Who can tell me more about my L2000?

Hi all, backstory with this bass as follows...

I bought this 2nd hand in 2003 from someone who bought it c. 89/90. He bought it when he joined a band - told me his band lasted about two weeks then the bass sat in its case until I bought it from him. He'd left the battery in so when I got it the battery snap was corroded - I replaced it with a spare one I had from an EMG 60. Otherwise afaik, everything else on the bass is original. I haven't taken the neck off, so best estimate of age based on serial no range on the registry is 88/89. The questions I have are...

1. What wood was used for the body?
2. What is the bridge made from? I've noticed earlier bridges have this black finish and later ones have something that looks like chrome?
3. What kind of machine heads are they? The modern G&L machine heads I've found online look quite different.
4. Any info on the finish - I can't find another old L2000 online with that particular finish - it looks like it's a common enough finish on Tribute L2000s and I've seen older ones that look similar. However, it looks like on similar finishes, the horns on the body are entirely black, whereas on mine, the amber colour goes quite far up into the horns.
5. Any info that can help date it more precisely, without taking the neck off.

I have already got a lot more info from reading the forums than I had before (e.g. like the thread about the pickups) & I apologise if any of this stuff has already been answered in other threads, but I haven't found anything so far (e.g. like the bridge & tuner questions).

Hey there!

1. What wood was used for the body?

That looks like maple to me. Fairly rare for that era.

2. What is the bridge made from? I've noticed earlier bridges have this black finish and later ones have something that looks like chrome?

Solid aluminum and then black powder-coated, as in you case, or chromed.

3. What kind of machine heads are they? The modern G&L machine heads I've found online look quite different.

They are Schaller made BM tuning machines before G&L produced their Ultralite version now available in the store. They are lightweight aluminum with a domed, anodized (matte) post.

4. Any info on the finish - I can't find another old L2000 online with that particular finish - it looks like it's a common enough finish on Tribute L2000s and I've seen older ones that look similar. However, it looks like on similar finishes, the horns on the body are entirely black, whereas on mine, the amber colour goes quite far up into the horns.

That finish was called Sunburst in the day. Nowadays one would call it Three-tone Sunburst. The modern version of that finish with a somewhat aged look to it, emulating the yellowing of a nitro topcoat, is what G&L calls Old School Sunburst.

5. Any info that can help date it more precisely, without taking the neck off.

Compare your bass with this 1989 L-2000 on Greg Gagliano's website. I have an 1987 Interceptor Bass with S/N B019510 and a (December) 1988 L-5000 with S/N B019277. Knowing serial numbers did not match order of production, I'd say your bass is from that 1987-1989 era. Of course you'd know for sure if you DO take the neck off and look for the date stamps.

There you go.

- Jos

[Craig]

I will add one other item, the model name is the L-2000-E (it changed to L-2000E and later to just L-2000).

Here is a 1984 Ad Slick for the basses of that era:


Also note that the Bridge was called the "Locktight" Bridge, but then soon after the name changed to the "Saddle-Lock" Bridge.

And also, Page 2 of the January 1,1988 Dealer Pricelist:


I have already updated your registry entry with the correct information.

Last edited by Craig on Sat Jun 27, 2020 1:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Corrected the year of the Kings of the road Ad

Jos & Craig, thanks both for all of this information - it was a lot more than I expected and definitely answers a lot of questions I had about the instrument.

Couple of things I was wondering about as a result of this. What differentiates the L2000 from the L2000E?

I noticed on the link you posted Jos that the bass discussed was fitted with an "E type" circuit - what is this circuit? For clarity, my bass has the usual - knobs are volume, treble-cut & bass-cut and the switches are pickup selector, passive/active/active with treble boost. The middle selector on mine is series/ parallel rather than the coil split (I've checked this in the past by tapping the pole pieces with a screwdriver and in both positions all the coils are always all on).

Also, could someone tell me the difference between (as is mentioned in the link you posted Jos) front-loaded & rear-loaded controls?

The other query I had on the E series - I'd previously discounted that because I'd seen E series L2000 with "E series" written on the headstock, although it looks like from what you've said Craig that they've kept making E series L2000s after dropping that label from the headstock - is that what you meant? Which I guess goes back to my first question about how you differentiate between the L2000 and the L2000E.

Also noticed there seems to be a huge variety of L2000s, some had scratchplates, some had backplates at the knobs/ switches and some had neither. It looks to me that there's basically not really such a thing as a "standard" L2000 if that makes sense? There seems to be a lot more variation within the model than you'd expect to see with other manufacturers.

Jos & Craig, thanks both for all of this information - it was a lot more than I expected and definitely answers a lot of questions I had about the instrument.

Couple of things I was wondering about as a result of this. What differentiates the L2000 from the L2000E?

