G&L L1505

This bass has everything I need and want in a bass. I love the Single MFD Pickup in the sweetspot. It is solid ash with a gorgeous Cherryburst finish. Maple neck and Rosewood board. Came stock with awesome Hipshot tuners. Active/Passive switch is great if I forget to put a fresh battery in. #W4" Scale

I play mostly Rock and this bass nails every tone I need it to. I have never ever had so much clarity on the lower register. Not even from My Sadowsky, This bass sounds amazing. The one reviewer who posted like 5 reviews is totally wrong on all counts. This Bass is absolute perfection.

Plays like butter! Neck pocket is as tight as a.....well you know. The fret edges are smooth. No dead spots or fret buzz. Great setup right out of the box.

The hardware on this bass is Top notch all the way. Gorgeous bridge & Hipshot tuners. It is built like a tank and I trust G&L's enough to play gig's without a backup bass.

Never dealt with them but Never had a problem with any of my 4 G&L's. Warranty is 10 years.

This is a fantastic 5 string bass. I have owned Sadowsky, Ernie Ball and many others. They don't compare to this beautiful bass. The bottom punch is incredible but is as clear as a bell. The neck is substantial but I got used to it in just a few hours of playing time. Absolutely no hums from the electronics. Nothing but top end quality in every way. I love this bass.

1999 US Made 5 string bass.
Ash "Mini P-Bass" shaped body with natural finish
Maple 34" scale neck with 12 radius
Vol, Bass-cut, Treble-cut, Pre-amp On/bypass, Series/Parallel
One stock G&L MFD Pickup in the sweet spot.

This is my "funk bass". I wish it were more but it really isn't warm enough to suit my taste for rock and roll or reggae. The sound is very deep and bright, a wide sonic range, but the growl is a little on the harsh side. Not a warm growl like on a J-bass. I do get a lot of compliments on the sound of it, but personally, I wish I could swap the hyper-powered MFD pickup with something a little less powerful with warmer alnico magnets. For those of you who like using a pick, I would only recommend this bass for finger-style. It sounds terrible with a pick. To me, the preamp is useless. It only makes everything louder and more trebly. It has enough of that without the preamp, so I ripped the preamp out and used the bypass switch to allow me to get four different pickup combinations (series/parallel/North coil/South Coil).

This bass in an absolute dream to play. I am 100% comfortable playing this bass all the time. No flaws from the factory in as far as frets and setup etc. However, the input jack needed to be replaced rather quickly. Being a 4-string player, too, I find the 34" scale so much more comfortable to deal with than the usual 35" scale of most other 5-strings. The B-String stays tight at 34". The clear finish and the Ash wood are absolutely beautiful. The neck is very satiny and easy to slide around on.

This bass is a rock. Very dependable.

Unfortunately, when the jack went, I found out that all G&L repairs have to be done at G&L with the cost of shipping going to the customer. Since it cost more to ship the bass back for a replacment of the jack, than it would cost to have a local repair shop charge me for the work, I went with the latter.

I've been playing bass for 22 years. I own a Rickenbacker 4001 v.63 reissue, and a 60's Hagstrom II (customized). My amplification is all Eden (Time Traveller 300 head, D210XLT bottom).

If lost are stolen, I would probably have a custom bass built for me. Besides, G&L's have gone up in price since 1999.

What I love about it is the playability. I feel like I can pull off just about anything with this bass. If I know I'm going to be playing with a good, aggressive, drummer, I usually reach for this bass so I can keep the bass at the same level.

What I don't like is the non-standard pickup size and that nobody makes an after market replacement. It's just too damn hot and harsh and I wish I could put a warmer sounding pup in there without cutting into the body.

At the time I had purchased this bass, I was looking at a Warwick Streamer standard (a low budget Streamer, probably a precursor to "RockBass"). I'm still glad I went with the G&L over the Warwick but I'll just have to figure out what to do with it to get "my sound". Maybe add a neck pickup and a pickguard to cover the route?

My 1505 was built in '02. A nicely figured ash top sits on a tilia body. G&L uses a tilia body core on their fivers to save weight, which is a good idea. I have a Cherryburst finish on mine that is simply gorgeous.

