G&L L1000

Mine???s was made in 1985. USA made, of course. It???s got a lovely natural finish over a swamp ash body. Maple neck with a beautiful rosewood fretboard.

It is quite simple, which I like. It has one large passive MFD pick-up which can be either a humbucker, single coil, or single coil with bass boost (fat low end).

It sounds great. It can sound like a vintage single coil P Bass, or a cross between a P Bass and a Musicman. On the single coil settings, it???s pure vintage Fender sound with a slight single coil hum. When in humbucker mode it???s somewhere between a Musicman growl, and a clean Fender tone.

Sustain is great. The swamp ash body creates a very pure, clean, musical tone. Every nuance of every note rings true. Recording engineers are amazed how good it sounds straight into a board!

The craftsmanship is on par with a 60???s era Fender product, but at 10% of the cost! No surprise, Leo Fender???s name is on the headstock. The woods are beautiful with great tone. Neck is easy to play, and feels great. Hardware is solid and sturdy.

This L1000 blows Fender reissues out of the water. Period.

Rock solid. No back up needed.

N/A

What a great value these instruments are! I???m fully satisfied, and I???ve owned it about 2 years. I tend to rotate gear a lot, but will not sell this one. What would I replace it with???a 60???s P Bass for $7000??? Haha. Leo era G & Ls will only appreciate in value, and I suggest you buy one if you have the opportunity. It???s a 24 year old collectable, playable classic!

I love the fact that Leo was actively running the company when this bass was made???the quality shows. You can???t say that about your Fender unless it was made before early 1965.

Mine is a 1980 model, with the old fender-like head, and an all maple neck. All components are stock G&L, solid. The pick-up is a passive MFD design, with a three way toggle to switch between humbucker, single-coil, and bass boost configuration. I am not sure what kind of wood was used for the body, but it is on the heavy side. This bass maybe doesn't have a lot of features, but they are features that can be used very effectively when performing or recording.

This is where I cannot say enough about this bass. I play fingerstyle and use flatwound strings, Jazz, Improv, R&B, Reggae, Blues, and Country music. This bass has a very distinct sound which is noticeable through any amplifier. I heard someone describe it as somewhere between an old P-Bass a Music Man which I thought was an accurate description, it growls like a P-bass and has the punch of the Music Man. It's tone is unique, and I love that about it. The MFD pick-up is incredible, the notes are clear, the bass is deep, and also dynamically very responsive. I use the pick-up toggle switch constantly to change sounds, it is wonderful because whichever position you are in, you still have that distinct sound. Rich, deep, bass.

As I pointed out, this particular bass is a little heavy. It can be uncomfortable when you have to stand for long periods with it, but really I could care less. The action suits me perfectly. The neck is very much like a P-Bass, maybe slightly narrower at the nut. As far as I know, the bass is still on it's factory set-up, now 28 years old. I've had it for ten years and the only thing I've done was change the strings when I bought it. The guy I bought it from treated it about the same way. The neck is straight, never needed any adjustments. My L1000 is or was some sort of coral blue, I do remember it being a little lighter and, well, more tropical when I bought it, it has dulled over the years. I don't know if that has to do as much with the quality of the finish as it does with my own carelessness.

Very much like any old Fender, it is built like a tank. I have never had any problem with this bass whatsoever. I plug in, and it works, and it sounds great.

I am not sure if G&L could or would do anything for me should I have a problem. I am also pretty sure the waranty is up.

I started playing the electric bass in 1980 on a student short scale cheapo bass, I quickly outgrew it, got me a summer job, and used the money to buy a new L-1000 ($425 at the time). They were the newest thing then. I loved that bass. When it was stolen from me, I bought a used Fender Jazz (about $300), and kept buying and selling basses (Fenders, Guild, Alembic, Gibson and more) until I found my current L-1000 on consignment somewhere, which I bought without blinking for the same price I had paid for it new in 1980. I will never need another bass, if this the L1000 had not been made, it would have been just an ideal for me. I have owned many good guitars, but somehow they all had just a little something that I would want to change. This one doesn't, it fits like a glove. If it were stolen, I would start looking for a new one, which wouldn't be easy.

