Hello All

Just by way of introduction, I've been playing another maker's guitar steadily for the last 13 years(while a long queue of others has come and gone), and yesterday received my first G&L guitar. I've always wanted one, but I guess It was stuck too far back in my mind for me to act upon it.
I'm in my 50th year of playing guitar.

It's a G&L Legacy that Elderly says dates from '97, though it's one of those odd birds with a bass guitar 3 bolt plate on it, with the letter B, rather than G, stamped thereon, and the last 2 digits are 89, which according to what I've read, would date it from 1989,,so I'll have to research this. It came with a wet ink signature of Phyllis Fender certificate of authenticity, 5 allen wrenches, and a users manual, which has come in quite handy. It's quite pristine, with no visible fret wear, no dings, and looks as if it has just come off the show room floor. Nice case too. There is no vibrato arm, but since I'm a hard tail player, that's not an immediate concern. I've read the FAQ on G&L's site about the G/B paradox, in the case of a few guitars.

This forum looks as it it has lots of info herein, and I'm happy to be here.

Welcome , sounds like that Legacy has found a good home.
The serial #'s on the three bolt ( G0... or B0... ) plates didn't have any specific date information.
There should be stamps in the neck pocket on both the body and neck heel if you ever want to nail down the birthdate,
the Phyllis Cert. should be pretty close to the later date in the neck pocket though.
Hope you can share some pics sometime soon.
...and those vibrato's are pretty nice for most if not all styles, you might find your self using it eventually (I think the online store sells bars that fit the 90's versions).

elwood

Thank you Elwood. Yes, I see the online store does have them. I'll grab one sooner or later. Is there supposed to be a plastic sleeve? I don't see one on my guitar,, nor do I see any adverted for sale on the online store, if there needs to be one. The set screw seems intact. Elderly said it was '97, and I'm sure they took the neck off to take a look. They said it was dated 20 May '97.
I'm not averse to having and using it,,however subtly, but it's not an emergency. Odd everything else was there on something of its condition, unless the seller needed it for another of their guitars.

Last edited by Homecomer on Sat Apr 19, 2014 2:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

If you spring for the trem bar, get the tension screw set too. It has the nylon bushings that go with the set screw. There is not real sleeve to speak of so I imagine you could find a piece of hard plastic to fit in the set screw hole. It just gets pushed up against the trem bar for tension but for a few dollars more you can get the factory version. Check the part number for the 2005 and older instruments.

http://g-l-online-store.myshopify.com/c ... -screw-set

Welcome!

Thank you fianoman, for your welcome and for the info. I'll have a look.
addendum,,,I just looked in the hole in a sunlit window, and yes, the bushing is there. All I need is the bar.

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you found a real nice one. Post up some pictures of your Legacy if you get time. We love pictures here!

Thank you Case24.
I will post some when i learn how to move photos onto posts,,,,I just have to look at this and see how It works. I say that because I tried to post pics on another forum, and it wouldn't work, though I don't know what I was doing wrong. I don't think it's because I'm on a Mac.
I checked in the registry, and the serial number on mine, B052689, is not there. I'm not sure if it's a cherryburst or a tobaccoburst, though it's a very dark red(brown?), and reminds me of the Iced tea burst you see on some Les Pauls.

Thank you Case24.
I will post some when i learn how to move photos onto posts,,,,I just have to look at this and see how It works. I say that because I tried to post pics on another forum, and it wouldn't work, though I don't know what I was doing wrong. I don't think it's because I'm on a Mac.
I checked in the registry, and the serial number on mine, B052689, is not there. I'm not sure if it's a cherryburst or a tobaccoburst, though it's a very dark red(brown?), and reminds me of the Iced tea burst you see on some Les Pauls.

Welcome!

See this post for navigating our site, including posting photos and videos: viewtopic.php?f=47&t=10449

Thanks Craig!! I really appreciate that, and thank you for the link, too.

I pride myself on set-up(of hard tails),,,and when it gets to one of these babies, I'm not doing too badly. Yet, I've got the action a 'tad' higher than I like,,but still within spec, I think.
Yet to take off rear to futz with springs, though the table is fairly parallel with the body,,and don't have a 3/16's spacer, to boot. (it came with a VERY USEFUL owner's manual), and also I've not the least idea of knowing whether or not the neck slant function has been engaged, nor if it really matters. Relief is fine, though, and it looks as if this inst. was close to never having been played, especially for being 17 years old.
The old strings were in horrid shape, so I can't deduce much from them, 'cept loss of tensile strength, with which to engage springs, and the fact it was likely put aside and left in its case, for heaven knows how long. For what it's worth, I put on a set of GHS Nickel Rockers,,9's,,

Since the vibrato bridge 'table' was less parallel to the body than I thought it should be, the only apparent solution would be to tighten the 2 springs. This I did,,this morning, but that didn't help a lot, and with the action where I had it, it was feeling a bit stiff. So, I loosened the springs to where they were, more or less, and went ahead and set height to spec according to manual, at 22nd fret, instead of at 12. Much better now. Feels very satisfactory. This leaves the bridge less than parallel to the body, but I'm chary of fooling with the front two fulcrum posts. Its back is in the air. sort of. Doesn't bother me if it's not hurting anything, and if it takes more spring tension to pull down the tail,,well, I can do without the added stiff(er) feeling.
I had raised the PU's some, according to what I 'thought' the manual was telling me, but that was resulting in a noticeable case of strat-itis. So back they went. I have plugged it in, and all the electronics work perfectly. I like the hum bucking on 2 and 4. Haven't plugged in since final adjustment just described, but will very soon.
I'm getting happier and happier with this instrument, and am more willing now to part with my other guitar, one I've played mainly for the last 13+ years,,bought new. Even though I'm a fairly equal opportunity fret wearer, I've done a job on this one, cumulatively, over the years,,and even though it plays pretty well,,this Legacy does feel nicer. Feels like more of a fight at times, playing the other, since the action is raised slightly more than I like, to avoid buzzing, etc., due to fret wear. Sometimes, a change is nice too. I have a hard time owning more than one electric guitar. "there can be only ONE"

Addendum: after looking closely at the relief, it seemed to be at least .020 if not more. I found the wrench, and turned 1/8 turn to where it was ready to engage(suggesting it was not 'loose',,but not holding anything), and then 1/8 turn more brought the relief to about .010,,,,the effect was magical.