G&L really THAT good?

Re: G&L really THAT good?

I like the fact that of all the G&L Strat type guitars that I've played, they all had a 12" radius fretboard like a Les Paul. They made me feel right at home.
 
Re: G&L really THAT good?

Its often bandied about that the stock G&L is like a custom-shop fender. I think its the quality of wood, not the craftsmanship which is the equivalent here...although G&L are exquisitely made no doubt. I like them for a few reasons

Only non-locking trem I've ever played to stay in tune whilst dive-bombing
Trem floats, but is level to the body
PTB tone system is a great Idea
Neck is sawn and glued.....same bit of wood so grain aligns but no warping
Great finishes and great wood

Mine is a mid '90's....its one of those curious guitars that got a bass serial number. I've heard they were changing to 4-bolt neckplates so they just put whatever plates they had left on instruments in this period.

Plus I got a bonus with my S500......some great figuring on the neck!!
 
Re: G&L really THAT good?

If I were to buy a Fender style guitar, I would go with G&L over Fender.
This company has a huge range of options on their USA Guitars. It is possible to order a USA guitar with some excellent options for a fair price.

First, go to the USA G&L page at this link.
http://www.glguitars.com/instruments/USA/guitars/index.asp


Then at the top of this page , there are two more links. One is for finishes and the other is guitar options: http://www.glguitars.com/instruments/USA/options/guitar.asp
 
Re: G&L really THAT good?

SouthpawGuy said:
1200 euro is nuts for that guitar.

I got this one for one third of that price, a '96 in mint condition. Even with shipping and import duty etc it costs a lot less to buy from the US.

I'm also left handed which means the availability of G&Ls, new or used, is zero in Ireland.
_P1010723.jpg


Also got this Legacy Special a while back for about the same price, it's a '96 also. Left this one completely stock.

DSCF0853.jpg


btw the Gotoh rail humbuckers in the Special are totally different in sound to a stock alnico v equipped Legacy, major lack of quack ( comparatively speaking ) and greatly increased output. It's great for hard rock or metal tones and has a nice fat clean tone, and of course is hum free.

As for the comparison with Fender I'm a long time Strat player and have a '78, a couple of American Stds from the '90s, a 2006 American Deluxe, and a 60th and 50th Anniversary model. Since I got my first G&L in early '08 my Fenders don't get much play time.

And as for the headstock well these days the Fender one looks unusual to me, probably because I don't see it very often.
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Nice!
Do you have any clips or videos of thoes geetars in action? they look great!

You got those second hand yes? ebay? I'm definitly looking towards getting one from the states, the euro is so much stronger than the dollar right now. I've got 2 guitars from across the pond before with no trouble (and sooooo much cheaper) so I think it's the way to go again! :approve:
 
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Re: G&L really THAT good?

G&L's are like beefier sounding Fenders They're overbuilt in the pickup and bridge hardware department, and their necks and frets are SUPER easy to play. They're not on the same level as Suhrs, Andersons, or CS Fenders (which i consider to be works of art in addition to guitars) but I prefer them over standard MIA Fenders.
 
Re: G&L really THAT good?

y2stevo said:
Nice!
Do you have any clips or videos of thoes geetars in action? they look great!

You got those second hand yes? ebay? I'm definitly looking towards getting one from the states, the euro is so much stronger than the dollar right now. I've got 2 guitars from across the pond before with no trouble (and sooooo much cheaper) so I think it's the way to go again! :approve:
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Sorry, no clips or videos, and I did buy them used, and most are in absolute mint condition. I'm well into double figures now with G&Ls, they are highly addictive.

Some more pics ...

Legacy
legacy01.jpg


Legacy Deluxe
lecacydlx_01.jpg


Legacy HB
hb_01.jpg


S500
P1010007.jpg
 
Re: G&L really THAT good?

AlexR said:
Its often bandied about that the stock G&L is like a custom-shop fender. I think its the quality of wood, not the craftsmanship which is the equivalent here...although G&L are exquisitely made no doubt. I like them for a few reasons

Only non-locking trem I've ever played to stay in tune whilst dive-bombing
Trem floats, but is level to the body
PTB tone system is a great Idea
Neck is sawn and glued.....same bit of wood so grain aligns but no warping
Great finishes and great wood

Mine is a mid '90's....its one of those curious guitars that got a bass serial number. I've heard they were changing to 4-bolt neckplates so they just put whatever plates they had left on instruments in this period.

Plus I got a bonus with my S500......some great figuring on the neck!!
Click to expand...

attachment.php


That's a very nice lefty S500, congrats !

The deal with the bass serial # was that the supplier made a batch of guitar neck plates with bass serial #'s and rather than waste them they used them up. My lefty Legacy Special also pictured in this thread is one with a bass #.
 
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Re: G&L really THAT good?

I have to say that at the time I could have afforded a Suhr S series or a CS Fender and I felt this one suited me better. The only thing that I didn't really like was the pick ups which have now been changed to SSL5/ Zang/ Zang.... love it!
DSC00907.jpg
 
Re: G&L really THAT good?

SouthpawGuy said:
That's a very nice lefty S500, congrats !

The deal with the bass serial # was that the supplier made a batch of guitar neck plates with bass serial #'s and rather than waste them they used them up. My lefty Legacy Special also pictured in this thread is one with a bass #.
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Ah yes, the story gets a bit confused after a few people repeat it on down the line.

I like the cosmetics on your S500 too.....they almost seem like ying and yang Where I have light you have dark. Hope it plays as well for you as mine does for me.
 
Re: G&L really THAT good?

I originally had a Twangbanger/SSL-1/SSL-1 setup in mine when I got it, and it sounded fabulous.
I've now got the Everything Axe set in as it suits what I'm playing at the moment.

Legacy-1.jpg

EverythingAxe.jpg

gear2.jpg
 
Re: G&L really THAT good?

Stevie, I've got a pretty similar G&L to yours.. I'm struggling with a dead note at the 13th fret on the B-string, do you struggle with dead notes too? A guitar tech I was talking to about this mentioned something about the resonance of the guitar itself could cancel out certain frequencies, but I just don't think it's something to expect in an expensive guitar..
 
Re: G&L really THAT good?

I've often heard that GL is Fender Custom Shop quality at US Deluxe prices.

I've owned four of them including a bass and found them all to be great.

I like neck profile on the ASATs more than the Legacy which felt kind of skinny in my hands.

Very high quality made in a small shop.
 
Re: G&L really THAT good?

FWIW I sold all three of my G&L guitars. One had great action but lousy tone, one had great tone but terrible action, and the other was average across the board.
 
Re: G&L really THAT good?

Really.

I admit that I have only limited experience with their 6-strings but our bassist grinds an L2500 daily that is one of the best damn bass guitars I've ever played, seen, heard or ate on.
 
Re: G&L really THAT good?

chcjunior said:
FWIW I sold all three of my G&L guitars. One had great action but lousy tone, one had great tone but terrible action, and the other was average across the board.
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Wow, the only 3 bad G&L's in history and you happen to get them all!!

Seriously though, you must have had some amazing bad luck there, or just some unmet expectations
 
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