It's a 1984 or 1985. Black. Fretted. Exchanged for a standard US Jazzbas half a year ago.

Passive pickups (I hate active pickups). Very nice craftman ship. My guitar repair man told me, that the G&L neck is made from two pieces of wood on the backside. The bridge is build like a tank.

I like the switch. Normally I play the single coil - but sometimes I use the bassboost - and who wants a boostpedal, when you have this little feature on your L1000?

All in all: This bass has excactly the features I need.

I think it's half P-bas and half Musicman. I once owned a Musicman. I liked it's playability, but never got familiar with the active pickups. On the G&L L-1000 you get the same distinct sound as on a Musicman, but also the dynamics from the P-bas. Yes: I love it. It can almost sound as a double-bas if you need it. And the bottom is tight and clear - much better than on my Fender US P-bas and J-basses. No dead "spots" at all.

I'm playing through a Hartke Kickback 12 inch and a Music Man 130 head plus Hartke BXL 15.

No problems - even though the bass is almost 25 years old. My guitar repair man just fixed some loose frets.

I would definitely use this bass without a back up.

This is a very basic 34" scale instrument with only one single passive pickup so it does not have many "features". I picked it up used in the early 90's for very little $ (can't remember exactly). When purchased, it had a bit of 'negative' neck relief, due to overtightening of the truss rod and low string tension. I was hoping it could be corrected and after careful tensioning and moisture conditioning it was fine. I bought it to use as a "jam session" axe while traveling on business so I didn't have to worry about losing one of my nice basses at a session where such things are quite possible. But I got far more than I bargained for. This turned out to be one of my best instruments and one that I will never sell.

The sound is a nice balance between old school Fender and modern hi-fi. The single humbucker and the pole selector switch allow one to get a variety of nice tones. I have used it for blues, jazz, and rock settings and it has delivered without fail. Becuase I had few exectations of it, I wasn't the one to first appreciate its strengths. At numerous jam sessions I had other players compliment me on the quality of its tone. I had several other bassists say that they could distinctly hear every note of the bass clearly, which is a genuine compliment on tone in a playing setting. I even had a guitar player friend of mine borrow the bass on several occasions for what I later found out were Twin/Tone label recording sessions where the bass had earned a studio reputation as a great recording bass. I never took it into the studio myself but I was told that they got great results plugging it straight into the board.

It is not a replacement for an old good P-bass or a top line modern hi-fi instrument, but it straddles the range of tones well enou8gh to be flexible in nearly every setting. This bass is also a great slap bass with good bite and solid note definition. It is especially punchy when slapping down onto the strings near the bridge.

No noise is found except a very slight amount when the selector switch is set to single coil as one might expect. All in all a great bass for tone.

I bought the bass used in flawed condition so I cannot comment on out-of-factory condition. But once repaired ands setup properly it is excellent in terms of smoothness and action. The body finish is a simple semi-transparent red and flawless. I refinished the back of the neck with a matte varnish for playability.

If there is a flaw with this bass it is only if you pluck the strings laterally with high amplitude, the low E string can vibrate outside of the electrical field of the pickup when struck too hard, resulting in tonal anomalies. But one has to be pulling on it hard to do this, so I do not see it as a fault just a quirk.

This bass is very solid and reliable. It could easily be taken on the road without a backup. The only thing that is likely to break is a string.

Never had to use customer support so "no comment".

I have 35 years of playing experience and eight other basses including a custom Alembic, several old vintage Fenders, and a Music Man Stingray. I consider the L-1000 my number two bass after the Alembic for its basic simplicity and good tone. Not all of them may be as good as this one, but mine is a real sweetheart.

I had the good fortune to pick up a vintage 1982 G&L L-1000, american made, passive four-string bass fretted. It is a classic!! It's a very rare bass here in Brazil.

