it to. I would see if they will come down off of the asking price, before proposing a trade. But that's just my inner need to feel like I got a good deal. YMMV
 
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#6
RitterSport said:
I have! I was surprised at how much more comfortable the thicker neck felt.
Click to expand...
Lots of people think thinner necks are automatically faster and more comfortable, and then are surprised when they realize they like a thicker neck. It’s all preference.

Is it the sunburst one in Springfield? I just looked on the Sam Ash used website and that bass is on the main page for 1399. If so, that’s a 2002 model and they should definitely come down in price before you even negotiate trading your peavey. Not that it’s not a good bass, it definitely is, but a new one is only a few hundred more (and that comes with a case), and this is an almost 20 year old bass that sold for less than 1400 when new.
 
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#8
PotsdamBass8 said:
Is it the sunburst one in Springfield? I just looked on the Sam Ash used website and that bass is on the main page for 1399.
Click to expand...

That's the one! Shhh, don't tell anyone.

I haven't bought any basses in person. I guess the strategy would be, "what's the best you can do on the bass, and what's the best you can do on the trade-in".

I didn't realize it was that old -- it's in really great shape.
 
#10
GC probably wouldn’t give you more than $150 for your Peavey. I also wouldn’t let them test the truss rod and everything until a contingent offer was agreed upon. It might be just a pet peeve of mine for someone to mess up my setup before low balling me, but in my experience a lot of those bozos like to crank on your truss rod to “test” it, not put it back and complain about the set up they just wrecked. Honestly I wouldn’t even give them the opportunity.

As far as negotiating for the bass you want. You can ask what the best they can do is, but you can also take cash and ask very nicely if you can get out the door for that. I’ve never seen an instance where you won’t speak to the manager in negotiating for used gear, then once you’re done the employee takes back over. While you’re negotiating keep in mind they have maybe $600 in the instrument, of course they have massive crippling overhead but it helps to at least know their product cost.
 
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#17
This has all been pretty helpful. I think it might be worth it at $1,000 with the trade-in, so if I can get that, I'll go for it (I can think of it like $200 off the bass and $200 for the trade-in, which isn't bad). Otherwise, I guess I'll walk, and maybe pick up one of the new ones on eBay for around the same price or just keep my current setup (TalkBass posters respond "Blasphemy! Heretic!").
 
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#18
RitterSport said:
This has all been pretty helpful. I think it might be worth it at $1,000 with the trade-in, so if I can get that, I'll go for it (I can think of it like $200 off the bass and $200 for the trade-in, which isn't bad). Otherwise, I guess I'll walk, and maybe pick up one of the new ones on eBay for around the same price or just keep my current setup (TalkBass posters respond "Blasphemy! Heretic!").
Click to expand...
https://app.box.com/shared/static/5ketg1iad5.wav
 
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