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@@devinebass just fyi the G&Ls you were showing today can also be passive with the preamp off setting, you only highlighted them in active. They can do both, and because they can do both they have a lot more flexibility. You do have to understand the controls and they can be a bit much at first, but at the same time from a budget standpoint it reduces your need to buy a ton of basses cause it can do very convincing impressions of P, J and stingray basses, among other active basses, and that’s part of its appeal.
I know it's boutique, but I've played a Zon Legacy since 1987. probably 90% of my stage time has been with it. Joe Zon is super nice to deal with. I can't say enough good things about Zon.
In terms of market size, Ibanez would be an obvious choice. The challenge would be capturing a representative sample of the vast range of prices, pickups and other electronic components, as well as the three main body/neck designs, without the video running to ridiculous lengths. From a selfish perspective, I'd love to see you look at Sandberg, as their basses have intrigued me for a while (especially the ones which combine a split coil in the middle with a humbucker at the bridge) . . .
Same here and it’s a lefty for me. I’m not a “bass player” bass player. I use mine to support and keep a nice chain of pedals for when I need to work on the sound. I come form a synthesiser background. It’s a plank of wood with magnets, it should be reliable!
I have a couple of more expensive basses 15:04 and bought a G&L L 15:28 15:29 -2000 tribute for my daughters to take with them to school to play in jazz band. Now when they have the choice, they prefer to play the G&L.
This video was a bit of a disservice to the L-2000. I've owned a CLF Research L2000 for 5 years, and I think it does everything you could ever ask a bass to do... If you manipulate the treble knob, passive / boost switches, parallel/series, and change up your plucking placement, you get every sound under the sun Running everything all the way up is impractical for most gigs, and did not show the range of the instrument. Add in the CLF Research L2000 vibe with the different headstock, chrome plated, natural ash body.... You have a hardcore 80s hair vibe which just works
I agree. The controls exist for a reason. Yeah I get it, most players just open up the throttle and hope that the instrument will just magically do the 'work'. In my opinion G&L's are for folks who really have no fear of 'using' the instrument. It is like the comanche, players who just open it up and not use the controls, hate it. Players who use the controls generally really like it. In short if some one is in to G&L, they generally know how to dial in an instrument.
I'll second this. It is true. Played G&L since having a 2010 SB2 Tribute, ordered an SB-2T from Fullerton in '14; and a L2000 with the single coil mod (highly suggested) this past Dec '23. They are both unique and I've found the L2000 is like having 4 basses in one with the single coil set up, and then all the variables from "each bass" as you go. Depending on which preamp setting or the single coil, which pickup, series or parallel, or whatever you have set: you need to also adjust the bass and treble cuts to optimize that sound. But can't just crank everything open and go. You find your flavours for each.
Every L1000 or L2000 i’ve ever seen or picked up looked like it was built like a tank and they certainly feel that way, and the variety of tones you get from them is insane. It’s truly a Swiss Army Knife bass.
I had an original L-1000 and a late '90s L-1505, and I'll say the original generation is still unmatched. The later stuff is definitely durable, but my L-1000 (hope the bastard who stole them got his just desserts) was a fuggin' TANK!!
I own L-1505 and it's the best bass I ever played. The magic of G&L basses is that you can easily put them in virtually any mix. Perfect tool for professional musicians.
@@dynodansmoking The character of the MFDs (Leo never would have reproduced alnico pickups or Fender designs at G&L) is very different from all his earlier designs but not far from Dimarzios (among his own pickups that he tested in his lab were some Dimarzio pickups!). G&Ls were clearly no where near as important as his earlier instruments and as Richard Smith says he just wanted a place to tinker and some friends around to have lunch with- it was his retirement job. Nowdays G&L are just profiting from his name. When Leo had it he made very nice hand made instruments made in a specific way on his equipment (no CNC) with hand wound pickups.
I lived in Southern California back in the 80's. I lived in Fullerton and used to hang out at a music store there called "This Is Music" on State College Blvd, at the end of Fender Ave. The owner knew Leo very well and told me G&L was hiring. I applied for a job and they called me in for an interview. As the manager was showing me around the shop, Leo walked up and I briefly met him. The manager told him I was there for a job interview, and he walked off. I didn't get the job, but many years later I started my very own bass-building empire.
I think the G&L Tribute line is one of the best collections of basses under $1,000. They’re constructed well and all the QC is done in California as you mentioned. I got my SB-2 from their online store at a pretty significant discount because it was a B stock. I love that bass!
I almost yelled at my phone when Ian said he wouldn’t use the knobs! Long time L1K player here to tell you that’s how you control the midrange. Also, rolling the volume back really helps put it in vintage territory. Great episode 🫶
How do you use passive treble & bass controls to control midrange? If all you can do is dial out treble & bass, aren't you just going to get an even _more_ mid focussed sound? I know I'm being somewhat simplistic there and I haven't used it myself, so if I'm wrong, please tell me why!
G&L basses and guitars are lovely. They are simultaneously chameleons that can flow in and out of all of his basses through time, and they are kind of their own thing as well cause of the active preamps and ability to flip between pickup settings. The G&L guitars are similar, they can flow between other historical guitar sounds and are totally unique.
Thanks for this video. I´m a G&L enthusiast since I bought, Almost by mistake. a L2500 and man... I don´t want to play any other thing even when sometimes I play a Jazz Bass. I agree, the 2500 headstock is awful but; oh dear the G&L really crushes every thing, you just need to understand the electronics a lil bit and Bingo! You have a Precision, a Jazz Bass and a Stingray in the same package. It´s time to make the G&L crushes everything video. I love Leo.
Nobody mentions the bridge. It is one of the main features and a huge element of the bass. Leo had the idea that the strings pulling against the end grain gives more sustain and tone and so there's a huge slab of metal underneath it that sits in a slot - and the strings pull it against the grain of the body.
I have a Kiloton tribute and I love it. Controls are super simple so it's easy to dial it in and it's passive, which for me is a plus. Build quality is incredible, it's a joy to play it, and it feels like a total workhorse. I agree that the logo isn't the coolest, but the frost black finish is so sick. The tone is definitely its own thing. What drew me to it was how much clarity and definition the bass has in the lower notes. I find the full humbucker mode to be a little too loud and boomy, but the single coil mode and the series mode are fantastic sounds. I do find myself EQing out some of the mids and rolling off the tone knob a little to help the bass sit better in the mix. Overall fantastic bass, 10/10 in my book.
I hadn't ever considered a G&L but was looking for a quality main instrument and was thinking Stingray. In the shop after playing an H and HH I tried the L2000 & L2500 but was put off by the confusing switches and knobs. I then tried a Fullerton Kiloton and it was over! Walked out with the gorgeous Tangerine Sparkle and it immediately became my main bass. Such simple controls and such a big and distinctive voice for so much less $$$ than a Stingray or other American made intruments. Later picked up a Tribute JB2 which I play in the living room in the evenings. So happy with both!
Two words about the mid-forward sound- Joe Dart. Then consider how similar his signature bass is to the Kiloton; passive electronics, humbucker near the bridge; I'd argue that the switch and tone knob on the Kiloton make it far more versatile. Fwiw I have 2 Kilotons, 1 with flats and 1 with rounds. Every time I play them people comment on how great they sound, and how well they cut through in a mix. If you like pop/funk-rock they're an absolute beast. Fwiw I agree with others that comparing the L2000 in active mode to a couple of other passive basses really wasn't the best way to go about it (sorry Ian, I normally love your work). In any case, whilst I don't think they do the vintage sound as well as a vintage bass, G&Ls have a fantastic sound for modern music, and are far more sonically versatile than this video suggests. Everyone should try one if possible... ✌🏼🎸🤘🏼@devinebass
The P Bass was needed, the Jazz was a nice edition (Leo thought it was not needed at the time), and some people like the Stingray. G&Ls were very nice when Leo had the company- and for a little while after, but Dimarzio and Badass had that area covered. By the way, Leo never recreated Fenders or Alnico pickups at G&L, and he would never have used CNC or automated pickup winders.
As a dad, I love my G&L and its mid-range tone. I put it down for a year, came back, and the fucker was still in tune. Even the case is high quality. I’m currently shopping for another one much to my wife’s misgivings.
Great review! The big mistake that most people make with G&L is not using the volume and tone controls. Full on, all controls on 10, very aggressive sound. Enjoy the channel!
My personal highlight with my G&L 2500 is the neck-PU. You should have played it in the video! It´s like a P-Bass with five times more punch. It is perfect for my Blues-Trios but I also played it with Hiphop-Bands or Coverbands. For me the G&L is the perfect bassplaying live!
It's still not a Stingray... Honestly though I think G&L basses are really caught in between the distinction of Stringray and the nostalgic significance of P and J basses. I mean it's a great bass but like it's not different or innovative enough in comparison.
Yep. I own a p bass and and L-1000, and 90% of the time I’m choosing which bass I take on a gig, it’s the g&l. It’s just so much easier to get a nice tone that can also cut through the mix.
I have a '98 SB-2 and I still LOVE it! No tone controls, just a volume control for the (passive and HOT) P and J pickups and it's amazing the tonal variations possible. I look at G&L in the category of "if you know, you know"
Back in 82, my bass teacher picked up a SB 1 off the rack in the music store and told me I should tell my parents to buy it for me. They did, and I still have it. Still tight and plays like the meat and potatoes it was meant for. Peace!
Great to see this video and fantastic to get a glimpse of Leo's workshop! What an amazing inventor he was. I have been playing a L2500 for quite some time in a pop-cover band and there are three things that you do not mention/do that make it my top bass: - Put flatwounds on it to soften the mid-high growl a bit and it comes to live - The adjustments you make in the way you play, are so clear on this instrument; you can make more difference with your fingers than I have felt with any other bass - Using the passive mode (rear switch) and the series-parallel switch for different songs makes a ton of difference, as do the knobs. I am able to get a ton of different tones at my fingertips. It is a bit of a learning curve to find out how to get what sound and to make it "yours", but when you do,... it is amazing. In my experience, they work best with a "clean" amp (I play a Glockenklang rig) and then you have more flexibility than I could find with any other bass. Keep them comming!
I agree that the G&L sound is perfect for modern stuff. Sometimes my Jazz bass gets lost in the mix without playing it in series. The G&L cuts like a P bass but with modern articulation. I just wished you guys went more into the tone variations and pickup sounds.
I’m so grateful you finally covered the G&L basses. I bought my first ASAT bass in 1998 and have been hooked ever since. I own 9 G&L’s and I love them so much!!!!