It had a single Magnect Field Design (MFD) pickup in the neck position. Also offers separate treble and bass controls, plus a neat three way toggle that provides single coil, single with a bass boost and series tones from the massive humbucking pickup, all from a passive circuitry... This axe has almost TWICE the sonic output of Jazz and P-basses. I can adjust the pickup's individual pole pieces to get individual string balance with the L-1000 with the adjustable pickup screws. Then, I put a Music Man Bartolini in sweet spot working together with the G&L MFD pickup. Now I can select each one or both pickups by a three way toggle. I put a EMG BTC control 18Volts and with a two way toggle. I have original passive circuit or active circuit... AMAZING!!! Many G&L lovers would say: "YOU ARE CRAZZY, MAN!!!"

I like the grow and deeper of this bass... It??s perfect for blues, rock and brasilian music. Whit the Bartolini MM and the EMG 18Volts, I improved the flexibility, and added many sounds. Now, beyond the MFD pickup I have the sound of both pickups and the sound of MM Bart alone. All of this with the passive circuit or the active EMG 18Volts with much headroom and low impedance! Although the MFD has a litlle bit more output volume than MM, when I put MFD in single coil, they have almost the same volume.

The sound of MFD is rich, full and unique, like very old Fenders. The sound of both pickups together is perfect for Slap funk bass... Now I have lot of mids and highs. The sound of MM Bart alone I know very well. This is one of my favorites pickups I have had in other basses... no noises, plenty of mids, attack and grow...The sound of this G&L L1000 is amazing with combo of many brands: G&L, EMG and Batolini to make the sound of a classic bass.

Generally I use this bass plug and play in a Galien 400 with a Hartke 4 x 10... great sounds like old Fenders and Music Man.

Neck join Bolt-On, neck construction rock maple, fingerboard rosewood fingerboard, 21 frets. The neck on the L-1000 is as wide as a P-Bass, but not as deep, so it plays faster and easier. I love that extra 21st fret, too for the high E on the G-string for a full three-octave range. The rosewood board on this axe is very smooth and produces a warm tone. Mahogany is my favorite wood for bass bodies. Hardware G&L with black bridge and plate.

Construction (100%) - 25 years old. A tank... body mahogany. Finish Black painted, vintage. Strap buttons solid. For many years truss rod do not need to be adjusted. I have the best of two worlds: The passive G&L circuitry work independent of EMG BTC 18Volts. The best passive and very good active. With the flexibility it is perfect for my needs. I would use it on a gig without a backup...

I've played bass since 1981, and have owned basses from Fender, Ken Smith, Rick, Yamaha, Ibanez, Music Man, and Brazilian luthiers. Although this is THE BEST PASSIVE BASS I HAVE EVER PLAYED, the Pickups MFD G&L and MM Bartolini together with the use of G&L passive electronics and EMG BTC active 18Volts give me much more flexibility.
I have compared it to some old Fenders and Music Man Sting Rays. Anybody around the world have another bass like this???

I believe it was made in '80 or '81, and it came with a hard case.

A great recording bass.

It was perfectly set up by Sam Ash when I took possession of it.

It had been my main live bass for 19 years, I swithed to my Danelectro Long horn for live playing, due to back pain.
The pearl white finished has faded to a cool yellow.

It never needed service.

I was 15 years old (now 40) when I read an article about Leo Fender's new guitar company in Guitar Player Mag. I got ride to Sam Ash on Long Island, and put a pearl white L1000 (now yellow) on lay away. It took me about 8 months to pay it off. Of all the basses that I have owned or played, the L1000 is still the best. I am not a centimental person, I would think nothing of perminatly storing it in the closet if I found a bass that I liked better.

