*WITHDRAWN* USA G&L L-5500 £695 Market Drayton, Shropshire

[dub_junkie]

***No longer for sale. Keeping it***

edit: I have unexpectedly come across the certificate of authenticity, owners manual etc while sorting through things after my house move. Pics attached.

 

1996 G&L L-5500 bass with G&L hard case.

Ash body with quartersawn maple neck with graphite reinforcement and rosewood fingerboard. G&L saddle lock bridge and G&L tuners.

 

This model was produced in small numbers in the mid 90s while G&L were getting their 5 string MFD pups ready for the L-2500 and was the model which corrected a lot of the shortcomings of the previous L-5000 (narrow nut width and tight string spacing)

This bass has EMG dual coil pickups (iirc EMG40 DC )and EMG BTC active circuit with 2 band EQ. This pickup/preamp gives the bass a very clear sound which suits a wide variety of genres. 

The plastic on the knobs is starting to perish slightly in places and the pots could do with a quick spray of electrical contact cleaner.

Condition wise, there is tarnishing on the neck plate as pictured,there is some buckle rash and some crazing in the finish on the back of the bass though front is very clean apart from a couple of areas which have slightly dulled when viewed from certain angles. Overall in very good condition for a bass now a quarter of a century old. 

A peculiar oddity is that at some point the pan pot has been changed to be the wrong way round. Not sure of the thinking behind this but like the Sadowsky way of wiring the blend control, I guess it’s retraining your brain into thinking that turning it on full clockwise brings on more mids and bite for soloing etc. Anyway it’s illogical imo but I haven’t got round to having it changed. 

the bass weighs just over 11lbs so fairly substantial as they all were.

 

Bass can be auditioned in Market Drayton, Shropshire or could possibly meet Stoke, Crewe, Telford, Shrewsbury areas or depending where you are. I’ve just used my last shipping box so posting could be a problem at the moment. I’ve got my eyes on something else and if I buy that, chances are I’ll have another shipping box 🙂

 

thanks for looking

 

Keir
 

NO LONGER FOR SALE

 

Edited November 19, 2021 by dub_junkie
Price drop/added info

[TheGreek]

Made in USA or Indonesia?

[gareth]

1 minute ago, TheGreek said:

Made in USA or Indonesia?

USA 

 

it’s a bargain 

 

they are great basses much cleaner sounding than the L2500 due to the EMGs

[dub_junkie]

Thanks gareth. Yes, these were made in the G&L plant in Fullerton, California.
As versatile as they are, I sometimes find the MFD pickups a bit too dark sounding which possibly has had an influence on my decision that only a couple out of my last half dozen USA and Tribute G&Ls have had them. I’m not knocking them merely stating that I like G&Ls with a different sound too.
This one reminds me of my old Spector Euros a bit but without the tonepump clipping. Seems enough headroom with the EMG BTC though I believe there is an 18v mod for more 

[The fasting showman]

Absolute bargain, whenever people hear my L5500 they always assume it's high end territory...not my playing, just the bass.

 

If the bands I'm in weren't in rag order after Covid I'd buy this as a backup, not that you need one, but it's so cheap. I believe these were designed by Steve Grom as a stop-gap model between the L5000 and development of the L2500 in 1996 or thereabouts. 

 

The 18v mod didn't change much to my ears, my neckplate has worn similarly.

 

Be different, plough your own furrow! GLWTS

 

Martin

Edited July 26, 2021 by The fasting showman
wording

[TheGreek]

I feel the need for a G&L back in the armoury but I don't like Red. Any other colour I'd be making you an offer.

 

GLWTS ( at this price it's almost a donation)