G&L Tribute JB2 4-String Electric Bass Review

Hiya!

Not many G&L basses makes their way through the studio, but there is no good reason for this. They are generally well made, and maybe their under-representation on Rex and the Bass is just because there just are not as many out there as the ubiquitous Fenders.

On the off chance that you are not familiar with G&L, this company was founded by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Dale Hyatt in the 1970, and Leo worked there up until his death in 1991. Mr. Fender said this company’s products included the best designs he ever made, which is something coming from the guy who invented the Stratocaster and the Precision Bass.

G&L has made their name with quality US-made instruments, but these did not have entry level pricing, so a few years back they introduced their Tribute series of imported guitars and basses to reach a broader market. The Tribute JB-2 4-string bass we are looking at today was made in Indonesia, and it can certainly give its domestically produced counterpart a run for its money.

As you can probably guess from the model name, the JB-2 has a general Jazz Bass vibe. This includes the two single-coil pickups, the Fender-esque headstock with open-back chrome cloverleaf tuners, and a 1.5-inch nut width. Things get a less Fender like from this point. Most obviously, the contoured swamp ash body has sort of a P-bass shape, and lacks the offset waist that you would find on a Jazz Bass.

The body is available in either glossy clear or 3-tone sunburst, and there is no pickguard (though either would look nice with a bit of tortoise on it). The 34-inch scale neck is attached to the body with 6-bolts (and no neck plate), and comes with either a maple (3TS) or rosewood (natural) fretboard. There is a 12-inch radius to the fretboard, and there are 21-medium jumbo frets sunk into it.

The body is loaded up with a G&L high-mass saddle lock bridge (designed by Leo Fender) and a pair of Anico V pickups that were also designed by Leo and then tuned by Paul Gagnon, the Vice President of G&L Engineering. There is some discussion of whether these are US made pickups, but I have heard they are made at the Cort factory in Indonesia (where the rest of the bass is made). These pickups are wired through two volume pots and a master tone knob.

Assembly quality of this JB-2 is very good, and the folks overseas should certainly be earning more the terrible wages they get (about 50 cents per hour). The glossy clear finish on the nicely grained body is very good, and the neck and fretwork are better than a lot of new guitars I see coming from Gibson’s USA factories. The set up was very good right out of the box, with only a slight tweak of the truss rod to bring the action up a bit.

The overall playability and sound have a 1960s Fender vibe. The pickups are just as good (to my ears) as the US G&Ls, and the neck has a vintage Jazz Bass feel with a comfy C shape that is not too thin. This is a great bass for jazz and rock, and it is perfect for playing the blues. It has vintage tone galore, and I love the sound of Alnico pickups. It balances well on a strap and even though it is made of ash it is not too heavy, with this example weighing about 9 ½ pounds.

The dirt cheap labor allows the G&L Tribute JB2 bass to come in at a very reasonable price point, with most online sellers asking $449.99 for them (no case included), and nice used ones selling all day long on eBay for under 300 bucks. You cannot build a bass this nice for less money, so if you are in the market you might want to check one out!

Mahalo!

2014 G&L Tribute M2000 Bass Guitar Review

Hi there!

I have not written very many reviews of G&L basses on this blog because not many of them make their way through my studio, but a nice new G&L Tribute M2000 stopped in a while back, and it was definitely a neat piece of work.

G&L guitars was started by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Dale Hyatt after Leo’s relationship went bad with MusicMan back in the late 1970s. Their instruments were derivatives of Fender’s original designs, with enough improvements that Fender said they were the best instruments he ever made. The company soldiered on after Leo passed on in 1991, and today they have a full line of USA-made guitars and basses that are generally very nice. To make things more affordable for us common folks, the company has partnered with Cort guitars to make Tribute versions of their popular models in Indonesia.

The Tribute M2000 is similar to the USA M2000, with the same body and headstock shapes. The body of the bass I tested was made of swamp ash, with a gorgeous (though kind of thick) 3-tone sunburst finish. I understand that basswood is used on the solid color instruments. The body profile is not unusual, and if you play a Precision Bass the M or L series G&L basses will feel very familiar to you. And if you are a diehard G&L fan, the Leo Fender-designed high-mass saddle lock bridge is still used.

The 34-inch scale neck is hard-rock maple with a rosewood board, and I liked its meaty C-profile. It is 1 5/8” wide at the nut, and it has a relatively flat 12-inch radius fretboard. If you like Stingrays then you will love the feel of this neck. The neck is equipped with 22 medium-jumbo nickel frets (supposedly Plek’d), big open-back cloverleaf tuners, and a truss rod adjustment at the headstock. The neck attaches to the body with six meaty bolts, which is infinitely more solid than their innovative tilt neck mechanism (shudder).

Finally we get to the electronics package, which is pretty stout. The Tribute M2000 uses a pair of re-voiced MFD humbuckers (made in Fullerton) with an all-new 18-volt preamp. No crazy switches to figure out, just volume, pan, and 3-band cut/boost EQ knobs with center detents.

The Tribute M2000 is made overseas so it is hundreds of dollars less than the US model, but the quality was still very good. The frets were level and well finished on the edges, and the hardware still seems to be nice stuff. The finish was smooth and free of blemishes, and the neck pocket was even and fairly tight. It was a bit of a beast in the weight department, coming in at almost 11 pounds. Ouch.

The electronics package on these is well thought out, and the pickups and preamp are monstrous. This bass can do popping and slapping with the best of them, but how much of that do you really need? There is no active bypass, so you will have to live with the active tone, which is not a bad thing. It excels in being able to attain a lot of other sounds, from smooth jazzy tones to aggressive rock or metal loudness. The mid control is especially good, which is not the case on many basses!

This G&L felt good too, with a meaty neck that was as smooth as silk on the back. The action was a bit high on this one initially, but a quick trussrod adjustment got things copacetic in a hurry. The intonation was good, and there were no noticeable dead spots or buzzy frets.

I liked it a lot, and if I did not already have some very good basses in the stable, I might’ve had to make a deal so it could stick around.

The G&L Tribute M2000 is a fairly good deal with a list price of $1073 and a street price of $749 (no case included), though I feel the price is a tad high compared to similar instruments coming out of Indonesia. But if you head over to eBay you will find barely used ones trafficking for under $500, which makes buying one of these a pretty darned good deal. Check one out for yourself and see what you think!

Mahalo!