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Brand Favourites: G & L
2026-Apr-03, Friday 21:21![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gothfvck
Is anyone else aligned with a certain brand?
I root for G & L because it was Leo Fender's and George Fullerton's last venture; last incarnation. Leo kept iterating and improving on guitar technology his entire life. Whenever someone brings up, or brings out, a Fender. I always mention G & L.
First was Fender, which was sold to CBS and is now Fender Music Instrument Company. That's where he came out with the classics. Stratocaster. Telecaster. Jazz bass. Percussion bass. Then, he was with Music Man. Which borned the Stringray -> Kiloton. Then finally G & L which was eventually left to his wife who left it with their lifelong friends that continue the legacy.
Back in 1999 I started playing with a Made in Mexico Fender: Jazz bass. It was pretty good. At some point I got to try out a Squire: Percussion bass. I didn't like that one as much. It sounded flat; dull. In the early 00's I bought a 5-string Ibanez: Soundgear 305DX. That one was pretty cool but, it wasn't really my thing. Ultimately, I sold both of those then when I needed a bass for my old band to get back together for a one off show, I decided it was appropriate to find a good jazz bass again.
It didn't take very long for me to find the G & L: MJ-4. Lucky me, I found one of the USA models on sale at a small shoppe. This bass blows my old one out of the water. The feel. Tuning stability. Sustain. Sound with hum canceling pickups and preamp that boosts the low mids just right. They put the bass and treble in good spots, too. It's as if they know how bass is supposed to sit in a mix with a full band. lol.
Check out the Fallout bass as well if you're curious about short scales. Especially if you don't want one that looks or feels like a tiny toy of a bass. Engage that OMG Mode and you'll effectively get a phat low end boost.
If you're looking for one end all, be all bass that isn't a boutique custom made instrument... Or something to try out different sounds with, definitely look into the L-2500. Two humbuckers that can be coil split for a pseudo J-bass sound, run in parallel, or in series. You can modify it to add a capacitor to give it an OMG Mode that pushes less highs through one half of the pickups. If you're a serious beginner or a pro, I recommend this.
The MFD -- magnetic field design -- pickups are really cool. They have a large magnet on the bottom. They've got the highest output of any passive pickup and sound great. Huge, bold, aggressive-when-you-want-it tone. Now they've got MFD jazz pups. Still waiting for those to be sold separately. I may replace a few of my others with those. Or maybe not and I'll just learn how to make pickups myself with the specs & features I want. MFD's are available in guitars as well.
Why I'm writing this is partially because I truly believe they are better than the mass produced stuff the big corporation that uses his last name is pumping out. I was to support what seems to me like an underdog. This is something I believe to be unfair. Not to mention that the instruments are very reasonably priced considering they're made in the US. Even the Tribute line only has bodies & necks manufactured overseas. The electronics & QC are done in Fullerton, CA.
No, I am not (at the time of this writing) endorsed by them. Though, I am not by any means against it. However, they'd have to make 8 (10) and 12 (15)-string multi-course basses and basses with 7-strings (extended range two below + one above) if they don't want me using anyone else's on stage. :P
I root for G & L because it was Leo Fender's and George Fullerton's last venture; last incarnation. Leo kept iterating and improving on guitar technology his entire life. Whenever someone brings up, or brings out, a Fender. I always mention G & L.
First was Fender, which was sold to CBS and is now Fender Music Instrument Company. That's where he came out with the classics. Stratocaster. Telecaster. Jazz bass. Percussion bass. Then, he was with Music Man. Which borned the Stringray -> Kiloton. Then finally G & L which was eventually left to his wife who left it with their lifelong friends that continue the legacy.
Back in 1999 I started playing with a Made in Mexico Fender: Jazz bass. It was pretty good. At some point I got to try out a Squire: Percussion bass. I didn't like that one as much. It sounded flat; dull. In the early 00's I bought a 5-string Ibanez: Soundgear 305DX. That one was pretty cool but, it wasn't really my thing. Ultimately, I sold both of those then when I needed a bass for my old band to get back together for a one off show, I decided it was appropriate to find a good jazz bass again.
It didn't take very long for me to find the G & L: MJ-4. Lucky me, I found one of the USA models on sale at a small shoppe. This bass blows my old one out of the water. The feel. Tuning stability. Sustain. Sound with hum canceling pickups and preamp that boosts the low mids just right. They put the bass and treble in good spots, too. It's as if they know how bass is supposed to sit in a mix with a full band. lol.
Check out the Fallout bass as well if you're curious about short scales. Especially if you don't want one that looks or feels like a tiny toy of a bass. Engage that OMG Mode and you'll effectively get a phat low end boost.
If you're looking for one end all, be all bass that isn't a boutique custom made instrument... Or something to try out different sounds with, definitely look into the L-2500. Two humbuckers that can be coil split for a pseudo J-bass sound, run in parallel, or in series. You can modify it to add a capacitor to give it an OMG Mode that pushes less highs through one half of the pickups. If you're a serious beginner or a pro, I recommend this.
The MFD -- magnetic field design -- pickups are really cool. They have a large magnet on the bottom. They've got the highest output of any passive pickup and sound great. Huge, bold, aggressive-when-you-want-it tone. Now they've got MFD jazz pups. Still waiting for those to be sold separately. I may replace a few of my others with those. Or maybe not and I'll just learn how to make pickups myself with the specs & features I want. MFD's are available in guitars as well.
Why I'm writing this is partially because I truly believe they are better than the mass produced stuff the big corporation that uses his last name is pumping out. I was to support what seems to me like an underdog. This is something I believe to be unfair. Not to mention that the instruments are very reasonably priced considering they're made in the US. Even the Tribute line only has bodies & necks manufactured overseas. The electronics & QC are done in Fullerton, CA.
No, I am not (at the time of this writing) endorsed by them. Though, I am not by any means against it. However, they'd have to make 8 (10) and 12 (15)-string multi-course basses and basses with 7-strings (extended range two below + one above) if they don't want me using anyone else's on stage. :P
