More Stingray/ G&L questions

[machinehead]

I've never been struck by any Stingray I've tried until yesterday...

I tried a new 2EQ and I was very impressed by everything about this bass. It felt unbreakable and really well put together, flawless finish, lovely blue body colour and a tight focussed sound. (I find describing a sound very difficult, it's the best I can muster) I almost got the credit card out there and then.

But then I took my own advice which I've tried to keep to for nearly 40 years. Always wait for two weeks and then, if you still want to buy something, go ahead. Avoid rash decisions. (I haven't always kept to this advice and made some horrible and expensive mistakes)

Anyway, I got thinking about the price and it seems cheap at £999 for a brand new Stingray. Am I right?? (They have a black one at the same price BTW, PM me if you're interested. They are an online shop but don't update their website with current stock.)

Then I got to thinking about alternatives and remembered a member here saying that after years of playing Stingrays he now prefers the G&L L2000. I think he said it did everything the Stingray did and more. And at around half the price! I've liked all three G&Ls I tried in recent years.

So, I'm asking about the price and how the two instruments compare for sound, quality, playability etc.

I've done the search on the subjects but I would appreciate anyones experience and opinions.

Thanks.

Frank.

[lowfer]

Hi There,

if you decide to go for a G&L i have found a big German company that will deliver a G&L L2500 and JB 4 string (both tribute) for £950 and absolutely cracking deal if you ask me.

N

[Musicman20]

Hmm...my friends Dad had a USA G&L....he loves it...we compared it years ago to the Stingray I have. I must admit, the G&L has more tonal options, but it does not nail the sound I wanted in my head. The Ray sound is perfect for me, and yep, I love the shape/finish/tone etc.

Edited February 21, 2010 by Musicman20

[OutToPlayJazz]

Having played a lot of both & owned both, I'd still go for the Stingray. Especially the highly boosted 2eq model. Yes, the G&L will offer more tonal options, but the MusicMan just has a fuller & thicker tone to it & as MusicMan20 said, they feel just right in your hands. Add to that the bargain price of £999 & you'd be mad not to!

Music Man
Music Man
Music Man
Music Man
Music Man
Music Man
Music Man
Music Man

Getting the hint?!

[Duarte]

Go for the G&L if you don't mind sounding like that.

That's right, I went there!

[MB1]

MB1.
.....A Musicman Stingray and a G&L?...Hmmmmmmm!.....both Nice Basses!...but which ones better?.....Theres only one way to sort this.......FIGHT!

I've got both!...if your used to playing a Musicman Stingray and feel like a bit more tonal variation the G&L L2000 is the way to go!....Buy Both!.... Second hand ....and you wont bend the card as much!

[sockdeluxe_mikey]

Really boils down to what you want - this decision surely was a lot easier when Ernie Ball weren't offering two pickup basses ^_^ that at least would have given some grounds for differentiating them to make a decision like this!

Hate to make this more difficult as well, but sometimes (this is strictly IMHO) just because a bass may have more [i]features[/i] doesn't necessarily mean it makes it more [i]versatile[/i]. What I mean by this is, if you like the sound of, say for argument's sake, a one pickup Stingray better and get more useable sounds out it for what you want than a two pickup G&L, even though it technically has much more features, then for you at least the Stingray would be more versatile!

Now of course 3EQ 2 pickup Stingray's are possible, I think your real answer is to go out and play them - although, as you said, you may find for the price getting a Tribute L2000 could sater your tastes for what the Stingray does (or at least VERY close) plus potentially more sounds BUT is a lot cheaper? Personally, I would say the one pickup Stingray sound might be hard to find in the G&L but again, horses for courses.

[machinehead]

Thanks very much for the responses guys.

It seems there is more love for the Stingray than the G&L.

I just noticed a Musicman Sub for sale locally. I might try that as a way into Stingray ownership without massive outlay. Would this give a similar sound to a "real" Stingray? Are the electronics and pickup the same?

Thanks again.

Frank.

[dub_junkie]

the active SUBs sound just like the 2EQ Stingrays. I've owned both and thought they did at any rate. There are also passive SUBs as well

[tonyf]

I've had 'rays and G&Ls. Here's my take, IMHO underlined!

I think the Stingray is a unique sound, absolutely, no question. There's nothing out there which sounds as "stingray" as a erm Stingray.