G&L Tribute L-2500 is a bass i was trying to get my hands on for years (very hard to get one where i live) because every clip and comment about it sounded like it's just what i want out of a bass and it was firmly in my price range. I finally managed to snatch one used (transparent orange with maple neck) and it's without a doubt my favorite out of any bass i ever owned. It plays like a dream and sounds absolutely monumental, especially with some drive (same MDF pickups and hardware as the US version). B string is so so good. And every sound it makes (an it can make like all of them) is usable. My band's drummer who plays in a lot of projects and does some session work on the side is constantly raving about how it's the best sounding bass she's heard (played trough a humble Fender Rumble V3 in practice) and she's always pestering other bassists to get one.
I've been playing G&L for years. Small shows, big stage, I love it. I love it that only the guys in the know know what it is. The necks on mine are superior to my p bass which I also love. My SB-1 is my secret weapon.
I am a life time member of sbl and own 2 of these. Fretless L2k and SB2 with 2 vol setup and serial mode. The L2K offers a wide range of tonal choices. The SB2 is a fun Leo design. This is his take on PJ where you blend the vol of the J to define the tone. To do a proper assessment of Leo's G&L era you need to look at his 1k tone circuit. Check out the Ed Friedlands reviews of this. I modified a squire affinity with this and it became a tone monster.
I have to say I’m very disappointed in the instruments G&L sent you guys for this. While I agree that they should have sent you an L2000 and an L2500, they sent you the wrong L2000. That particular one is a prototype that was never put into production and I think it’s about 15 years old. The headstock actually has a slightly different shape to it currently. And the Kiloton was not designed by Leo Fender - it is a relatively new instrument. They should have sent you guys an L1000 which was really Leo‘s new take on the P bass. And the fact that it was heavy was also detrimental to the presentation because G&L has fairly light instruments these days as far as the USA built ones goes. While weight obviously varies I have a 7 lb G&L LB100 and another one that is just over 8 lbs. and as a former dealer, I also will say that USA models tend to be noticeably lighter than Tributes. I don’t feel what they sent. You guys is really representative of what they’re actually building. Despite that I thought it was a very informative video, but it would’ve been nice if you had played around with the settings a little bit more because there is quite a bit of versatility that I think was missed.
Great video guys! I’ve been using G&L instruments for over 15 years, and they’re hands down the best basses I’ve ever played. I’ve used them in hundreds of shows, and as they say, they’re perfect for that punchy sound that works so well for pop, disco, funk, or rock. The wide range of models they offer, the colors option, and the ability to customize them to your exact specifications… Plus, when it comes to quality for the price, there are very few brands that offer what G&L does. Like Sharon, I think the best of G&L is yet to come. Much love to Steve and all the G&L family , great team and an amazing group of people! 🙌
Most excellent episode EVER!!! You two have an on screen chemistry that is very good up to and touching excellent! Sharon you made your Squier sound great. You both sound like what I was saying to myself when I first got my G&L Fullerton Jazz Bass almost four years ago. I wasn’t exactly blown away by it. It’s beautiful and there’s fit and finish details that are subtle until you add them all together and WOW! What an awesome bass. I have plenty of basses but I kept the G&L with me and kept playing it. Then it happened. I was playing on a familiar stage with my band mates and I had an epiphany. I had realized that I was playing Leo’s best effort in his career. This refined and solid axe was doing what it was intended to be doing. It’s not flashy and painted in outrageous colors or anything like that. It’s got the P sound with the J articulation and the refinement of a luxury car with the smoothness and style that only a Fender can make. I challenge you two to make a follow-up video in a couple of years and then you will have the answer you were seeking during the last few minutes of this, your best effort so far and your most informative video. These basses are the best kept secret of Fender sound.
G&L = George and Leo. And a Rickenbacker 4001 is more iconic than a Stingray bass. An L2000 is an awesome instrument in its own right and clearly the pinnacle of the evolution of Leo's work.
I've watched the whole episode now. I love the channel but this is the worst representation of a bass I've seen here. So many errors in the representation. If so many people asked for a review, you should've done more homework. For instance, there is a whole other head stock without the tooth. Simple to find out btw. You can get a very similar P-bass sound by soloing the neck. Very lame vid to cover the last work of the master.
@@demogis I heard about the headstock when I was only looking at L2500 Tribute model. So yeah it's easy to find especially if you are making a video about G&L.
4001 and Stingray are equally iconic. There is a long list of all time great songs recorded with each signature sound, probably more done with the Stingray after it came out. What are the equally famous recordings cut with an L-2000? I really don't know of any.
@@rrdream2400 from the perspective of looks, more people, not just bass players, will recognize the Rickenbacker; apart from the sound, I think that is what makes the Rick more iconic. I'm not suggesting the L-2000 is an iconic bass. But for bass players to knock it without having given it a fair shake, or even read anything about it, the L-2000 has more going for it. Over the last few years I have played many of the iconic basses out there from budget to boutique (and built a number of parts basses as well), a Fullerton deluxe L-2000 ranks up there in the top 5 in terms of pure playability and sound, especially for the money. It screams, "Take me to work!"
From the guitar end of things, the tributes tend to be heavier, and there’s a lot of variance in the US guitars. My semi-hollow ASAT is around six pounds so I licked out. Again from a guitarist’s perspective… I really love the MFDs on both types of instrument. I play a lot of solo jazz ballad type stuff and I really appreciate how interactive these pickups are compared to a traditional tele/alnico sound. EDIT: I’ve also noticed among guitar players, there are quite a few who come up on ASATs and start playing Fenders. Props to that lady from The Beths for staying loyal to the Fallout.
Y'all gotta try the L1000. It's got G&L's OMG-mode which is the pickup in series but with a capacitor in one of the coils. The resulting sound is a super aggressive bass boosted tone that I personally love.
But how can the pickup be in series if there's only one of them? Lol interesting that Ian gets it wrong and the G&L guy just runs with it. The series/parallel switch puts the individual pickups themselves in series, not both pickups in series between them. Otherwise the pickup selector switch wouldn't work. Two coils in series, not two pickups. It's not an S1 jazz.
When Ian joined SBL, I felt he was an outstanding addition to the program. And Sharon now is a true breath of fresh air. We need more of Sharon! With Scott, you are a perfect trifecta!
I'm the dad, played Leos basses since late '70s. P-basses mostly. Today I have one of each generation. A P-bass (Tokai Hard Puncher 1980), an EBMM Sterling (slim Stingray) 2000 and and really nice G&L L1000 ("wunkay" 1985) one pickup, passive bass with a wide slim neck. Love them all.
The L-2500/2000 almost leans “Spector”, in that super focused midrange bark thing. That, and as a guy who cut his teeth on an early 70s jazz bass, the L-2500 is the only bass where I personally enjoy the neck pickup solo. I’ve never bonded with a P bass, for me.
It is interesting that you commented on 3 things G&L changed on the 5 stringer 20 something years ago: - the headstock (it used to be 4+1 and they changed to the current 3+2) - body size, it was reduced a bit - weight, changing body size shaved something like 1lbs from the L2500 I’ve been rocking an L2500 since 2001 and I adore that instrument. It’s tone work so well in a band context I wish you guys had a backing track when you were demoing
There’s a UA-cam clip somewhere taht just has a Kiloton, MM Stingray, and I believe son Gibson bass w a baking track. Kiloton sounded best to me in all samples.
Odd to talk about “the” tone of the G&L and not go through the various pickup configurations. There’s a lot of flexibility there. Love my L1000 and Tribute L2000.
I am a Spector guy first and foremost, but coming in a close second is G&L for me. I had a swamp ash Tribute 2500 in the early 2000s that was the best recording bass I ever had. Over a decade later I bought one for my son and the consistency between that one and my first one was astonishing, even given the fact that the first was a Korean and the second one was Indonesian. If I can't use a Spector I'll happily go with a G&L.
G&L L-2000 or L-2500 are my favourite bass ever. Single coil mode is a must for me. Just about to order my second custom shop from them. Just remember, with those MFD pickups, volume affects tone significantly. 75% volume is similar to the tone of a P or J.
Kind of the point of the L2000 is its versatility. Only running it in parallel misses the point. Parallel bridge pickup half treble is kind of a jazz tone, but series on the neck is much more p. Active treble boost series on the bridge is close to a stingray. The pickups are designed to have such high output and fat low end that most of the time I cut the bass a little and just run in passive mode. I think it’s the best bass he designed.
I played passsive, parallel, and just used the pick up selector. Over time I learned what everything does, but I still use passive/series most of the time.
I've always wanted a Wal bass, but it was too much for my pockets. When I found out about G&L L2000 basses I started to study them by looking at videos and reading stuff online and I noticed it has some features in common with Wal basses. I bought one almost a year ago, when I tried my G&L L2000 Tribute through my Ampeg with the preamp + treble boost on and some overdrive I heard 90% of Wal's sound. My mind was blown. G&L basses are some of the most beautiful sounding basses out there and they are very affordable for their building quality and electronics. I have 9 basses, but my L2000 has become one of my top 3 go-to axes when I have to get up and play
I bought my first G&L back in 2010. It was an L-2500 and was loving everything that it did even though I didn’t fully understand the range of that bass. I sold it later on as I never got comfortable with he five strings. I’m now the happy owner of an LB-100 and a CLF L-1000. I’ve done several albums with the LB-100 with the stock set up and it just sounded killer. Eventually I’ve switched pickups in both basses as I’m not that fond of the exposed metal in the pickups since it’s giving too many clicks with the way I’m playing. But even though I’ve changed the pickups I’m still convinced that the G&L basses are some of the most value for money instruments you can get and I hope that I can get to buy more G&L in the future. Especially with some of the color options that the custom shop offers. I’m really a softy for the heavy sparkle finishes that they have. I do agree with Ian about the headstock and the looks of it. But I’ve come to terms with it for the LB-100. The headstock on the CLF L-1000 is awesome and something that I think Ian would gravitate towards based on what he mentioned in the video.
