G&L JB-2 Tribute - opinions please.

[redstriper]

G&Ls don't seem very popular on BC and I haven't found much information here, there is more on Talkbass but none quite answers my questions.
Is there a reason for their unpopularity, or is it just that there are more trendy alternatives out there?

I'm thinking of buying a JB-2 Tribute because I like the precision body with jazz neck and pups and I don't know of another bass with that combination, apart from my 'customised' 1963 Fender jazz which had a home made precision body fitted in the 70s and suits me fine, but it weighs too much for my old back.
The single coil jazz neck pup produces a clear deep tone, while split coil and humbucking pups are too rich and growly, but I find jazz bodies overly large after many years with the precision body.
I like a deep smooth tone with no honk, bark, middle or treble so I only use the neck pup with the tone off and all the mids and tops cut on my amp.

I haven't been able to try a G&L yet and wonder if anyone here can offer an opinion or suggest a suitable alternative, (I have also considered a Squier 50s P bass)?

Any input is much appreciated.
Steve.

[deaky]

Hi Steve

I havent played the JB2 but I do have a L2000 Tribute and its a fantastic bass. You can get a fantastic array of tones from it.

I have it strung with Labella flats and it sounds amazing. I tend to use it even more than my american deluxe pbass due to its tone and massive output.


Deaky

[redstriper]

Thanks Deaky,

Good to hear an endorsement of the quality of these basses, I also use flatwounds for a smooth deep tone and feel.

The L2000 probably has more features than I need and I think it's a fair bit heavier than the JB-2, but I would like to compare them.

I'm looking for more of a one trick pony tone wise - simple and passive, like me!

[funkgod]

hello Steve
im not sure why you came to that conclusion, G&L are regarded on here quite well from what i have read, and quite rightly so,
i know its not fair to say one bass is better than another as its only that person saying so which means jack to another person, horses for courses etc,
so.. Personally i think they are in the top 5 of the best PRODUCTION bass's on the planet.
ok so you dont get fancy woods ( you can order tho) but as a work horse they are solid as hell verywell built, huge power, great range of USABLE tones, etc,
i know some dont like the heavy basses, i love them, i struggle with light basses to get what i want out of them, i feel i have to work harder,
of all the basses i have had and still have the early L2000 is the closest thing i can get to my wal, which i have been playing for 20 years now, and is very hard to get that tightness out of other basses, ( again only personel pref (dont want to start a big debate here ))
When i tried a friends G&L jazz at a gig i cant remember what number it was but with the same pickups as you describe, i found the sound much tighter on a loud stage than my jazz but still abit light with less weight to it and less punch than my L2000 so felt i had to turn my amp up to get it, when i went back to my L2000 in the second half it was like jumping into a AC Cobra, its all there with less effort and less volume,with those powerfull humbuckers.
i know the tributes have the same pickups, electrics bit again i miss the weight, im not saying they are light, its just the early L2000 is HEAVY.... i have just weighed both my G&L L2000 both early 3 bolt, 1 with the metal control plate for this topic and they are 5.2Kg... as a guide my thumb bass is 3.5Kg and the wal is 5Kg
Regarding the neck both mine have the Jazz neck and they are perfect for me, a friend has just got a newish L2000 usa and the neck at the nut is WIDE with that thin satin laquer on the back which i dont like.
My friend loves his G&L jazz and compaired to his Mex jazz and his 80s usa one, and my mex jazz its more powerfull with clear punch, the pickups are very good, and well made but do try the tribute jazz necked L2000 against it if you get the chance, you wont be sorry
im waffling now arnt i.......

Edited June 5, 2010 by funkgod

[redstriper]

Cheers funkgod
I haven't found much on G&Ls here, but it may just be the search function struggling to find anything.
I totally agree with you that these things are very subjective and my tastes are not like most other players - I play a jazz bass, but I don't like the traditional jazz sound at all.
I had one of the first Wals in the late 70s, but never got on with it, much as I wanted to - it sounded too middly and modern even back then.
The L2000 sounds similar in the youtube review and I don't think it's for me really.
I agree that a heavy bass is good for a deep tone and I will always keep my old jazz for recording, but I need something lighter for gigs.
I don't like glossy or satin necks, my preference is smooth unfinished wood like on my old worn bass and the JB-2 looks quite old skool in the few pics I've seen.
I've been through quite a few basses, but I always come back to the trusty old jazz - just wish it wasn't so heavy and I can't help thinking the perfect solution is out there somewhere.

