G&L Custom Shop JB in Fireburst Metallic ...

[Craig]

From a post on G&L's facebook page:

Here’s a G&L Custom Shop JB in Fireburst Metallic, pickguard delete,
matching hard rock maple neck, reverse headstock, black block inlays and neck binding.
CS2310014 is headed to G&L Premier Dealer Fret Nation in Murrieta, California

[DanDoulogos]

I like to comment on these Custom shop guitars - because I hate seeing them go by without anyone commenting on them.

That being said, I am also pathetically picky about aesthetics, and unapologetically biased in what I think looks great to me. To that end I have to fight with myself every. single. time. I make a comment on one of these gallery pic posts. Because as much as I admire my own opinions, I really like every one of the guitars I comment on, but often sound (in my own ears as I re-read my posts), like I am just complaining that someone ordered a custom guitar that lined up with their own aesthetic rather than mine.

Notwithstanding, I post anyway, because I am fine with my old curmudgeonly self.

First: I absolutely love the choice to have a reverse headstock matching the body.

Second: Love the burst, ...but the metallic under? Not so much - I'm an self-proclaimed fan of wood grains, and their aesthetic ascendency.

Third: The neck works but I'd prefer a darker, more vintage finish. I'd love to see some binding to accent/contrast the fretboard from the neck finish.

Fourth: I am on the fence with the black block-inlays. I don't find them ugly, but I don't find them attractive either. They are functional, but I don't like have more inlay than wood under my fingers, so I personally don't care for larger inlays unless they are more artsy than a simple rectangle.

Overall she's a keeper - someone is going to be pleased when that finds it's way home.

[sam]

What he said ^^^^^

With a slight editorial just to bust Dan.

The metallic works for me in this color. I appreciate woodgrain but the metallic offers some variety so this works. Darker neck, same neck finish and binding…the clean look of it all works for me. Block inlays? Have them on my Espada which I like on that guitar, but not a big fan of block inlays in general. Love the matching headstock and back of neck however!

JB’s are special basses, and every bass player should look for one and give them a try. Hint-hint

[Tooslowhand]

Just my opinion, but I don't like reverse headstocks. Makes me feel like someone should send it back because the factory made a mistake. Maybe I'm hallucinating, but I thought G&L basses had 6 neck attachment screws

[tomanche]

Some good thoughts here. Dan, regarding your third point, it looks to me as though the fingerboard has binding.

[Craig]

Just my opinion, but I don't like reverse headstocks. Makes me feel like someone should send it back because the factory made a mistake. Maybe I'm hallucinating, but I thought G&L basses had 6 neck attachment screws

The JB basses all come with 4 neck screws. Look at the other ones posted here and you will see they all have 4 neck screws, too.

[Shug]

Sweet and Smoky~~~
Shug

[DanDoulogos]

Some good thoughts here. Dan, regarding your third point, it looks to me as though the fingerboard has binding.

I think you're right! I missed it because it doesn't really stand out, blending into the finish of the neck rather than contrasting it. I would have to see it in person to decide decisively whether or not I thought it was a subtle but beautiful aesthetic. It seems contra-intuitive to me to have a binding that blends into the finish rather than contrast it. But I can understand if someone likes the feel and function of a neck binding, but doesn't like the normal contrast, such that they "hid" the binding as it were to get the feel and function without the attention grabbing contrast.

I wonder if the binding looks sharper in person, such that (say) light reflecting off it or something make it look subtly cool. Like a rusty old car with a chrome plated, monster hidden under the hood.

Good catch Tom.

[DanDoulogos]

Just my opinion, but I don't like reverse headstocks. Makes me feel like someone should send it back because the factory made a mistake. Maybe I'm hallucinating, but I thought G&L basses had 6 neck attachment screws

I can understand that.

I have loved the aesthetic of a reverse headstock long before I ever understood the physics of string bending.

Two strings of different lengths can be tuned to the same note, but the longer string will have a higher tension. That is why it is easier to bend strings on a Les Paul than on a Strat. We say this is because a Les Paul has a smaller "scale length" (the distance between the nut and the bridge), but actually the tension is across the whole string unless the string is locked at the nut.

Flipping a strat/tele style neck means decreasing the tension on the thinner strings (which now have a decreased string length compared to the normal orientation of the headstock) , and increasing the tension on the thicker strings.

That means the strings you're more likely to bend are more easily bent, and the strings you're less likely to bend are harder to bend. We're talking about a difference of only about 11.4% (average) shift in tension, but it is a large enough difference to be noticeable on the thin strings - like the difference between playing on 9s vs. on 11s.

If, like SRV, you get fatter strings on your Strat, and tune down a half-step while playing on a reverse headstock neck... I am just saying that that alone would probably make it easier to play on thicker strings. And since thicker strings will have a larger effect on magnetic fields, you'd be able to suck more tone into the signal (because of the string thickness) such that you can have the benefit of more tone from the string thickness by mitigating the tension on thicker strings via the reduced string length. The purist in me wants to be able to effortlessly punch out 2.5 note bends on a set of 12s - but all efforts to do so end in me giving up long before said digital mightiness ensues.

None of that really changes the fact that I like the look of the reverse headstocks. I liked that a neck with a reversed headstock looked like the player playing it either couldn't afford a "proper" neck, because he was so ghetto, or maybe he was just anti-establishment - bucking the norm with an in-your-face "wrong-way" neck. There was a time when that was something I thought was real cool.

I still like the aesthetic - but now I want one for the bend-i-fits too. I no longer feel energized by trying to emulate an image - rather I just like what I like and don't give a rat's about what anything thinks. In other words, I am over 50, and at peace with my persnickety self.

I don't do a lot of bending on my bass though. So it might not be as functional an option (for me at least) as it is an aesthetic - but that wouldn't stop me.

I smiled warmly when I read the bit about it looking like a factory mistake. It does look that way! I kinda like that.