Probably because of the lineage of design, the G&L's I've owned (2 x ASAT's, 1 x L2500) have been much more "Fender" than "Musicman". I think that maybe Leo went off from Fender, did the genius of the Ray but then came back to a more "traditional" "best of both" design that became the G&L.

The G&L kinda gets close to the "MM" sound but the construction, pickups and preamp are much more Fender'y to me. The best "Precision on steroids" sound I've ever had is from the L2500 (and my, do I miss that bass!).

The ASAT's were fab bases, the Semi Hollow being ironically the closest "beefy Fender Precision" tone I've ever had, despite me having a 62 reissue at the same time. Only got shot of them because I found the balance and body shape not to my liking.

As with everything, try them both. See how you find them. All the above is only my take, I ain't right.

Tony

Edited February 22, 2010 by tonyf

[nig]

It might have been me you mentioned, L2k, passive, active, active with treble boost, 2 x mfd pups, front, both or back and a series parallel switch, countoured body, rays do too but mines a slab body, ray vol, bass n treble, flat battery no bass, or the later more eq model, I like the fact theres a g&l Issue with bassists cos then the rest of us get a bargain. as for pup comparisons, theres nowt weak about the g&l mfd in comparison to the ray pup whatsoever, plus the way leo did the reverse log bass pot and treble bleed wiring means theres some amazing sounds in an L2k you wont find in a ray.

Edited February 23, 2010 by nig

[LeftyJ]

My choice would be the G&L L2000 over a Stingray.
I feel the Stingray has more character and balls, but the L2000 is a much more versatile beast and really does it all.
I would prefer a USA-made instrument over the Tribute, but as you say, the Tribute is a lot of bass at half the price of a Ray.

[paulie]

The G and L 2000 is a lovely bass but you need to try before you buy as I have owned two in my time, one sounded great and the other crap in comparison and this was not due to woods or build quality (which are always reliably consistent) but it was due to the pickups.
Different winds on each I guess

[JMT3781]

One problem i have with the G&L's is that the quality just isn't consistent. Don't know if this was just me, but i have played 5, and owned one.. Some were great and others were shocking.. (all USA not tribute) Unfortunately the one i owned wasn't the best of the bunch. My problem with them is the electronics seem to be trying to be too clever, so when mine went a bit haywire, could'nt find anyone willing to delve into the maze of wires. Saying that the great ones were great, love the finishes they do.

In my opinion, if you choosing between a tribute G&L and Stingray - stingray wins everytime. If you are choosing between USA g&l and stingray, try both and see how they feel.. i really would think twice about buying a g&l online without playing it... but you could say that about any bass :S

i think im trying to say, try both guitars lol!
sorry, ive confused myself

[machinehead]

i think im trying to say, try both guitars lol!
sorry, ive confused myself
[/quote]


haha Tell me about it.

Good mix of experiences and opinions. Thanks again everyone.

I think the advice that jumps out at me, and I would agree, is to try before you buy and that's exactly what I'll do in the next few weeks.

Only trouble is, it'll be in two different shops as no one shop stocks them both. Interesting process though. I'm looking forward to my own "bass day"

Frank

[Brave Sir Robin]

If you like the Stingray, but don't like the price, you can try a Sterling (Ray34, Ray35, SB14), which are basically what the G&L tributes are to the USA G&L.

Always try before you buy though

[nig]

[quote name='JMT3781' post='755110' date='Feb 23 2010, 03:45 PM']One problem i have with the G&L's is that the quality just isn't consistent. Don't know if this was just me, but i have played 5, and owned one.. Some were great and others were shocking.. (all USA not tribute) Unfortunately the one i owned wasn't the best of the bunch. My problem with them is the electronics seem to be trying to be too clever, so when mine went a bit haywire, could'nt find anyone willing to delve into the maze of wires. Saying that the great ones were great, love the finishes they do.

In my opinion, if you choosing between a tribute G&L and Stingray - stingray wins everytime. If you are choosing between USA g&l and stingray, try both and see how they feel.. i really would think twice about buying a g&l online without playing it... but you could say that about any bass :S

i think im trying to say, try both guitars lol!
sorry, ive confused myself[/quote]

I cant complain about consistancy as ive purchased used instruments and theyve been fine, the pre amps had a problem with the main chip frying in the early 90's but they sorted that, theres really no more active stuff in them than 1 pcb and the associated pots etc... and ive rewired 2 of mine no probs, not too bad and about the same inside the cavity as a ray, the only nightmare was the el toro / interceptor, it seems to have tons of caps n wiring. some of the body weights are an issue, they go from around 9 lb's to 14 lb's depending on the wood.

