G&L L2000

2009 G&L L2000 Black with a Maple neck 1/34"

The most amazing sounding bass I have ever owned, and I have owned a MIA P-Bass, MIA J-Bass, Ric's, Gibson and a few others

Needed a setup when I got it, but that's the case with most basses, one size does not fit all...

Built like a Tank, Finish is amazing....

Haven't had to deal with them yet, but heard great things about them..

This bass can get you just about any sound you want from a Fender P or J Bass to a Musicman and everything in between

2007 or 2008 USA
4 Strings
Solid Top
Volume bass treble controls with g&l tritone elctronics
active/passive/boost series/parallel and pickup selector switches
Ash body with one pice maple neck and fingerboard
Butterscoth Blonde finish
G&L Hardcase

This is the rock bass.Superb precision tone on neck pickup and great passive jazz tone both pickups passive.Records great on parallel mode.Ultra punch on series mode but a bit darker.And the tone knob is incredible.Boosts upper mids the more you cut down treble.
There's no limits in sound with this bass.It's like a precision ,a jazz and musicman all in one bass as Leo Fender said himself.

Very modern sounds when using both pickups and active settings.Crazy pick sound.I think that the one piece maple neck adds clarity to the sound.Rich and full.

Great at both; in studio or live.
I recorded with this bass going through ampeg svp-pro preamp and swr st-800 power and swr cabs.More precision growl than a precision.Great low end,usable directly in the mix.Incredible pick sound cutting trough the mix.

I am using a bootsy wah,bassballs,ebs multicomp,tc chorus when i play with my amprig.When going direct i add a mxr m-80
Not so hi-fi,maybe just a little hi-fi sounds in it.

The set-up was not very good.Fretjob could be better.The neck is not so thin but it has great playability.Feels strong.Lower radius neck.

Excellent finish on the body.Great looking butterscotch.

The bridge has a cosmetic flaw.

This thing is built very well.I'm sure it will last years and years of playing.I own it since 1 year and it's the only bass i play since the first moment.

I play since 15 years.I own a musicman stingray,lots of effect pedals,a recording studio,a great amp rig (ampeg svp-pro,swr power st-800,swr goliat 2x10,hartke 1x15)

If it were stolen i would buy another one for sure.

This bass is so powerful that even the most loud live situation isn't a problem.It has the best pick tone i heard yet.Electronics are the strongest part of this bass.

This is a truely original and inspiring bass.Tone machine.

I have just created a monster. It's a tribute to the man who defined the electric bass, Leo Fender. I'm entering it on this page for reasons that will become clear. The story starts with an 06 MIJ Fender 51' RI P-bass and ends with G&L L2K pu's and electronics. Bookends which lay down the final chord that resonates through the complete legacy of Leo Fender. Loved the 51'P's simple, basic single-coil...BUZZ, at first. Infatuated by the 'in your face' mustard (butterscotch?) yellow... for a while. Loved the 'slab' body, mostly. So enter the concept; upgrade. First, I stripped off the mutant epoxy finish. This was the hardest part of the whole deal. (don't try this at home!) That finish is insane! Standard paint stripper DID NOT faze it. It was thick and impenetrable. Had to finally plane the back paint off after spending hours on the side and front. I scalloped the rear so it was more comfy to play. Then I routed cavities for the 2 G&L L2K pu's, battery and electronics harness. (pu cavities in the same position as on a G&L L2K) I designed and cut a 70's Tele-bass style pickguard from Parchment Pearloid. (warm, vintage-look) I Created a custom translucent colour, (a warm carmel glove leather brown) and sprayed multi-layered nitro lacquer polished to a high gloss. It's beyond beautiful. I replaced the vintage style rev wind clover-leaf tuners with (custom) lolly-pop tuners. (as in 66-69 Fender paddle tuners) and installed a Hip Shot string-thru type A chrome plated brass bridge and chrome domed knurled knobs.

OK, so that's the "look", now the SOUND. This is why it's on this page. I found a diagram on the net, soldered it all together, adjusted the bridge and pu's (the neck needed nothing) and plugged it in to my SWR SM-400/Goliath II, though a MXR bass d.i.+. My go-to bass is an 86 Kubicki Ex Factor and I own a few other cool basses, but the G&L (Leo's) tone is SO focused, so Fender. Glassy clear/clean, precise, punchy, fat, rich, warm... all that and more. It's a recording engineers dream. Phils Factor is a descendant in terms of clarity and of monster tone. And it's (electronics are) silent. I feel that anyone critical enough to hear the difference will think; "finally, I hear that tone, the tone I've always wanted". Regardless of type of music played. Regardless of live or studio or home. This bass looks 'country', but sounds any way you need it to sound.

