Gettin' back into G&L with a new Legacy

[pauliewalnuts]

After playing countless Fenders, and making my own partscasters, I was drawn in by a clients new Legacy he brought in for a setup. After I was done with it I was diggin' how nice it played. I've had some G&Ls in the past, and the one reason I couldn't bond with them is the strings were higher off the pickguard than any other strat style guitar I've ever played. I guess on the newer models they made the neck pocket deeper, which lets the bridge sit lower as well. I've always noticed the pickups on the Legacy had to be pretty much fully adjusted as high as they could go on the ones I had, but on his new one they sat much lower...so I looked on ebay and made a stupid low offer and snagged a new one for myself in black, with a "V" profile maple neck. Weighs just 7.65 lbs (I likes em light) Comes with a G&G tolex case. The frets on his seem a little large, but I quickly got used to them.
I can't wait to get it!

[yowhatsshakin]

Congrats!! Let us know how she plays and handles and whether or of your concerns on previous G&L's have been addressed.

- Jos

[Craig]

Hi Paul!

Nice to see you back on the G&LDP.

Check out this post in the G&L Knowledgebase, Tech Tips sub-forum: Current Factory setups for DF vibrato G&L guitars.

Don't forget to add this one to our G&L Registry.

[darwinohm]

Paul, these new ones are lower to the pickguard that the older ones. The neck pocket has not been changed but the setup has been changed due to the quality control of the new G&Ls. Craig explained this a few weeks ago as we did some measuring. They are revising the setup specs to reflect these changes. They are really fine instruments.-- Darwin

[pauliewalnuts]

thanks, I missed that thread. The ones I had earlier definitely had shallow neck pockets. There was no way to get that bridge low without the strings bottoming out on the fretboard, even with shimming. I remember I had a 90's S500 that had a low bridge setup but the neck was too thin. When I saw my client's Legacy, I was thrilled to see it really low! I always wondered why it was almost a quarter inch off the body!

[californiakev]

So what about the guitars out there with shallow neck pockets? Can they be fixed?

[pauliewalnuts]

a good luthier could deepen the neck pocket if you really wanted to lower it. Would need some touching up around the edges I'd imagine too.

[Boogie Bill]

I LIKE the strings higher off the body. I was ALWAYS hitting the middle pickup on my old strat. I still hit it with the Legacy, but not as often. And the DF Vibrato is such a superior design to the Fender Vintage or 2-point vibratos...it was a no-brainer for me. Now that I'm used to it, I find it really awkward to play a Fender anymore.

Bill

[johnnyqb]

It seems to me too that the newer Legacys have a better shape in the manner you describe. I bought a brand new one about 4 years ago, and the fretboard was pretty high above the body, so the pups were high and the bridge too. I never liked that setup. The newer ones seem to have the sleeker ergonomics more like a strat. In any event, I have a brand new one as well, and it amazes me every time I play it.

[willross]

Now that I'm used to it, I find it really awkward to play a Fender anymore.

I experienced that last night. It was unpleasant to say the least. Thanks alot, G&L!


Cheers,

Will