You guys keep talking about "mid-rangey" like it's a really bad thing. You do realize, I hope, that when you are playing in a group, the Bass owns the low-mids from about 250Hz up to 550Hz. Those frequencies are the sonic space that gives the bass its presence and definition and a little boost there makes a big difference in whether you hear what the bass player is playing or just see his hands moving but can't discern the individual notes. The Kick drum owns the lowest lows, the guitars and keys own the high mids and highs, and the bass owns the low mids. You guys have done enough recording that I'm sure you're aware of that. The mid-rangey sound you're complaining about may not be the best sound when playing by your self, but it makes a big difference in what the audience hears when playing in a group. I have an '82 Jazz that I bought in 1985 to replace my 1965 Jazz that I bought in 1966 and was stolen form me in 1976 along with all my touring gear. My '82 has a maple-neck and the 70's era 4" center to center pickup spacing. I toured with my 1965 Jazz in the early 70's and my '82 is a little brighter and has a lot more sustain than my '65 did. I use Eden and DNA (David Nordschow Amplification) gear which was all designed by David Nordschow (aka: David Eden). The sound from all of those amps and cabs is clear, clean and articulate. I don't run distortion or any effects or distortion. With my Eden amps I run everything flat except for the low mids. I will boost the low-mids at 250Hz or 500Hz depending on what low-mids I can address. With my DNA-800 amp, that low-mid EQ is centered at 500Hz. Both of those frequencies work fine to get that presence and definition. I don't have to boost it much, just to about 1:30 does the trick. If you boost the low-mids too much, it causes your sound to honk at you, which is quite different from the "bark" you refer to with the G&L basses. If you hear the honk, you need to slowly drop the low-mid boost until it stops honking. That little bit of boost allows me to not only be heard, but be heard clearly in live performances without drowning everyone else out with my volume level. There's a UA-cam video of the J Badders Band playing at a club in Washington a few years back where I'm using my Eden WT500/800 amp (400-watts rms per channel into 4Ω or 800-watts bridged into 8Ω) into two Eden EX112 4Ω cabs. It's a dual-powerblock amp so I plug one into each channel. Low-mids at 250Hz are boosted to 1:30 and everything else is set flat. It's just an iPhone recording or our 5-piece group (bass, drums, keys, and two guitars), so it's not the best recording but nonetheless you can distinctly hear not only that I am playing, but what I am playing (presence and definition). And that's without blasting everyone with volume. Rather it allows my playing to be heard in a nice balance with the rest of the group. ua-cam.com/video/PTWiJuar6EA/v-deo.html So in a group performance that mid-rangey sound may be just the right thing for the mix even though the sound of it playing by yourself might not be what you really like to hear.
but the mid range of a P-bass is much warmer. It sits in the mix perfectly while the G&L cuts through the mix, there is a big difference. The P has a very limited frequency range that fills the empty slot and steps on nothing else. Active basses with dual humbuckers like the L-2000 have so much mid-range they are more prone to step on and mask the other instruments in the mix. They cut through but often times at the expense of other instruments, that's why engineers love P-basses, you just plug them in and you have the one sound for nearly any style rather than have to notch out frequencies and work to get it to fit.
@@rrdream2400you can totally get the sit in the mix sound from the G&L too though - run it passive, and just front pickup if you want that warmer sound. But if you want to cut through you've got that option there too.
@@ryangriffiths6130 yes, back pu, passive, in series gets in the P-bass ballpark. Great option for a bass with so many nice tones. But it doesn't quite get that P-bass sound if that is what you want. I find the L-1000 gets closer. J-bass on neck pu gets close too. Better or worse is totally subjective, but it's just not the same as a P.
This happened at least 20 years ago. I had just arrived at a party venue where I was going to play with my cover band when I discovered that I had forgotten my Fender JB at home🤯. A friendly person who was there offered me to buy his old bass for $300 which I assumed without even having seen the bass to avoid delaying the gig. However, in the case was a wonderfully patinated white G&L SB2 (made in usa) which is still my favorite bass to this day.
Yes! Sharon’s L-2500 in the Paramore video WAS a sneak preview! I love my CLF L-2500. If I have no clue what I need to play when I show up somewhere, this is the instrument I bring. It doesn’t do a perfect carbon copy of any other sound, but it gets really workable sounds of a lot of different flavours. Mine’s got the bridge/series/parallel switch which is so useful.
Leo was a genius, and an artist. To get it SO right, so early on? The telecaster was refined into the stratocaster, and it's essentially perfect. The p-bass is essentially perfect, and the jazz bass just takes that and does something totally different (tonally). That kind of seemingly-effortless success doesn't just happen everyday; the dude had something special in him.
When I think of a P, J or Stingray, I think of so many hit songs and the legendary bass players associated with each of those basses they played on those recordings. I don’t have nearly the same degree of association with any G&L model.
G&L is a smaller company than Musicman or Fender. I might be wrong but I think Leo Fender didn't want them to be very popular so he can experiment more.
@@QWRTkeyboard maybe so but less popular brands like Alembic, Wal and Steinberger all have signature songs associated with it's tone. What are the signature G&L bass songs?
I was glad to see this video come out! Thanks for that. I am, since almost two years, a proud an happy owner of a Fullerton CLF Research L-2500 in a nice cherry burst. I am most happy about my particular bass not having this awkward-looking "thing" on the well-know headstock (that indeed really puts me off. What a misser that is). So, luckily, my bass does not have that. Contrary to what I have seen on some UA-cam videos, I do not share the opinion that this an instrument that combines all the classic "Leo-sounds" (J,P and Stingray). I cannot find the character of a Stingray or a Jazz in it, however, the front pick-up resembles the vibe of a P-bass pretty well. I believe this instrument offers amazingly great value for money. American hand-made top build quality with an impecable finish. To me it is a modern-sounding bass, with probably the best low-B of all 5-string basses I ever played (the Musicman 5 comes close, though), I find it to resemble more of a Ken Smith sound, than a Fender (It also has this piano-like "zing" to it). The bridge is likely one of the best bridges ever made (!!). My go-to settings: Passive, both pickups on (or just the front), series, bass all open, treble cut abt 60%. Probably thé most versatile bass I own. As you said, perhaps not recommended as your ONLY bass, unless you are specifically looking for that G&L sound in all your music. As to my suggestions for other basses to be put under the spotlights, my two most amazing and well-made instrumets are the Warwick Star-Bass (Teambuilt in Germany), which lately I have been using a lot, and the recently-acquired and utterly amazing Wilcock Mullarkey (Wilcock does a series of very well-crafted, unique, mostly short-scale, simple, passive but very usable basses).
These basses actually can do much more than you guys are doing. The PTB system, since it’s a cut system, you can get more “standard” sounds just by cutting the treble to get a more traditional sound.
SB-2 is one of my favorite basses. Simple yet versatile. PJ. Two volume knobs no tone. I just sold mine, but I’ll get a another one some day. I tried my first SB-2 in the shop in 1996 but then got sold on an L-2000 from the custom shop because of the bells and whistles. And I HATED it. Big mistake that I had to live with for several years because I spent all my money on it.
It was years before I added G&L to my arsenal, but I'm glad I did. My M-2500 is a great gigging bass. Very punchy and cuts through in a way like my Bongo, but with a voice all its own. The L2000 is a great bass, especially with the K-mod / single coil mod. And with both pickups in series mode, treble boost engaged, it can serve as a "poor man's Wal", especially paired with a Darkglass Harmonic Booster pedal with the character knob all the way up. Great for dialing in some RHCP BSSM tones, or even some Tool / JC tones.
I think the fact that you both play professionally and have access to a wide variety of basses for compare/contrast makes this information valuable. It’s obvious that this is genuine and not a paid endorsement. Also, not just a bedroom player showing off his new bass on a UA-cam video video.
I love the channel but damn this was frustrating to watch. 😂 Been hoping for an L2000 video for years and this was not it. Pain points for me: This bass has the most modern voice yet it is a dad instrument, has one sound yet you spend very little time adjusting the controls of the bass, asking if it is active, not liking the headstock and not knowing there is the CLF versions... Rough video for G&L fans.
I've owned my ASAT bass for almost 30 years and I can dial in all of Leo's bass sounds AND slice through the mix 😉. If you use the passive and the cut (which they didn't) you get it all.
Also a missed opportunity from Ian: comparison between a g&l l2000 (mid forward legend) and a Spector (another mid forward typically 80s instrument). Especially with a pick…
G&L was Leo's crowning achievement, whether the rest of the world realises it or not. MFD pickups are in a league of their own, and their bridges are the most satisfyingly solid lumps out there. Got a gorgeous honeyburst ASAT bass, a 1996 SB-2 and an L-1000 "wunkay", and I wouldn't trade a single one of them for any Fender later than '64 (and only then so that I could sell it and buy 10 more G&Ls).
I've got a G&L SB-2. It's the best P-style bass I've ever owned. And the L-series have a tone like nothing else, and they cut through dense mixes like butter (way better than a Stingray). Would love to hear a Kiloton with the M-2000 3-band electronics - that would be a real Stingray killer.
The G&L L2000 is IMO, the perfect blend of traditional and modern ideas in one instrument. The MFDs are unmatched for their power and full range response. The 2 band cut-only eq is a brilliant approach, and the best way to work with the MFDs. It gives me every option I could ever want, and I never even use the preamp!
As to your comment about never wanting to turn the bass knob down…. Plug that into an SVT and get back to me. Through a big rig, at concert level… you’ll be turning that knob down! In fact, the best way to use this eq sustem is to get as close to what you want at the amp, with the 2 band eq rolled off… THEN bring in the highs and lows.
And…. It is a passive instrument with a preamp, but it also works without the battery - totally passive. If you want a more traditional P sound - bridge pickup, series mode, treble off or at 1 or 2, bass at least at 5. But yes, it does have a signature sound that remains no matter what. BTW, check out the CLF Series with the original lawsuit headstock!
I think part of what keeps them a “dark horse” is people don’t understand the electronics. First time I played one in the 80’s I had no clue how it worked, it wasn’t until I demoed a Tribute series (16 years ago) that I actually learned how to get the most out of it. It is a brilliant, yet simple concept. Incredibly effective, yet unlike anything else, you have to learn how to control the MFD. Think of it as a firehose with 2 bands of attenuation. Gary Beers of INXS played G&L btw. Even their non-MFD instruments like the LB-100 or JBs have that presence, some of that comes from the bridge which in addition to being buggy and chunky, actually has a footer that extends about s 1/2” into the end grain of the body. And of course the saddle lock feature - it all contributes to the integrity of each note. Anyway… I’ve always felt G&L is under appreciated, but I’ve been an enthusiastic supporter/user for many years, and as tools of the trade - they’re indispensable to me.
@@BassWhispererTV I think that's the main reason some people get a bad impression of them--they dime everything like you would on a passive Fender and then you end up with this (IMO) huge wooly sound that doesn't actually sit in the mix that well (at least not like a P does). I love them - killer sounds are in there for sure - but I admit I do find them a bit fiddly!
Kind of wish you guys talked about the bridge of the basses more. Yes it's big and looks cool, but it's design has an extrusion that fits into the core of the body for more stability, plus, it has a screw on the side that will lock the saddles together, so when you set it up, it stays set up. No saddle float like on other basses.