Then; the Fender 51' RI P was very nice out of the box. Well crafted in Japan and a reasonably authentic nod to Leo's first bass. Solid swamp ash body and maple neck. Definitely a Fender product regardless of it's origin. For an affordable price, it's a bullet-proof gigging axe (especially the finish!) or a good platform for mods. (as in, it's quality is worth starting from)
Now; After it's transformation, it's a unique gem of an instrument. A beautiful 3 decade classic Fender with a state of the art 08 G&L power-train. The term Hot Rod comes to mind without exaggeration.

Although it is essentially as "durable" as the 51'RI P, it will be pampered but no less played. (no belt buckles!) Durability is in the same category. After all, it's a product of Leo Fender, so it will continue to inspire players and entertain/move people long after I'm gone! (and most definitely in the meantime!)

No complaints.

I'm 55, and bought my 1st (Japanese) bass at Woolworths in 1964(?) Own a 64' T-bird II (bought in 78'), an 86 Kubicki Ex Factor, 2 custom fretless basses, and 2 custom passive pu basses (all 4 string) (all made/assembled/customized by me with a little help from my friends) This frankenstein Fender/G&L (I call it T2K; Tele-2000) is the queen of my collection, seated next to the undisputed King Thunderbird. No comparison other than to the Kubicki for tone and the classic 70's Fender Tele bass for looks and feel. Otherwise no comparison.

My cherished G&L is a 2007 US L-2000. Ash body with cherry sunburst and natural binding. Flame maple neck. You can cehck out the website for the standard L2K controls and pickup configs.

Once I got this bass, it's the only one I've played. They say this is the swiss army of basses. You can't say it any simpler than that.

What I love is the versatility. From slow fill to rocking punch this beauty will step up to the plate and won't disappoint. I looked at both US and off-shore models. Altough the off-shore models are respectable and impressive, they just don't have the playability, feel and plain old "mojo" of the US model.

Fit and finish is top notch. Only vice are a couple dead spots aroudn the 12 - 14 fret on the G string.

I play this out every week and know this will be a life long friend.

N/A Haven't had to deal with them

Have been playing for (eek) 27 years. This is my favourite bass of all time and would certainly replace it in an instant if it were stolen.

I looked at the Fender and Music Man offerings as well as several boutique basses before choosing this one. This one has that old school feel in the build quality. Nothing else I tried came close.

Mine is a 1984 L2000 in Translucent Red over a light ash body, neck has a maple fretboard. Won it on an Ebay auction. I already had a blonde '97 L2000, but I decided after a few years I wanted to own one that was built while Leo was still part of the process. The same can't be said for any Fender instrument built after 1964, or any Musicman instrument after around 1980. It's just an intrinsic thing that's important to me. This particular bass has tons of personality.
Not sure why G&L went with the flat black motif on the bridge and control cavity during this era (1982- 1986?), the chrome always looked just fine. However, I can't be bothered to look for chrome replacements.
The bass' features have already been thoroughly described in previous posts. The body on mine has a date of 1982, and the neck January 1984.
Apparently this wide a spread is somewhat common with the older models.
Each polepiece can be raised or lowered on the pickups.
The finish on the neck looks like gun oil tint. Did they offer that back in '84?
Very light instrument, which is a bonus, especially on a three - set gig.

The MFD pickups are hot-hot-hot! It took me a while to realize I just had to never have the volume cranked to 10 - I compensate on the amp instead. The feedback startled my bandmates more than once. I was just used to playing Fenders since the beginning, where most players run everything wide open.
The L2000 is really many basses in one because the electronics are so versatile. I can get a decent P bass sound, even a single coil P bass sound. The Jazz sound... not so well, but both pickups on in series - wow... meaty. It was usually in this mode I'd find the feedback.
Single coil mode can get buzzy. Maybe my bass needs better shielding.