[funkgod]

The simularaty of wal and L2000 comes frm the a combination of a few things, 1 is the weight of good quality woods, and both having very powerfull humbuckers in the same place and both having great quality heavy cast bridges, i know alot of other basses have the same combination, but also the tuning of the preamp and pickups can both pick out those low mid punchy frequencies as the base sound, hence that middly sound your on about, ( which i love ) GREAT for the tight funk stuff, have you tried the fender aerodyne ??? one of the guys i teach has one and thats good still has power but lighter at only 7 pounds (ish) and very well finished off, i was impressed, a fair bit more trebbley than my jazz a good slappy sound but if you roll back the treble the sound is warm, great for the walking lines, but glossy neck im afraid, anyway its an option,

[redstriper]

Thanks again funkgod
I respect your love of middle and treble, but they have no place in my world.
It's all about deep smooth fundamental bass for me, I don't like slap, zing, honk or bark - think Familyman, Robbie Shakespear, Jah Wobble, King Tubby, Lee Perry or even Jamerson and you can see where I'm coming from.
I'm fortunate because I have a bass that does the job perfectly, it's just a bit too heavy and I fancy a new toy!
It may be an impossible quest and it's proving harder than I thought it would be - I've tried a lot of basses, even including other 60s jazzes and I haven't found anything with 'my' tone yet.
I'm going to London next week to collect an Aria Sinsonido that I bought blind here and I hope to stop at Bass Direct on the way to try the JB-2 along with anything else that takes my eye.

[WalMan]

I love my G&L L2500 twins. They're US versions, but the Tribs are generally loved by those that take the plunge.

Can't speak for the JB2, but can't speak highly enough of the L2500's even when flicked back to passive mode.

[harvey1-8]

I've played a JB2. It was a very nice bass. The pickups were very powerful, a lot more so than my Jazz.

[funkgod]

[quote name='WalMan' post='858602' date='Jun 6 2010, 01:18 AM']I love my G&L L2500 twins. They're US versions, but the Tribs are generally loved by those that take the plunge.

Can't speak for the JB2, but can't speak highly enough of the L2500's even when flicked back to passive mode.[/quote]

hello walman
just read your gear list, and noted as your name hints at the wal
do you find also that same thing between the wal and L,series G&L that you cant get from other bass's ?.
And how did you get wal cust electrics under the scratch plate of the pro ?

Edited June 7, 2010 by funkgod

[redstriper]

So no one on here has a JB-2 ?

And hardly anyone has played one - odd considering all the other jazz-alikes and this actually comes from Leo's old firm.

[Rayman]

Edit

Edited June 7, 2010 by Rayman

[Rayman]

edit

Edited June 7, 2010 by Rayman

[Rayman]

I'm on the verge of picking up a G&L USA L2000, so all that info's been very useful. I understand there are issues with a bit of buzz from the pups on some early models, don't if that's true? Either way, I'm looking forward to trying one out in the next couple of days.

In my case the low thump I need for dub stuff is covered with my Precision fitted with flats, so I'm hoping for some bright honk from the L2000.

[redstriper]

[quote name='Rayman' post='860353' date='Jun 7 2010, 09:10 PM']I'm on the verge of picking up a G&L USA L2000, so all that info's been very useful. I understand there are issues with a bit of buzz from the pups on some early models, don't if that's true? Either way, I'm looking forward to trying one out in the next couple of days.

In my case the low thump I need for dub stuff is covered with my Precision fitted with flats, so I'm hoping for some bright honk from the L2000.[/quote]

I don't know what's in me tea, but I'm seeing triple..........

I've never found a precision with as much low end as my old jazz - they do thump though.

BTW - are you getting the L2000 from purpleturtle or sounds great?