The 1505 uses a single MFD pickup positioned like a Stingray, in the sweet spot. In this sense the 1505 gets a punchy tone that its older brother, the L-2500 can't quite match. A mini toggle for active/passive mode, and one for series/parallel.

The maple neck on mine has a rosewood board, G&L Ultralite tuners in a 3+2 array. Six bolt attatchment. The neck feels very substantial, yet comfy.

I have the standard molded HSC, but Tolex cases are available as an upgrade.

The 1505 balances perfectly, like all G&L's.

As far as sound goes, the 1505 is monstrous, and I prefer it to my L-2500 because it has more punch and clarity. I also have a L-5500 with EMG's (super clear sounding) and the 1505 approaches the 5500's level of clarity, but has the added virtue of 'the MFD sound', and it weighs a tad less than the all-ash 5500.

For those who are not aquainted with Leo's MFD pickup, let me just say that they are....."muscular". With all that power comes some noise tho, in the way of a slight buzz at times. Mainly, this is due to a lack of shielding from the factory. It does'nt bother me, but some may want to do a shielding job on their's.

I use rounds on all my fivers, and I really like the sound I get from my 1505 thru my rig. My signal path goes like this....
* Boss CS-1 (accept no substitutes, folks)
* Sansamp bass driver for clean boost
* BBE B-Max (SS) preamp, OR...
* Demeter 201 preamp
* QSC PLX 2402
* Avatar B-212, and 210 cabs. (yes, I would play Accugrooves if I had someone to pay for them AND haul 'em)

There is nothing I dislike about the L-1505, including the sound.

I used to think that 35" scale length was a "must" on a fiver, and my first fivers were 35". You know, higher tension to avoid a "floppy" B string, blah, blah. Well since I got my 34" G&L fivers, I now believe that the 35" myth is mostly bullshit. I play finger style and dig in pretty hard, and have NEVER encountered a "floppy" B string at 34 inches.

No flaws, everything is fine. All parts and materials are the typical high quality you'd expect from G&L. And of course the finish is stunning like all G&L's.

This bass will surely outlive me. It's a rugged workhorse built to last. You don't need a backup unless you're a string breaker.

I've had one contact with the company a few years ago, about a noisy preamp in a L-1500. They sent me a new op-amp chip for free. It got here in 3 days, and fixed the noise problem I was having.

I started playing bass in 1970. Bass is the only instrument I play, or care to play. I've accumulated quite a few basses over the years, but only delved into fivers within the past 5 years or so. I keep a Lakland 5501 and a Reverend Brad Houser, but prefer the sound of my L-1505 over them.

If I lost the 1505 I'd replace it, maybe get one with some fancy upgrades.

In conclusion, I have to wonder about the previous reviewer's comments below. Sounds like a madman with an axe to grind. I don't believe a word of it, and I'm here to set the record straight about the L-1505. It's a fine bass with a huge sound. Me likey!

Oh, almost forgot...the L-1505 is not widely known and used ones can be scored at bargain prices. The L-2500 gets all the attention, while the L-1505 is a sleeper.

This is my second followup to my previous review on this bass (see Overall...)

This is my second followup to my previous review on this bass (see Overall...)

This is my second followup to my previous review on this bass (see Overall...)

This is my second followup to my previous review on this bass (see Overall...)

This is my second followup to my previous review on this bass (see Overall...)

Well, definitely this bass caused so much pain in my hands and in my ears that I have to sell it. No matter what strings you put on it, or what setting you adopt, this bass still plays like a crappy Fender, with crapp electronics. Although I could have replaced the electronics, the neck would continue to be a pain in the a$$ forever. Just unplayable, uncomfortable and heavy. Don't hesitate to save for another half year and buy a MusicMan. This bass is not worth what you pay for it. In fact, I only would buy another of these if someone sold it for $100, and just, to sell it and make some business (not to mention that I wouldn't even spend a milisecond trying to play it). G&L doesn't answer any mail you send and this leads me to think their customer support is inexistant. They risk to have many unsatisfied former G&L owners that (like I do) tell everybody not to buy any G&L instruments (just listening to my bass' annoying hum might have been enough to prevent someone from ever buying G&L). By the way, DON'T EVER BUY G&L!!!! And G&L... shame on you!!!!