I own two L-1000 basses, the first a 1982 model (black finish over ash body, hard rock maple neck with rosewood fingerboard) that I purchased used in 1985 for only $240 and a newer 1986 model (trans blue finish over swamp ash body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard) that I recently bought used on eBay. Both of these G&Ls were made under Leo Fender's watch (1980-to-1991, when he passed away). Since I've been playing the 1982 L-1000 for over 20 years, I'll talk about that one, but my comments pretty much apply to both axes. The L-1000 features a volume control, treble cut and bass cut rotary knobs, plus a 3-way selector switch that allows you to dial in three distinct sounds, specifically a twin coil humbucking, single coil and single coil/bass boost voicing. The circuit on this bass is passive, but the Leo Fender MFD humbucker produces extremely wide tonal variations with a ton of output and is louder thatn any passive bass I have ever played, except for my G&L SB-1 that must be on steroids. The massive bridge is easy to adjust and this bass has mongo sustain.

The humbucking setting is super clean with plenty of punchy bass and snappy highs. The single coil position rolls off some of the bass rumble and makes this sound like a P-bass clone. Selecting the single coil/bass boost position gives this base a unique groove and with the volume rolled off a bit because of hte overdrive of this fantastic pickup, this is you best funk/slap setting. The single coil positions will produce some hum, but way less than a MusicMan Stingray at the same settings. I have NEVER played a passive bass that has as much out energy or tonal variations as the G&L L-1000 bass, and I've been playing professionally for 42 years, so I know what I'm talking about and have played them all. This L-1000 is definitely at the top of the passive bass food chain.

I set up the L-1000's pickup and strings myself, as per the factory guidelines and this is relatively easy. The finish is checking a little but has held up well for a 23-year old bass. Quality is totally TOP NOTCH and better than any post-1965 Fender, which is when Leo sold out to CBS. You just have to pick one up and play it to believe it, truly amazing.

I play about 50 gigs a year with two different classic rock bands and NEVER bring a backup. This bass is the BEST ON THE MARKET and that is a lock-solid bet, dudes! I had to change a couple of the volume/tone pots a few years ago, but the company has a schematic on their website, so that was easy.

Never had to call them on anything. The website with serial # registry is very helkpful and informative, with some nice hot links.

I've been playing for 42-years as a pro bass man and this axe is #1 on my list of all-time favorites. The only thing I wish I had was a maple fingerboard, but the rosewood boards on both of my L-1000s produce a nice warn sound.

I don't know what year it was made, but they are made in California. Mahogany body, one piece (I think) maple neck. Passive electronics, one huge humbucking pickup just like a Music Man. I bought it well-used as a backup to my backup.

This chunk grinds. Massive sound with a growl. The low end is great; roll off the tone and it gets even lower. Highs are very pronounced without distorting. I've plugged it into every amp I own and can't find fault with the sound. It's now my main 4-string (the American P-bass usually sits in the case nowadays).

I'm sure it was OK when it was new. Now it looks like it's been dragged behind a truck for a few miles. The control plate and knobs are rusted and flaked, the screws and tuning keys are discolored and pitted in places. The flat black finish is gouged, spiderwebbed, scratched, worn off, and downright sleazy looking. I love it; gives it some character.

I've never pulled it out of the case yet that it wasn't still in tune. The strap buttons have sharp inner edges, and don't really need locks for normal playing conditions. I would use it without backup anytime. It's been dropped, kicked over, and downright beaten on while playing live and hasn't missed a lick.

No idea. I'm sure the warrant expired way more than a decade ago.

I've been playing bass for many years. My other basses are an American Series P-Bass (4 string) and a Deluxe Series J-Bass (5 string). I play the 5 string live when needed, but the G&L has become my main bass. If it were stolen or lost, I would probably never replace it because I'd never find one with this much charm. It's ugly and beat up, but sounds like a demon. I bought it after playing it only once; before that I'd never even considered buying a bass that didn't say Fender on the headstock.

This L-1000 is a 1981 vintage piece. Made in Fullerton, CA, USA. 21 fret, 4 banger. Body is solid and made from mahogany. Finish is a subtle burst type with a nitrocellulose clear. Passive electronics with a thunderous bass boost circuit. Massive MFD pickup in the P bass sweet spot. 1 volume knob, treble cut and bass cut. 3 way selector switch. Neck is the old school type with skunk stripe and old style headstock. Neck is made from hard rock maple, and has an ebony fretboard. Neck feels thinner front to back from my Fender P basses, but is also slightly narrower. It has the vintage 7.25" radius and is quite comfy. Came with a tolex hard case.

