G&L Basses

Over time, having tried a lot of different basses the ones I've found that ergonomically fit me the best are G&L basses with skinny necks. Something about their neck dimensions and geometry just fits me perfectly. An SB-2/JB-2/L-2000/etc. four string with double-cut body and a #6 or #8 neck is a bass that I can play all day long. I have some tendonitis or RSI issues with my hands & wrists that make comfort a priority for me. So I have pretty much stopped looking at other basses and have been trying to isolate my ideal tone from a G&L.

All G&L basses sound good. Different, but good. In general they tend to the vintage end of the spectrum (as opposed to the modern end) and if they have MFD pickups (Leo Fender's Magnetic Field Design pickups) they will have massive low end, sparkly high end, great clarity across the spectrum and a ton of growl. If they have non-MFD pickups (Legacy/LB100, JB-2) then they sound like a good bass of that type with the saddle-lock bridge providing a ton of sustain as compared to many other types of basses. Tone is very individual and we all hear things differently and prefer different things. And add on top of that the effects of the rigs we play these basses through. So remember, the following comments are my take on what I hear as compared to what I'm looking for.

G&L rules:

• #6 necks rule, #8 are OK (#5 and #7 are right out)
• Pickups:
  • big MFD humbuckers (L1K, L2K, L1.5K, Climax) don't work for me (sound great but not for me in the mix)
    
  • MFD split-coils rule (SB-1, SB-2)
  • I like what a single coil adds to an SB-2 over a plain SB-1
  • I like Trib JB-2 OEM pickups, US JB-2s need replacements, series/parallel is good, nice changeup from SB2s
  • MFD narrow HBs (El Toro, etc.) aren't my thing
  • stil haven't tried: 1st gen SB-2/Lynx
• fretboard wood: all are good, evaluate individual basses (I like the visibility on maple)
• body wood: sonically it's all good, evaluate based on weight/finish/individual bass tone
• weight: under 9.0lbs is OK, 8.5lbs or less is better
• ASAT (telecaster) and JB (jazz bass) body styles don't work for me ergonomically
• Even an L5K is too wide a neck for me - stick with #6 or #8 necked 4s
• Tributes are an amazing value (and with skinny necks just fine for me)
• I wish G&L would introduce a semihollow SB-2 or L2K with "standard" body like they did with the Comanche and S-500 semihollow guitars. That would cost me money as I'd need one or two of those.
• don't let a good SB-2 or JB2 go, don't buy an L1K, L2K, El Toro/Interceptor, Climax/L-1500, ASAT, JB

L-1000

The very first G&L I bought way back when was a used L1K. The truss rod was busted so I send it back after only having it for a day or so but it was enough to start me down my long, winding G&L path. Much later (2009) I bought one of the BABP L-1000 reissues. That gave me a factory #8 neck on an L-1000 with the newest construction. Very nice. It has all the low end you get from an L2K neck pickup but in a passive package and the single coil and parallel options have enough edge and bite that I don't miss a bridge pickup.

The L1K is that it fixes almost everything I don't like about an L-2000. It's pretty simple, passive and provides a limited, but very useful, tone palette. As always the closest thing to series (single coil w/bass boost on the L1K) is my favorite tone. I run into the same problem I always do with MFD humbucker equipped basses. The upper strings/range can get lost in the mix for me. I'm still working on whether careful attention to pickup/pole-piece adjustment and string selection can make it work well for me.

My L1K Bottom Line: Excellent basses. But MFD humbuckers and I don't get along - I'm happier with SB2s/JB2s in the long run.

L-2000

An L-2000 was the first bass I had that really grabbed me. The dual MFD humbuckers produce a ton of low end, often more than I can figure out how to deal with. I find that I have to cut the bass on these most of the time. The sound is growly, deep and vintage-ey. My issue with an L-2000 is that I spend too much time searching for the "right" sound. I also don't like not being able to favor a pickup - both pickups on full is a sound I don't use much on other basses. So in the end although I love the sound when I get one after not having one, eventually I fall back on my nit-picking (too many controls, can't favor pickups, too much low end) and I move to something simpler.