I noticed on the link you posted Jos that the bass discussed was fitted with an "E type" circuit - what is this circuit? For clarity, my bass has the usual - knobs are volume, treble-cut & bass-cut and the switches are pickup selector, passive/active/active with treble boost. The middle selector on mine is series/ parallel rather than the coil split (I've checked this in the past by tapping the pole pieces with a screwdriver and in both positions all the coils are always all on).

Also, could someone tell me the difference between (as is mentioned in the link you posted Jos) front-loaded & rear-loaded controls?

The other query I had on the E series - I'd previously discounted that because I'd seen E series L2000 with "E series" written on the headstock, although it looks like from what you've said Craig that they've kept making E series L2000s after dropping that label from the headstock - is that what you meant? Which I guess goes back to my first question about how you differentiate between the L2000 and the L2000E.

Also noticed there seems to be a huge variety of L2000s, some had scratchplates, some had backplates at the knobs/ switches and some had neither. It looks to me that there's basically not really such a thing as a "standard" L2000 if that makes sense? There seems to be a lot more variation within the model than you'd expect to see with other manufacturers.

Here are some links to check out to help answer your questions:
Production List of G&L Instruments (USA).
In the GbL Gallery->Album: Ad Slicks and Memorabilia.
Greg Gagliano's G&L webpages.

Sorry for the short post and not answering your questions directly but I gotta run with a busy day ahead.

What differentiates the L2000 from the L2000E?

You would have to go back to the time the L-2000 was introduced in 1980. In came in 2 versions, the passive L-2000, and the L-2000E with a preamp. The former did not have a preamp and therefore can be recognized by the presence of only 2 mini-toggle switches, instead of 3, and the associated slightly different control panel. This changed pretty soon because the L-2000E outsold the L-2000 by quite a bit. So on the April 1981 price list, you only find the L-2000E. Still with that letter at the end which would only disappear on the January 1992 price list, the first published after BBE took over operations at G&L. So the current L-2000 is electronically equivalent to the pre-BBE L-2000E.

I noticed on the link you posted Jos that the bass discussed was fitted with an "E type" circuit - what is this circuit?

As stated above, that circuit is essentially the same as used on the pre-BBE L-2000E, maybe for the source of different components and some redesign of the preamp using a different opamp. I do not have a BBE-era L-2000, so I do not know whether some resistor and/or cap values have changed on the pots.

Also, could someone tell me the difference between (as is mentioned in the link you posted Jos) front-loaded & rear-loaded controls?

Front-loaded are controls on a control panel as seen nowadays on the CLF Research L-1000 and L-2000. Rear-loaded controls, the term I prefer because that is what it was in Leo's days, is the same as what current day G&L called rear-mounted controls (RMC), as seen on the normal production L-2000. There the circuitry is accessible through an access plate on the back of the body. G&L made the switch to rear-loaded on both L-series basses in the mid-1980s, around late-1985, only to reintroduce the control panel on the aforementioned CLF Research L-2000 at the 2018 Winter NAMM. When G&L switched to the Bi-Cut neck in late-1982, and the associated appearance of the G&L hook, the Series · E part of the model decal on the headstock disappeared.

Also noticed there seems to be a huge variety of L2000s, some had scratchplates, some had backplates at the knobs/ switches and some had neither. It looks to me that there's basically not really such a thing as a "standard" L2000 if that makes sense? There seems to be a lot more variation within the model than you'd expect to see with other manufacturers.

The L-2000 has never had a pickguard and/or thumb rest. If you see those, you can be pretty sure they were added by its owner. (But around 1985, you could get an L-2000E with a Kahler vibrato!) Yes, the mounting method of the controls has seen changes, as has the shape of the access cover, modern ones have a separate access cover for the battery compartment, control plates come chromed and black powder-coated, 3-bolt to 6-bolt neck attachments, headstocks without or with G&L hook, etc. But all in all, within the 2 eras of control plate and rear-loaded, the appearance of the L-2000 has been pretty consistent. Is that more than for basses of different make and model? Maybe. Two is more than one after all

- Jos
P.S. The "Kings of the Road" ad is from around 1984-1985, not 1988. As stated above, by then G&L used rear-loaded controls on the L-Series basses.

P.S. The "Kings of the Road" ad is from around 1984-1985, not 1988. As stated above, by then G&L used rear-loaded controls on the L-Series basses.

Brad Traweek had put it in the GbL Gallery that way:
http://web.archive.org/web/20000930224202/http://www.guitarsbyleo.com/GALLERY/8889/8889.php3

I confirmed with Dave M. that it was a 1984 Ad and that the L-1000 and L-2000's changed to rear loaded controls beginning in 1985.
I have move the Ad in our Gallery to the 1984 - 1985 Memorabilia Album.

Thanks for the correction on this.