Goodbye G&L

Although this is my first post, it will likely be my last. After 3 decades of playing G&L guitars, I have switched over to Fender.

Now the reason I feel compelled to mention this is that I have always felt G&L made superior products. However G&L needs to figure out how they will improve service and support for the sake of all G&L fans. It's completely lousy. In fact a number of G&L dealers say the same thing and it's killing their business.

I'll give a brief illustration as an example, but before I do I have to say that Fender American Strats are very well made these days and are in every way just as good as G&L. Best part is you can get service/support anywhere, parts anywhere, necks etc. easily anywhere in little time.

So why G&L? When I was younger Fender was putting out crap, but not any longer so why should I put up with all the nonsense.

a little history...

1. I ordered my second G&L in 1990 and was told I would get it in about 3 months. It took over a year to receive it, yet everytime the dealer called for an update G&L kept saying "next month".
2. A year or so ago I ordered another G&L and it took over 5 months to get it, and when I did the neck was warped beyond repair. This prompted the dealer to stop selling G&L because it was always a hassle. I returned it to him and I bought a Fender USA which is awesome and get this...it only took a week to receive it.
3. This year I ordered a new neck for my 1990 s-500 because the neck could not be adjusted any longer, and I just wanted to get it in working order as a backup. It's been around four months and still I have not received it. I call and they tell me..."a couple more weeks". I bet they haven't even started making it yet.

It's just too much of a pain to deal with G&L and at this point there are other companies making equally good products without the hassle. So now I'm off to order a new Fender and guess what...it will take only about a week to receive it. And if I have any issues with it it will be resolved in no time.

I honestly think Chris is the only employee at G&L. We just think there are more employees.

I would say bad luck. I feel for you and you'll hopefully at least get that replacement neck soon.

After 3 decades of playing G&L guitars, I have switched over to Fender.

Which G&L guitars, except that S-500, did or do you own?

Is the truss rod of the S-500 broken? I mean depending on the reason why it doesn't work, there are some relative simple ways to get a truss rod working again, if it's still one piece of course.

Hi,

I sure would like to see if we can help. Is your name Ed? If so, what I see is a neck order for a 1990 S-500 lefthanded drilled for Sperzel tuuners, 3-bolt fitment, no serial number, and a vintage gloss finish which is cool since it wasn't offered in '90. We received this order through a dealer September 24 and the neck shipped out yesterday. If that's not yours, please let me know and I'll have a look. Thanks.

Dave McLaren

While I don't want to discount what you say by any means and user support is important I would like to add a few comments.

When you custom order an instrument from a very good and well known maker you have to expect wait times and delays. I have heard that some of the top luthiers at the Fender Custom Shop have waiting lists in the three to four year range and some have stopped accepting new orders all together.

I know that our local dealer doesn't get many G&Ls in; but I know that the last two (my prototype Korina and another Korina from the production run) were sold in under two days. So I can understand why so many people are willing to custom order and wait. It's just basic supply and demand.

I would agree that since the current owners took over Fender the quality has improved dramatically. I certainly would still look at Fender's when shopping. Reality is that no two guitars are ever exactly alike. Personally I don't feel comfortable buying anything that I can't pick up and try to connect with first; but that's just me. Get to know you local dealers and let them know what you're looking for. Most if not all will be more than happy to let you know whenever something nice comes into their possession.

I can totally understand how this guy feels.theres no excuse what so ever waiting 12 months on back order for a plank,unless your sourcing woods akin to a stratovarious.if business is that good surely it must beg the question to put more guys on.theres gotta be a stack of gun luthiers in the states both young & old that would kill for the opportunity to further hone their skills in stables like G & L.
My experience with purchasing a G & L didn't even get past the dealer.& that was with the help of darwin & will ray himself! & he was supposed to be one of the good ones lol im not begging no one to take my money,not even for a 52 model..
Shame really as I was pretty psyched for a flame top will ray custom with bells & whistles as you cant really ape the great one without his tools of trade,but for a bit extra i can get a suhr custom with little to no grief at all & source the rings & videos off will personally.
I must admit though i really dig the skull inlays though hence Ill try one last time..
Darth it appears you work at G & L am I right? Mate if you know of a reputable dealer out your way who is willing (unlike the last dealer) to simply pass on an email address of the bank he wants the balance deposited into to my bank manager so he can meet some basic criteria to cover his back & track the money I have a signed cheque,the exact build from the builder still handy,a screen shot of it & the price I was quoted all ready to rock & roll.i will pay 100% up front & if you can give me a verbal agreement ill be holding one of Will's beasts within a few months ill throw in a case of beer for your troubles.
deal?

