Why aren't G&L basses more popular?

[zachoff]

Hey Chef believe it or not I could only tell it was a jazz bass if they were jazz basses and P if they were P's. Oddly enough I can tell A sadowski jazz when I hear it. I played on a friends Valenti jazz and it was a nice take on a jazz but no Iwould not be able to tell that that was a Valenti Maybe it's incorrect to talk about signature sounds such as Jazz, and P, and MM when it comes to identifying brand of bass. But considering G&L heritage I am totally ignorant to the G&L sound. Can any one understand what I am saying. Jazz bass is a signature sound regardless of brand. P-Bass is a signature sound outside of Brand. MM is well of course MM and we all know that signature sound. So taking into consdieration it;s lineage I don't see where others are copying the G&L sound. G&L is a brand not a signature sound. Ric is both a brand and a signature sound. The early fenders were too before everyone started copying them.

There's not really a G&L "sound" for the L-2XXX because it's so adaptable. In my case it was higher output than P, cut through better than a J, and was fuller sounding than a MM Stingray. To put it simply, it just worked in my last band and I tried a bunch of basses before I found that sound.

In my current band I play an SB-2 and it's pretty much a P bass but with more balls for lack of a better word. A loud, zingy P I guess.

 

[unclejane]

So for me, G&L was always Leo Fender competing against Leo Fender. G&Ls were copies of the best basses already made.

You say this like it's a bad thing . In fact, this is actually what makes them such great instruments.

The L2K, for instance, is like what you'd get if you were able to take your old P bass or Jazz bass to Leo Fender himself and say: "here, fix all the broken crap, but keep the good stuff".

That's basically what you get with the L2K. More or less the same geometry and ergos as a P bass, but with crappy stuff on the P fixed:
- good pickups, no more of that P bass mud if you don't want it.
- good bridge, the best you can get in fact. Gone is the old crappy bent piece of metal.
- better neck design with the "bicut" neck, no warping or twisting, but still with a traditional truss rod system (until the latest versions where G&L changed it).
- neck/body joint actually done right, solid and doesn't move even with the older 3-bolt attachments. No more picks and screws jammed in the seam to keep the neck from moving around.
- aluminum tuners to help with balance.

and the best part:
- all those upgrades thought of by Leo Fender himself.

So yeah they're copies sort-of, but with a lot of all new design features from LF....

LS

 

[Chef]

What Leo said about them:

 

[Bogster]

Not sure why they aren't more popular but in 10.5 years of gigging with my band, I've never seen any other rock/metal act with a bassist who played one (at least live, anyway). I've seen plenty of MM, Schecter, Ibanez, ESP, etc etc, but no G&L. Maybe it's because they're too conventional-looking? Advertising for them seems to be minimal or even non-existent. There were several other factors mentioned already in this thread which I'll refrain from echoing, (although the headstock and switches never turned me off).

I love mine. I've loved G&L since I played a friend's L2000 back in the 90's and have never cared much for what is popular regarding gear - only what I like and am comfortable playing. That's enough for me.

And as Chef pointed out, Leo himself seemed to feel they were the best instruments he ever made. I am inclined to believe he was right.

 

[metron]

Rather than take the time to disagree with every point, line by line, I'll just say I disagree with all of this.

I rarely post +1 but... +1.

I heard about the early necks having issues rumor but have never experienced it personally. From what I have read over the years about older G&Ls is that the issue is the neck heel "ski-jump" and is attributed to operator error. The 3-bolt tilt system in a proper neck joint (Fender having terrible neck pockets in the 70s gave the design a bad rep) works very well but if someone doesn't know how to use it, ski jump can result.

Bullet truss rods are equally strippable to any other style when adjusted by someone haphazardly or with the wrong size tool.

Neither of these points should be reasons why they are less popular than they are but I suspect it has a little to do with it. Rumors and such.

 

[Chef]

Funny, here I am, "Defending the Marque," but I don't own any anymore.

I had my 1980 L1000 and 1981 L2000 til this year.
They still played and looked awesome, they just don't fit me sonically anymore.

Great stuff though.

 

[metron]

I love mine. I've loved G&L since I played a friend's L2000 back in the 90's and have never cared much for what is popular regarding gear - only what I like and am comfortable playing. That's enough for me.

I think this is something G&L players have in common.

 

[phillybass101]

So the answer is Brand Mgmt and Marketing. LOL!!!!! Great axes from what I can tell. I have played on some, but not in a long time.

