G&L L1500

Late 90s example (serial B029***) finished in clear forest green over swamp ash with bi-cut maple neck and rosewood board
single G&L MFD humbucker in MM Stingray position. vol/treble/bass + active/passive & series/parallel mini switches. G&L saddle lock bridge,G&L elephantear tuners with aluminium string posts,G&L hard case

I also own an Asat bass with the same 2 MFDs,preamp and control layout as the L-2000. The L1500s single bucker sits somewhere between the two on the Asat in the so called sweet spot. Its quite a punchy tone,growly and midrangey. soesnt have the full on round big bottom end of the Asat and is nowhere near as versatile. but it does what it does very well. sounds good solo'd but sits great in a mix.
but then again I think all G&Ls do that - they underpin everything and hold it all together in the mix - I've had an MM Sterling (which is a great bass imo)seemingly just drop out when drums,guitars and everything start filling in all the spaces - not so with the L-1500.
It always seems audible and in its own space
downsides are that the jump from passive to active and from parallel to series are both too much and way more noticeable than on my Asat.this isnt a problem if you stick to one sound through a set though.I can also see why there is no added treble boost mode on the back miniswitch - its already spitting razor blades in active mode,just as well it tames itself easy via the treble knob.
Overall a great sounding one or two trick pony but not an experimentalists wet dream (unlike the Asat)

This particular one was bought new old stock and spent nearly 10 years in its case in a stock room. the neck needed lighter gauge strings when i first got it as I know theres a little bit of wood compression going on at the headstock end (ever so slight turn up from about the 3rd fret back to the nut) so far this hasnt affected playability any but my trained eye can see it looking down the neck. it doesnt bug me though and I dont believe this is anything other than an issue with the way it was stored for all those years.
one issue I do have with G&L is their fret dressing,its never the best at the ends. they should look at MusicMan or an American series Fender with the lovely fretwork and rolled fingerboard edges on them.that said,the frets themselves are well seated and look like they've been crowned nicely
The green finish over ash is stunning-G&L really do beautiful finishes on all their instruments

Everything is solid,no whip in the neck even with the 3 bolt fixing (6 bolts nowadays)
I dont know if I trust a G&L without backup quite like I do with a MusicMan but nothing's ever got worse with any G&L I've ever owned so I guess that kills that arguament

never had to deal with them being in the UK but FCN,the UK distributor were very helpful and quick getting back to me about another bass

been playing 25 years. got an Asat and a SB-2 (yeah baby!),a pair of MM Sterlings and a pair of Spector Euro 5 thru necks (35" scale)

I love G&Ls and have been known to buy them without applying any kind of rationale. they're full of vibe and character. I always forgive them their foibles and quirks because to me thats part of owning a G&L which before the CNC machines came in were largely made by hand with pin routers and the like.

I dont think I would buy another l-1500 if this were lost or stolen
as the core tone isnt too far away from my Sterlings. I'd replace it with a JB-2 which would fill a sonic gap in my collection instead

this bass is a bit of a sleeper though. I find myself picking it up more and more and as I said I love the way it sits in a song which is the real litmus test of how a bass sounds

This bass isn't heavy on features, but as a P-bass fanatic I was attracted to the simplicity. It has a single "sweet spot" G&L Magnetic Field Design humbucker with a series/parallel switch, active/passive switch, and passive cut-only treble and bass tone controls. The body is a slightly downsized version of the L-2000, and resembles a P-bass. The neck has a six bolt joint and 21 frets, and I ordered mine with the non-standard #8, which has the 1.5" nut width and 12" fretboard radius. I also ordered a matching painted headstock, which looks great.

I like the last reviewer's description. This is essentially a rock bass, with an aggressive, growly tone that cuts right through the mix, and a tight, punchy low end that never gets too boomy. It has more of a gritty Fender tone than a smooth, modern Stingray tone, despite the Stingray-like configuration. The tone gets smoother with the pickup in parallel mode, which increases versatility, but I rarely use parallel because I like the series aggression. It can also mellow out through judicious use of the volume and tone controls, but I haven't explored that very much. It sounds quite different from the two-pickup L-2000, because its pickup is positioned between the L-2000's, though slightly toward the bridge side.

My favorite aspects of the sound are that wonderfully gritty low end, powerful output, and the crystal clear, singing highs. It also has more sustain than a typical Fender. The highs and sustain were an advantage in my last band, whose material included several upper-register bass intros. The L-1500 was perfect for those. (Despite the L-1500's aggressive nature, the clear highs and sustain would probably be great for a fretless.)

Tone wise, I have only two gripes. First, the active mode includes a massive treble boost, which is more boost than the L-2000's treble boost mode, and at higher frequencies. I like the additional bite of active mode, but the treble boost is frequently too much. I've played the L-1500 through some cabinets with virtually no treble response, and active mode sounds fantastic then. Of course the treble cut helps too, and I have gotten good results with it on stage a couple of times. At other times, active mode has introduced too much noise, which might be a shielding issue. Some players change a resistor in the preamp so the active mode will be closer to the L-2000's treble boost mode, but I doubt I'll bother.