[dub]

I've owned a stingray 5 for about 15 years. I bought a G+L L2500 tribute recently and I was really impressed with the quality of the sound which is very close to the original G+Ls.
One big difference to consider is the deeper neck in the G+L which I find easier to play, but it depends on what suits you.

I started using the G+L for all my gigs, but now I've come back to using the stingray again.
When comparing the tone of both basses I found that a big part of what I liked in the G+L was the heavy low mid (around 150hz), so I boosted that when using the musicman and it really gives a great thump to the tone.

I would point out that there is a big difference between individual instruments, no matter how good quality control is in manufacturing, some are going to shine, so if you really liked that stingray you played, then buy it!

Another bass will not sound exactly the same.

[WalMan]

My first 5 was a SUB, which was sold to fund a US L2500

The SUB was good but for my money the L2500 is much better. Gets a great full rock sound and more with some tweaking.

Tried one of the new Sterlings Ray34's recently and that sounded good, though a shop full of speakers in sympathy might have helped (though I doubt it)

My L2500 is an older style 4+1 headstock rather than the newer 3+2 through body options. If I had the funds I think I would be looking for a newer L2500 plus a Sterling, but that's just greedy!

[bassbluestew]

I've owned both and still own two Ray's - no G&L's.

I loved the G&L and only parted with it to fund my dream 77 Ray.

Description of a Pbass on steriods is EXTREMELY accurate. Not a Ray on steriods as some folks would have you believe.

As has been said, it depends what you're after. If you love the Ray sound, then that's it. Problem solved. However if you are looking for something else ( I had TI Jazz flats on my USA L2500 and it was the comfiest bass I have played and nailed the Motown Pbass sound ) then go for the G&L. Never had a quality issue, maybe I was lucky.

If you'll forgive the analogy it's like the VW Golf advert on telly just now. If you want a golf buy a golf, not something that kinda looks,sounds,feels like a golf.

Good luck, take your time, follow your heart ( and your ears - don't just buy a Ray because everyone so far, me included, loves them )

S

[Schnozzalee]

I've tried both and i'm going to back G&L, finally found a P bass sounds with enough umph to cut through and stay nicely within the mix - perfect combination. Fretless Precision tone is probably my fave, but its gotta be active i'm afraid, adds definition without the loss of vintage character. G&L has other options of course I'm just happy with this one for now and I like the look and feel of it. Its a USA version cos i'm a snob. Plus I couldn't miss an oppurtunity for winding my Indonesian girlfriend up

Edited March 12, 2010 by Schnozzalee

[deaky]

Hi

I recently purchased a G&L Tribute L2000 and its absolutley fantastic. Great tonal options and a brilliantly built bass for the price. Much better than many Fenders for the same price tag. I would definately recommend the G&L.

Now I am gassing for an SB2


Deak

[TGEvans]

Try both, But buy the G & L!!!! Seriously though, My G & L has always been great. I have lent it to people for recording stuff from Jazz to Thrash and results have always been outstanding. A friend who owns a Music Man often borrows it. But like others say, If your really into that Ray you have tried, buy it or you will regret it forever. Like I do when I didnt buy a Wal fretless for £500 a few years back........ Still upsets me. T

[funkgod]

The G&L every time,
all the guys i know who have had stingrays have or is looking to switch to the g&l there is no doubt it is a natural progression, and the quality and sounds are better, all the stingrays i have had suffer from a weak G string volume and there is not a dam thing you can do about it, i know we have covered this in another thred. i have just retired my wal after 20 years of abuse and the L2000 is the closest thing in terms of power, tightness, range of sounds that i can get, it does everything with power. the red G&L in the pic is an early one, and i use it all the time now and is the dogs. the dam thing is just ALIVE !! with a slap sound that will pin you to the back wall.


[attachment=44724:IMG_1066.jpg]

[dub_junkie]

when you've got drums,keys and a couple of guitars going, from my experiences a musicman sometimes got a bit buried/lost in the mix and the G&L didnt - that was at the same gig or rehearsal using both basses. G&L basses have a big sound!