Tribute S500

Technical Talk and Tips
Bluezhawk
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2012 5:56 pm

Tribute S500

Post by Bluezhawk »

I have a Tribute model S500 that is my favorite G&L in my collection for its overall tone

BUT! The neck is the classic C shape with either a 9" or a 9.5" radius. My preference is a 12" radius

One option that I am considering is to pull the fretboard off of the neck and replace it with a 12" radius board and shave the thickness of the neck to be closer to my Comanche

2nd option is to replace the neck.
What are the dimensions of the neck heel & pocket?

Would a Fender Strat neck with 22 frets fit with a little sanding & trimming? I'd have to do something about the headstock shape LOL


Thoughts?
User avatar
Craig
Site Admin
Posts: 11349
Joined: Tue Mar 03, 2009 10:52 am
Location: Either Coto De Caza, CA or Paso Robles, CA

Re: Tribute S500

Post by Craig »

Bluezhawk wrote:I have a Tribute model S500 that is my favorite G&L in my collection for its overall tone

BUT! The neck is the classic C shape with either a 9" or a 9.5" radius. My preference is a 12" radius

One option that I am considering is to pull the fretboard off of the neck and replace it with a 12" radius board and shave the thickness of the neck to be closer to my Comanche

2nd option is to replace the neck.
What are the dimensions of the neck heel & pocket?

Would a Fender Strat neck with 22 frets fit with a little sanding & trimming? I'd have to do something about the headstock shape LOL


Thoughts?
Tell us more about your current Tribute S-500: what is the serial number?
Did you buy this new or used. Please post a photo of the front and back of the headstock.
AFAIK, the Made in Korea and Made in Indonesia Tribute S-500 model came with a 12" radius fretboard.
--Craig [co-webmaster of guitarsbyleo.com, since Oct. 16, 2000]
Welcome! Read This First
Got a G&L question? Check out the: G&L Knowledgebase
Current G&L Specifications and Options
Bluezhawk
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2012 5:56 pm

Re: Tribute S500

Post by Bluezhawk »

The serial number is 071244375

I bought it used from Guitar Center in Dallas but from all appearances, I think it was likely that it was a NOS model. No signs of play and I think that it had the original D'Addario strings on it. They were in the worst condition that I've ever seen a set of strings and the guitar sounded terrible until I put a new set on it. The only flaw on the guitar was a slight mar in the clear coat which has since buffed out

I measured the neck tonite and to my surprise, the only dimension that is different is it is a little thicker at the 1st fret than my Comanche. I couldn't find my radius gauges but it does feel like a different radius than my Comanche

Thanks in advance for your assistance
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qigodu47j9i0az6/AADB01_vC3ZuQxNrMMBoRVhla?dl=0
NOTE: this link failed urlvoid.com check and has been changed to be non-clickable link-USE THIS LINK AT YOUR OWN RISK-Admin
[timage=]https://www.dropbox.com/home/S500?preview=2.jpg[/timage]

[timage=]https://www.dropbox.com/home/S500?preview=1.jpg[/timage]

[timage=]https://www.dropbox.com/home/S500?preview=3.jpg[/timage]

[timage=]https://www.dropbox.com/home/S500?preview=4.jpg[/timage]

Admin note: Here are your photos inline:
Image

Image

Image

Image
Last edited by Craig on Thu Sep 19, 2019 7:54 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Admin added the images inline and removed clickable link.
User avatar
Craig
Site Admin
Posts: 11349
Joined: Tue Mar 03, 2009 10:52 am
Location: Either Coto De Caza, CA or Paso Robles, CA

Re: Tribute S500

Post by Craig »

For the specifications for the 2007 Tribute S-500, see: http://web.archive.org/web/200801011830 ... /index.asp

Hope this helps.
--Craig [co-webmaster of guitarsbyleo.com, since Oct. 16, 2000]
Welcome! Read This First
Got a G&L question? Check out the: G&L Knowledgebase
Current G&L Specifications and Options
Bluezhawk
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2012 5:56 pm

Re: Tribute S500

Post by Bluezhawk »

I stand corrected. The neck certainly feels different from my Comanche but according to the spec chart, it isn't

The 07 in the serial number indicates that year of mfg? Is there a way to reference serial numbers so a person could find the specs of a guitar that they were interested in?

Thanks again
User avatar
Craig
Site Admin
Posts: 11349
Joined: Tue Mar 03, 2009 10:52 am
Location: Either Coto De Caza, CA or Paso Robles, CA

Re: Tribute S500

Post by Craig »

Bluezhawk wrote:I stand corrected. The neck certainly feels different from my Comanche but according to the spec chart, it isn't

The 07 in the serial number indicates that year of mfg? Is there a way to reference serial numbers so a person could find the specs of a guitar that they were interested in?

Thanks again
Yes, the Tribute Series have the build Year and Month as part of the serial number. See: Serial number significance.
--Craig [co-webmaster of guitarsbyleo.com, since Oct. 16, 2000]
Welcome! Read This First
Got a G&L question? Check out the: G&L Knowledgebase
Current G&L Specifications and Options
User avatar
dhgleaves
Posts: 281
Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2016 3:54 pm
Location: Adelaide, South Australia

Re: Tribute S500

Post by dhgleaves »

Bluezhawk wrote:I stand corrected. The neck certainly feels different from my Comanche but according to the spec chart, it isn't

The 07 in the serial number indicates that year of mfg? Is there a way to reference serial numbers so a person could find the specs of a guitar that they were interested in?

Thanks again
Regarding the second part of your question, for US models, yes. You can contact G&L with the serial number and they can tell you the specs of that specific guitar. Unfortunately for Tributes, I don't believe they can do that.

David
User avatar
Craig
Site Admin
Posts: 11349
Joined: Tue Mar 03, 2009 10:52 am
Location: Either Coto De Caza, CA or Paso Robles, CA

Re: Tribute S500

Post by Craig »

dhgleaves wrote:
Bluezhawk wrote:I stand corrected. The neck certainly feels different from my Comanche but according to the spec chart, it isn't

The 07 in the serial number indicates that year of mfg? Is there a way to reference serial numbers so a person could find the specs of a guitar that they were interested in?

Thanks again
Regarding the second part of your question, for US models, yes. You can contact G&L with the serial number and they can tell you the specs of that specific guitar. Unfortunately for Tributes, I don't believe they can do that.

David
The 2009-present Tribute Series specifications can be found in the Specifications and Options sub-forum (sorted by Subject).

Hope this helps.
--Craig [co-webmaster of guitarsbyleo.com, since Oct. 16, 2000]
Welcome! Read This First
Got a G&L question? Check out the: G&L Knowledgebase
Current G&L Specifications and Options