Considering the neck and body were build two years apart from each other they fit very snug. That's where the handbuilt quality really becomes apparent.
The old style chromed plastic knobs tended to lose their finish easily, and the ones on my bass are no exception. Came nicely set up with D'addario mediums.

One sacrifice for having the light ash body is that it isn't particularly resistant to dings. It's got a few quite deep gashes that would otherwise be minor bumps on a hard ash body. Well, it's a working instrument anyway.
But how about that light body? Back saver. My previous L2000 - the '97 blonde... back killer.

These things are bulletproof.

I've been playing for 20 years now. In that time I've had 13 basses. My G&L's are #9 and 10 and 11(an '81 L1000) on that list.
In my opinion they're more Fender than most Fenders.
I also have currently in my stable a Jazz bass clone with flatwounds, and it has it's role.
I figure down the road the L1000 and L2000 basses will be looked at as classics.

Mine is a 1984 L2000 translucent red with a maple fretboard and a light ash body - very, very light. The downside of this is that it's also quite soft, and doesn't stand up to knocks and dings very well, it's easy to gouge. However, with me being 38 years old and not getting any younger, the light weight sure takes precedence, especially on a gig playing three sets.
The options, no doubt, have been run through already in previous reviews.
The neck is a really comfy 1 5/8", but I do miss the feel of my '97 L2000 - same width, which I sold a few months ago. For some reason it was built with a more rounded shape - slightly deeper. I couldn't justify having two of the same model, so I let that one go, as it was hard ash - quite heavy, and, well... the reason I snatched the '84 model was I wanted a G&L that was made when Leo Fender was still around. My back is thanking me anyway. Nice original G&G case was included in the sale, as well as the original hand tag and owners manual! Curiously, the body is dated 1982 and the neck January 1984. I understand this wide a year spread is not uncommon.
Very well built - solid, and I'd go so far as to say G&L's are still very underrated.

Funny - I succumbed to the hype on certain musician forums which insisted the one-pickup version -the L1000- was the holy grail of G&L's, and jumped on an '81 L1000 last Christmas. I immediately realized the L1000 is really, in my opinion, just a less versatile version of the L2000. Sort of like a Les Paul Junior compared with a Les Paul. So it's gone, too.
Now here's the really funny part - I find I gravitate more towards the neck pickup when I'm playing my L2000 in a band situation anyway! It does get a decent P bass sound - but not perfect. Both pickups on and in humbucking mode really kicks ass, but it is a little much. Both on in single coil mode sound OK, but once again, if one is trying to make it sound like a Jazz bass, it would be better to just get a Jazz bass.
I even like the single coil neck pickup sound. At the end of the day, even if I only use one setting, I like the fact that I have many more tonal options, even if I rarely use them. This is why I could never have JUST an L1000, or JUST a P bass for that matter.
It's got to be the most versatile bass around. But beware - the pickups are super hot, it's better to not have it cranked, I can't tell you how many times I've startled my bandmates and audiences with the feedback that results. Lots of frowns. I finally had to back off the volume, and compensate on my amp, a Gallien Krueger 800RB.

As other reviewers have probably mentioned, each polepiece can be individually raised and lowered. I tend to not get too technical with such matters, I just play. But I can see where it would come in handy if, say, certain strings are louder or more faint while playing, the adjustments can give a more even string response. Everyone plays differently. In the old days a player would have to compensate by plucking a certain string harder or lighter accordingly.
I'm using D'Addario light rounds.
The last guy who owned this bass before me must have been a player - it was set up quite decently, nice action. No issues with the nut or truss rod. However, I'm not quite as keen about the factory painted black bridge and control plate. Whatever, they're just aesthetics.
For a three bolt neck, it sure is solid.
I recently acquired a Jazz clone, and was playing it exclusively for a few months to get a good feel for it, then picked up the G&L again...
wow, it was like hanging with an old friend again. So... welcoming.
It's a funk machine.

If I continue to take this baby to gigs, no doubt the finish and body will continue to erode. But, hell, I bought it to play. I'll reiterate, though... the light ash is a dream in terms of weight, but it doesn't take knocks and dings very well. It boils down to priorities, really.
These basses are otherwise bulletproof. Road warrior.

No issues with the neck on mine - I think it was the year before in '83 when the bi-cut neck was introduced, the earlier ones were prone to the dreaded ski-jump.