I can totally understand how this guy feels.theres no excuse what so ever waiting 12 months on back order for a plank,unless your sourcing woods akin to a stratovarious.if business is that good surely it must beg the question to put more guys on.theres gotta be a stack of gun luthiers in the states both young & old that would kill for the opportunity to further hone their skills in stables like G & L.
My experience with purchasing a G & L didn't even get past the dealer.& that was with the help of darwin & will ray himself! & he was supposed to be one of the good ones lol im not begging no one to take my money,not even for a 52 model..
Shame really as I was pretty psyched for a flame top will ray custom with bells & whistles as you cant really ape the great one without his tools of trade,but for a bit extra i can get a suhr custom with little to no grief at all & source the rings & videos off will personally.
I must admit though i really dig the skull inlays though hence Ill try one last time..
Darth it appears you work at G & L am I right? Mate if you know of a reputable dealer out your way who is willing (unlike the last dealer) to simply pass on an email address of the bank he wants the balance deposited into to my bank manager so he can meet some basic criteria to cover his back & track the money I have a signed cheque,the exact build from the builder still handy,a screen shot of it & the price I was quoted all ready to rock & roll.i will pay 100% up front & if you can give me a verbal agreement ill be holding one of Will's beasts within a few months ill throw in a case of beer for your troubles.
deal?

darth is the executive vp of g&l, so yes, i think it would qualify as working there.

I ordered my second G&L in 1990 and was told I would get it in about 3 months. It took over a year to receive it, yet everytime the dealer called for an update G&L kept saying "next month".

I can totally understand how this guy feels.theres no excuse what so ever waiting 12 months on back order for a plank,unless your sourcing woods akin to a stratovarious.if business is that good surely it must beg the question to put more guys on.theres gotta be a stack of gun luthiers in the states both young & old that would kill for the opportunity to further hone their skills in stables like G & L.

Leo Fender passed away three months into 1991, and the company then went through a sale and change of ownership. For a small shop like G&L, I can definitely see something like that having a big impact on filling orders. I think it's a real testament to everybody involved that the instruments from the early 90s are regarded just as highly as those that came before and after...

Ken

Leo Fender passed away three months into 1991, and the company then went through a sale and change of ownership. For a small shop like G&L, I can definitely see something like that having a big impact on filling orders. I think it's a real testament to everybody involved that the instruments from the early 90s are regarded just as highly as those that came before and after...

Ken

On the other hand, I've seen posts from G&LDP regulars who cherish their collections of G&L instruments that were built before Leo died, and have no interest whatsoever in what the company has made ever since.

Leo Fender passed away three months into 1991, and the company then went through a sale and change of ownership. For a small shop like G&L, I can definitely see something like that having a big impact on filling orders. I think it's a real testament to everybody involved that the instruments from the early 90s are regarded just as highly as those that came before and after...

Ken

On the other hand, I've seen posts from G&LDP regulars who cherish their collections of G&L instruments that were built before Leo died, and have no interest whatsoever in what the company has made ever since.

That wouldn't be me

BTW, as far as the waiting game goes, to me it is not very surprising for an order to get filled over a long period of time. A decade ago I ordered my Mesa TriAxis and it took 9 months before I got it. Maybe their explanation was more forthright: instead of building models willy-nilly, they produced them in batches. That implied that they'd wait for enough orders of the same model to come in to reach a minimum batch size before it would get scheduled, unless a certain waiting time was exceeded. More popular models like the Rectifier were scheduled for production for longer periods of time than my TriAxis. Although conjecture on my side, a similar thing might be true for G&L. If your custom order is somewhat out of the ordinary, it might take longer to get it scheduled for production. I had to wait about 6 months before the first of the Korina Collection came in. But I won't complain, because it was worth it.

- Jos

I can totally understand how this guy feels.theres no excuse what so ever waiting 12 months on back order for a plank,unless your sourcing woods akin to a stratovarious.if business is that good surely it must beg the question to put more guys on.theres gotta be a stack of gun luthiers in the states both young & old that would kill for the opportunity to further hone their skills in stables like G & L.
My experience with purchasing a G & L didn't even get past the dealer.& that was with the help of darwin & will ray himself! & he was supposed to be one of the good ones lol im not begging no one to take my money,not even for a 52 model..
Shame really as I was pretty psyched for a flame top will ray custom with bells & whistles as you cant really ape the great one without his tools of trade,but for a bit extra i can get a suhr custom with little to no grief at all & source the rings & videos off will personally.
I must admit though i really dig the skull inlays though hence Ill try one last time..
Darth it appears you work at G & L am I right? Mate if you know of a reputable dealer out your way who is willing (unlike the last dealer) to simply pass on an email address of the bank he wants the balance deposited into to my bank manager so he can meet some basic criteria to cover his back & track the money I have a signed cheque,the exact build from the builder still handy,a screen shot of it & the price I was quoted all ready to rock & roll.i will pay 100% up front & if you can give me a verbal agreement ill be holding one of Will's beasts within a few months ill throw in a case of beer for your troubles.
deal?

