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Why aren't G&L basses more popular?

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#22
I love G&L basses, I've only played a few but they are very nice. One thing that always bugged me is the fact that you can only get a small peercentage of their basses in the "tribute" series. The tribute series is perfect if you are just looking for a price concious L2000, but when I go looking for an L1500 immediately I have to order one direct from my dealer for a fair chunk of change. Seems like currently they are only catering to a small percentage of the demographic, but I expect great things out of G&L in the future.

-Ron
 
#25
M.R. Ogle said:
It's gotta be the marketing. I think they pay more attention (and get more respect and recognition) in the gee-tar world.

Also, there must be something about their dealer/distribution network policies that makes other brands more attractive to stock in the music stores.

I don't get it either. I'd think that G&L's should be able to capitalize on their heritage... they are the true heirs to the Fender legacy, and I've never been disappointed in ANYTHIING G&L... in fact, I use their pickups in four or five of my basses.
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It is marketing mostly. For whatever reason they dont capitalize on their strengths. As a huge G&L fan, Im ok with that as it keeps the prices down, although resale is lower as well. Also, the L series basses "seem" complicated to alot of players, although I never had a problem dialing in tones.
 
#30
jfh2424 said:
I think it is a carry through of Leo. The guy was a genius but he was not a very good business man. At all.

John
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That is questionable. Hard to debate the success of the Fender name... the LEO Fender name that even after his death is bigger than ever, more known than ever, more played than ever, more accessible than ever etc. etc. Not to mention his legacy lives on through not one, not two, but at least three businesses.
 
#32
There was a great thread like this lastyear or the year before and I will try to find it to do it justice but one guy had bout 10 reasons which I can't remember. Some were already mentioned but one I do remember is that G&L failed to distinguish itself with a unique bass (Their guitars are popular) that had a signature sound. The L-2000 is versatile but isn't known for doing one unique thing well like a MM Stingray. In that way he (not I) compared G&L to Carvin. Solidly made but somewhat generic instruments.

And then there is the eyegouger headstock. I have 2 older G&L s and have had some newer ones but never been able to keep one (like the el Toro which is a great bass) because I dread the head.
 
#33
PDK said:
iualum said:
...it's the headstock, pure & simple!...an uglier one doesn't exist on the planet, lol...
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What he said. Quality is probably awsome but the headstock is hard to get used to.
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I agree also. I have an old SB1, and IMO it's a very fine instrument; easily on par with my other MIA basses.
The headstock is the reason I've never pulled the trigger on a newer G&L.
Actually I think the headstock itself is fine, it's just that little added "nipple" that looks goofy.
The "pre-nipple" G&L's look fine to my eyes.
 
#35
When G&L first came onto the market, they were pretty expensive compared to most of the competing instruments. I can remember playing them in shops in the mid 80s, and they were VERY nice. MUCH nicer than comparable new Fenders. But, they were expensive.

Also, they were trying to find a market niche in the 80s, when all of the "alternative" aestetics where made very popular. Makers like Jackson/Charvel. B.C. Rich and Ibanez were dominating the "youth" market at the time. All the while, G&L was building a very traditional instrument.

If I recall correctly, which I often do not, I also do not think they worked very hard at positioning themselves as the "real" Fender of the time. I played a few G&Ls and had known about them for a while before I even discovered that Leo Fender was a part of the effort.

These days, there's so many competing makes out there, it's hard to find a niche for any one.
 
#36
edbass said:
I agree also. I have an old SB1, and IMO it's a very fine instrument; easily on par with my other MIA basses.
The headstock is the reason I've never pulled the trigger on a newer G&L.
Actually I think the headstock itself is fine, it's just that little added "nipple" that looks goofy.
The "pre-nipple" G&L's look fine to my eyes.
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The "nipple" was added after the whole lawsuit thing.
 
#37
Maybe that's their business plan.
If you haven't taken an econ course, this might not make sense:

They have a certain number of factories, and are therefore able to produce a certain number of basses. This is called capital. The number of basses produced has an influence on the price of the basses. That's the most simplistic explanation EVER, obviously, but here's the punchline: the most efficient point of production, where the producer realizes the most possible profit, is NOT at 100% production.
So the only way to compete in terms of market saturation is to increase capital and become a gigantic company like Fender and EBMM. I figure that they are producing at the most efficient place for them, because it seems like an intelligently run company.
 
#40
scubaduba said:
That is questionable. Hard to debate the success of the Fender name... the LEO Fender name that even after his death is bigger than ever, more known than ever, more played than ever, more accessible than ever etc. etc. Not to mention his legacy lives on through not one, not two, but at least three businesses.
Click to expand...

Gentlemen, not to hijack the thread, but are you aware of how much money Leo made when he sold Fender? Are you aware of the terms of the contract which denied him to right to so many of ideas? Are you aware of how he ran Musicman into the ground? Are you aware of the quality of his work at G&L which is almost invisible in the bass world?

The guy was a genius when it came to making basses, there is no doubt. But the business end of things? He was horrible. Real business people took his ideas and made great businesses and made lots of money off of him. But Leo, as a business man? Come on.

And I think G&L is following suit, even after his death.

John
 
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