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Trouble choosing early model G&L L1000
- Thread starter StudioGC
- Start date
Wow, what a great problem to have ... I had one of these and wish I had never let it go. Best, punchiest tone ever. I don't have anything more to add than @bikeplate's advice of taking the best playing + lightest one. Best wishes!
~Lia
~Lia
G&Ls are great basses, I love them, but they do not resale very well. Unless these basses are in near flawless condition, you could probably do better on pricing. It is a shame really because G&L basses are like I said great basses. For $750 to $1000 you could probably get a newer L1500 or L2000 with the six bolt neck in minty condition with a case.
Id pay close attention to the 81 models, as they likely have true Leo Fender dna on them.
I haven't had a lick of trouble with my 83' L2000 in 33 years owning it, original frets and all. The micro tilt is like a built in shim system to adjust neck angle, I've literally never had to adjust it though. The tobacco burst one looks like it might have the ebony fingerboard, the most valuable variant. The overall build quality, electronics, and hardware on these basses is superb, can't go wrong with any early 80's G&L. If you want even more versatility, look for an L2000, don't know why people think they are "complicated", it's three knobs and three switches, big whup.
I sold a beautiful '84, with original case, for $700 on Ebay. The buyer then sold it, a few weeks later, for what looks like less then $700... He started at $700 then accepted a best offer.
Based on that, I say $750 is too much unless you are going to keep it indefinitely, or you don't mind taking a loss when you sell.
I am fairly sure I offered the bass as low as $600 here, and could not sell it.
Based on that, I say $750 is too much unless you are going to keep it indefinitely, or you don't mind taking a loss when you sell.
I am fairly sure I offered the bass as low as $600 here, and could not sell it.
Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Currently I don't see too many good deals on TB, eBay or Reverb. There is one 1991 L2000 on Reverb for $475 w/ HSC I'm considering. It does have a decent size crack in the body that's called "cosmetic" but looks worse then just cosmetic. I made an offer for $385 but haven't heard back from the seller.
Here's the crack:
No, it is a horrible deal, don't fall for it. Send me contact info for the seller and I will straighten him out.
Ha!
Actually, if you or anyone is in the market for a vintage G&L then Atomic Music (here in Maryland) is a good place to look. They seem to be open to some good haggling, probably over the phone too.
I'd say the price is good. I paid $800 for an '87 L-1000 several years ago in 2011. It was in immaculate condition. Those basses are flat out awesome, not a bad sound on them, and passive to boot. I miss it from time to time.
Ok all, I went with this 1991 L2000 off of Reverb. It's languished there for 3 months, but had a recent price drop to $475 plus shipping, I got it down to $475 shipped w/HSC. It does have a as described "finish crack in the body" which looks a bit deeper then that, but I can live with that for this price.
Can't wait.
Can't wait.
I Have an '81 L-1000 which I've had for 30 years. It looks identical to the candy apple red example w maple fretboard in the photo. Never had any issues with the neck - it still plays beautifully. This was before Leo started using the bi-cut neck and it has the skunk stripe on the back. The rosewood board example won't have the skunk stripe on the back. I've heard that some of these neck blanks were left over from his Music Man experience. He needed to use those up before he started using the bi-cut necks. The neck is wider than any of my other basses but it is fine. After a moment or two of playing, I don't even think about that anymore. Another thing to take a look at would be the pole pieces in the MFD. The early bass MFDs had linear slotted pole pieces as opposed to the circular adjustment holes in the later MFDs. Being rarer, these are more desirable but some claim that you need to make sure the slots are all adjusted in a parallel fashion to insure consistent tone from string to string. I don't think I buy into that but it is just something else to consider. I'd suggest going with the '81 candy apple red example. Due to the factors I mentioned, it could potentially be worth more than any of the other candidates. Just check every note on the fretboard and if they ring clearly, you are good to go.
Spyders
Spyders
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It's interesting that you would say that. My '81 L-1000 has the letters CL stamped in the neck pocket. I have it on pretty good authority that Leo used the initials CL (Clarence Leo) around the factory to sign off on stuff. I got pretty excited when I saw that and I shopped the idea around the G&L discussion page on the G&L website. Some pretty knowledgeable people shot that idea down real quick. "Crowned and Leveled" was the general consensus. Still the G&L factory was a pretty small place at the time and I can feel Leo when I play that bass.
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