Did anyone get this man set up? My WR is going to hit the dealership's door any time now. I went orange flake, I'd love to see one with a flame top! ~Patrick

A decade ago I ordered my Mesa TriAxis and it took 9 months before I got it. Maybe their explanation was more forthright: instead of building models willy-nilly, they produced them in batches. That implied that they'd wait for enough orders of the same model to come in to reach a minimum batch size before it would get scheduled, unless a certain waiting time was exceeded. More popular models like the Rectifier were scheduled for production for longer periods of time than my TriAxis. Although conjecture on my side, a similar thing might be true for G&L. If your custom order is somewhat out of the ordinary, it might take longer to get it scheduled for production. I had to wait about 6 months before the first of the Korina Collection came in. But I won't complain, because it was worth it.

Funny you mention boogie . I contacted them 3 days ago regarding a 1x 12 imbuya/wicker cab to fill out my mark IV combo because they're as rare as hens teeth to find these days.i got a reply not only the next day during the festive season,but the rep there amid 3 exchanges in as many hours said that even though they don't make imbuya cabs anymore he'd still try & source timber from what was lying round the factory & get back to me once they were on deck again in the new year.now thats customer service..

Did anyone get this man set up? My WR is going to hit the dealership's door any time now. I went orange flake, I'd love to see one with a flame top! ~Patrick

Not as yet Patrick & many thanks for giving my rally cry a little extra clout.the only reason I've thrown out another lifeline here is because of my adoration of will, & figure in a business sense the more guitars that are sold in his name is the longer the man himself has a plank made in his honor.will deserves no less for the decades of magic that has graced our many ears.
my email address is: magbabalak@gmail.com & would genuinely love to see any will ray customs from the members here to sate my GAS bug in the interim.if darth gets around to reading this again I'm prepared to drop the balance in your personal account plus some on top for good measure just for the peace of mind of going direct.as from what I've already read here & experienced I'd prefer to avoid any dealers like the plague if possible..

Ray, you have a PM.

the only reason I've thrown out another lifeline here is because of my adoration of will, & figure in a business sense the more guitars that are sold in his name is the longer the man himself has a plank made in his honor.will deserves no less for the decades of magic that has graced our many ears.
my email address is: magbabalak@gmail.com & would genuinely love to see any will ray customs from the members here to sate my GAS bug in the interim.if darth gets around to reading this again I'm prepared to drop the balance in your personal account plus some on top for good measure just for the peace of mind of going direct.as from what I've already read here & experienced I'd prefer to avoid any dealers like the plague if possible..

I'm flattered by your kind words about me. My guess is that Darth is probably away on Christmas vacation and can't respond. I hope you can get things sorted out.

And don't feel bad, even artists don't always get phone calls back down there. I know there have been a lot of people let go at the factory and at BBE (who owns G&L), and that usually means that the people left are swamped and doing double duty. That's no excuse, but that's just the way some companies are during these times.

If I could change one thing down there, I would ask for better communication. But no one ever asks me...Or calls me anymore (LOL).

WR

I'm flattered by your kind words about me. My guess is that Darth is probably away on Christmas vacation and can't respond. I hope you can get things sorted out.

And don't feel bad, even artists don't always get phone calls back down there. I know there have been a lot of people let go at the factory and at BBE (who owns G&L), and that usually means that the people left are swamped and doing double duty. That's no excuse, but that's just the way some companies are during these times.

If I could change one thing down there, I would ask for better communication. But no one ever asks me...Or calls me anymore (LOL).

WR

Hope alls well will & good to be exchanging again.sorry I never kept you up to speed on the build bud,but now you know why.ive did some revisions to the "black mamba" initially drafted last we spoke,but will restrain the youthful exuberance this time round.once bitten twice shy n all lol
Like Darwin before him Patrick has been extremely helpful the last 24 hours,& yet again at the final stage of merely connecting respective banking parties to deposit my hard earned so the build can begin.fingers crossed..

For banking, Paypal works well...


Cheers,

Will

On the other hand, I've seen posts from G&LDP regulars who cherish their collections of G&L instruments that were built before Leo died, and have no interest whatsoever in what the company has made ever since.

About half of those posts were probably mine. I do heavily favor Leo-era instruments in my collection - by about five-to-one - but I absolutely love my four post-1991 G&Ls. They are the nicest of the bunch in terms of materials and finish, and they play just as well as any of my older ones. I can't really explain the strong attraction to the older ones. A lot of it comes from lusting over them on the old G&LDP in the late 90s, when I had no way of affording any. The variability between them is another factor - for example, my hardtail mahogany F-100 being a completely different instrument sound-wise than my swamp ash DFV F-100. A personal preference for the tone and feel of the mahogany and maple bodies compared to anything on the market now is also part of the draw.

