Sadly, brother, I doubt that'll happen now.
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Show us your G&L
- Thread starter pwilson
- Start date
Love the red one, but as you can see from my post, I'm partial to red basses.
Thanks! Those Irish Ale Tribute Kilotons were discontinued several years ago. Since then, it's become more and more difficult to find them. I lucked out and found this one at the GC in Rancho Cucamonga, CA for a ridiculously low price. They said it was in great shape, but when it was delivered and I opened it up, I discovered it was really in mint condition. All I had to do was fix the fret sprout, re-string it, and do a set up. It plays and sounds great and looks brand new.
Ive had my L-2500 for about 15 years. It was my only bass for many years. Ive since picked up many other basses. Hearing the sad news about G&L made me dig it out of the back of the closet. I was reminded of all the things that I love about it. I took it to the weekly jam last week and got lots of compliments. I just love the way that bridge pickup barks!
Sometime in like 1998, I saw a used ASAT bass in a store- I loved the way the neck felt, I loved the way it sounded- but I wasn't sold on the Tele body... talking to one of the guys at the store- I ordered a custom order L-2000 with a #6 neck (pretty much a Jazz Bass neck), rosewood fingerboard, with a satin finish (because that was all cool and modern at the time) and a sunburst finish. With hard-shell case, it came out to like $840. A custom ordered, US made bass with hardshell SKB case, for $840.
Over the years it has been primarily my "modern" sounding bass- it's very "forward" and doesn't really settle in- it stands out. A long time ago, I replaced the 3 position pickup selector with a 2 position, since I never use the bridge pickup alone anyway.
1998 G&L L-2000 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr
1998 G&L L-2000 Headstock by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr
Over the years it has been primarily my "modern" sounding bass- it's very "forward" and doesn't really settle in- it stands out. A long time ago, I replaced the 3 position pickup selector with a 2 position, since I never use the bridge pickup alone anyway.
1998 G&L L-2000 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr1998 G&L L-2000 Headstock by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr
Updated photos of my 2. 2020 L-2000 and 2023 Kiloton. Both are tributes. I just bought the L-2000 from a TBer.
93 SB-2, had it since 2007
84 L-1000 on the left, picked up in 2023, 2018 L-1000 CLF Reissue on the right, picked up new in 2019.
Have a wild hair to get a LB-100, may make a trip to West Seattle to see what they have.
I remember quite a few years ago ogling an L-2500 that was for sale. I'm a massive burst fan and it was a gorgeous cherryburst. But the owner had started a new job and was moving and decided to just keep it.
Several years later I saw that he re-opened the ad and contact him right away. It turns out he moved to Virginia and lived just a few minutes where my son was going to college at the time. So, rather than ship it, we agreed to meet at a local Guitar Center, I tried it out, and he gave me a nicely discounted price for not having to ship it or even travel to a central meeting point. Besides being a finish I absolutely love, he had also had neck issues early on and sent it back to G&L for replacement and this time asked for an unmarked maple fingerboard and matching headstock to replace the original rosewood. And, while it was there, he also had them install a factory K-mod.
I used it for quite a while and it did a great job in my classic rock band. Then, over time, I learned how much I liked Musicman basses and bought a Big Al two years ago on the condition that I sell my L-2500. That was over two years ago and I still haven't worked up the guts to sell it. A few weeks ago we were talking gear after a rehearsal and our new guitar player said "You have a G&L?!?!" So I took it to our gig a few days later so he could see it and hear it. I really do prefer the feel of my Stingrays and Big Al feel, but the L-2500 is a beast of a bass and sounded so good on our play list even though I typically use the same setting all the time - passive mode, series, neck pickup, and tone controls adjusted to taste. Now I don't think I can actually sell it, especially with the apparent demise of G&L.
I took this "glamour shot" a few years ago and have since replaced the knobs with G&L chrome knobs to better match the rest of the hardware. I know some people poo-poo the 3+2 headstock but I like it. It's a distinctive look that makes it stand out.