This is a followup to my previous review on this bass (see Overall...)

This is a followup to my previous review on this bass (see Overall...)

This is a followup to my previous review on this bass (see Overall...)

This is a followup to my previous review on this bass (see Overall...)

This is a followup to my previous review on this bass (see Overall...)

Well, I did two upgrades to this thing and they both made significant differences. First of all, I stringed it (from the bridge, not through the body) with .040s and set the action as low as possible. This made it a playable instrument. It's still harder to play than my StingRay 5 stringed with Warwick .045-.130s, but I don't expect this bass to ever achieve such playability. Last week I shielded the pickup and the control cavities (also the cover) and it stopped the annoying hum (unless you use the active treble on -which I find absolutely useless-). The next step will be to install an Aguilar OBP-3 preamp (REAL ACTIVE ELECTRONICS). Last but not least, 10 days ago I sent an e-mail to G&L asking the better way to get my bass to stop humming or at least give me an official service's address here in Madrid (Spain). Up to now, they didn't get in touch with me. I think they never will, 'cause they'll never accept the fact that G&L basses come out of their factory with obvious deficiencies (such as the much-over-the-average humming). The lack of response made me decide to get the job done by myself. By the way, if was way too easy to do it following my friend Alvaro's instructions at http://perso.wanadoo.es/janelle/shielding-strato.htm
All in all I have a decent playing bass by now. When I get the "real active electronics" thing done (when I have a decent sounding bass), I'll come back for another followup of my review.

My bass is a 1997 made in Fullerton CA, 5 string 21 fret hard rock maple neck & fingerboard. The body is solid swamp ash. The electronics are active or sould I say the treble control is active, because the only thing the active EQ is capable of producing is a treble boost (in fact mid-treble). The controls are bass cut, treble boost/cut and volume. It also has two levers, one for parallel/series pickup configuration and the other for turning the active treble on or off. I certainly wouldn't call this an active EQ instrument. The pickup is a single MM type. The finish of both the neck and the body is lacquered but the neck is not satin. The body's color is blueburst (not that beautifull, average). Although it's a MM inspired bass, the body looks like that of a P-Bass (which I hate). The bridge is a high mass G&L bridge and the bass can be stringed either from the bridge or through the body. The tuners a aluminium G&L open gear. The 34" scale maple neck is more a Fender like than a MM. It's rather thick compared to my StringRay 5. It came with a G&L logoed hardshell case. I miss the 3 band MM EQ so this tears down the instrument's features.

My intention on buying this bass was to have a nice backup for my StingRay bass. Although this instrument can sound like a MusicMan (in series or in parallel -not single+phantom coil, of course-) it is more a rock bass than a funk bass. You cannot funk with this bass (see Action, later). It's punchy and has sustain of course, but only stringing it through the body, which makes it hard on your hands because of increased tension. The electronics suck big time. The thing has no shielding (please!!!) so don't dare take your hands off the strings. I hate Fender like sound and Fender like feeling when I play a bass and this is a Fender sensation bass (although much better than any Precision or Jazz Bass -which I would only buy if I had no wood for my camping barbacue-). I use it through a cheap Boss ME-8 processor and a Hartke HA3500 head with one 4.5XL 4x10"+5" and one 215BXL 2x15" cabinets. I don't imagine using this at the studio because the MusicMan has proved better in every subject. The B string is even better than in the StingRay 5 but only through the body.

The initial set up was decent but the strings sucked. So I changed to a Warwick .045-.135 set. This way I found this is not a bass for heavy strings. I'll try soon with a .040-.120 set in order to give it a chance of decent playing. In the playability department this thing sucks.

It's well built. No flaws anywhere so I think this can last. Open the control cavity just to change the batteries and don't leave it open too much time unless you want to throw. It's a mess inside there. And of course, removing 6 screws to change the battery is not acceptable for me.

Don't know and hope to never find out because I'm not keeping this hand breaker...

