L-2000 bass advice

[john o]

Hi all, I am seeking some opinions about "3 screw" vs "6 screw" neck joints of L-2000 basses.
I am helping my son shop for basses and we are zeroing in used L-2000's, both usa and tribute models.
I don't know alot about basses. I have no performance issues with my "3 screw" G&L guitars, but I noticed that the current bass necks are rather different. Any opinions or recommendations? Much appreciated!

[guitar_ed]

Hi,

I have both 3-bolt basses and guitars. The issue with them is that "everybody knows" that the 3-bolt approach "does not work very well", and that the 4-bolt and 6-bolt approach "is superior." You and I both know that this is not true. But.......

You can go broke using a fine, even superior, approach to a problem if "everybody knows" otherwise.

The flip side is that you & I can find very playable guitars & basses for less money because nobody else wants them.

As for why do people not like the 3-bolts? I read somewhere, maybe on this site, I'm not sure, that when Fender first released their 3-bolt guitars & basses, they did a poor implementation. Thus they have a poor reputation.

Take care,

edg

[john o]

Thx, Ed, for your response. Reinforces what I've thought.
I had one of those 3 screw Fenders back in the 70's, but had no problems with that either.
The newer 6 screw arrangement certainly looks different than the 3 screw on basses. However, can't say I've seen any negative press on the latter in the G&L camp with regard to stability/performance. I'll check around a bit more before I decide.

[Danley]

Even four bolt necks will be unstable with large gaps and such, that Fender had in their worst years. My F100 (3 bolt) has the tightest neck pocket I've ever experienced- almost too tight, I worry about finish chipping if I ever remove the neck (in honesty I hope I never have to do it again.)

I am intrigued by the Fender implementation which uses a thick bolt rather than a wood screw. Seems like it could have made a good impression with the correct amount of QC, and wish G&L were still three bolt- but also get why it doesn't really matter except for interchangeability.

[KenC]

I've owned eight L-2000s, all of them three-bolt, and haven't had any problems with neck stability. I've owned about a dozen other three-bolt G&L basses with no problems. The only thing I would watch out for is ski jump, in case a previous owner did bad things with the tilt adjuster.

I agree with others that internet "wisdom" about three-bolt necks being inherently bad comes from poor Fender QA during their three-bolt days. I've owned two 1970s Fender basses. One had a pocket that was tight at the top but widened out by about 1/8" at the bottom. The other had a gap wide enough to use as a pick holder. Those issues would not have been fixed by a fourth screw.

I think one possible limitation of three vs. four or more bolts is if they go through oversized holes in the body. I don't remember running into that with older G&Ls, which have the screws threaded through the body. I have owned other brands that drilled a hole slightly larger than the screw's diameter. That plus a oversized pocket will let the neck shift out of alignment pretty easily. Extra screws would give a tighter grip in that case.

Ken

[john o]

Thx Ken and Danley. I have my sights on a '96 3-screw L-2000, sunburst, decent price. We'll see how that plays out. Sure looks nice.