G&L Lynx Bass

I figured I owed it to my Lynx bass, as well as Leo Fender (RIP) and G&L, to give a review on this wonderful instrument.

Made in America in the mid 80's. My Lynx is Fiesta Red in color; looks like a P-bass without a pickguard - pretty simple and straightforward design and appearance. Alder body (with deep contour), maple neck, rosewood fingerboard. Narrower nut width, 21 frets, with 34" scale length. Two MFD (Magnetic Field Design by G&L) single coil passive pickups, with a 3-way selector and master volume and tone controls. Quality G&L bridge and tuners. Though it has basic features, I still rate it a 9 because of the quality and simplicity of it's features.

The best sounding bass I've heard. I'm a hound for good tone, and this bass really does it for me. It's sound and response falls between a Jazz Bass and Precision Bass, with a heartier growl - the perfect tonal blend for my preference. I pretty much leave it in the middle position all the time, with the tone open. The MFD pickups together really make this bass sound so unique and good.
I play a broad spectrum of styles, from alt. rock and country to soulful blues and jazz, and the Lynx always fits the bill. I have had friends borrow/play my bass, who are professional musicians and performers, and they're constantly amazed at it's sound and feel. Almost all of them want to buy the bass from me, after using it, go figure.

I've owned my Lynx for 10 years now, and it's only become increasingly special to me over the years. The way it feels and plays is a major reason for that. The neck plays really well, and is ideal for me; it feels a bit slimmer than a standard P-bass neck, but not as much as a Jazz bass'. I've done minor set up and adjustments to it, to meet my preferences, but the superior quality and build had already ensured my satisfaction. The body is relatively light, with the deeper contour (on body's back) providing appreciated comfort.
Again, it's appearance is very plain and simple, but that really suits me just fine. Maybe a full pickguard would have been nice, but maybe not. It could have made it look too similar to a P-bass, or maybe even looked too lame in the end (?).
Overall though, the action and fit is superb.
I traded a Takamine to a friend for the Lynx (he still regrets it to this day), and the finish was already dinged up and worn in a bit. I like it that way, mind you, and I really love the Fiesta red paint job.

This bass has undoubtedly stood the test of time, and the test of constant gigging and traveling. I've only needed to blow out a pot that was starting to get scratchy, but other than that, I've never had a problem with it, and I'll continue to put my confidence in it's strength and ability to perform.

n/a

I've been playing for about 20 years, and playing this particular bass for the past ten years. I play with several bands and artists and I've plugged into many different rigs - Ampeg, SVT, Trace Elliot, Fender, and the bass has always responded well. This is my main bass, and I currently play into an old Hartke HA3500 head (tube pre side) with two separate 1X12" Aguilar cabs.
If this bass was ever lost or stolen, I would be really heartbroken. I don't even know how I'd replace it - I have never seen another Lynx around. I couldn't pick a finer bass to be honest. Everything about it is perfect to my liking. May this review be a testament to my appreciation for this instrument. Leo Fender said that he owed it to the musicians to make a better guitar and bass, and in my opinion he did it. The proof is always in my hands.

I figured I owed it to my Lynx bass, as well as Leo Fender (RIP) and G&L, to give a review on this wonderful instrument.

Made in America in the mid 80's. My Lynx is Fiesta Red in color; looks like a P-bass without a pickguard - pretty simple and straightforward design and appearance. Alder body (with deep contour), maple neck, rosewood fingerboard. Narrower nut width, 21 frets, with 34" scale length. Two MFD (Magnetic Field Design by G&L) single coil passive pickups, with a 3-way selector and master volume and tone controls. Quality G&L bridge and tuners. Though it has basic features, I still rate it a 9 because of the quality and simplicity of it's features.

The best sounding bass I've heard. I'm a hound for good tone, and this bass really does it for me. It's sound and response falls between a Jazz Bass and Precision Bass, with a heartier growl - the perfect tonal blend for my preference. I pretty much leave it in the middle position all the time, with the tone open. The MFD pickups together really make this bass sound so unique and good.
I play a broad spectrum of styles, from alt. rock and country to soulful blues and jazz, and the Lynx always fits the bill. I have had friends borrow/play my bass, who are professional musicians and performers, and they're constantly amazed at it's sound and feel. Almost all of them want to buy the bass from me, after using it, go figure.