This is not a MM like bass. This is a crappy Fender like bass. If any of the other reviewers had played a StingRay 5, they'd sure understand why I thing this instrument sucks. It is in the price range of a MusicMan but simply it can't compete. If you have enough money to afford this bass, think seriously about saving a couple more bucks and get a StingRay 5.

2000 model, made in USA. 21 Frets. Tone controls consist of a volume/bass/treble with a parallel/series switch, and a active/passive switch. The electronics are passive, and the bass will function with or without a battery. Black body with upgraded vintage oil finish on maple neck. Bass comes with a hardshell case.

This bass can achieve a wide variety of sounds. The electronics are quiet and versatile. Overall, I would say the sound tends to be bright and punchy. I like the simplicity of the single pickup configuration on this bass. The controls allow for plenty of tone shaping.

I love the G&L workmanship. The black paint is rich and glossy without any streaks etc. The neck is placed tightly in its joint and held there by 6 countersunk srews! Beautiful. The G&L bass bridge is the finest I have ever seen...strong and elegant. The bass has through-body stringing (or top load also). I feel this helps tighten up the action a little, and the B string is tighter than any other 34" scale bass I have owned. Bass Northwest set the bass up for me, and it was perfect! the low action without fret buzz is just the way I like it. The oil finish on the neck makes it play like glass.

The bass is as solid as they come. Unless it is abused to the point of intentionally destroying it, you don't need a backup.

I have not had to deal with G&L directly. However, their retailers seem to be able to work easily with them. In my case, I bought the bass from Bass Northwest (at a heck of a good deal). I wanted the bass shipped in an original G&L box which G&L then provided to them promptly. What does this say about G&L service?...I don't know, but so far so good, so I'll give it an 8.

I've played bass for about 20 years. I've owned about 20 basses over the years..Fenders, Gibsons, Carvin, Ricks, Ibanez, Aria, Ernie Ball, and even other G&L's (the model 2500 to be specific).
This G&L 1505 is the best I have owned so far. All the others have one or two things that are particularly good...but this bass has it all. You can't go wrong, and the price you pay is similar to an import bass! Buy a G&L 1505.

Made new in 2001, bought in 2002. American G&L 1505 model, single MM style pick up. Black, 5 strings, maple neck and finger board that is amber in color. 21 frets 34" scale. String spacing is a little tight for popping but great for thumbing. Overall good for rock, funk and can even do jazz because it has great tonal shaping for a single pick up bass.

This is an awesome bass...I bought this because I could not accept the limitations of a Sting Ray 5 (see my 2 posting for Sting Ray 5)Yet I still wanted the punch and sound of an active Fender. This is truly a cameleon bass, it can do Sting Ray and Jazz tones -plus- others that I have yet to hear that are "classic" . From bright to heavy lows....awesome and yet can boost the midrange much more than the Sting Ray.

6 bolts on the neck, great resonance and sustain. Frets all fine and seated well (jumbo low frets). paint is glossy black, and maple is amber color...beautiful combination. No observable flaws

Don't know, but dont think I'll need them. If so, no problem I live within 45 minutes of their factory. They provide an impressive certification of authenticity signed by Mrs Leo Fender as well as all warranty (10 limited warrantee)so I guess they stand behind their product.

Dont know yet, but see above comments

Excellent. Its a Sting Ray with more midrange options and the ability to switch from passive to active and boost/cut frequencies. This bass is what I wished I had played before buying (and trading in a Sting Ray). I could have saved $ if only I played a G&L first. Atleast now I have two good basses that are distinctly different and can cut 100% of the music styles I like.

This is an addendum to my previous review in which I transposed the "series" and "parallel" pickup modes. Series mode on the G&L L1505 gives a brighter J-Bass type tone good for slapping, but with increased noise. Parallel mode is rounder, warmer and darker, and sounds a bit like a P-Bass. I use the parallel mode for a bit of a bass boost with fingerstyle.

