• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Talk to me about the G&L L2000

#21
An L2k Tribute has been my go-to bass (out of my current seven) for about 15 years; idk about the new ones, but this particular one is flawless, including the most stable neck I’ve ever seen, as well as perfect fretwork...and as everyone else has already mentioned, you just can’t beat the sound!
 
  • Like
Reactions: One Way and Raman
#23
I own a L-2500 Trib and am in love with it. Only advantage I could see with a USA made is their ultra light machine heads. The ones on my Trib give the bass a bit of neck dive, but I've corrected it by adding anti-slip pads to my strap.
I think what impressed me the most when I first tried one in the store and which got me to buy mine were the super hot pups and the overall vibration/sustain of the body.
Are you familiar with G&L's bridges?

I paid 500$ CAD for my 2nd-hand Trib, which included a case. I couldn't dream of a better instrument even for 1000$.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Crispus and One Way
#24
One thing that was mentioned earlier in the thread needs being stressed: It takes a bit of figuring out before you can get the sound you want from the EQ if you're more familiar with active preamps. My previous bass was an active with boost/cut pots. I first approached the G&L the same way. I would centre the pots at 50% and then try to boost and cut. It's in fact much better if you roll them way up at first and cut from there, lest you never quite get the full power of the pups.

Another aspect is theses pups are very adjustable, each pole can be lowered and raised individually. Since this bass is very powerful and can saturate some circuits quickly (for example in effects pedals), I ended up tweaking the pup placement and height more than I normally did. It helped in crafting the sound I was after as well as normalizing the volume.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Crispus, GroovyBaby, One Way and 2 others
#25
TDR1138 said:
The US has a higher attention to detail, but the Tributes are no slouch. The US ones get you a lot more options, though, with colors, woods, neck profiles, etc.
The Tributes use US pickups and functionally equivalent electronics, so they sound pretty close.



The big difference is that the older ones (1999 and prior) have what is nicknamed OMG mode instead of the current series mode. This is a thicker, bassier tone than the current series, which is a little more mid present and in your face. Parallel modes are essentially the same, though I did think my ‘00 was a little brighter than my ‘89 when compared directly. Wouldn’t notice it in a mix.



Yes, you can use without a battery. The controls are all passive and the preamp is more or less a buffer that you can switch on.



From the neck, the switches are pickup select (N / N+B / B); Series/Parallel; Preamp Off/On/On with treble boost.

Series/Parallel is how the two coils in each humbucker interact with each other. In series, the signal from one coil feeds into the next where in parallel, they run in tandem beside each other. Series is louder and thicker.

As I mentioned before, the preamp is basically a buffer or linear booster. The treble boost setting just gives a little more boost in the top end.

Pots are master volume, treble cut, bass cut.
Click to expand...
GREAT post!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: eadg98005, Tbone76 and TDR1138
#26
Another big difference between the older(pre-2000) and newer L-2000 basses is the neck construction, (bi-cut necks on the old ones-neck cut lengthwise and rod inserted)- new ones including Tributes have a separate fingerboard with rod installed underneath. USA basses have better tuners, better colors and USA preamps. Korean and Indonesian Tributes have USA pickups with asian made preamps.
They all sound great. I'm a big fan of the company.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Crispus, jd56hawk, One Way and 1 other person
#29
@op,

I'm in the minority around here, but I prefer the M over the L. The L is way too mid gritty for my taste. The M is more of a typical modern approach to the electronics with its 3 band EQ (which I prefer over the L controls). If you can find a tribute M, buy. OR the USA M is a great used bass.
 
#31
I was a G&L L2000 skeptic
After hearing about them for years on Talkbass and having a hard time believing they could possibly be that good, I finally saw an L2000 Tribute hanging up at Robbie's Music in Totowa. Picked it up, plugged it in and realized within five minutes that all the hype was real...these things are incredible!
Decided to go USA so I bought the blonde one over four years ago and the silver metal-flake one this past August.
Nothing I've owned before and nothing I've played since can quite measure up to them.
(Both have the G&L Medium C-1 1/2 inch nut-9.5 Radius. Pretty sure I took the battery out of the blonde. One weighs 7.3 pounds, the other over 10 pounds. Oh yeah, and the silver one only cost $1,350...used but unplayed!)
Pics-Art-03-02-07-18-16.jpg
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Crispus, Raman and One Way
#34
comatosedragon said:
:drool:


Swamp ash is my favorite body wood, hands down.
Thanks a lot. I just bought 3 new basses this year already, I really needed an excuse to buy another one....

(well, I do only need 1 more color to have a ROY G BIV array of basses....)
Click to expand...
You're welcome.
I got lucky with the weight, the shop on Reverb had two L2000s when I bought it, and I just went with the blonde instead of the graphite without considering how light it was.

By the way, three this year already?
Wow!
I thought I went overboard last year...bought four in four months.
 
  • Like
Reactions: comatosedragon
#35
I have a tribute l-2000 from 2005.
I think something is wrong with the frets because I can't set the action as low as I'd like to. Too much fret buzz if I set it lower. But It's not super high. About 2,5mm I think.
Still I really like playing it and it sounds fantastic.

I never use the series mode. Always parallel. Mostly on passive mode but sometimes active treble boost when I play alone straight to my audio interface. The treble pot on mine is really bad. It's almost like an on/off switch for the treble. Bass and volume knobs work really well.
 
#36
I snagged a L2500 tribute used for $350 at the beginning of the year. Pre amp was bad so i purchased a new USA one from G&L for another $50. It's actually smaller and lighter than my 4 string jazz bass. The chunky neck is actually more comfortable to play as well with my small hands. My only complaint is that it has frets. Once my fretless 5 string shows up I seriously doubt I'll wind up selling it though. Just an absolute killer bass.
 
  • Like
Reactions: comatosedragon
#37
I didn't even get to plug the thing in really but it was the feel of a G&L L2000 Tribute in my hands that led to me becoming interested in bass guitar. Oddly enough I didn't buy a G&L for my first bass, but I wouldn't scoff at a tribute model. They're solid.
 
#40
I have an 1983 L2K i bought brand new, it has the original headstock design and the three bolt neck. In all these years, its been the most trouble free bass ive ever owned, ive literally never used the neck tilt, and havent had to, because the neck is so stable. Mine still has its original stainless frets in excellent condition. It has an 1-5/8 P width nut, but a pretty shallow D profile neck, so its comfortabke to play. The newer models are available with other nut widths and profiles, so pick your neck. If the battery dies, it just reverts back to passive. People get all nervous about "all those switches", but Im an idiot, and it took me 5 minutes to get the gist. Like most players, youll probably find a couple settings you like and leave it there. Its the thickest sounding bass I own, but with treble boost on, can do a convincing Ric bass emulation. Just all around a superbly built bass, Leo Fender knew his business. Not the lightest bass, but well balanced. No experience witth the Tribute models, but I wouldnt hesitate on the USA ones.
 
  • Like
Reactions: eadg98005, 2F/2F and Raman

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back