G&L or fender?

[leerummey]

hi there
ive been saving my pennies and am almost ready to purchase a new electric
question is this im torn between a G&L or a fender
(i am aware that G&L are by leo fender )
does anyone own or have they played a G&L ? if yes id be very inerested in their opinions
the fender im cosidering is the eric clapon signiture strat (nearly double the price of the G&L ive seen in my local guitar shop )
many thanks in advance all

[Happy Jack]

Firstly are you referring to a G&L Tribute or a G&L USA

G&L like Fender manufacture two levels of guitar if you like

Fender have Made in Mexico (MIM) Fenders and Made In America (MIA) Fenders - the quality of the MIA Fenders is better then the MIM. In between those there are the Classic Player Series which are MIM but have in the main better quality hardware and pick-ups (USA made)

G&L have the Tribute series made in the far east possibly by Cort and the USA series made in America. The Tribute series have American made pick ups and bridges.

I have a G&L Tribute and it is in my opinion as good if not better then my Fender Classic Player but it isn't a patch on my Fender USA but it is as good as some MIA Fenders I have played

The thing to bear in mind though is that G&L guitars sound like G&L guitars they don't sound quite like Fenders which can be a good thing .... or a bad thing. The G&L pick-ups on my guitar are hotter then a Fender single coil almost between a single coil and a P90 if you want

I have never played a USA G&L but I suspect they will be as good if not better quality then a USA Fender for the money but it won't sound quite like a Fender

Certainly the G&L Tribute is a great guitar for the money and second hand G&L USA guitars come up occasionally on Ebay at pretty good prices

I think you need to try a few because they do sound different but either choice isn't going to be a bad one

All my opinion

At the moment the G&L is my go to guitar - this week ;D ;D ;D ;D

But I love Fenders ;D

[pwfirst]

Quality guitars are quality guitars and will serve you well for years. and if you go to sell them they maintain their value. Non-USA guitar can often be a good value but will never maintain there value so look in the purse and determine what you can afford. Each brand has its own flavor so decide what you like and folow that path.

[leerummey]

agreed pw quality is quality
thankyou

[leerummey]

hi hj how ya been?
seems like i need to get me hands on a usa G&L
cheers buddy

[rayden44]

I didn't know about G&L for a long time. Wish I had. The G&L tributes beat out squier guitars easy - heavier, built of better stuff, better sounding.

Differences with USA / tribute for G&L are in the body/neck wood and the tuners. The bridge, pickups and wiring are the same in G&L Tribute and USA models. That said, according to their website they use G&L use swamp ash on most of the tributes, and alder on their USA models - so you're still not talking about some of the random woods used in a lot of cheaper models.

Realistically, if you're after a keeper, and a real go to guitar - hold the money, look for a special guitar. Go to stores, play lots try to find something that feels right. My Squier CV Thinline gave me that feeling, nice easy neck, and light guitar. Change of pickups and it's a happy guitar. I was going to sell my epiphone em-1, but since I still have it I might try rebel p90's in there.

[nashvegas]

So, what makes a clapton model special? (Yes, Eric is special.)

25 dbz boost circuit. neck shaping. piece of wood behind trem unit.

For my money, the American Deluxe strat or the G&L is just as good. The Deluxe has a boost circuit (S-1) and better body shaping at the neck pocket.

[leerummey]

so ....
from what im reading (call me ignorant lol )
i could buy a G&L tribute , change a few bits i,e pick ups etc and i'd have a better guitar than a tribute ?
albeit a tribute ?
thankyou all for your help and advice btw

[Happy Jack]

Feb 20, 2011 12:45:43 GMT -5 leerummey said:

so ....
from what im reading (call me ignorant lol )
i could buy a G&L tribute , change a few bits i,e pick ups etc and i'd have a better guitar than a tribute ?
albeit a tribute ?
thankyou all for your help and advice btw

Well you could change the tuners but most of the hardware is USA made including the pick-ups.

I think the Clapton strat is overpriced for what it is

[leerummey]

ive been doing some reasearch and i also think the clapton strat is overpriced
talk about paying for the name lol

[Happy Jack]

Feb 20, 2011 13:02:52 GMT -5 leerummey said:

ive been doing some reasearch and i also think the clapton strat is overpriced
talk about paying for the name lol

If you aren't bothered about the name on the headstock - Godin and Levenson amongst many others make some good stratolikes

[pwfirst]

I have a Clapton Strat. One of my facorite guitars. It has a soft V neck that I really like. The additional circut has turned out to very versitile for performing, It is like an additional boost with a little gravel in it. The guitar is qualitly inside and out with the exception of the pick guard it is a single ply some what flexable guard. Turners are good, never goes out of tune.
The tremolo is blocked. Since I never use a wammy bar that is not an issue. Great guitar but you do pay for the Clapton name. The case is a retro hard case that is cool tweed .

[rayden44]

Sorry, I seem to have been confusing with my comments about upgrading my squier. The thing that is THE SAME between the USA and Tribute model G&L's is the Pickups, Wiring, and Bridge. The things that are DIFFERENT are the body/neck woods, and the tuners - and obviously who put them together. G&L pickups are hot and pretty good from my experience - so I wouldn't change them.

The woods most of the Tributes use aren't nasty woods tho, infact Ash seems to be one of the woods I really like the sound of. Most guitars I like seem to be made of it tho how much of a difference it actually makes compared to say Alder is a bit of an unknown quantity to me.

Regarding the EC Strat, yes I really like EC. However I also believe it is over priced for what you get. I would head more for a Robert Cray if I was a strat guy, or just ignore the artist series altogether and look for a good quality guitar that suited me, and not 'them'. I have also heard some horror stories about very bad setups on some EC strats.

I still strongly encourage playing whatever you looking to buy and see if it gives you a good feeling to play. These are the ones you end up keeping, and are the ones I personally still have

[Happy Jack]

Well to help in your research I am just about to get my hands on a Tribute Legacy

[Happy Jack]

On another forum I came across a G&L Legacy Tribute. Blueburst with a maple neck.

The price was right and even though Lesblues tried to talk me out of it I bit the bullet.

My excuse for buying another guitar was

1. Research for Lee - tenuous I admit
2. I haven't got a blue guitar

It came yesterday in a rather fetching camouflage Gator hardcase which will help me in sneaking it past Mrs Jack and if I get chosen to do any SAS missions I can take it with me. Not sure the SAS need any unfit fat blokes though.

Anyway this guitar is one heavy piece of swamp ash much heavier then my Strat. It is built like a tank and if I need to go to war there is no chance of it being damaged.

Lovely hard rock maple neck with a maple fingerboard

The tone controls are individual bass and treble a bit weird but useful.

Alnico pickups - sweeter and less twangy then a Fender but still with stat quack in 2 and 4

The bridge and trem system is a huge chunk of metal and the tuner seem to work well

Fettled the action a little and it is a really nice playing guitar

Quality wise I would say it is on par with my USA Fender strat

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