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Vintage G&L L-1000: Thoughts?
- Thread starter JoshuaD
- Start date
I sold this minty '80 a few years ago as it didn't sound quite as musical to my ears as my '81's and '83. Not blaming it on the large hex poles vs slotted poles, though. I don't think the pole shapes matter. I suspect either the pickups themselves were wound slightly differently from 80 to 81, or this particular '80 L-1000 just had a baked-in character that I couldn't EQ away. Or both.
Btw, I have an extra '80 large hex MFD available.
Btw, I have an extra '80 large hex MFD available.
I’d be surprised to hear the pickup design itself was modified in ‘81. The story I’ve head is that they had a limited supply of the large hex poles and that the slots were meant as a “fill-in” until the later hex-heads were procured. I wonder though - I’ve had a couple mahogany-bodied L’s over the years and they definitely sounded different from ash to my ears. I liked them well enough myself, but it is a very deep voice. Are your others mahogany as well?
A great choice at any time let alone as your first bass. Guitar checks apply, straight neck, working truss rod, tight neck joint, etc.
Yeah, hard to tell for sure exactly what was at play. I know Leo was a constant tinkerer (and loath to waste materials) which explains why his Fender pickup specs often changed year by year while he was running Fender.
I remember when the slot pole basses showed up at my local shop, along with the marketing hype re how the slotted poles could be oriented to taste, so as to alter the sound of the MFD. I've tried it myself, can't hear any difference. I've yet to hear from anyone who can. Regardless of whether the gimmick worked or not, clearly Leo's intention was to tweak the MFD design and sell it as an "improvement" over last year's pickup. Which begs the question...did he tweak anything else?...did he alter the windings in any way for '81? Beats me.
Woods...no, my other L-1000's are painted solid colors over "white" wood, so I only know they are not mahog. Presumably my two '81's are either poplar, or possibly maple. The '83 may be poplar, maple, or possibly alder, as alder is believed to have been introduced around that time? One aspect of this '83 is the pickup is unusually strong, magnetically. It has to be lowered all the way down to avoid a warbling, chorus-like sound. Is that a normal characteristic for MFD's in '83?...no clue. But that tells me there were variances between MFD pickups through the years, even if only in small ways, and even if some MFD's are outliers.
Did the hog '80 sound "deep"? I expected it to but it didn't, which surprised me. I really wanted that one to be the "ultimate" L-1000 just because it was such a great example, and I paid a premium to snag it. C'est la vie.
My ‘83 hog L2K was the deepest-voiced bass I ever owned - also one of the heaviest (well, not quite a T-40). I found it too much and moved it along. Later hog L’s were also relatively thick-sounding, which is why I asked. It could be just coincidence too. Some instruments just sound better than others without a good explanation other than personal preference.
Winding count, pot tolerances, magnet original strength, vs partially degaussed from use /abuse/age. Oxidization / dirt /rust interfering with pole pieces....
I have a love hate relationship with vintage gear. Love old stuff, but hate it because I unfortunately have a freakishly low tolerance to a certain thing that occurs with most old things. I don’t know if it’s dust or what, but something about old things sets off my allergies in a bad way. Chemo and radiation from 25 years ago really put a damper on my music gear experience (and really anything “old”). I have had to let go of too many great old pieces because of this. I keep hoping that one day I’ll be okay with it.
When I checked it out, I could barely tell and it seemed alright. This morning I woke up with the beginning of a sinus infection. Only thing that changed was the car ride with the bass in the car, and then spending time with it in my music room. My experience, health-wise, is to minimize exposure to anything that causes a reaction.
Has absolutely nothing to do with the bass itself, just the issue mentioned above. If that were not causing issues, it would not be going anywhere.
Needless to say, I’m feeling it out.
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Yeah sometimes it just works out that way. Sometimes certain woods don't deliver the sonic results they're credited with (standard deviation?). It could be that my hog L-1000 didn't possess the typical mahogany influence that yours (and others) do. Otoh, years ago I was fortunate enough to own a pair of '82 L-2000 e-types. Both with rosewood boards, but one with ash body and the other with hog body. Both were in the 10lb + weight class, and both strung with TI flats. An A/B comparo revealed no discernable sonic difference to my ears. At the time I just assumed the overpowering nature of the elecs had wiped out any influence the different body woods may have contributed. In retrospect it may have been a case of the ash body not acting like typical ash, and the hog body not behaving like typical mahogany. Too many variables involved to know what was going on, not the least of which are my ears.
You worked at G&L back in the day, right? Were you in a position to know if there were any different suppliers of, or different types of, wire being used for winding?
It was bought in bulk, the specifics were variable. Leo always believed in "good enough" if it worked and was cheap enough... perfection was never the goal.
Consistency sure, perfection no, best that could be done, at the lowest capital investment always.
I remember purchasing an old Fender Champ a couple years ago. Found it at a furniture salvage company. Thing was in very good condition and all original, including the tubes, hang tags, and warranty card. Several of the parts looked like they were the left over runts of the litter. Pieces that didn’t sit right because they were deformed, all over the amp. The handle covers, the chassis, the corner covers. Like they were the proverbial bottom of the barrel. The amp did what it was supposed to do, but was definitely interesting to look at.
The bass is great. The moment I hit the low E, that was it. Totally cool.
Me on the other hand, not so much. Here’s the rub: I’m super sensitive to dust due to a lengthy medical history. I think most people who play a vintage instrument can really feel the difference when playing one. Plus, it’s just cool. The vintage vibe is something I am always looking for, especially when it is something affordable.
But I forget to think about what a majority of vintage gear does to me, which is make me sick. Physically ill because of something I am allergic to. I’m the guy who has to ask about smells when buying anything, old or not, because I know it is an issue.
I was hopeful about this one. I went into it thinking, “if it’s bad, I have to let it go.” But it didn’t seem so when I went to look at it. Maybe it was the excitement of this cool piece being my first bass. Wasn’t until the morning after (this morning) when I woke up and I could feel it. Pretty badly. Which really sucks, because I am really happy with it otherwise.
Me on the other hand, not so much. Here’s the rub: I’m super sensitive to dust due to a lengthy medical history. I think most people who play a vintage instrument can really feel the difference when playing one. Plus, it’s just cool. The vintage vibe is something I am always looking for, especially when it is something affordable.
But I forget to think about what a majority of vintage gear does to me, which is make me sick. Physically ill because of something I am allergic to. I’m the guy who has to ask about smells when buying anything, old or not, because I know it is an issue.
I was hopeful about this one. I went into it thinking, “if it’s bad, I have to let it go.” But it didn’t seem so when I went to look at it. Maybe it was the excitement of this cool piece being my first bass. Wasn’t until the morning after (this morning) when I woke up and I could feel it. Pretty badly. Which really sucks, because I am really happy with it otherwise.
This was in response to the following post, I just forgot to hit the button:
How are you getting on with it?
Thanks to everyone for all of the replies. I’ve learned quite a bit.
As per the issues noted in my previous posts #70 & #78, the bass will be headed to a new home. Fortunate enough in that I’ll recover what I paid for the bass + transportation there and back. Only thing I’ll be left with is a desire to find another bass in the near future. Regardless of what that may be, I will keep my eyes open for another L-1000.
As per the issues noted in my previous posts #70 & #78, the bass will be headed to a new home. Fortunate enough in that I’ll recover what I paid for the bass + transportation there and back. Only thing I’ll be left with is a desire to find another bass in the near future. Regardless of what that may be, I will keep my eyes open for another L-1000.
