G and L L-2500 Review

History:

Purchase: I found a classified ad for a 2001 G&L L-2500 for $450 and thought that it had to be a tribute model. Turns out that some poor sap was getting divorced and needed to sell his 5 string that was designed by Leo and built right here in Fullerton, CA... Sweet deal for me! I probably could have talked him down lower, but felt sorry about the divorce thing...we settled for $400

What I Like About This Unit: If you haven't had the pleasure of playing a G&L bass before, do yourself a favor and at least test one. I have owned an L-2000 for about 3 years and it is my favorite bass. With 2 nice humbucker pickups and a myriad of settings to choose from (see below), just about any sound can be coaxed out of this guita. Punchy, slappy lows (not quite Musicman, but close) resonant mids and a nice clear, bright highs can all be had on this rig. I really like the neck setup on this thing as well. It has a very substantial neck, yet it is as fast as any Warwick, musicman, Fender or Ric that I have played to date. It just seems right to me. I can pull just about any sound I want out of this bass and in my opinion, it is a "jack of all trades" bass. It slaps, picks and growls with anything else I have played.

What I Do NOT Like About The G and L L-2500: Just a few things...this bass leans towards the heavy side. I knew this going in (from having owned an L-2000). spend enough time playing and your shoulder will start to let you know. I got a big fat strap and it pretty much eliminated any issues with weight and fatigue. One other dislike on this bass is found in the active-treble boost mode. there is a background white-noise that I know most G&L owners are familiar with...it is there on my 4 string as well. The activeboost mode gives unbelievable bright sound, but the hiss is clear to my ear. I love to play in the straight active mode, which eliminates the slight hiss found in the activeboost mode, and the passive mode gives some really nice rich, dark, woody tones, so to be honest I wouldn't think of too many occasions to play in the treble boost setting. Anyhow if it didn't hiss, I might find a reason to use it more often. Lastly, the electronics in the back aren't shielded...how can you make a $1200 bass and not shield the electronics? I haven't picked up any wierd noises thus far, but when I get a chance, I will take some time and shield it myself.

L-2500 Quality: 2 G&L Magnetic Field humbucking pickups, Swamp Ash top on American Tilia back, Maple neck, G&L "Ultra-Lite" aluminum tapered string posts, G&L Saddle Lock with string through body, G&L Tri-Tone active/passive electronics, 3-way mini-toggle pickup selector, series/parallel mini-toggle, preamp control mini-toggle (off/on/on with high end EQ boost). This rig has a beautiful blueburst finish, very solid neck. Overall a very solid bass.

Summary: sweet bass. The nicest overall sound I have found in a 5 string. It is a jack of all trades, and a master of many.... I would love to give this a 5, but unless it is a custom Alembic or some other custom rig, I can't see giving anything a 5!

Rating of this product: 4

This G and L Bass Guitars Review Submitted By: charlie T

Date: 2003-09-24