I used to have a gold sparkle G&L ASAT bass that a friends dads brother said I could borrow when I was in high school. He died a month or two after he let me borrow it and nobody ever asked for it back. But back then I had no idea what G&L was, I never heard of it before and assumed it was just a random generic bass. I actually liked my Westone Spectrum better. My mom sold it at a garage sale for $40 while I was at college. Someone scored big that day.
I have a 1985 G&L, 4 string, El Toro bass. The tone is killer but the neck (one piece maple) is warped so badly that you could almost shoot arrows from the strings. If G&L ever learns how to build a 3 piece neck with graphite or titanium reinforcement I think it would be a great bass. I actually called G&L because I had questions about the electronics. Leo Fender himself answered the phone and explained it to me. That was great!
I've played a few G&L L2000 basses, and every time I come away really liking them but finding them extremely bright. I think trying some flats on one would be a really interesting experiment. In the Paramore video that you did, Sharon's L2500 sounded REALLY good with overdrive/distortion. They'd have a great sound for a hard rock band.
Leo Fender didn't make the scroll silhouette headstock, Paul Bigsby did, and Bigsby was VERY upset when he saw it. That scallop wave was added because older G&Ls had a more traditional headstock shape and the Fender company sent a cease and desist so they had to change it.
I particularly think L2000 electronics are pretty versatile and sometimes misunderstood. It took me sometime to approach them like this. Since the mfd have a brutal high sinal, compared to a fender, I normally keep their volume at 60/70%, carve out the frequencies through the passive tone controls and use the remaining volume (or passive or even series mode, depending on what you’re aiming at) to compensate for the volume loss. Then voila, you have a different sound. However I agree that the single coil mod is an awesome upgrade to it. Adding much more tone variety to it.
I've played my '88 SB 1 since it was new. The MFD makes it a P-Bass plus! I love it. I also have an L-2000. Once you get familiar with the controls, there's an incredibly diverse range of tones available. Said for the headstock, I like it. Check out the CLF models, Ian. No bottle opener! I discovered G&L in the 80s as a kid in L.A. A few of us knew "this is what Leo's doing now". Great instruments!
My G&L journey began in Chicago in college 1986 - amazing dealer on the South Side had a huge stock of them. I got an SB-1 to play in the jazz band and I always got double take looks when people heard the tone. 'What IS that bass?!'. I foolishly sold it prior to a move to Los Angeles a few years later, but I dug back in with L2K's for a few years - and ALWAYS wanted to try an ASAT bass - but to my amazement, I'd never come across one in a store, gig, etc. I was lucky and bought a 1990 ASAT bass in near mint condition off Reverb about 4 years ago from someone in CA - it is amazing. I also got an S-500 in Chicago, and sold it to Eric Gale (who died in 1994) back in 1991. He played it to check out an amp I was selling and was completely blown away. He basically begged me to buy it - so I did. I now live in Nashville and really want to find a Fallout bass - but (once again) I've never come across one in a store...
I have owned a G&L CLF Research L-2000 for about 5 months now. It is a fabulous instrument that I have only begun to explore. It can reproduce any sound you can think of. Incredible construction quality. And oh those powerful pickups.
The L-2000 is so close, but I would change the following: Traditional active preamp (Volume, Treble boost/cut, Bass boost/cut) Active/passive switch mid range selector (400/800) Coil split (front pickup should be 'split' to make it like a P pickup, like some bartolinis do) CLF 'Research' headstock as standard Get rid of the weird blue bursts etc. Black, white, sunburst, fiesta red, maple and rosewood for each. I would buy one tomorrow....
@@jamesburge1983 Right!? I really like G&L but some of their choices are so odd. How many people want a blueburst bass with humbuckers in series and a weird boost switch? And if you're going to make us put a battery in, use a traditional active preamp. That said, show me a fiesta red L-2000 with a rosewood board and the splittable MFD's and I will buy one without hesitation. No brainer.
They made the bass you are looking for, at least partly, up until very recently in both USA made and Tribute versions. The M2000. A lot of rave reviews, though I’ve never played on myself. It was an L2000, but with a new active preamp, no switches, and tone and pickup blend controls. Some UA-cam vids about them floating around the net. Seems nobody bought them, so they got discontinued.
I have been gigging my USA SB2 and JB2 for years. If there is a better playing, more reliable bass I'm oblivious of what it is. They're also a great value for what you get. I'm not an active pickup fan so I sold my L2000. It did work great in passive mode but, the SB2 is a passive only instrument that is lighter and plenty hot with great midrange for cutting through the mix. The JB2 is just a super sweet sounding jazz bass with the smaller body and less hardware.
I think that Scott's bass lesson has a not insignificant influence. Even though we know that everything said is personal opinion, this aspect should also be considered. This arises from the responsibility that comes with the channel's reach. Here you have left an undifferentiated image of this bass, which does not really do this instrument justice, IMO.
I bought the OG L-2000 in 1986. It’s been my only bass and been playing since then. It has never failed me and gigged with it for decades. It is unbelievable quality and can get any tone. You don’t need any other bass
"Dad bass" 🤣 You're killin' me Ian! But I think there is some truth to it. Mixed opinion. No Matter how much you tweak all the variations of controls, they will always have that G&L sound, which if you love it is great. But in a cover band, it is not as versatile, or universally passable as a P-bass. I'm not selling mine, because it is beautiful and some day might finally get popular , but it doesn't come out to play very often.
Loved this. Always wanted to know more about G&L's vibe and story beyond just "it was Leo!" Would love more of these bass-maker-focused episodes. Builders big, mid-sized, and small, it's really cool learning a bit of the history, design choices and evolutions, genre niches that each has found its way into.
The L-2000 controls have a LOT of range. The only problem is it's not too easy to dial in what you want, but you'll find a ton of sounds that you can use. Flick through the pickup selector in series, then flick it to parallel and do it again, try those 6 sounds with the treble boost in, try those 12 picking at different points on the string, it's a great variety of sounds from just one bass. I think they're brilliant, honestly. (mine is an '89 fretless)
You say not easy - I'd say itsn ot hard - as long as you're starting place is more like 5-7 on all knobs instead of 10-EVERYTHING like they did. If they talked to 1 regular G&L pro for 1 second they'd have heard this as all the comments here prove.
Like a few others have probably said that have played these: The volume knob is a tone control too. Like rolling the treble back on a PBass, the volume on a G&L needs to be rolled back just an hour or two to get that sweet sweet 'PBass' sound. You need a brighter section, just turn it back to 100.
Thanks a lot for your review. I'm a guitarist and needed a bass to record bass lines. I've bought a second hand G&L JB a few weeks ago and love its sound. Yes it's heavy but massive and I feel confident with it. What I like with G&L is their MFD electronics. Their guitars have, too, their own sounds and feeling. They are great whan you dial with the volume and tone knobs. Just feel different and I like that (guitars speaking, I feel the same with Sire, Guild or Gretsch).
I LOVE my G&L L2000! Admittedly, the elecrronics take a minute to understand, but once you know, its actually pretty simple. Also, being able to play passively if your battery craps out mid song/gig is a nice plus.
You all know we like to mess with you with the titles 😜What other basses have we just not been presenting enough?
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@@devinebass just fyi the G&Ls you were showing today can also be passive with the preamp off setting, you only highlighted them in active. They can do both, and because they can do both they have a lot more flexibility. You do have to understand the controls and they can be a bit much at first, but at the same time from a budget standpoint it reduces your need to buy a ton of basses cause it can do very convincing impressions of P, J and stingray basses, among other active basses, and that’s part of its appeal.
*Translation: Clickbait.*
I know it's boutique, but I've played a Zon Legacy since 1987. probably 90% of my stage time has been with it. Joe Zon is super nice to deal with. I can't say enough good things about Zon.
In terms of market size, Ibanez would be an obvious choice. The challenge would be capturing a representative sample of the vast range of prices, pickups and other electronic components, as well as the three main body/neck designs, without the video running to ridiculous lengths. From a selfish perspective, I'd love to see you look at Sandberg, as their basses have intrigued me for a while (especially the ones which combine a split coil in the middle with a humbucker at the bridge) . . .
Vigier?
NOT "Guitars by Leo," it's George (Fullerton) & Leo (Fender).
G&L's tag line literally was "Guitars by Leo"
@@Scoots1994several years later, yes. That being said, G&L is, was, will forever be George and Leo.
@@leesbassment6393 Yes. And I love that Leo put George in there and put him first. That's love.
Also G&L is, I think, on Fender Ave in Fullerton :)
*"How dare you question the great & powerful Oz?!?!*
😂
I’ve been rocking the G&L L-2000 Tribute for over a decade and has not failed me once. I absolutely love that bass and is my ride or die bass!
Same here, my L-2000 is perfect. I can make it sound like just about any other bass.
Best bass ever made love my L2000 p
same, but my back doesnt forgive me
Same here and it’s a lefty for me. I’m not a “bass player” bass player. I use mine to support and keep a nice chain of pedals for when I need to work on the sound. I come form a synthesiser background. It’s a plank of wood with magnets, it should be reliable!
I have a couple of more expensive basses 15:04 and bought a G&L L 15:28 15:29 -2000 tribute for my daughters to take with them to school to play in jazz band. Now when they have the choice, they prefer to play the G&L.
This video was a bit of a disservice to the L-2000. I've owned a CLF Research L2000 for 5 years, and I think it does everything you could ever ask a bass to do... If you manipulate the treble knob, passive / boost switches, parallel/series, and change up your plucking placement, you get every sound under the sun
Running everything all the way up is impractical for most gigs, and did not show the range of the instrument.
Add in the CLF Research L2000 vibe with the different headstock, chrome plated, natural ash body.... You have a hardcore 80s hair vibe which just works
I agree. The controls exist for a reason. Yeah I get it, most players just open up the throttle and hope that the instrument will just magically do the 'work'. In my opinion G&L's are for folks who really have no fear of 'using' the instrument. It is like the comanche, players who just open it up and not use the controls, hate it. Players who use the controls generally really like it. In short if some one is in to G&L, they generally know how to dial in an instrument.
🎯🎯🎯
My 5-string L-1000 is the only bass I don’t permanently have my volume maxed out.
I'll second this. It is true. Played G&L since having a 2010 SB2 Tribute, ordered an SB-2T from Fullerton in '14; and a L2000 with the single coil mod (highly suggested) this past Dec '23. They are both unique and I've found the L2000 is like having 4 basses in one with the single coil set up, and then all the variables from "each bass" as you go. Depending on which preamp setting or the single coil, which pickup, series or parallel, or whatever you have set: you need to also adjust the bass and treble cuts to optimize that sound. But can't just crank everything open and go. You find your flavours for each.