The L2K is a great sounding bass with an almost unlimited array of tones available. My personal primary issues are that it is too complex and that it doesn't have a pickup blend. Those are, of course, essentially contradictory. One one hand I find the L2K too complex, I prefer a simpler plug'n'play approach. And the neck pickup in series is pretty much where it's at for me. But on the other hand I'd love to be able to favor the bridge or the neck pickups while still have the other present, but not all the way up (neck pickup full up, bridge rolled off until the sound "opens up" is my favorite tone on pretty much all other 2-pickup basses).

My L2K Bottom Line: Excellent basses. But MFD humbuckers and I don't get along - I'm happier with SB2s/JB2s in the long run.

SB-2 (and SB-1)

An SB-2 with flats (actually groundwounds) is one of my favorite tones. The tone is similar to a "traditional" P bass but with more lows, more highs and more overall output and clarity. It can be harsh & clanky and the big low end is not as tight as a J-bass or L-series. My eventual nit-pick with these tends to be the lack of tightness in the low end and the clank/harshness. Adding a tone control can control the clank and the low end always sounds great live, it's in a headphone amp that it tends to sound a little lacking. At least a Tribute SB-2 will always be in my lineup.

With the SB-2 I really like it once I add a tone and a stacked master-vol/j-pickup-vol setup. This is my fallback bass that is simple, passive and always sounds good live. At times the bottom end can sound "hollow" to me (usually when practicing through headphones, live I always have enough low end) and it can be clanky/harsh (but that is what the added tone control is for).

My SB-2 Bottom Line: SB-2s just work for me. They must have a tone control added and at times I like what the bridge pickup adds to an SB-2 over an SB-1. I need to not sell any SB-2s and when I've spend too long with them only through headphone amps remember how well they work live.

JB-2

While I've not been a big J-bass fan over time their virtues have grown on me. The JB-2 doesn't have MFDs so it's a J-bass with single coils and G&L ergonomics & build quality. I miss the pickguard and control plate from a traditional J-bass style (although that is now available from G&L as the JB-1) but prefer the symmetric body. Tonally I need to spend more time with a JB-2. In the past I've tended to let them go because they have much less low end and are very bright as compared to SB-2s and L2Ks. But a tone control or string change can control the brightness and the low end is balanced, tight and growly which may be better overall.

The JB-2 gives a "jazz tone" and if that works for you then great. I like the OEM pickups in the Tributes but find the OEM pickups in the US JB-2s too "polite". But the beauty of the standard J pickup is there are a ton of variations out there to try. The balance is good, sonic variation is good enough and a good JB-2 sings throughout it's range. While punchy the transients aren't as extreme as from an SB-2. Adding a series/parallel switch gives another tonal option, albeit one that may have too much low end. So far a JB2 has never let me down live as long as I remember to turn the amp knobs up high enough to allow it to compete on even footing with other basses (the low output means turning the amp up higher to get the same volume which I have trouble adapting to).

My JB-2 Bottom Line: It's taken me longer but I've started to adapt to really liking what I can get out of a J-style bass. I like the OEM pickups in the Tributes but haven't liked those in US JB2s (go figure). With a series/parallel switch I find myself in parallel most of the time. I've always been able to get the clarity and cut-through I want out of a JB2 live.

Climax/L-1500

My first impression when I get one of these after not having one for a while is "this has enough low end to make me happy". But in the end I always want a neck pickup. If I can only have one (and I'd rather have two) it needs to be a neck pickup. I also tend to play these in passive only. Nice basses but I'm just not happy with a single pickup in the MM sweetspot. And it has the usual MFD HB issues for me.

ASAT

Tonally it's the same as the L2K (see above) but the ergonomics are poor for me. So I tried one once, it left quickly and I've not gone back.

LB-100/Legacy

I tried one of these and without the MFD P pickup it didn't do much for me.

Tributes

I've had a bunch of both 1st generation (Korean) and 2nd generation (Indonesian) Tributes. All SB-2s and JB-2s because I only like the skinny necks. I tend to prefer the 1st generation SB-2s because you can find them with ash bodies and/or maple fretboards. I haven't had a 1st generation Trib JB-2 as only about a dozen were made (prototypes). The second gen Trib JB-2s I've had have been fine - great finishes, often nice grain on the ash bodies. I've had more fret sprout on second gen Tribs than first gen so that's about the only difference I've seen quality-wise.