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Why so many more StingRays/Sterlings than G&Ls?
- Thread starter jaywa
- Start date
That is definitely a factor too but I'd still bet that first time owner retention is impressive with G&L's.
I wasn't necessarily confining it to pre EB's... I know those go for more, right or wrong. By "older" I'm thinking early 90s and back. I see those pretty frequently on eBay between $1,300 and $1,500... and less than that on TB Classifieds.
I think a L2000 can get close to a Stingray sound with just the bridge pickup on. Humbucker close to the bridge - why can't it?
Eyesore.....
Hideous...
Downright futt bugly
Please refrain from posting such disturbing images on the internet!
Such images can cause irreparable damage to a savings account.
I was under the impression that the mutes disappeared after EB took over.
Definitely you can find late 80's/early 90's Stingrays for well under $1,300. I had an early 90's Stingray, and it was a nicer instrument than the pre-EB Stingrays I still have. As an earlier poster mentioned, I think MM quality improved under EB.
yeah...
at least to a certain extent.
i've heard G&L basses can replicate the tone of fender and music man basses combined with a whole seperate array of tones and i still don't want one just cause of the way they look.and yes,that head stock looks like utter s***.
i think part of the reason is that the musicman company started in 1971 ( a time when it was easier for a new guitar company to be outstanding - remember, timing is everything )
by the time g&l started in 1979 there were a lot of other guitar companies occupying a greater market share which overshadowed the great guitars that they were making. ironically, it is important to remember that the buying public, in their search for the best product, often doesn't buy the best product, but buys the best product advertising campaign or buys the products that their friends or favorite celebrity own.
competition or automaton like tastes could be keeping G&L's market share low, i don't know.
imho opinion, having played quite a few of both mms and G&Ls and owning a particularly nice mm 5 string, i would have to say that they are both equal in terms of construction and are both well equipped electronically and with their hardware.
i think the G&L series is sonically more flexible. a musicman is a music man. even with the series/ parallel switching on the sting 5's and the sterling 4 and 5's, they still sound like themselves ( that is why it is called the stingray sound ). i wouldn't hesitate to use a G&L L or jb series bass for just about any situation, but can see a lot of situations that i wouldn't use my stingray on. i actually think that the G&L JB-2 is a much better jazz bass than fender's and most of the designer fender clones.
that being said both musicman and G&L have great guitars. once again it is being left to your tastes as to which one you prefer.
i remember reading this quote in an interview and it In a print advertisement for G&L, with leo fender not long before he died:
Leo Fender claimed the G&L line of instruments were "the best instruments I have ever made".
from the man himself ...
yeah...
at least to a certain extent.
i've heard G&L basses can replicate the tone of fender and music man basses combined with a whole seperate array of tones and i still don't want one just cause of the way they look.and yes,that head stock looks like utter s***.
In the short list of why MM outsells G&L, "G&L's are ugly" is pretty much the last reason. You may think that, but the vast majority don't.
G&L's are a Fender clone, stlyistically speaking.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.... we've grown accustomed to the Fender and Musicman basses because we have been living with them for a longer period of time. I own a Musicman and a G&L (among others) and agree with most of the comments from both sides.
The construction on the Musicman is outstanding and on par or better than most boutique builders. G&L is really close. If Musicman construction is a 10 G&L is no less than a 9.3. It all goes back to tone...
As much as we say we want versatility, we don't unless it is really easy to dial up on a gig or recording. A musicman has a limited set of controls and produces a limited set of tones and all of these are useable tones. The G&L is much harder to dial up the tone you want and most of us don't want to take the time to do that.
I was recording this weekend and was going to use my G&L but it was taking me too much time to get the tone I wanted. So I just pulled out another bass with a PJ configuration. We want the tones, but in most cases don't want to work that hard to get them.
Best quote I heard was from Roger Sadowsky in Bass Guitar Magazine. Not word for word but he said something to the affect: "I could build a bass that could have 30 different tones, but if people only need 2 why do we need the other 28" (not an exact quote, but you get the idea)
The construction on the Musicman is outstanding and on par or better than most boutique builders. G&L is really close. If Musicman construction is a 10 G&L is no less than a 9.3. It all goes back to tone...
As much as we say we want versatility, we don't unless it is really easy to dial up on a gig or recording. A musicman has a limited set of controls and produces a limited set of tones and all of these are useable tones. The G&L is much harder to dial up the tone you want and most of us don't want to take the time to do that.
I was recording this weekend and was going to use my G&L but it was taking me too much time to get the tone I wanted. So I just pulled out another bass with a PJ configuration. We want the tones, but in most cases don't want to work that hard to get them.
Best quote I heard was from Roger Sadowsky in Bass Guitar Magazine. Not word for word but he said something to the affect: "I could build a bass that could have 30 different tones, but if people only need 2 why do we need the other 28" (not an exact quote, but you get the idea)
Chef
In Memoriam
Lets see...
The L2000 has volume, treble, bass-all passive
The SR5 has volume, treb, mid, bass-all active with boost and cut
The L2000 has a pickup selector
So does an HH or HS Ray.
The G&L has coil taps
As do most Rays.
The G&L has preamp off/on/on with treble boost.
The Rays have...preamp on.
Ahhh....that must be what's confusing y'all then. The preamp selector. Hmmmm....
The L2000 has volume, treble, bass-all passive
The SR5 has volume, treb, mid, bass-all active with boost and cut
The L2000 has a pickup selector
So does an HH or HS Ray.
The G&L has coil taps
As do most Rays.
The G&L has preamp off/on/on with treble boost.
The Rays have...preamp on.
Ahhh....that must be what's confusing y'all then. The preamp selector. Hmmmm....
I don't have any trouble dialing in a good tone with my L2K.
Yup I can dial in an L2000 quickly with no problem. I think some believe that the G&L controls give you millions of tones to get lost in and it's hard to get repeatable tone quickly. That's just not the case IMO. You have either pickup or both. Then those 3 settings in either series or parallel. All that is left is to alter those 6 settings with more or less volume, bass, or treble. Versatile yet extremely simple.
Again I think it comes down to marketing and visibility. G&L is unfamiliar to many. Combine that with something potentially disagreeable like the unique pointy headstock or no pickguard and they say nah I won't bother with that brand. G&L would be way more popular if every bass player gave them serious unbiased consideration.
