G&L vs Music Man

Jeroen

Jeroen

New member
Yes, this is about those two 'other' brands started by good old Clarence Leo Fender :)

As some of you may know, I have a beautiful French-made Lag 'The Blues' series Louisiane model (this one). It's an absolutely stunning guitar, and it has quite a history (I had a little uh, accident with it, but it was beautifully refinished by the original manufacturer in France for an incredible price). I'm not totally pleased with it anymore though, I tend to play my MIJ Strat more than any other. Therefore, I'm seriously considering selling the Lag in favour of a nice, more Strattish guitar (with a bridge humbucker, though).

I've got two great offers to choose from, but I am in serious doubt and I would like some advice. One is an Ernie Ball Music Man Silhouette Special lefty, in a dark purple metallic colour, with a beautiful birdseye maple neck and fingerboard. The other is this G&L Legacy Special in a very interesting colour:

IMG_0947resized.jpg


I LOOOOOVE everything about the Silhouette Special, and especially the neck, but the G&L is a great guitar too. Who can enlighten me on these two great guitars?

Please note: I played the very Silhouette on offer, but I have yet to play the G&L. I'm sure that, after trying them both, the choice will be a lot easier. I'm still interested in your opinions though, so please share your two cents :)
 
Re: G&L vs Music Man

You need to try the G&L. They're both great guitars, and a testimony to the large wake Leo Fender left us, in contrast the the damage CBS left us, that took years to recover from. (has Fender even recovered today? Are they still simply a CBS-type corporation cloaked in Leo Fender's Legacy? You decide!) Man what a way to derail a thread. That's a rhetorical question. Don't anyone answer it.

The truth is you'll be happy with both. I would almost ALWAYS choose the G&L. I just like them. I would take the EB/MM product if it were an Axis-styled instrument, because I think they do that guitar the best of anyone, and it's a great neck. But some Silouhettes are Poplar. For a Strat style guitar, Poplar is a poor choice IMO along with Basswood, so make sure it's Ash or Alder.

The G&L you're showing is fantastic, but it's a Legacy Special and some guys don't like those rails pickups. Other than the pups, it's identical to any other Legacy or S-500 with the same spec neck. So if you like the G&L but prefer vintage pickups no big deal, just swap them out. Those pickups are a little on the strong/thick sounding side. They're not vintage sounding, but a G&L bonus is their passive treble and bass rolloff knob. So if you want to go to a traditional Strat tone, you can get much closer by turning the bass knob down to 5 or so.
 
Re: G&L vs Music Man

I have a Silo Special, and although I have liked G & Ls, Ernie Ball refined Leo's ideas and came up with the most comfortable guitar I have ever played.
Cool thing: Music Man uses a snap in conncector for the pickguards, so you can wore several up and change the sound in about 5 mins. They come stock with locking tuners, and a really really comfortable body shape. Oh and the neck? How come no one else got this part as good as a Music Man?
 
Re: G&L vs Music Man

Quality-wise, I'd say they're about equal at the same price points.
The only reason I prefer G&L more is because MM's seem too small in my hands.
The bridge is too close to the end of the guitar, which makes it seem short, and some of the necks seem too small. I prefer the size and feel of G&L's, but it's just my preference. My favorite MM is probably that brand new Steve Morse model.
 
Re: G&L vs Music Man

Well, I'm going for the Silhouette Special. And I have been placed in the (almost unique) position where I can actually CHOOSE from TWO (!) lefthanded Silhouette Specials, a red one and a metallic purple one. Both have all-maple necks and hardtails, and are still fully stock. One comes with an MM case, one with a MM Levy's gigbag. I'm gonna try them both and see which one I like best.

Thanks for your input!
 
Re: G&L vs Music Man

To revive an ancient topic of mine:

I have been given the opportunity to buy the very same G&L Legacy Special described above for the mere price of 350 euros. That's an absolute bargain for ANY USA-made guitar one can get his hands on here. That's approximately what a brand new Indonesian-made Squier Standard Strat would set you back here in the Netherlands. The guitar is put on hold for me, I want to check it out this weekend. I'll keep you updated :)
 
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