I was at the downtown Boston GC this week. The bass room had maybe 60 basses. Loads of Fender, Musicman, Ibanez, a few Schecters and a few Gibsons. Not a single G&L bass. Same in the Peabody MA GC. No G&L's.
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Why aren't G&L basses more popular?
- Thread starter Zerstorte Zelle
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I was at the downtown Boston GC this week. The bass room had maybe 60 basses. Loads of Fender, Musicman, Ibanez, a few Schecters and a few Gibsons. Not a single G&L bass. Same in the Peabody MA GC. No G&L's.
I love Leo Fender and have nothing against G&L. But let's put this statement in context. It's an advertisement. And just about every creative person in the public eye ever has said something similar about each of their latest products. That doesn't necessarily mean they're insincere or wrong. But it's worth keeping in mind that marketing's part of the deal.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.
Interesting topic. I agree with the many posts calling out limited marketing, distribution and lack of big name endorsers (to the best of my knowledge) as primary reasons they aren't more popular. I'll add I think they just look too plain Jane, there is really nothing about them I consider eye catching, and yeah the headstock shape doesn't help either. Yes they do make some using gorgeous woods but that aside I think they look kind of generic.
But.... the ones I've played have been great. I played a mid '90s L2500 that was close to magical in sound, playability, etc. For me it was the best bass all around I'd ever had my mitts on. Had I not just bought my Modulus Q5 (tapped out) I'd own that bass now.
I do own a '96 L-1500 fretless that looks and sounds great. The only downside is it's kind of porky, probably the heaviest bass I own.
But.... the ones I've played have been great. I played a mid '90s L2500 that was close to magical in sound, playability, etc. For me it was the best bass all around I'd ever had my mitts on. Had I not just bought my Modulus Q5 (tapped out) I'd own that bass now.
I do own a '96 L-1500 fretless that looks and sounds great. The only downside is it's kind of porky, probably the heaviest bass I own.
The old ones (pre '85) sound fatter, do not have the eye gouger head and are a relative bargain compared to 70's Fenders.
I love G&L but have never owned a newer one for more than a month.
The last one I picked up in GC (I think it was their P bass variant) had a neck made from 3 pieces, and not even at that. Not impressed.
You think they are rare in the USA, in the UK they are like hens teeth, I have never seen anyone playing one and only seen one on a UK band's website (or facebook or something). I know they exist but haven't seen any in the flesh other than my 2.
As to why they are not so popular, well I'm sure if they churned them out in their 1000s and had more dealers then they would sell more.
But to produce more they would probably have to move to larger premises and re-tool and train more staff and the quality would no doubt take a dip for a while so they would get a bad name. Maybe they are happy with the scale of the operation they have now.
As to why they are not so popular, well I'm sure if they churned them out in their 1000s and had more dealers then they would sell more.
But to produce more they would probably have to move to larger premises and re-tool and train more staff and the quality would no doubt take a dip for a while so they would get a bad name. Maybe they are happy with the scale of the operation they have now.
Chef
In Memoriam
To my knowledge,
G&L have never made a three piece neck,
as in "I'm looking at the back of the neck and see three pieces."
The bi-cut neck was three pieces, if you count the fingerboard............
G&L have never made a three piece neck,
as in "I'm looking at the back of the neck and see three pieces."
The bi-cut neck was three pieces, if you count the fingerboard............
Chef
In Memoriam
You know what's awesome? In Melville, NY (in Long Island/Suburb of NYC) there is a store called Murphy's Music. They are the ONLY people I've seen that not only carry G&L regularly, but are an authorized repair center with a huge G&L sign in the window.
Most of what they had were Tribute, about 6 or 7 of them IIRC, but they had one or two US models too.
It was a three-piece neck along the length of a neck, like a thunderbird neck with it's layers, but just three pieces of maple. The middle piece wasn't centered, or in other words one of the outer pieces was smaller than the other.
Something like that happens every time I pick up a G&L. Weird pickups, weird hardware (zinc blocks, 2-point trems on guitars), weird pickups. Thick bulletproof poly finish that we like to slam non-american vendors for.
I can understand why they are not doing well.
Where did you get the idea that G&L are "not doing well"??
From your description above, most of which is way off, it sounds like you weren't looking at a G&L bass.
I have to say I've never picked up a new US made G&L bass that wasn't about perfect in fit and finish. I've never checked out their import models however so I can't comment.
You were looking at a bi-cut neck. There were only 2 pieces there; the actual seam where the cut is made is offset to one side a bit. That's normal and how they're made.
No, that's just _good_ hardware. It just looks weird to you because you stare at those 70's Fenders all day. Or the pre-CBS ones which were even worse, even tho they're worth the cost of a decent new car these days
.LS
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