I've been playing 20 years. Wow. Just like that. I acquired the Jazz clone as an anniversary present to myself (I think everyone should have at least a P or J bass in their arsenal), but I really think I'm going to keep coming back to the G&L. As long as I'm gigging and can justify more than one instrument, I really believe I'll always have an L2000.

I preferred the blond finish on my former '97 L2000, but it was a heavy beast. My '84 has a different personality, too - more thump. But, man - I can't stress it enough. The weight. I just can't get over it. I haven't actually weighed it yet, but it's gotta be only 8 pounds.

1985 US-made L-2000. Maple 21-fret fingerboard, three-bolt, two-piece neck, C-style neck. Black finish with the black control cover under the chrome knobs. The original colored switch covers have long since fallen off. Also, it has the 1 3/4" nut, P-style. Top-loaded bridge. 34"-scale, standard tuners and pickups. Nice heavy weight; never weighed it, but I've lifted weights all my life.

This thing sounds huge. It growls when I want it, chugs, rumbles, etc. I've used it mostly for rock, but it was good in an electric jazz setting, too. Noise comes when I switch from parallel to series, but not too noticeable when the whole band is playing. The MFD pickups have clipped every amp I've tried, so gain has to be lowered. I like heavy strings ( .110 or .115 E ), so that doesn't help. Neck has handled them like a champ.

I've always set up my own instruments, so I guess the factory setup was a non-factor. No flaws on the instrument at all. Anything over the years was due to my abuse.

This bass is a warrior; unbreakable. Great hardware. Again, any issues are my own fault. I never needed a backup, live. I only adjust the truss rod seasonally.

Never called customer support. Present day, the website is pretty good.

I would stick with G&L. I'm older now, though, so I would definitely opt for the 1 1/2" J-style neck. I've tried the HH Music Man models and they lack something under all the glisten <tone> and name-glamour. G&L has the guts.

I'm just commenting in this category, because I haven't seen any mentions of a problem I had with an L-2000 I owned back in the '90s. If you are thinking of buying an older G&L, watch out for this particular nuisance: When the bass gets moisture on it, the lacquer turns grey. The model I had was a translucent red. Whenever I played and sweated, the area where my arm rested turned a foggy grey. It was pretty weird. For a while I put a big sticker there, but eventually I stripped the body and recoated it with a satin urethane. That's a lot of work, bro'.

I have no idea when the bass was made, but G&L must have been experimenting with lacquers in the early days, and that bass was old in 1995. (In fact, I had a chemist friend who worked for G&L around 1980. If I ever see him, I'll ask him if that was one of his batches, LOL.)

Otherwise, the bass sounded great and was solid as a rock. Love the passive/active option.

1989 G&L L-2000.
Sunburst finish, maple neck. Neck width is similar to P-bass.
3-bolt attachment with tilt adjustment.
Dual humbuckers with very versitile controls. Vol, treble boost/cut, and bass boost/cut knobs. 3-way pickup selector, passive/active/boost selector, and coil tap switch. You can get just about any sound you want out of this thing.
Deluxe tolex case.

Like I mentioned above, with the variety of options on the controls, you can really get just about whatever sound you want out of this thing. The most versital-sounding bass I've played. On the active setting with the boost, this thing will overdrive an amp pretty easily if you're not too careful with the amp's gain...

Finish is beautiful (I get compliments on it all the time), and it's in great condition for being 17 years old. That being said, I should admit that this bass did spend most of its early life in a case, and although it does get gigged about once/twice a month, I don't thrash on it like I do with my other basses. I like this bass too much to beat it up.

The reason that this bass spent the early part of it's life in the case was because it was a factory promo from 1989, and ended up in storage until I got a hold of it in 1994. When I got it, the 9V battery had leaked inside the compartment, but no damage was done to the electronics or the finish. The action and set up on it wasn't the best, and I was just learing to play at that point, so I stuck with my other bass at the time and shuffled this one away for a later day. Eventually, I learned how to set guitars up, and once I set this one up the way I like it, it plays better than any of my other basses (an old Ibanez, a Fender Jazz with a P-bass neck, and a G&L Tribute SB-2).

When I got this, the action was pretty high, and there was a little back-bow to the neck, and the tilt screw was cranked. I loosened the tilt screw so it was flat, loosened the truss rod by about 3/4 of a turn, and set the action right where I like it. Now this bass plays perfect.