You nailed it man.
Every L1000 or L2000 i’ve ever seen or picked up looked like it was built like a tank and they certainly feel that way, and the variety of tones you get from them is insane. It’s truly a Swiss Army Knife bass.
I had an original L-1000 and a late '90s L-1505, and I'll say the original generation is still unmatched. The later stuff is definitely durable, but my L-1000 (hope the bastard who stole them got his just desserts) was a fuggin' TANK!!
I own L-1505 and it's the best bass I ever played. The magic of G&L basses is that you can easily put them in virtually any mix. Perfect tool for professional musicians.
👍👍👍
what are some greatest of all time hit songs that have that G&L bass tone?
No! G&L are some mighty fine instruments
Were once
That’s what they are… fine. Kind of boring and dull visually, and not enough to separate him from his first company, but fine instruments.
@@thebigsmooth99 have you played it owned one? That pickup is way different.
@@dynodansmoking The character of the MFDs (Leo never would have reproduced alnico pickups or Fender designs at G&L) is very different from all his earlier designs but not far from Dimarzios (among his own pickups that he tested in his lab were some Dimarzio pickups!). G&Ls were clearly no where near as important as his earlier instruments and as Richard Smith says he just wanted a place to tinker and some friends around to have lunch with- it was his retirement job. Nowdays G&L are just profiting from his name. When Leo had it he made very nice hand made instruments made in a specific way on his equipment (no CNC) with hand wound pickups.
I lived in Southern California back in the 80's. I lived in Fullerton and used to hang out at a music store there called "This Is Music" on State College Blvd, at the end of Fender Ave. The owner knew Leo very well and told me G&L was hiring. I applied for a job and they called me in for an interview. As the manager was showing me around the shop, Leo walked up and I briefly met him. The manager told him I was there for a job interview, and he walked off. I didn't get the job, but many years later I started my very own bass-building empire.
Wow, thanks for sharing!
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I think the G&L Tribute line is one of the best collections of basses under $1,000. They’re constructed well and all the QC is done in California as you mentioned. I got my SB-2 from their online store at a pretty significant discount because it was a B stock. I love that bass!
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I almost yelled at my phone when Ian said he wouldn’t use the knobs! Long time L1K player here to tell you that’s how you control the midrange. Also, rolling the volume back really helps put it in vintage territory. Great episode 🫶
3/4 volume is where it's at. I never use mine with the volume fully up.
How do you use passive treble & bass controls to control midrange? If all you can do is dial out treble & bass, aren't you just going to get an even _more_ mid focussed sound? I know I'm being somewhat simplistic there and I haven't used it myself, so if I'm wrong, please tell me why!
Very happy to see you guys review G&L. I know I'm in a minority of bassists, but I love my SB-2 (their spin on a PJ). It's a different beast.
Agree. 2014 SB-2T player here.
Still one of the best basses to play aggressively with a pick. It’s like an atomic bomb through a big amp.
One of the greatest things about the L-2000, in passive mode, it can be played without a battery.
G&L, thank you!
Unlike the Stingray,
Afaik…🤷♂️
Big deal. I have never had a battery issue with Stingrays and have played them over 27 years.
@@daviddesmond2143 Yeah, take a spare or two.
@@DrRock2009 I've played my mid 2000's Stingray without the battery in it, as I needed the 9V for my tuner. I now take spares :)
My Warwick is the same too. I always feel scared when bringing an Active bass that doesn't have this feature.
G&L basses and guitars are lovely. They are simultaneously chameleons that can flow in and out of all of his basses through time, and they are kind of their own thing as well cause of the active preamps and ability to flip between pickup settings. The G&L guitars are similar, they can flow between other historical guitar sounds and are totally unique.
Its here.!! What an odd title though. L2000 were Leos self confessed best and an evolution of the ray especially
Clickbait
Fighting talk! G&L fanboi here, a happy owner of an ASAT and an LB100, love ‘em both.
Thanks for this video. I´m a G&L enthusiast since I bought, Almost by mistake. a L2500 and man... I don´t want to play any other thing even when sometimes I play a Jazz Bass. I agree, the 2500 headstock is awful but; oh dear the G&L really crushes every thing, you just need to understand the electronics a lil bit and Bingo! You have a Precision, a Jazz Bass and a Stingray in the same package. It´s time to make the G&L crushes everything video. I love Leo.
The adjustable MFD pickup poles are also another way to get your tone nailed down. You can tone it up or down string by string using them.
Nobody mentions the bridge. It is one of the main features and a huge element of the bass. Leo had the idea that the strings pulling against the end grain gives more sustain and tone and so there's a huge slab of metal underneath it that sits in a slot - and the strings pull it against the grain of the body.
I have a Kiloton tribute and I love it. Controls are super simple so it's easy to dial it in and it's passive, which for me is a plus. Build quality is incredible, it's a joy to play it, and it feels like a total workhorse. I agree that the logo isn't the coolest, but the frost black finish is so sick. The tone is definitely its own thing. What drew me to it was how much clarity and definition the bass has in the lower notes. I find the full humbucker mode to be a little too loud and boomy, but the single coil mode and the series mode are fantastic sounds. I do find myself EQing out some of the mids and rolling off the tone knob a little to help the bass sit better in the mix. Overall fantastic bass, 10/10 in my book.
I hadn't ever considered a G&L but was looking for a quality main instrument and was thinking Stingray. In the shop after playing an H and HH I tried the L2000 & L2500 but was put off by the confusing switches and knobs. I then tried a Fullerton Kiloton and it was over! Walked out with the gorgeous Tangerine Sparkle and it immediately became my main bass. Such simple controls and such a big and distinctive voice for so much less $$$ than a Stingray or other American made intruments.
Later picked up a Tribute JB2 which I play in the living room in the evenings. So happy with both!
Two words about the mid-forward sound- Joe Dart. Then consider how similar his signature bass is to the Kiloton; passive electronics, humbucker near the bridge; I'd argue that the switch and tone knob on the Kiloton make it far more versatile.
Fwiw I have 2 Kilotons, 1 with flats and 1 with rounds. Every time I play them people comment on how great they sound, and how well they cut through in a mix. If you like pop/funk-rock they're an absolute beast.
Fwiw I agree with others that comparing the L2000 in active mode to a couple of other passive basses really wasn't the best way to go about it (sorry Ian, I normally love your work).
In any case, whilst I don't think they do the vintage sound as well as a vintage bass, G&Ls have a fantastic sound for modern music, and are far more sonically versatile than this video suggests. Everyone should try one if possible... ✌🏼🎸🤘🏼@devinebass
Mr. Fender's Ultimate creations. Everything he discovered all in one Company. G&L is way better than most understand.
The P Bass was needed, the Jazz was a nice edition (Leo thought it was not needed at the time), and some people like the Stingray. G&Ls were very nice when Leo had the company- and for a little while after, but Dimarzio and Badass had that area covered. By the way, Leo never recreated Fenders or Alnico pickups at G&L, and he would never have used CNC or automated pickup winders.
As a dad, I love my G&L and its mid-range tone. I put it down for a year, came back, and the fucker was still in tune. Even the case is high quality. I’m currently shopping for another one much to my wife’s misgivings.
“the fucker was still in tune” 😂😂 hell yeah
Nailed it with the staying in tune. I rarely need to retune.
Great review! The big mistake that most people make with G&L is not using the volume and tone controls. Full on, all controls on 10, very aggressive sound. Enjoy the channel!
Yeah but its a poor review because of that very reason you point out.
My personal highlight with my G&L 2500 is the neck-PU. You should have played it in the video! It´s like a P-Bass with five times more punch. It is perfect for my Blues-Trios but I also played it with Hiphop-Bands or Coverbands. For me the G&L is the perfect bassplaying live!
Ian needs to get his hands on an L-1000. It’s better than almost any boutique P-bass Ive ever played.
Yep! I have one and it's elite lol
It's still not a Stingray...
Honestly though I think G&L basses are really caught in between the distinction of Stringray and the nostalgic significance of P and J basses. I mean it's a great bass but like it's not different or innovative enough in comparison.
Yep. I own a p bass and and L-1000, and 90% of the time I’m choosing which bass I take on a gig, it’s the g&l. It’s just so much easier to get a nice tone that can also cut through the mix.
@@vitaminc2161my Kiloton very much sounds like a Stingray, and it kills on tunes by RHCP, Chic and other tracks recorded with a MM. I love it.
Yeah, I'm really surprised they didn't even give it a nod. A wunkay is like the Pinnacle of g&l bases.
Muzz Skillings: Living Colour (L-2000 fretless)!
Gary Garry Beers (INXS)
Sara Lee
Gail Ann Dorsey
Ed Friedland
Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith)
David Steele (English Beat, Fine Young Cannibals)
Dave Pegg - Jethro Tull (not with them currently though)
Henry Bogdan - Helmet
I have a '98 SB-2 and I still LOVE it! No tone controls, just a volume control for the (passive and HOT) P and J pickups and it's amazing the tonal variations possible. I look at G&L in the category of "if you know, you know"
Back in 82, my bass teacher picked up a SB 1 off the rack in the music store and told me I should tell my parents to buy it for me. They did, and I still have it. Still tight and plays like the meat and potatoes it was meant for. Peace!
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Great to see this video and fantastic to get a glimpse of Leo's workshop! What an amazing inventor he was.
I have been playing a L2500 for quite some time in a pop-cover band and there are three things that you do not mention/do that make it my top bass:
- Put flatwounds on it to soften the mid-high growl a bit and it comes to live
- The adjustments you make in the way you play, are so clear on this instrument; you can make more difference with your fingers than I have felt with any other bass
- Using the passive mode (rear switch) and the series-parallel switch for different songs makes a ton of difference, as do the knobs. I am able to get a ton of different tones at my fingertips.
It is a bit of a learning curve to find out how to get what sound and to make it "yours", but when you do,... it is amazing.
In my experience, they work best with a "clean" amp (I play a Glockenklang rig) and then you have more flexibility than I could find with any other bass.
Keep them comming!
I agree that the G&L sound is perfect for modern stuff. Sometimes my Jazz bass gets lost in the mix without playing it in series. The G&L cuts like a P bass but with modern articulation. I just wished you guys went more into the tone variations and pickup sounds.
I’m so grateful you finally covered the G&L basses. I bought my first ASAT bass in 1998 and have been hooked ever since. I own 9 G&L’s and I love them so much!!!!
G&L Tribute L-2500 is a bass i was trying to get my hands on for years (very hard to get one where i live) because every clip and comment about it sounded like it's just what i want out of a bass and it was firmly in my price range.
