G&L in trouble...?

[Russ]

G&L are great. Their electronics package is unique, versatile and powerful, the build quality is excellent (even on the Tributes) and I like the hooked headstock - it's one of the better ones out there, it's distinctive, and it's a damn sight better than the Sire headstock.  

 

I agree with those of you who have mentioned that they just don't seem to set themselves apart from other manufacturers - yes, they have great sounding instruments, but nothing that's really new. Their idea of doing something new was to reissue the older, uglier design of the L2000! And yep, the stuff about lacking name players is a big issue - the only people I can think of who were knowing for playing G&Ls were Jerry Cantrell of Alice In Chains, Cass Lewis of Skunk Anansie (who now plays Alusonics) and a few country guys whose names escape me.

 

And, these days with everyone looking for bass information on Youtube, there's not all that much to be found. I think Lobster and Nate Navarro both covered G&L relatively recently, but, apart from the occasional Youtuber, they seemingly make no effort to put their instruments in name players' hands, and they put nothing out themselves in terms of media or video. Their website is also over 20 years old and looks it.

 

If they're going to get taken over by someone else, they really need to put a lot more effort into creating visibility for their instruments. The brand has massive potential. And they could have occupied that same niche that their founder's previous company, Music Man, now occupy, if they'd just adapted to the times a bit better. 

 

EDIT: Given the popularity, and insane price tag, of Wals these days, a G&L will give you probably the closest tone to a wide-open Wal that you can get in a production instrument, especially if your taste in Wal tone is of the crunchy, Justin Chancellor variety. And a Tribute will do it too, so you can get 95% of that tone for £500... the law of diminishing returns applies, I think.  

 

 

Edited 4 hours ago by Russ

[gjones]

I received my preloved G&L L2000 today. It came with flats, which I really am not keen on, but they sounded fine.

 

I fitted it with a used set of rounds, which is my preferred type of string and it's still sounding excellent.

 

The action was a bit high but after a bit of trussrod tweaking managed to get a ridiculously low action on it and it's playing great.

Edited 3 hours ago by gjones

[Misdee]

1 hour ago, Russ said:

G&L are great. Their electronics package is unique, versatile and powerful, the build quality is excellent (even on the Tributes) and I like the hooked headstock - it's one of the better ones out there, it's distinctive, and it's a damn sight better than the Sire headstock.  

 

I agree with those of you who have mentioned that they just don't seem to set themselves apart from other manufacturers - yes, they have great sounding instruments, but nothing that's really new. Their idea of doing something new was to reissue the older, uglier design of the L2000! And yep, the stuff about lacking name players is a big issue - the only people I can think of who were knowing for playing G&Ls were Jerry Cantrell of Alice In Chains, Cass Lewis of Skunk Anansie (who now plays Alusonics) and a few country guys whose names escape me.

 

And, these days with everyone looking for bass information on Youtube, there's not all that much to be found. I think Lobster and Nate Navarro both covered G&L relatively recently, but, apart from the occasional Youtuber, they seemingly make no effort to put their instruments in name players' hands, and they put nothing out themselves in terms of media or video. Their website is also over 20 years old and looks it.

 

If they're going to get taken over by someone else, they really need to put a lot more effort into creating visibility for their instruments. The brand has massive potential. And they could have occupied that same niche that their founder's previous company, Music Man, now occupy, if they'd just adapted to the times a bit better. 

 

EDIT: Given the popularity, and insane price tag, of Wals these days, a G&L will give you probably the closest tone to a wide-open Wal that you can get in a production instrument, especially if your taste in Wal tone is of the crunchy, Justin Chancellor variety. And a Tribute will do it too, so you can get 95% of that tone for £500... the law of diminishing returns applies, I think.  

 

 

I have to say Russ, I respectfully disagree that a G&L L2000 sounds anything like a Wal. I don't want to sound pedantic, but then again this is a bass guitar forum, so I'm gonna be! I agree with you on the rest, though. G&L needed to do a better job letting the world know about their superb instruments. 

 

I hear the same proposition quite often, usually from  American bass players  who admire Justin Chancellor but can't get hold of a Wal. My theory is that someone first came up with this notion based on the fact that the G&L pickups look a bit similar to those on a Wal. The rest is wishful thinking.

 

Don't get me wrong, an L2K is a wonderful bass in its own right with a powerful and forthright tone, but sonically it's dissimilar to a Wal because of it's inherent mid scoop, both in series and parallel mode.  It's got some MusicMan DNA somewhere in those pickups and electronics that give it a bit of a cut in a narrow band of mid frequencies, whereas the Wal has a consistent midrange presence no matter how you set the controls. With or without the filter preamp engaged the Wal has got that rubbery midrange thing going that makes them so great.

 

The G&L might be able to mimic some of the Wal's top end and bass thump,but the mids are what really make the Wal sound.

Edited 2 hours ago by Misdee