 

[Root 5]

Also, in the beginning, G&L basses were like the nasty 70s Fenders and Musicmans. Three bolt neck and the bullet truss rod adjuster. Two very undesirable features!

It's a myth that there's something inherently wrong with a 3-bolt neck.

G&Ls 3-bolt necked instruments are very stable and superb.

 

[David Grunigen]

I haven't heard anybody talk about the new M2500 model... has anyone played one? It looks sorta sweet to me.

 

[Jazzdogg]

"Why aren't G&L basses more popular?"

I like p-basses. They don't make one I like.

 

[Flabass]

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.

I dumped my Ric for a brand new L2000 Leo Fender signature model back in 1993 and never looked back. Still have that one, another L2000 with the jazz neck, an SB2 and the Legacy (LB100). All awesome basses. Been to the factory also. Marketing, lack of licensed parts (necks come to mind) is a big problem.

 

[willsellout]

I haven't heard anybody talk about the new M2500 model... has anyone played one? It looks sorta sweet to me.

I really liked it. Great B string.

 

[portlandguy]

not sure - SB-2 's are nice

 

[Scott in Dallas]

Apologies for not reading the last 17 pages. If I repeat old info, again sorry.

As far as marketing, G&L had the front advertisement in Guitar for the Practicing Musician for practically the entire run, and Leo Fender appeared in many of the photos. I'm not sure how they could have tried much harder to advertise. Guitar companies didn't do TV commercials. I'm surprised they never took off when the overvaluing of everything Fender began. Maybe it will in 20 years when the gear is sufficiently old.

A good friend of mine played one for years. Much as I wanted to like it, I was never impressed with it.

 

[dmrogers]

I don't have any G & L basses, but I do own two G & L guitars, and ASAT Special and a Legacy HB. Both are Tribute models and both are GREAT guitars. When I play guitar, those are the ones I play.

I do plan on adding a couple of G & L's to the collection one day. I'm really curious about the SB-2.

I think marketing is the biggest thing. Brand recognition just isn't what it is for the Fender and Gibson brand. Get a few top names playing them would certainly help.

I would like to add a twist to the subject: Could it be for a brand that isn't as popular as others, do they have too many models to choose from?
I'm not saying this is the case but, let's look at Fender: they pretty much have two bass models (of course you have Mustang, Jag etc...). The Precision and the Jazz. Plenty of variations on these two model, but if you are a potential buyer of a Fender bass, you have a choice of either the J or P. Then you get down to which J or P.

I know a lot of people go to a music store, buy and Fender J or P, and don't know or care what model it is. Many of them probably don't even know that you have a hundred different models of a Precision or Jazz.

Like I stated earlier, I love the G & L guitars, but go to their web site and check out all the models. Then try to narrow it down. Plus, try to find a dealer, especially if you live in a very rural area.

 

[mpdd]

i'd played friend's l2ks at studios, repair shops, and lessons over the last 15 years, but i had no idea that they weren't super rare custom order basses until i joined tb almost three years ago, i always had a vintage grabber or vox as my go to ballsy basses, now that i have an l2k and an sb2, i couldn't imagine not getting that world's loudest piano tone i get with them to cut through the super distorted guitars and sonic boom type drums

 

[bassike]

The first time I saw one of this basses I looked at the logo and I taught it was horrible.
Also the company doesn’t have the best marketing.
And as far as customer service; it’s been the worst experience I’ve had.

Do really like mine but when I bought it for 300 dlls I taught it would be the bass that I leave at the office to play on my lunch hour. But it seems to fit every band I play with.

Kinda sad that this are supposed to be the best instruments by leo, but on the other side I’m that I do not play the typical bass that you see being played by every band in town.

 

[Iridescentone]

MFD pickups definitely have their own sound, enough so that you could call it a "signature" sound.

Not being heard on millions of recordings, nor heard ad nauseum at live shows, like P's, J's, and MM's have been over the decades, the MFD sound has not been "imprinted" on our brains.

Same goes for other brands, Dano, Peavey, and others with distinctive sounding electronics. If they were heard often enough they would be more recognisable.

As far as marketing goes, G&L never had a broad enough dealer network to compete with the likes of Fender. Even today people complain that they can't find a store that stocks G&L.

 

[Reaper Man]

yea, it's a "if you know, then you know" kind of brand.