The short-list of G&Ls I'm always on the lookout for is about evenly split between Leo-era and BBE-era instruments. I tend to jump on the older ones and let the newer ones slide past, but that's mainly because of the rarity of some older ones. I know that if I don't jump on one when it's available, I could be waiting a very long time for another chance.

Ken

Darth hasn't replied because the factory is idled for a well deserved holiday break. Good thing my local guitar store's field rep takes calls at all hours, even Saturday. Looks like we've got Ray's order sorted out, just sent the bank wire info to him. What he spec'd is pretty damn cool! Can't wait see it. Imagine that, a Will Ray being played in a forward operating base, Afghanistan!

Imagine that, a Will Ray being played in a forward operating base, Afghanistan!

+1

One of my shipmates in the Persian Gulf in '91 brought his bass along on the cruise. All I can remember for sure is that I gave him crap about not playing a "real Fender" like my Jazz, and he tried to explain that his bass was better than a Fender. I didn't think about that for about twenty years, until some photos from that cruise were posted on Facebook. All I can see is a glimpse of the headstock, but I'm pretty sure it was a G&L.

I've long since lost touch with the guy, and can't even remember his first name at this point. I'm hoping a better picture will emerge.

Ken

We should only be a few hours from finally getting this underway guys.i was going to save my plaudits pat's way for when i update the SOS will ray thread when I first joined the board, but will preface some here now.
My appreciation of pat's assistance regarding the build cannot be over stated.amid our numerous exchanges these last few days We added extras that were omitted from the initial Draft.not just because I was unaware of them,but mainly due to pats many magnanimous gestures that went hand in hand with his vastly superior knowledge regarding all things G & L.THATS how you do business.If you intend to last that is anyway..
or were born to rich parents
Seriously though pat thank you so much bud.chat vai mail soon!

We should only be a few hours from finally getting this underway guys.i was going to save my plaudits pat's way for when i update the SOS will ray thread when I first joined the board, but will preface some here now.
My appreciation of pat's assistance regarding the build cannot be over stated.amid our numerous exchanges these last few days We added extras that were omitted from the initial Draft.not just because I was unaware of them,but mainly due to pats many magnanimous gestures that went hand in hand with his vastly superior knowledge regarding all things G & L.THATS how you do business.If you intend to last that is anyway..
or were born to rich parents
Seriously though pat thank you so much bud.chat vai mail soon!

You got it Ray. BTW- Will (Ray) is excited to see both of our guitars and has already asked for pictures...

You got it Ray. BTW- Will (Ray) is excited to see both of our guitars and has already asked for pictures...

i think we're both gonna do the great one proud pat,& obviously post some pics here as well to share with our sibling gassers.transaction just about complete,all thats needed is another term of an endearment now the black mamba has been scrapped.
"major troutage" has got some pizazz about it methinks

Great avatar, Black Page!

Ken

all thats needed is another term of an endearment now the black mamba has been scrapped.
"major troutage" has got some pizazz about it methinks

Major Troutage is a great name. Great song, man it deserves its own logo! Like some fish looking imperious, dressed to the nines in a military uniform!

Great avatar, Black Page!

Ken

lol thanks ken.when pat & I did the transfer today I got pretty amped & gave my profile a quick touch up.
Amazing the youthful exuberance that return in grown men once the gas monster has taken hold
Cheers mate.

Major Troutage is a great name. Great song, man it deserves its own logo! Like some fish looking imperious, dressed to the nines in a military uniform!

Lmao pat.hear hear!
Will lays some serious meat in the first section of that tune.encompasses a good chunk of what he's about in a brief time,yet still so musical & tasteful.cant wait to try & fail at it!
that banana emote has some mojo in it as well

Major Troutage is a great name. Great song, man it deserves its own logo! Like some fish looking imperious, dressed to the nines in a military uniform! :mrgreen:

Ha! It sounds military, but the name was actually coined during a Hellecasters tour. If you were caught napping in the van, it was called "troutage" because the nap-er's face sort of resembled a trout face. If their mouth was open really wide, it was called "major troutage", indicating total exhaustion.

As I recall, there was a lot of "major troutage" going on with the first few Hellecaster tours until we learned to pace ourselves.

Funny the kind of stupid stuff that goes on during a tour.

WR

Ha! It sounds military, but the name was actually coined during a Hellecasters tour. If you were caught napping in the van, it was called "troutage" because the nap-er's face sort of resembled a trout face. If their mouth was open really wide, it was called "major troutage", indicating total exhaustion.

As I recall, there was a lot of "major troutage" going on with the first few Hellecaster tours until we learned to pace ourselves.

Funny the kind of stupid stuff that goes on during a tour.

WR

I guess that seals it then will.cause the first time I lay my eyes on this beast my mouth will be open really wide as well
Major troutage it is!