I've owned my Lynx for 10 years now, and it's only become increasingly special to me over the years. The way it feels and plays is a major reason for that. The neck plays really well, and is ideal for me; it feels a bit slimmer than a standard P-bass neck, but not as much as a Jazz bass'. I've done minor set up and adjustments to it, to meet my preferences, but the superior quality and build had already ensured my satisfaction. The body is relatively light, with the deeper contour (on body's back) providing appreciated comfort.
Again, it's appearance is very plain and simple, but that really suits me just fine. Maybe a full pickguard would have been nice, but maybe not. It could have made it look too similar to a P-bass, or maybe even looked too lame in the end (?).
Overall though, the action and fit is superb.
I traded a Takamine to a friend for the Lynx (he still regrets it to this day), and the finish was already dinged up and worn in a bit. I like it that way, mind you, and I really love the Fiesta red paint job.

This bass has undoubtedly stood the test of time, and the test of constant gigging and traveling. I've only needed to blow out a pot that was starting to get scratchy, but other than that, I've never had a problem with it, and I'll continue to put my confidence in it's strength and ability to perform.

n/a

I've been playing for about 20 years, and playing this particular bass for the past ten years. I play with several bands and artists and I've plugged into many different rigs - Ampeg, SVT, Trace Elliot, Fender, and the bass has always responded well. This is my main bass, and I currently play into an old Hartke HA3500 head (tube pre side) with two separate 1X12" Aguilar cabs.
If this bass was ever lost or stolen, I would be really heartbroken. I don't even know how I'd replace it - I have never seen another Lynx around. I couldn't pick a finer bass to be honest. Everything about it is perfect to my liking. May this review be a testament to my appreciation for this instrument. Leo Fender said that he owed it to the musicians to make a better guitar and bass, and in my opinion he did it. The proof is always in my hands.

Made in America, the lynx was one of G&L's variations on the classic Fender Jazz Bass, with two single coil pickups in a passive system, with a three way selector switch, master volume, and tone controls. It has an alder body, maple neck and rosewood fingerboard, based on their more narrow nut width option. The body style is a downsized version of a P-bass body, deeply contoured for hours of comfortable playing. It came with the G&L bridge and Schaller style tuners. Standard 34" scale, it came with a hardshell case.

This is the best sounding Jazz Bass I've ever played. It also happens to be the quietest passive instrument I've ever encountered.

Factory setup was pretty good, but after a quick adjustment, it was great. It took a while to get everything set up exactly like I wanted (pickup height, poll stagger, neck tilt, etc.), but once I got it dialed in, it's required nothing beyond some very minor changes in the last 15 years.

The finish is plain. This is not the instrument for you if you value appearance over performance.

Within months of purchase, the paint became chipped in several locations from stage dings. As perspiration got in under the paint, it started chipping off in fairly large chunks, until there is a sizable bare spot where me right forearm rests when playing, in addition to similar spots on the back, and places where the paint went "dead" where the instrument touched the case lining.

Within the first year, the chrome had worn off of the bridge saddles, exposing soft pot metal underneath which pitted and then cut strings. I replaced the saddles only to have it happen again about a year later. After replacing the saddles twice in two years, I replaced the original bridge with a Schaller Roller nut bridge and have had no problems since.

I purchased this instrument before the company extended their warranty, so it was only covered for one year. the first time I replaced the bridge saddles, they shipped the replacements for free, no questions asked. A year later, the charged about $20 for the parts, again shipping the parts quickly and with little hassle. I haven't had any contact with the company since BBE bought them, so I can't speak to their current operation

I've been playing professionally for over 20 years in clubs and recording. This has been my "beater" since the day I got it, and even though I've owned several other basses since I bought this one, it's always been my #1. I'm not sure what I'd do if it were lost or stolen, because they only made these for a short time, and not very many of them at that, so replacement could prove difficult. I can't really pinpoint any one feature that I love about it. It just feels like "home" when I play it.

I do wish it had separate volume controls for each pickup, but other than that, I don't think I'd change a thing.