I finally managed to snatch one used (transparent orange with maple neck) and it's without a doubt my favorite out of any bass i ever owned. It plays like a dream and sounds absolutely monumental, especially with some drive (same MDF pickups and hardware as the US version). B string is so so good. And every sound it makes (an it can make like all of them) is usable.
My band's drummer who plays in a lot of projects and does some session work on the side is constantly raving about how it's the best sounding bass she's heard (played trough a humble Fender Rumble V3 in practice) and she's always pestering other bassists to get one.
I've been playing G&L for years. Small shows, big stage, I love it. I love it that only the guys in the know know what it is. The necks on mine are superior to my p bass which I also love. My SB-1 is my secret weapon.
If you can't get a good tone with a G&L the problem is with the operator
I am a life time member of sbl and own 2 of these. Fretless L2k and SB2 with 2 vol setup and serial mode. The L2K offers a wide range of tonal choices. The SB2 is a fun Leo design. This is his take on PJ where you blend the vol of the J to define the tone. To do a proper assessment of Leo's G&L era you need to look at his 1k tone circuit. Check out the Ed Friedlands reviews of this. I modified a squire affinity with this and it became a tone monster.
I have to say I’m very disappointed in the instruments G&L sent you guys for this. While I agree that they should have sent you an L2000 and an L2500, they sent you the wrong L2000. That particular one is a prototype that was never put into production and I think it’s about 15 years old. The headstock actually has a slightly different shape to it currently. And the Kiloton was not designed by Leo Fender - it is a relatively new instrument. They should have sent you guys an L1000 which was really Leo‘s new take on the P bass. And the fact that it was heavy was also detrimental to the presentation because G&L has fairly light instruments these days as far as the USA built ones goes. While weight obviously varies I have a 7 lb G&L LB100 and another one that is just over 8 lbs. and as a former dealer, I also will say that USA models tend to be noticeably lighter than Tributes. I don’t feel what they sent. You guys is really representative of what they’re actually building. Despite that I thought it was a very informative video, but it would’ve been nice if you had played around with the settings a little bit more because there is quite a bit of versatility that I think was missed.
Great video guys! I’ve been using G&L instruments for over 15 years, and they’re hands down the best basses I’ve ever played. I’ve used them in hundreds of shows, and as they say, they’re perfect for that punchy sound that works so well for pop, disco, funk, or rock.
The wide range of models they offer, the colors option, and the ability to customize them to your exact specifications… Plus, when it comes to quality for the price, there are very few brands that offer what G&L does.
Like Sharon, I think the best of G&L is yet to come.
Much love to Steve and all the G&L family , great team and an amazing group of people! 🙌
I own a USA G&L JB and it is the best jazz bass that I’ve ever played.
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I second that. I’m using a JB-5 for my main bass. It is fantastic!!!
Most excellent episode EVER!!! You two have an on screen chemistry that is very good up to and touching excellent! Sharon you made your Squier sound great. You both sound like what I was saying to myself when I first got my G&L Fullerton Jazz Bass almost four years ago. I wasn’t exactly blown away by it. It’s beautiful and there’s fit and finish details that are subtle until you add them all together and WOW! What an awesome bass. I have plenty of basses but I kept the G&L with me and kept playing it. Then it happened. I was playing on a familiar stage with my band mates and I had an epiphany. I had realized that I was playing Leo’s best effort in his career. This refined and solid axe was doing what it was intended to be doing. It’s not flashy and painted in outrageous colors or anything like that. It’s got the P sound with the J articulation and the refinement of a luxury car with the smoothness and style that only a Fender can make. I challenge you two to make a follow-up video in a couple of years and then you will have the answer you were seeking during the last few minutes of this, your best effort so far and your most informative video. These basses are the best kept secret of Fender sound.
G&L = George and Leo. And a Rickenbacker 4001 is more iconic than a Stingray bass. An L2000 is an awesome instrument in its own right and clearly the pinnacle of the evolution of Leo's work.
I've watched the whole episode now. I love the channel but this is the worst representation of a bass I've seen here. So many errors in the representation. If so many people asked for a review, you should've done more homework. For instance, there is a whole other head stock without the tooth. Simple to find out btw. You can get a very similar P-bass sound by soloing the neck. Very lame vid to cover the last work of the master.
The CLF Research models have the older, "sue me" headstock. Apparently FMIC no longer thinks it looks too much like theirs.
@@demogis I heard about the headstock when I was only looking at L2500 Tribute model. So yeah it's easy to find especially if you are making a video about G&L.
4001 and Stingray are equally iconic. There is a long list of all time great songs recorded with each signature sound, probably more done with the Stingray after it came out. What are the equally famous recordings cut with an L-2000? I really don't know of any.
@@rrdream2400 from the perspective of looks, more people, not just bass players, will recognize the Rickenbacker; apart from the sound, I think that is what makes the Rick more iconic. I'm not suggesting the L-2000 is an iconic bass. But for bass players to knock it without having given it a fair shake, or even read anything about it, the L-2000 has more going for it. Over the last few years I have played many of the iconic basses out there from budget to boutique (and built a number of parts basses as well), a Fullerton deluxe L-2000 ranks up there in the top 5 in terms of pure playability and sound, especially for the money. It screams, "Take me to work!"
From the guitar end of things, the tributes tend to be heavier, and there’s a lot of variance in the US guitars. My semi-hollow ASAT is around six pounds so I licked out. Again from a guitarist’s perspective… I really love the MFDs on both types of instrument. I play a lot of solo jazz ballad type stuff and I really appreciate how interactive these pickups are compared to a traditional tele/alnico sound.
EDIT: I’ve also noticed among guitar players, there are quite a few who come up on ASATs and start playing Fenders. Props to that lady from The Beths for staying loyal to the Fallout.
Y'all gotta try the L1000. It's got G&L's OMG-mode which is the pickup in series but with a capacitor in one of the coils. The resulting sound is a super aggressive bass boosted tone that I personally love.
Yes!!!!!
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@@devinebass L1000 The best G&L IMO ... You should try the first years bass : 1979,80,81,82... OMG !
But how can the pickup be in series if there's only one of them? Lol interesting that Ian gets it wrong and the G&L guy just runs with it. The series/parallel switch puts the individual pickups themselves in series, not both pickups in series between them. Otherwise the pickup selector switch wouldn't work. Two coils in series, not two pickups. It's not an S1 jazz.
@@TheBestJack did you just answer your own opening question? 😄
Mine G&L SB-2 (`84 and maple body) totally passive and sound simply mind-blowing - never ever imagine, that bass could sound like this
When Ian joined SBL, I felt he was an outstanding addition to the program. And Sharon now is a true breath of fresh air. We need more of Sharon! With Scott, you are a perfect trifecta!
I second the Sharon love. Plus she's got pocket for DAAAAAAYYYYYS. Love her playing. :)
@@TheMusicalSchizo Doesn't she? We want more!
More to come from Sharon!!
@@devinebass Awesome!!!
I'm the dad, played Leos basses since late '70s. P-basses mostly. Today I have one of each generation. A P-bass (Tokai Hard Puncher 1980), an EBMM Sterling (slim Stingray) 2000 and and really nice G&L L1000 ("wunkay" 1985) one pickup, passive bass with a wide slim neck. Love them all.
The L-2500/2000 almost leans “Spector”, in that super focused midrange bark thing. That, and as a guy who cut his teeth on an early 70s jazz bass, the L-2500 is the only bass where I personally enjoy the neck pickup solo. I’ve never bonded with a P bass, for me.
It is interesting that you commented on 3 things G&L changed on the 5 stringer 20 something years ago:
- the headstock (it used to be 4+1 and they changed to the current 3+2)
- body size, it was reduced a bit
- weight, changing body size shaved something like 1lbs from the L2500
I’ve been rocking an L2500 since 2001 and I adore that instrument. It’s tone work so well in a band context I wish you guys had a backing track when you were demoing
There’s a UA-cam clip somewhere taht just has a Kiloton, MM Stingray, and I believe son Gibson bass w a baking track. Kiloton sounded best to me in all samples.
Odd to talk about “the” tone of the G&L and not go through the various pickup configurations. There’s a lot of flexibility there. Love my L1000 and Tribute L2000.
I am a Spector guy first and foremost, but coming in a close second is G&L for me. I had a swamp ash Tribute 2500 in the early 2000s that was the best recording bass I ever had. Over a decade later I bought one for my son and the consistency between that one and my first one was astonishing, even given the fact that the first was a Korean and the second one was Indonesian. If I can't use a Spector I'll happily go with a G&L.
G&L L-2000 or L-2500 are my favourite bass ever. Single coil mode is a must for me. Just about to order my second custom shop from them.
Just remember, with those MFD pickups, volume affects tone significantly. 75% volume is similar to the tone of a P or J.
Adjust the volume to control that bark.
Thank you for this great video. I had a G&L 1500 in 1979, but sold it for another bass... George Porter from The Meters played G&L for some time.
Kind of the point of the L2000 is its versatility. Only running it in parallel misses the point. Parallel bridge pickup half treble is kind of a jazz tone, but series on the neck is much more p. Active treble boost series on the bridge is close to a stingray. The pickups are designed to have such high output and fat low end that most of the time I cut the bass a little and just run in passive mode. I think it’s the best bass he designed.
I played passsive, parallel, and just used the pick up selector. Over time I learned what everything does, but I still use passive/series most of the time.
I have a G&L Lynx (1983) made fretless and a SB2 (PJ) from 1991. Both GREAT basses. With love from Amsterdam.
I've always wanted a Wal bass, but it was too much for my pockets. When I found out about G&L L2000 basses I started to study them by looking at videos and reading stuff online and I noticed it has some features in common with Wal basses.
I bought one almost a year ago, when I tried my G&L L2000 Tribute through my Ampeg with the preamp + treble boost on and some overdrive I heard 90% of Wal's sound. My mind was blown.
G&L basses are some of the most beautiful sounding basses out there and they are very affordable for their building quality and electronics.
I have 9 basses, but my L2000 has become one of my top 3 go-to axes when I have to get up and play
I bought my first G&L back in 2010. It was an L-2500 and was loving everything that it did even though I didn’t fully understand the range of that bass. I sold it later on as I never got comfortable with he five strings.
I’m now the happy owner of an LB-100 and a CLF L-1000. I’ve done several albums with the LB-100 with the stock set up and it just sounded killer. Eventually I’ve switched pickups in both basses as I’m not that fond of the exposed metal in the pickups since it’s giving too many clicks with the way I’m playing.