5-string fretted active electric bass. Mine is a black 2000 model made in USA with a rosewood fingerboard and swamp ash top. Came with hardshell case. One enormous G&L Magnetic Field humbucker pickup in bridge position, which makes a good thumb anchor. Massive "saddle lock" bridge with string through body or through bottom of bridge options. Active preamp with passive treble and bass tone controls and 1 volume knob. Two switches: one for series/parellel pickup mode; one for active preamp on/off. 21 jumbo-fretted bolt-on neck (6 bolts!) with comfy 12" radius and 34" scale. String spacing is close at the nut but comfortably wide at the bridge. Looks a bit like a Precision (duh, it's a Leo Fender design). It's heavy.

The sweet-spot pickup placement, active preamp with tone boost, passive tone controls, and switches make for variety and a broad range of tones. The series/parallel switch does a good Jazz bass impression in parallel mode, which is great for a bright solo sound or slapping. But I usually keep it in series mode for a thick, warm groove sound with fingerstyle. I think this is a good bass for funk, blues and R&B. Great for slap.

The preamp is a bit noisy. When engaged, it boosts both treble and bass, so you typically need to back off the bass knob a tad and cut the treble at least halfway, otherwise the sound will be really hi-fi and the treble harsh, hissy and kinda cheezy--keep in mind, the tone knobs are cut only.

My usual settings for warm tone: switch 1=series mode (bass boost); switch 2=preamp on (active mode); treble 10%; bass 65%; volume 95%.

Though the bass looks really good, the build quality from the highly-vaunted Fullerton CA factory left much to be desired. It came poorly set up. The intonation was all wrong. The string heights seemed random The stock strings were crap. The B string was floppy. Worst of all, the frets higher than 14 buzzed like crazy, even with the action raised way up. I bought it new at Bass Northwest in Seattle, and after I brought it back for the initial set up, they told me they couldn't find anything wrong, even after I brought it back repeatedly to the set-up guy for the buzzing problem. He increased the truss rod tension, which didn't help.

I brought it to local luthier and bass guru Mike Lull who took a look at it, and after 10 seconds showed me that the fretboard had a distinct rise where the neck is bolted to the body. He pointed out that the factory had filed down the higher frets considerably, but that this may have made the buzzing worse. He also recommended backing the huge pickup way down off the strings to even out the sound.

G&L instruments have a 10-year warranty that requires all repairs to be done at the factory. G&L gave me a return authorization over the phone and after 2 months, I got my bass back with a replacement neck. Wow, what a difference. The buzzing was gone. The new neck was smooth, had a round, even response all along its length and its frets were markedly more uniform in height and feel. It feels like a custom, expensive bass now. I had Mike Lull's Guitar Works shop do the set up and put stiffer DR Lowrider steel strings on. Now the action is smooth and real low, and the .130 B string is nice and firm. They had to replace 4 of the 5 saddle adjustment screws with longer screws to get the intonation right. Apparently, the bridge was originally installed too low.

My guess is that quality control may be lacking at the G&L factory, but Tony in G&L repairs addressed my concerns admirably and even filled in for no extra charge a small dent I had put in the body.

My only remaining complaints with the bass are its hissy preamp and slighly scratchy volume pot. As you can probably tell, I am much happier with the bass now than originally and think that by being a squeaky wheel, I have ultimately ended up with a fine instrument with custom quality.

I had a good experience with G&L repairs. I never paid much attention to factory warranties in the past, but the G&L warranty has proven to be a good thing. However, I don't anticipate any further problems.

Aside form the build defects I mentioned, the design is sound and the hardware is heavy duty. The bass rarely goes out of tune. It's a dependable instrument. The passive-only tone controls mean that the instrument will still work great even if the preamp's 9v battery is dead. This makes for less need of a backup instrument .

As I mentioned, G&L repairs took care of me. Wish I could say the same for Bass Northwest.

This is a good all-around instrument with a great feel and nice sustain. It has an impressive tonal range and can do P-Bass and J- Bass vintage, hi-fi modern, and the spectrum in between. I think it compares favorably with MusicMan and US-made Fender basses as well as more exotic brands.

I play it through an Ashdown MAG MON 15 200w combo amp with a single 15" Blue Line speaker. Having simple EQ and a subharmoniser (octave divider) built in, the Ashdown complements well the G&L L1505's warmth, depth and versatility.

I think I got a great deal on this bass, but would definitely inspect closely for defects and general build quality before buying again--but that's good advice for any instrument.