Second, the pronounced upper midrange due to the pickup position can sound unpleasantly nasal through some rigs in certain rooms. With some rigs, this isn't an issue at all, and when present it can be addressed by EQ with varying effectiveness depending on amp, cab, etc. But I've gotten best results with an Aphex Bass Xciter, which sends the tone through the roof. It evens out the response across the fretboard, and combined with the L-1500 has given me some of the best rock stage tones I've ever had.

Tone is subjective, so it's difficult to rate. I'll start at 10, and dock one point for each issue above, yielding a solid 8. It isn't the most versatile, but when dialed in just right, it's amazing. And the MFD power is addictive -- I just bought a G&L SB-2.

When I first received the bass, it had a defective truss rod (see below), and the action was too high. Now that it has a perfect neck, the action is the lowest of all my basses. It's amazingly easy to play, and came that way from the factory.

And beyond that, it's gorgeous and rock solid. G&L produces some of the best finishes in the business, and the Electric Blue is stunning. The construction, wood quality, and hardware are top notch, easily the equal of competitors like Fender and Music Man.

I'll give my rating based on the good neck.

All seems fine here, and since I received the good neck it hasn't budged. I have gigged without a backup, though I usually bring one regardless of what I'm playing.

As others have noted, G&L performs all warranty work at its factory in California. So when my L-1500 had a faulty truss rod, it had to go back out there. The replacement took too long in my opinion, but I know the painted headstock was partly to blame. Also, G&L changed its neck design (no more of Leo Fender's bi-cut necks, alas) in the middle of my neck replacement, which probably played a role. There were other issues too, but G&L folks were courteous and respectful throughout, and unlike some companies, they can actually be reached on the phone. It was a frustrating experience, but my patience paid off, and I love the bass. I've since bought an SB-2, so obviously I haven't soured on the company.

I wish G&L would use authorized service centers, so instruments wouldn't need to be shipped to the factory for repairs.

I'll give a mid-pack 5 rating, which reflects high marks for attitude and courtesy, but low marks for a cumbersome procedure and too many bumps in the road.

I chose the L-1500 because I loved the punchy, aggressive tone, excellent playability of G&L's Jazz-type necks, and the comfy Precision-like body. I bought it instead of another Precision, in which I had planned to install a Quarter Pounder, figuring the G&L would provide more variety alongside my American Series Fenders. I was right, and despite the bad experience getting the neck replaced, I've been very happy with the L-1500. I bought it to be a hard-rocking stage bass, and that seems to be the L-1500's mission in life. It's well-suited to the role.

If stolen, I'm not sure I'd buy another one, but that's only because I might try an L-2000 or buy another SB-2 instead. As I said, that MFD power is addictive...

1 Humbucker Pcikup, but it coil splits and give a variety of tones.

I have not read a great review of the sound of this bass, maybe because it is somewhat rare. However, it is every bit as good as the stingray if not better. I have owned this bass for over 6 years and it is fantastic. It is definitely a rock bas and gets a great real BASS sound. I am tired of bass players trying to sound like a guitar. Play guitar if you want to be ib the limelight. If you want to be the backbone of your band .... pl;ay BASS. Enough of the rant. The sound is definitley one / two dimentional, but it does a great job at what it was made for. Solid rock Bottom. 10 dude 10.

Outstanding. This is an early 90s version and the quality is superb.

Outstanding once again. As soon as you pick it up, you know it is quality.

Never Needed it.

This Bass is a great and I mean great rock bass. The stingray is awesome too. If you are looking for the stingray sound withouht the stingray price. Try one of these if you can find one. It really is sweet.

it's a 2000 american made l-1500 bass guitar, 4 strings passing through the bridge. the customer now sells it with a mathced headstock. i've got the one no matched, 3 tone sunburst color, active pre amp with one humbucher, 2 mini toggles (act/pass) (series/parallel) and volume, treble, bass.it's also sold with strings through body.the pickup is a magnetic field patented G&L one.four in line tuners like old fender style.maple neck with rosewood fingerboard.it looks pretty 70's...

it's tipically a rock bass but, if necessary, with a warm and smooth sound of old fenders pickups and basses. i play it wiht an ebs compressor a wha pedal, a sort of elaborated noise gate (which i use with passive cofiguration), all comes in a boss gt6b and aswr head 100w switched at 50 and a 4x12 hartke cabinet. a little bit noisy when passive, rich rock sound with a little bit of punchy style, lots of configurations and sounds, good for rock and also blues.

the action initially was not very good, but the bridge is not a problem, the bridge is very heavy and it gives a very good sound slapping!! the electronics buzzes a bit but you can bring it to a liutaio to adjust

it sounds like a rock stone covered with cotton!!!!!!!!! the coolour is beautifull, it looks like a strong bass and i think it has a great durability, the straps don't need straplocks, are good enough. i'm very satisfied of this bass, using a little bit of pedals you can riproduce the sound of jako... a bit...

i've bought it in Italy and i don't have need to recall the customer service

i play in a rock-blues band and this bass makes his job in a very very good way, i've had 5 basses in my young life: warwick streamer pro, fender jazz bass, music man sting ray, yamaha bb4ne and this, and this the best in price - quality. good job G&L!