Several years later I saw that he re-opened the ad and contact him right away. It turns out he moved to Virginia and lived just a few minutes where my son was going to college at the time. So, rather than ship it, we agreed to meet at a local Guitar Center, I tried it out, and he gave me a nicely discounted price for not having to ship it or even travel to a central meeting point. Besides being a finish I absolutely love, he had also had neck issues early on and sent it back to G&L for replacement and this time asked for an unmarked maple fingerboard and matching headstock to replace the original rosewood. And, while it was there, he also had them install a factory K-mod.
I used it for quite a while and it did a great job in my classic rock band. Then, over time, I learned how much I liked Musicman basses and bought a Big Al two years ago on the condition that I sell my L-2500. That was over two years ago and I still haven't worked up the guts to sell it. A few weeks ago we were talking gear after a rehearsal and our new guitar player said "You have a G&L?!?!" So I took it to our gig a few days later so he could see it and hear it. I really do prefer the feel of my Stingrays and Big Al feel, but the L-2500 is a beast of a bass and sounded so good on our play list even though I typically use the same setting all the time - passive mode, series, neck pickup, and tone controls adjusted to taste. Now I don't think I can actually sell it, especially with the apparent demise of G&L.
I took this "glamour shot" a few years ago and have since replaced the knobs with G&L chrome knobs to better match the rest of the hardware. I know some people poo-poo the 3+2 headstock but I like it. It's a distinctive look that makes it stand out.
I'm sorry to hear G&L is in financial trouble. They are my favorite maker. I first encountered them in the late 90s when I found an AB2 in a small guitar store in Billings, Montana. I'd never heard of them before, but really liked the bass. I ordered a Kiloton a when they first came out, but didn't care for the tone. But, tone is a subjective thing. I'm more of an old timer P sound and think, for me, the tone is too mid range. But the red one is really pretty.
As I said, tone is subjective, so if you like it, rock it. The one I had did play nicely.
That's understating things, at this point.
They were "in financial trouble" some years ago. Now, the trouble has found its inevitable end: they are dead, and the people who made them up are all fired. Any future iteration won't be the same company.
Interesting thing about the Kiloton (I have a fiver) is the tone changes pretty dramatically depending on where you pluck/pick, more so than some other basses I find. If I put it in single coil (the coil closest to the neck) and pluck more towards the neck it gets into pbass territory, kinda. At least mine with worked-in flats does. Plucked over the pu leans 'Ray as you'd expect--very clear, pointed mids. It's almost like you can coax two different basses out of it.
You sir have great taste in basses. Here is it's mirror image twin, my 1981 L-2000
I have long lusted over just such a G&L, but have never found one. It is, IMHO, one of the prettiest finishes ever on any bass.
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My three Fullertons. From left to right 2025 JB MFD, Natural on Swamp Ash... 2022 Built to Order L2K, Tobacco Sunburst on Alder with a #8 neck... and my 2021 Fullerton Deluxe JB, Vintage White on Alder (which is the only one that's a bit heavy, approaching 11 lbs.). The JB also now has Seymour Duncan Heavy Weather pickups in it with a John East J-Retro pre, and a Hipshot Bass Xtender. I would have done another Build to Order, probably something in that Ruby Red Metallic. I came late to the G&L party. I'm sorry I missed so much.
Alan Ace Cooper
Supporting Member
- Jan 6, 2004
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- Endorsing artist: Devon Basses, DR Strings, EMG pickups, Bag End Cabs
I bought a mint condition, shell pink, JB5 a few months ago. I’m surprised at how many times it has been my main “Gig” bass. It came with all the case candy and certificate. The 60s flavored pickups weren’t my thing, so I switched to an EMG J5 set, then I decided I wanted it to stay passive, with more booty, so I switched to a Delano JMVC5 set a couple of days ago.
Hard to believe they shut down. I guess it became too many versions to keep up with, especially with their limited advertising and store distribution.
Hard to believe they shut down. I guess it became too many versions to keep up with, especially with their limited advertising and store distribution.