But even though I’ve changed the pickups I’m still convinced that the G&L basses are some of the most value for money instruments you can get and I hope that I can get to buy more G&L in the future. Especially with some of the color options that the custom shop offers. I’m really a softy for the heavy sparkle finishes that they have.
I do agree with Ian about the headstock and the looks of it. But I’ve come to terms with it for the LB-100. The headstock on the CLF L-1000 is awesome and something that I think Ian would gravitate towards based on what he mentioned in the video.
You guys keep talking about "mid-rangey" like it's a really bad thing. You do realize, I hope, that when you are playing in a group, the Bass owns the low-mids from about 250Hz up to 550Hz. Those frequencies are the sonic space that gives the bass its presence and definition and a little boost there makes a big difference in whether you hear what the bass player is playing or just see his hands moving but can't discern the individual notes. The Kick drum owns the lowest lows, the guitars and keys own the high mids and highs, and the bass owns the low mids. You guys have done enough recording that I'm sure you're aware of that. The mid-rangey sound you're complaining about may not be the best sound when playing by your self, but it makes a big difference in what the audience hears when playing in a group.
I have an '82 Jazz that I bought in 1985 to replace my 1965 Jazz that I bought in 1966 and was stolen form me in 1976 along with all my touring gear. My '82 has a maple-neck and the 70's era 4" center to center pickup spacing. I toured with my 1965 Jazz in the early 70's and my '82 is a little brighter and has a lot more sustain than my '65 did. I use Eden and DNA (David Nordschow Amplification) gear which was all designed by David Nordschow (aka: David Eden). The sound from all of those amps and cabs is clear, clean and articulate. I don't run distortion or any effects or distortion.
With my Eden amps I run everything flat except for the low mids. I will boost the low-mids at 250Hz or 500Hz depending on what low-mids I can address. With my DNA-800 amp, that low-mid EQ is centered at 500Hz. Both of those frequencies work fine to get that presence and definition. I don't have to boost it much, just to about 1:30 does the trick. If you boost the low-mids too much, it causes your sound to honk at you, which is quite different from the "bark" you refer to with the G&L basses. If you hear the honk, you need to slowly drop the low-mid boost until it stops honking. That little bit of boost allows me to not only be heard, but be heard clearly in live performances without drowning everyone else out with my volume level.
There's a UA-cam video of the J Badders Band playing at a club in Washington a few years back where I'm using my Eden WT500/800 amp (400-watts rms per channel into 4Ω or 800-watts bridged into 8Ω) into two Eden EX112 4Ω cabs. It's a dual-powerblock amp so I plug one into each channel. Low-mids at 250Hz are boosted to 1:30 and everything else is set flat. It's just an iPhone recording or our 5-piece group (bass, drums, keys, and two guitars), so it's not the best recording but nonetheless you can distinctly hear not only that I am playing, but what I am playing (presence and definition). And that's without blasting everyone with volume. Rather it allows my playing to be heard in a nice balance with the rest of the group.
ua-cam.com/video/PTWiJuar6EA/v-deo.html
So in a group performance that mid-rangey sound may be just the right thing for the mix even though the sound of it playing by yourself might not be what you really like to hear.
I've realized that with my L-2000, it sounds way better at a volume live with a band. It really cuts through the mix.
but the mid range of a P-bass is much warmer. It sits in the mix perfectly while the G&L cuts through the mix, there is a big difference. The P has a very limited frequency range that fills the empty slot and steps on nothing else. Active basses with dual humbuckers like the L-2000 have so much mid-range they are more prone to step on and mask the other instruments in the mix. They cut through but often times at the expense of other instruments, that's why engineers love P-basses, you just plug them in and you have the one sound for nearly any style rather than have to notch out frequencies and work to get it to fit.
@@rrdream2400 And here I run my L-2000 in passive exclusively. I have a Precision and like it also but prefer the L2K.
@@rrdream2400you can totally get the sit in the mix sound from the G&L too though - run it passive, and just front pickup if you want that warmer sound. But if you want to cut through you've got that option there too.
@@ryangriffiths6130 yes, back pu, passive, in series gets in the P-bass ballpark. Great option for a bass with so many nice tones. But it doesn't quite get that P-bass sound if that is what you want. I find the L-1000 gets closer. J-bass on neck pu gets close too. Better or worse is totally subjective, but it's just not the same as a P.
This happened at least 20 years ago. I had just arrived at a party venue where I was going to play with my cover band when I discovered that I had forgotten my Fender JB at home🤯. A friendly person who was there offered me to buy his old bass for $300 which I assumed without even having seen the bass to avoid delaying the gig. However, in the case was a wonderfully patinated white G&L SB2 (made in usa) which is still my favorite bass to this day.
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Yes! Sharon’s L-2500 in the Paramore video WAS a sneak preview!
I love my CLF L-2500. If I have no clue what I need to play when I show up somewhere, this is the instrument I bring. It doesn’t do a perfect carbon copy of any other sound, but it gets really workable sounds of a lot of different flavours. Mine’s got the bridge/series/parallel switch which is so useful.
Leo was a genius, and an artist. To get it SO right, so early on? The telecaster was refined into the stratocaster, and it's essentially perfect. The p-bass is essentially perfect, and the jazz bass just takes that and does something totally different (tonally). That kind of seemingly-effortless success doesn't just happen everyday; the dude had something special in him.
When I think of a P, J or Stingray, I think of so many hit songs and the legendary bass players associated with each of those basses they played on those recordings. I don’t have nearly the same degree of association with any G&L model.
G&L is a smaller company than Musicman or Fender. I might be wrong but I think Leo Fender didn't want them to be very popular so he can experiment more.
@@QWRTkeyboard maybe so but less popular brands like Alembic, Wal and Steinberger all have signature songs associated with it's tone. What are the signature G&L bass songs?
I was glad to see this video come out! Thanks for that. I am, since almost two years, a proud an happy owner of a Fullerton CLF Research L-2500 in a nice cherry burst. I am most happy about my particular bass not having this awkward-looking "thing" on the well-know headstock (that indeed really puts me off. What a misser that is). So, luckily, my bass does not have that. Contrary to what I have seen on some UA-cam videos, I do not share the opinion that this an instrument that combines all the classic "Leo-sounds" (J,P and Stingray). I cannot find the character of a Stingray or a Jazz in it, however, the front pick-up resembles the vibe of a P-bass pretty well. I believe this instrument offers amazingly great value for money. American hand-made top build quality with an impecable finish. To me it is a modern-sounding bass, with probably the best low-B of all 5-string basses I ever played (the Musicman 5 comes close, though), I find it to resemble more of a Ken Smith sound, than a Fender (It also has this piano-like "zing" to it). The bridge is likely one of the best bridges ever made (!!). My go-to settings: Passive, both pickups on (or just the front), series, bass all open, treble cut abt 60%. Probably thé most versatile bass I own. As you said, perhaps not recommended as your ONLY bass, unless you are specifically looking for that G&L sound in all your music. As to my suggestions for other basses to be put under the spotlights, my two most amazing and well-made instrumets are the Warwick Star-Bass (Teambuilt in Germany), which lately I have been using a lot, and the recently-acquired and utterly amazing Wilcock Mullarkey (Wilcock does a series of very well-crafted, unique, mostly short-scale, simple, passive but very usable basses).
These basses actually can do much more than you guys are doing. The PTB system, since it’s a cut system, you can get more “standard” sounds just by cutting the treble to get a more traditional sound.
Yeah. The G&L dude screwed them up by saying "its cut only" so Ian immediatley leaps to "CUT!?!?! THAT SOUNDS BAD! DIME EVERYTHING!"
SB-2 is one of my favorite basses. Simple yet versatile. PJ. Two volume knobs no tone. I just sold mine, but I’ll get a another one some day.
I tried my first SB-2 in the shop in 1996 but then got sold on an L-2000 from the custom shop because of the bells and whistles. And I HATED it. Big mistake that I had to live with for several years because I spent all my money on it.
It was years before I added G&L to my arsenal, but I'm glad I did. My M-2500 is a great gigging bass. Very punchy and cuts through in a way like my Bongo, but with a voice all its own. The L2000 is a great bass, especially with the K-mod / single coil mod. And with both pickups in series mode, treble boost engaged, it can serve as a "poor man's Wal", especially paired with a Darkglass Harmonic Booster pedal with the character knob all the way up. Great for dialing in some RHCP BSSM tones, or even some Tool / JC tones.
You are convincing me just with this comment
I also have M-2500 and Markbass amp. Very punchy set, but can be soft too. I love the sound!
I think the fact that you both play professionally and have access to a wide variety of basses for compare/contrast makes this information valuable. It’s obvious that this is genuine and not a paid endorsement. Also, not just a bedroom player showing off his new bass on a UA-cam video video.
I love the channel but damn this was frustrating to watch. 😂 Been hoping for an L2000 video for years and this was not it. Pain points for me: This bass has the most modern voice yet it is a dad instrument, has one sound yet you spend very little time adjusting the controls of the bass, asking if it is active, not liking the headstock and not knowing there is the CLF versions... Rough video for G&L fans.
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Truth!!!
Well said. No time spent to get to know it, just turn everything up and wonder why it didn't sound like something already familiar.
I've owned my ASAT bass for almost 30 years and I can dial in all of Leo's bass sounds AND slice through the mix 😉. If you use the passive and the cut (which they didn't) you get it all.
Also a missed opportunity from Ian: comparison between a g&l l2000 (mid forward legend) and a Spector (another mid forward typically 80s instrument). Especially with a pick…
G&L was Leo's crowning achievement, whether the rest of the world realises it or not.
MFD pickups are in a league of their own, and their bridges are the most satisfyingly solid lumps out there.
Got a gorgeous honeyburst ASAT bass, a 1996 SB-2 and an L-1000 "wunkay", and I wouldn't trade a single one of them for any Fender later than '64 (and only then so that I could sell it and buy 10 more G&Ls).
I've got a G&L SB-2. It's the best P-style bass I've ever owned. And the L-series have a tone like nothing else, and they cut through dense mixes like butter (way better than a Stingray).
Would love to hear a Kiloton with the M-2000 3-band electronics - that would be a real Stingray killer.
The G&L L2000 is IMO, the perfect blend of traditional and modern ideas in one instrument. The MFDs are unmatched for their power and full range response. The 2 band cut-only eq is a brilliant approach, and the best way to work with the MFDs. It gives me every option I could ever want, and I never even use the preamp!
As to your comment about never wanting to turn the bass knob down…. Plug that into an SVT and get back to me. Through a big rig, at concert level… you’ll be turning that knob down! In fact, the best way to use this eq sustem is to get as close to what you want at the amp, with the 2 band eq rolled off… THEN bring in the highs and lows.