17 years old, still in great condition. Picked up a few small scratches here and there, but nothing through the finish. But, like I mentioned, I do baby this. I gig with it once/twice a month, but I use my SB-2 for practice mainly so I don't put undue wear on the L-2000.

I do take a back-up bass to gigs, since it's always a good idea, but I never have to use them.

I keep hearing horror stories about G&L necks warping beyond repair. Well, I have this bass, a 3 year old Tribute SB-2, and a 1994 Legacy guitar, and I've never had a problem that couldn't be fixed without a little truss rod adjustment.

Don't know, never had to deal with them. I never really paid attention to the warranty, since this bass was never officially "purchased." I think it's 10 years, but I'm not sure. Even if it was 10 years, I'd never have needed it.

This is my favorite bass that I own. It works for any musical style, and sounds just as good through my 80-watt Laney combo amp as it does through my 400-watt GK stack. And I liked it so much that I bought the SB-2 and the Legacy guitar.

I would definitely buy another. In fact, I have to keep talking myself out of buying an ASAT bass...

Definitely has the best features of any bass I've ever laid hands on. Bass and treble controls are left separate instead of appearing as a single "tone" knob, which is an unassailable plus. Bass boost is an absolute necessity. The output of my 2004 model is very good, especially when using the built-in preamp (equipped with a treble boost, to boot). I've had it for over 2 years and the battery is still going. The pickup selector for the twin G&L Humbuckers also comes in handy as opposed to hard-to-regulate volume knobs for each of the pickups. Pickup height is easily ajustable with a small, handy screwdriver.

I like the feel of this bass. Frets are widely spaced and the fine rosewood neck is nice and wide, allowing lanky freaks such as myself the proper amount of space to move around in. None of this thin-nick, jazz bass nonsense. We're talking about a FULL-SIZED bass here. Precision body with 20 frets nice low action.

I'm marginally disappointed with the sound of the L-2000 line. Don't get me wrong, I think it's an all-around great bass. Worth the $2000 Canadian I paid for it? Not really. The sound is very clean and crisp, which is all well and good for pop or rock music. The ajustability and adaptability of sound (thanks to aforementioned features) allows this model to lend itself well to a variety of styles. My contention with it, however, is that it has no soul.

When I say no soul, I mean that it doesn't have the round, full, deep funk growl that some of the 70's Fender jazz basses can have. Hell, one of my bandmates installed a Seymour Duncan bassline on a backup Oscar Schmidt Washburn bass of his and he manages to get a deeper, richer, fuller sound than I do with my G&L. If you're playing on an amp with any less than 150 W, you're going to feel a tad belittled onstange. Even with my EQ under 150k, my mids and bass way up there and my treble pretty much cut (both on the bass and on the amp I use - Fender BXR 300) I can barely get the thick bass crunch I'm looking for. A bit of a disappointment on that front.

G&L basses look positively beautiful. The G&L factory in California uses only the best quality wood. The basses are handmade, the neck attached to the body with 6 screws to avoid any loss of sound or ressonance. Admittedly, however, they're really not built like tanks. Not to say someone who invests in this sort of instrument is looking to treat it like a Vantage bass or Fender Bullet, but seriously, I could take a bite out of this thing. Easily. Finish is gorgeous but chips easily. The bridge is very sensitive to ajustments. Be sure to use the right guage strings with this guy or your neck could easily go out of whack.

Pickups are well set up, although (and this ties into my remark about the bass's overall sound) the neck pickup is wwwwaaaaaayyyy too far from the neck. It's amazing I can get any low frequencies out of the L-2000 at all.

Covered most of this above. So long as you treat the L-2000 well, it'll last you a long time. The 10 year manufacturer guarantee sends the appropriate message. Apart from the finish everything is solid.

The one problem is that it's really hard to ajust this guy yourself. Bridge ajustments demand a lot of attention to minutia and the electronics inside are so tech you can't touch them. Forget installing another pickup.

10 year warranty. I've never had to call it in.

Everything about this bass is top quality except the overall sound. Electronics are the best I've ever seen, the bass totally looks the shit, but ultimately doesn't have all the balls that I'd hoped it would.

Worthwhile if you're buying it used (on eBay or elsewhere) but don't drop more than $1000 in a store for the L-2000. For that price, buy yourself and Ibanez or Yamaha factory made with good action and invest in some quality pickups.