A little comparison.

[joel406]

I am an admitted Fender freak. Yeah, I look around at other builds but I'm hopeless. As a result, I have 9 of the little buggers. Now keep in mind I'm also a 5-string freak. So, all my basses are, you guessed it, 5 string. For various reasons I upgraded all my Fenders pickups to Seymore Duncans. Except one that remains stock because it just rolled off the line stupid good. My oldest Fender is a 2017 Pro. My newest is a 2024 Pro II.

 

Ok now that you have an idea of what I like. Here's the rub. 

 

I went and heard my friend's band. Bass player was good. And played a Music Man. Single humbucker. It sounded good. Real good. But I have a problem with Music Man basses. I do not care for the bridge. And the bass itself as a whole resembles a bathroom appliance, I will leave unnamed.

I've played em before, and I know they play great. But they are butt ugly and I just can't bring myself to own one.

 

Just trying to lay a little ground so you all know how truly insane I am.

 

Well, I don't feel the way I do about G&L as I do about Music man.

 

So I decided to get me one. A USA L-2500. Smashing good bass. Neck feels good and the option for passive or active was a plus.

 

I'm not one to leave well enough alone. I went and found (after a lengthy search) an M-2500 tribute. I watched a couple of videos comparing the L-2500 to the M-2500. Both had their quirks. And Youtube is anything but decisive. So I grabbed the tribute. About that time, I find a USA M-2500. I waste no time and grab it. Now G&L do still offer the M-2500. As an "if you want it, we'll make it" sort of thing. But mass production seems to be done. The L series is what they seem to want to push these days. 

 

G&L also wants their CLF research models to be forefront. I do not like the plate on the front of the instrument. So classic G&L for me. Back plated. And G&L have the 750 models. I believe their 19mm spacing. I'm a 17/17.5 mm guy. So this became a case of doing the research before actually buying saves the day.

 

A review. I now have 3 G&L basses. 1 L-2500 USA. 1 M-2500 USA. 1 M-2500 tribute. Their new (to me). So their getting a lot of play time. Here's what I have found so far.

 

The L-2500. This bass has active/passive option. Sounds kinda weak in passive so I generally ride active. 3 switches. 3-way pickup selector. Series/parallel. Active/passive/active with treble boost. 3 knobs. Volume. Treble (cut only). Bass (cut only). Its workable. You seem to need the cut in the EQ. It works. Kills the boom. Helps with the bite. So cool. The neck is great. No neck dive. Stays in tune. Feels good with my strings. Rosewood fretboard is gorgeous. Very smooth playing. So far, it's a little lite in the low end. I've only been able to test these through my headphones so far. But their great headphones. However, the low end is tight. In a better environment I expect good things. Overall, a winner.

 

The M-2500 tribute. The neck is very close to the L-2500. The electronics are very different. Master volume. Treble Boost/cut. Mid boost/cut. Bass boost/cut. The low is more forward because of the boost and the treble and mids boost brighten things up nicely. This bass, as well as the USA model are always on active. A keeper none the less. 

 

The M-2500 USA. Again, different from the other 2. Same electronics layout as the tribute but stronger. Making me consider an upgrade for the tribute. But the real difference is the neck. I know it's not a 750. But the neck feels wider. In a good way. The only one of the 3 that has a Maple fretboard. It came with rounds on it, and they really work. This bass sings. Easier to dial in than the tribute. As well as the L-2500. Very wide tonal pallet. 

 

While the L-2500 seems to have the favor of G&L I can't help but wonder why the M-2500 seems to be somewhat buried. Kinda if you want one, we'll make ya one kinda deal. They are hard to find. Yet if you dig enough their out there. 

 

I'll be keeping all 3.

[BillyBass]

Pics of the 3 G&Ls would be useful here.

[dub_junkie]

,I had a Tribute M2500 which was smoother and a bit more bright sounding than any two pickup

L series/Asat bass I owned. 

 

I think there are so many other options out there with two pickups and 3 band EQ. G&L have a well thought out, original and familiar concept with the L series. If I was shelling out money on Fullerton made G&L it would be a L-2500. I'm not saying the M-2500 isn't a valid option but if it was selling it would still be in the line up. 

 

I really like the USA JB-2  (discontinued) I think they did make 5 string JB-2s and iirc the active equivalent was the MJ-5. They always seemed really thin on the ground when I was looking.

 

The JB-5 Fender Jazz derivative... I'm not sure about this one  but I'd probably love it if I owned one. 

 

Kiloton 5 -  I owned a 4 and liked the different tones off the single pickup. Being passive it doesn't have rather nails down blackboard treble of the older L-1500/1505. 

 

Another 5 is the L-5500 which was only made for a year or so before the L2500 was ready. The L-5500 had EMG pickups and preamp and a 4+1 headstock. Those are an aquired taste. I owned two and kind of miss them. 

 

I hope your three serve you well. I don't have a G&L at the moment and feel poorer for it. 

 

Keir

[Pinball]

I find that the MFD pickups (both in basses and lead guitars) tend to run hot. The worst bass sound that I have heard was someone playing at L2500 at a festival with the mids cranked. Ouch!

My favourite sounds are from an SB2 with some front pickup bias and a passive L2000 sound, obtained when running the volume at about 2/3 thirds.  

I also had an "M" series sounded great and very natural and easy to dial in

 

If you are finding the signal hot try turning down the volume and you may find that the pickup responds in a more friendly way.

My conclusion is that I would love an L1000 but I already have a bunch of nice basses so can't see me getting one any time soon.

 

Edited December 13 by Pinball

[merello]

38 minutes ago, Pinball said:

I find that the MFD pickups (both in basses and lead guitars) tend to run hot. The worst bass sound that I have heard was someone playing at L2500 at a festival with the mids cranked. Ouch!

My favourite sounds are from an SB2 with some front pickup bias and a passive L2000 sound, obtained when running the volume at about 3 thirds.  

I also had an "M" series sounded great and very natural and easy to dial in

 

If you are finding the signal hot try turning down the volume and you may find that the pickup responds in a more friendly way.

My conclusion is that I would love an L1000 but I already have a bunch of nice basses so can't see me getting one any time soon.

 

"3 thirds"?

[Pinball]

1 hour ago, merello said:

"3 thirds"?

corrected thx

[jd56hawk]

My L2000 is anything but weak in passive mode.

I cant count how many people ask about taming the MFD pickups because they're too hot.

[Doctor J]

Despite being a fan of active setups, generally, I almost always play my L2K passive. Active mode is ridiculoulsy hot. It is many things, but weak in passive mode is not one of them.