And…. It is a passive instrument with a preamp, but it also works without the battery - totally passive. If you want a more traditional P sound - bridge pickup, series mode, treble off or at 1 or 2, bass at least at 5. But yes, it does have a signature sound that remains no matter what.
BTW, check out the CLF Series with the original lawsuit headstock!
I think part of what keeps them a “dark horse” is people don’t understand the electronics. First time I played one in the 80’s I had no clue how it worked, it wasn’t until I demoed a Tribute series (16 years ago) that I actually learned how to get the most out of it. It is a brilliant, yet simple concept. Incredibly effective, yet unlike anything else, you have to learn how to control the MFD. Think of it as a firehose with 2 bands of attenuation. Gary Beers of INXS played G&L btw.
Even their non-MFD instruments like the LB-100 or JBs have that presence, some of that comes from the bridge which in addition to being buggy and chunky, actually has a footer that extends about s 1/2” into the end grain of the body. And of course the saddle lock feature - it all contributes to the integrity of each note.
Anyway… I’ve always felt G&L is under appreciated, but I’ve been an enthusiastic supporter/user for many years, and as tools of the trade - they’re indispensable to me.
This man speaks the TRUTH! The sole reason i play G&L to this day. Legend
@@BassWhispererTV I think that's the main reason some people get a bad impression of them--they dime everything like you would on a passive Fender and then you end up with this (IMO) huge wooly sound that doesn't actually sit in the mix that well (at least not like a P does). I love them - killer sounds are in there for sure - but I admit I do find them a bit fiddly!
Kind of wish you guys talked about the bridge of the basses more. Yes it's big and looks cool, but it's design has an extrusion that fits into the core of the body for more stability, plus, it has a screw on the side that will lock the saddles together, so when you set it up, it stays set up. No saddle float like on other basses.
I used to have a gold sparkle G&L ASAT bass that a friends dads brother said I could borrow when I was in high school. He died a month or two after he let me borrow it and nobody ever asked for it back. But back then I had no idea what G&L was, I never heard of it before and assumed it was just a random generic bass. I actually liked my Westone Spectrum better.
My mom sold it at a garage sale for $40 while I was at college. Someone scored big that day.
Wow
I have a 1985 G&L, 4 string, El Toro bass. The tone is killer but the neck (one piece maple) is warped so badly that you could almost shoot arrows from the strings. If G&L ever learns how to build a 3 piece neck with graphite or titanium reinforcement I think it would be a great bass. I actually called G&L because I had questions about the electronics. Leo Fender himself answered the phone and explained it to me. That was great!
I've played a few G&L L2000 basses, and every time I come away really liking them but finding them extremely bright. I think trying some flats on one would be a really interesting experiment. In the Paramore video that you did, Sharon's L2500 sounded REALLY good with overdrive/distortion. They'd have a great sound for a hard rock band.
I have flats on my ASAT and it’s perfect.
I bought a G&L 2000 in 1980. Then about 7 years ago I bought a 2500 tribute. I love the sound and play them in church every week. I love them.
Leo Fender didn't make the scroll silhouette headstock, Paul Bigsby did, and Bigsby was VERY upset when he saw it. That scallop wave was added because older G&Ls had a more traditional headstock shape and the Fender company sent a cease and desist so they had to change it.
Stealth entry in the "CRUSHES EVERYTHING" series.
I particularly think L2000 electronics are pretty versatile and sometimes misunderstood. It took me sometime to approach them like this. Since the mfd have a brutal high sinal, compared to a fender, I normally keep their volume at 60/70%, carve out the frequencies through the passive tone controls and use the remaining volume (or passive or even series mode, depending on what you’re aiming at) to compensate for the volume loss. Then voila, you have a different sound.
However I agree that the single coil mod is an awesome upgrade to it. Adding much more tone variety to it.
I've played my '88 SB 1 since it was new. The MFD makes it a P-Bass plus! I love it. I also have an L-2000. Once you get familiar with the controls, there's an incredibly diverse range of tones available. Said for the headstock, I like it. Check out the CLF models, Ian. No bottle opener! I discovered G&L in the 80s as a kid in L.A. A few of us knew "this is what Leo's doing now". Great instruments!
I used to hate that bottle opener headstock, till I purchased the L2000. It grew on me real fast. I like the headstock now. 😊
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The 4 string that Ian played, the Kiloton, was by far my favorite of the 3 GL basses that were presented. That one, I would give a shot!
It’s a masterpiece that is underrated. I owned one for a while and loved it (sold it due to financial reasons only)
Love my G& L’s.
Like a better Fender but cheaper and with more options.
My G&L journey began in Chicago in college 1986 - amazing dealer on the South Side had a huge stock of them. I got an SB-1 to play in the jazz band and I always got double take looks when people heard the tone. 'What IS that bass?!'. I foolishly sold it prior to a move to Los Angeles a few years later, but I dug back in with L2K's for a few years - and ALWAYS wanted to try an ASAT bass - but to my amazement, I'd never come across one in a store, gig, etc. I was lucky and bought a 1990 ASAT bass in near mint condition off Reverb about 4 years ago from someone in CA - it is amazing. I also got an S-500 in Chicago, and sold it to Eric Gale (who died in 1994) back in 1991. He played it to check out an amp I was selling and was completely blown away. He basically begged me to buy it - so I did. I now live in Nashville and really want to find a Fallout bass - but (once again) I've never come across one in a store...
You need to add G&L to your collection Ian
Tell me about it!
@@IanMartinAllison Well, an old L1000 is the place to start
I have owned a G&L CLF Research L-2000 for about 5 months now. It is a fabulous instrument that I have only begun to explore. It can reproduce any sound you can think of. Incredible construction quality. And oh those powerful pickups.
The L-2000 is so close, but I would change the following:
Traditional active preamp (Volume, Treble boost/cut, Bass boost/cut)
Active/passive switch
mid range selector (400/800)
Coil split (front pickup should be 'split' to make it like a P pickup, like some bartolinis do)
CLF 'Research' headstock as standard
Get rid of the weird blue bursts etc. Black, white, sunburst, fiesta red, maple and rosewood for each.
I would buy one tomorrow....
Now this is a good idea, 'front pickup should be 'split' to make it like a P pickup'
@@jamesburge1983 Right!? I really like G&L but some of their choices are so odd. How many people want a blueburst bass with humbuckers in series and a weird boost switch? And if you're going to make us put a battery in, use a traditional active preamp. That said, show me a fiesta red L-2000 with a rosewood board and the splittable MFD's and I will buy one without hesitation. No brainer.
They made the bass you are looking for, at least partly, up until very recently in both USA made and Tribute versions. The M2000. A lot of rave reviews, though I’ve never played on myself. It was an L2000, but with a new active preamp, no switches, and tone and pickup blend controls. Some UA-cam vids about them floating around the net. Seems nobody bought them, so they got discontinued.
I have been gigging my USA SB2 and JB2 for years. If there is a better playing, more reliable bass I'm oblivious of what it is. They're also a great value for what you get. I'm not an active pickup fan so I sold my L2000. It did work great in passive mode but, the SB2 is a passive only instrument that is lighter and plenty hot with great midrange for cutting through the mix. The JB2 is just a super sweet sounding jazz bass with the smaller body and less hardware.
I think that Scott's bass lesson has a not insignificant influence. Even though we know that everything said is personal opinion, this aspect should also be considered. This arises from the responsibility that comes with the channel's reach.
Here you have left an undifferentiated image of this bass, which does not really do this instrument justice, IMO.
I bought the OG L-2000 in 1986. It’s been my only bass and been playing since then. It has never failed me and gigged with it for decades. It is unbelievable quality and can get any tone. You don’t need any other bass
"Dad bass" 🤣 You're killin' me Ian! But I think there is some truth to it.
Mixed opinion. No Matter how much you tweak all the variations of controls, they will always have that G&L sound, which if you love it is great.
But in a cover band, it is not as versatile, or universally passable as a P-bass.
I'm not selling mine, because it is beautiful and some day might finally get popular , but it doesn't come out to play very often.
Loved this. Always wanted to know more about G&L's vibe and story beyond just "it was Leo!" Would love more of these bass-maker-focused episodes. Builders big, mid-sized, and small, it's really cool learning a bit of the history, design choices and evolutions, genre niches that each has found its way into.
Henry Bogdan plays an L2000 on the early helmet albums
and betty has some great bass moments
dude was a beast
@@pim2paul right totally under rated
Dude, yessss! Henry's tone is ICONIC in my opinion. The bass intro to Give It is legendary- ua-cam.com/video/KM3UnxDCkKQ/v-deo.html
The L-2000 controls have a LOT of range. The only problem is it's not too easy to dial in what you want, but you'll find a ton of sounds that you can use. Flick through the pickup selector in series, then flick it to parallel and do it again, try those 6 sounds with the treble boost in, try those 12 picking at different points on the string, it's a great variety of sounds from just one bass. I think they're brilliant, honestly.
(mine is an '89 fretless)
You say not easy - I'd say itsn ot hard - as long as you're starting place is more like 5-7 on all knobs instead of 10-EVERYTHING like they did. If they talked to 1 regular G&L pro for 1 second they'd have heard this as all the comments here prove.
What about Toto bassplayer John Pierce? He plays a G&L Kiloton 5 string only. Pretty well known band I guess?
True, but when people think of Toto they usually think of Mike Porcaro as the bass player. Thanks for the heads up there though!
Like a few others have probably said that have played these: The volume knob is a tone control too. Like rolling the treble back on a PBass, the volume on a G&L needs to be rolled back just an hour or two to get that sweet sweet 'PBass' sound. You need a brighter section, just turn it back to 100.
I find the con of an old persons look when your favourite bass is a 70s Jazz?
All G&L instruments I’ve heard so far (I also have two guitars) have a certain colorfulness to their sound that’s just giving it more flavor.
G&L was an evolution of modern bass. Vintage is cool for what it is...but everything evolves.
Thanks a lot for your review. I'm a guitarist and needed a bass to record bass lines. I've bought a second hand G&L JB a few weeks ago and love its sound. Yes it's heavy but massive and I feel confident with it. What I like with G&L is their MFD electronics. Their guitars have, too, their own sounds and feeling. They are great whan you dial with the volume and tone knobs. Just feel different and I like that (guitars speaking, I feel the same with Sire, Guild or Gretsch).
The fact that Leo has a hand in MM And Fender and G&L. Is reason enough.
both hands😉
I LOVE my G&L L2000! Admittedly, the elecrronics take a minute to understand, but once you know, its actually pretty simple. Also, being able to play passively if your battery craps out mid song/gig is a nice plus.