[Rayman]

Such a good post, I had to say it three times .

[Rayman]

[quote name='redstriper' post='860363' date='Jun 7 2010, 09:17 PM']I don't know what's in me tea, but I'm seeing triple..........

I've never found a precision with as much low end as my old jazz - they do thump though.

BTW - are you getting the L2000 from purpleturtle or sounds great?[/quote]

True, Robbie and his Jazz do it for me every time. The P can be a bit middy, but if you pluck it near the end of the neck it does the trick.

No, I'm in the process of doing a deal with another BC member. It's never done till it's done, but it's still on the cards. Never actually played one, but the reviews are good I hear. I have however tried a Tribute version that Greeneking had a while back and loved it to bits.

[redstriper]

I've never tried a G&L at all and look forward to having a go - I'm amazed that nobody on here has a JB-2, it's a modern jazz bass from the inventor after all.

Rayman -
I think both purpleturtle and sounds great have them in stock and they're in your area if you want to check them out (and report back) - just a thought

[Rayman]

I'm off to Sounds Great tomorrow then.

[BB2000]

[quote name='redstriper' post='860380' date='Jun 7 2010, 09:33 PM']I've never tried a G&L at all and look forward to having a go - I'm amazed that nobody on here has a JB-2, it's a modern jazz bass from the inventor after all.[/quote]

I had a US JB2 for a couple on months. It's interesting to see the post above commenting on the powerful pickups, as my experience was the opposite. In terms of output the pickups in mine did not produce the same output as a typical Fender Jazz pickup, but it did seem to have a wider frequency response and a larger dynamic range than a Fender pup. They seemed to be less prone to hum as well. I liked it a lot, but the one I had did suffer from a bad dead spot across three frets on the G string. They are very comfortable to play, and the one I had was the lightest jazz I've ever had, at a shade over 8lb.

[BB2000]

Actually it's interesting to read the comparison between the L2000 and the Wal. I've a pair of Mark 1 Wal's and had a L2000 tribute. I wouldn't say the L2000 sounded anything like the Wal's. Not even close!

[redstriper]

[quote name='Rayman' post='860385' date='Jun 7 2010, 09:36 PM']I'm off to Sounds Great tomorrow then.[/quote]

Good work Rayman!

If they've got a JB-2 tribute, do me a favour and check it out for me with special attention to the solo neck pup sound with the tone rolled off and all the mids and top cut on the amp (markbass LM2 if pos).

Nowt like cheek eh!

[Rayman]

[quote name='redstriper' post='860414' date='Jun 7 2010, 09:54 PM']Good work Rayman!

If they've got a JB-2 tribute, do me a favour and check it out for me with special attention to the solo neck pup sound with the tone rolled off and all the mids and top cut on the amp (markbass LM2 if pos).

Nowt like cheek eh![/quote]



Consider it my quest

[redstriper]

[quote name='BB2000' post='860406' date='Jun 7 2010, 09:49 PM']I had a US JB2 for a couple on months. It's interesting to see the post above commenting on the powerful pickups, as my experience was the opposite. In terms of output the pickups in mine did not produce the same output as a typical Fender Jazz pickup, but it did seem to have a wider frequency response and a larger dynamic range than a Fender pup. They seemed to be less prone to hum as well. I liked it a lot, but the one I had did suffer from a bad dead spot across three frets on the G string. They are very comfortable to play, and the one I had was the lightest jazz I've ever had, at a shade over 8lb.[/quote]

Thanks for that information BB - I don't like the 3 fret deadspots, that's really not acceptable on a high end bass.
My old jazz has a dead spot on one fret (E flat on the G) which isn't too bad, but I wouldn't like 3 of the buggers.
I don't mind low output pups, in fact I generally prefer them because they are less bright and have less bark and I can always turn the amp gain up to compensate.
The wider frequency response is interesting, especially if it extends downwards - I'm not really interested in anything above the norm.

[redstriper]

[quote name='Rayman' post='860420' date='Jun 7 2010, 10:00 PM']Consider it my quest[/quote]

In that case - please check for dead spots too