This bass has grunt! HUGE lows especially with the bass boost on. Big meaty sound. The mahogany really contributes to the definition. I love this bass's tone! Rich and full. I like darker sounding basses so I don't swap out strings too often. It's currently wearing some type of semi-dead rounds that sound great! Great live bass, I've gigged with it a good bit. Never recorded with it tough. Been using the L-2000's for studio work.

Bass is 24 years old, so I have no idea how it was set up from the factory. It came to me set up very well and needed nothing at all! The neck is super stable; I haven't had to adjust the truss yet. Tuning is stable, and though I routinely check tune between songs live, it rarely needs tweaking. Hardware shows traces of oxidation, the nitro finish is thinner in some areas of the body and checking/flaking in some spots. Lost of checking to the back of the neck; makes the neck look "flamed" LOL!Finish is worn off in some areas on the front. Very cool vintage vibe.

THis thing is a brick. You can't break it, it has no battery to fail, the controls are dead simple, the neck is ultra stable, and with the vintage finish wear you aren't afraid to really PLAY this bass. No fears of nicking it and ruining re-sale on it. Only thing I added were Schaller straplocks (do it to all my fiddles). Have gigged it w/o back up, but tend to bring a spare. Not for fear of this bass, but for fear of string problems. Easier to grab the backup than re-string between songs.

Warranty expired some 14 years ago I think. I've never needed a thing. This bass is one of my keepers. I've owned some 44 basses, including 5 L-1000's. This one's a keeper.

I've been playing since the mid '80's. This bass is one of my keepers. I've owned some 44 basses, including 5 L-1000's. This one's a keeper. Wish I had another one just exactly like it. I'd love to have 2 L-1000's this sweet!!

mid'81 neck and body dates. 1 piece maple neck with skunk stripe & maple fretboard. 1 pickup, volume, treble & bass knobs & 3 way pickup mode selector. Got almost everything you'll ever need. 1.75in nut and 7.5in radius (i think, going on radius from memory). 21 frets.

I play guitar in a punk band, got this bass to help me write basslines for my songs. The bass sounds fine. The 3 modes are really different and the treble/bass controls make a noticable difference to the sound as well.

This is where it begins to fall down. The neck is all worn and chipped. The body is missing a decent amount of finish. The components by themselves are very high quality. Like it's the best bridge i've ever seen. simple but very effective, you won't get any saddle movement with it. The tuning pegs stay in tune, the controls and control cavity cover are metal, very sturdy. The pickup doesn't move around at all, another very good thing. But together, it just doesn't quite work.

The bass is completely unplayable. Avoid the early G&Ls with the single piece necks. They ALL warp eventually. I wanted an early g&l because i didn't want the nipple headstock (boy do i regret that now). the string clearance at the last fret has to be ~4mm to not buzz. The default specs are ~2.7 i think. The neck moves around alot too. If you're interested in this bass you'll probably read a bunch of reviews about how the G&L 3 bolt neck is nothing like the totally unstable fender version... try playing it after a slight change in weather. I literally need to do a 40min adjustment of truss rod+saddles every time i want to play it.
The parts (h/ware,body,etc) will outlast anything, it's just got a stuffed neck.

Fairly poor. I needed the mode selector switch because mine had had the toggle sheared off & I wanted to ask a few qu's about the crapness of the neck. The wasn't listed in their online store and there isn't an email anywhere on the site about asking any after sales questions.

i've been playing guitar since '94.
I asked all the right questions, i just wish i'd gotten honest answers.
I might buy another g&l, one with the bicut neck.

As I said, all the older 1piece neck g&ls will eventually warp. avoid unless you play it beforehand and can verify that it's good.

It gets +1 because the parts are really good (except for the neck), better than anything you'd find on a bass in same pricerange