NBD - G&L L2500 Redburst

[reynoldbot]

Hey Gang,

I've returned from the wilderness to show off my new G&L USA L-2500 in Redburst. This is my first 5-er, bought out of necessity due to playing in a 90's cover band featuring several tracks that necessitate a low B. I searched high and low to find a five string that wasn't -ahem- "douchey" (as my guitar player is prone to describe them) and this was where I landed. Redburst wasn't my first color choice (not that it doesn't look great) but as you guys know beggars can't be choosers. She's got a swamp ash body and quartersawn neck, was PLEK'ed by G&L (and again by the seller for some reason) and plays very well, and has an aggressive sound. Anyway, pics! P.S. please excuse the crappy phone quality photos...

[tim]

Goddamn gorgeous ax all around. Love the grain pattern on the headstock, and I think all of G&L's burst patterns are great (I rotate through favorites--right now it's the old school tobacco burst).

I love the dig that a 5-sting is somehow douchey. I have no idea what that means

[superheavydeathmetal]

Nice! I really like that color and the shape of the headstock. I like squatty-shaped headstocks.

If you like an aggressive sound, you may want to consider getting the K-mod for coil-splitting. I really like the sound of my MJ-4, which has the split-coils shaped like single-coils. However, I think that requires sacrificing the phase switching.

http://www.leftybassist.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6954

[tim]

I second the K-mod suggestion. It weaponizes an already brutal instrument.

[tim]

http://www.leftybassist.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6954

The more I see your MJ the more I like your reverse head stock. Bummer about losing drop-D, but killer in the looks department.

[Basshappi]

Very nice G&L, congrats!

[bhunt1]

That's awesome! Quarter sawn neck is da bomb

[reynoldbot]

So I found two minor issues with this bass, both having to do with that patented high-mass bridge. Most of you probably know that G&L bridges feature a little hex screw that tightens onto the saddles and keeps them locked together, improving sustain. What I didn't know is that that hex screw is connected to a tiny piece of fragile plastic which makes the actual connection, in this case with the saddle for the B string as shown here:



When I got the bass, the B string saddle was positioned so far back that the screw was barely making a connection with the saddle and in fact the plastic piece had been partially damaged. I re-intonated the B string saddle and luckily the hex screw now sits directly on the saddle. But still, the cheap plastic piece was somewhat surprising considering the build quality of the rest of the instrument is so flawless.

The second issue is that the saddles themselves are so massive, I've actually bottomed out the G string trying to get the action as low as I like it, and it's still a bit too high for my preference (it plays noticeably tighter than the other strings). The neck is already arrow straight (with no fret buzz I might add) so I don't have any options to lower the action further, save doing something drastic like filing down the saddle:



Neither of these are deal-breakers of course, I just thought they were worth mentioning. I'm gigging the bass for the first time tonight!

[Addison]

The second issue is that the saddles themselves are so massive, I've actually bottomed out the G string trying to get the action as low as I like it, and it's still a bit too high for my preference (it plays noticeably tighter than the other strings). The neck is already arrow straight (with no fret buzz I might add) so I don't have any options to lower the action further, save doing something drastic like filing down the saddle:

I had this exact issue with an L2500 and I ended up adding a shim to the neck pocket.

Normally I am against shims (probably for completely irrational reasons), but in that particular case it made a HUGE difference in the overall setup and overall play-ability of the bass.

It was EXACTLY what the bass needed.

Interestingly, the only other bass where I've consistently had this issue is Stingray basses.

[reynoldbot]

The second issue is that the saddles themselves are so massive, I've actually bottomed out the G string trying to get the action as low as I like it, and it's still a bit too high for my preference (it plays noticeably tighter than the other strings). The neck is already arrow straight (with no fret buzz I might add) so I don't have any options to lower the action further, save doing something drastic like filing down the saddle:

I had this exact issue with an L2500 and I ended up adding a shim to the neck pocket.

Normally I am against shims (probably for completely irrational reasons), but in that particular case it made a HUGE difference in the overall setup and overall play-ability of the bass.

It was EXACTLY what the bass needed.

Interestingly, the only other bass where I've consistently had this issue is Stingray basses.

That's a much better idea! How thick was the shim / what material was it made out of?