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G&L LB-100 Bass Greenburst Quarter Sawn Neck

The Precision Bass was Leo Fender's follow up act to his legendary Telecaster. The G&L LB-100  (Leo's Bass) respects the past but moves forward with thoughtful improvements and a broad range of tones. With an eye-catching Greenburst finish, Swamp Ash body and optional JB-inspired quarter-sawn neck, the LB-100 gives traditionalists a true taste of the G&L experience.

This custom USA LB-100 features:

  • Greenburst finish on Swamp Ash, 9.0 pounds
  • Satin finish quarter-sawn maple neck
  • Dark Rosewood fretboard with dot inlays
  • Medium jumbo frets
  • G&L #8 neck, 9.5" radius, 1-1/2" nut width
  • G&L tuners with lightweight aluminum split posts
  • Tortoiseshell pickguard
  • G&L Alnico V P-style split middle pickup, noise cancelling
  • G&L non-compression truss rod
  • Volume and tone controls
  • Deluxe tolex hardshell case w/build sheet and paperwork
  • Made in Fullerton, CA

 

Leo Fender's original precision bass was developed to help acoustic bass players compete the electric guitars, and the increasing volume levels of Western Swing Bands that were so popular in the 50's. The "precision" part of the name comes from having frets, which of course traditional acoustic double basses don't have. So the heritage of the LB-100 is obvious, but totally justified given Leo Fender's association with G&L. While you don't see a lot of green bass guitars, G&L's Greenburst finish really glows and shows off the Swamp Ash grain. And while a tortoiseshell pickguard sounds like a very odd addition, somehow it sorta works. Using Swamp Ash as the body wood scoops the midrange a bit and adds a touch more high end detail and clarity. While Swamp Ash is getting harder to find and some builders have dropped it all together, it's a favorite of ours and still available from G&L

 One of Leo's refinements include tuners with aluminum posts help save a little weight and provide better balance. But weight is not spared on their saddle lock bridge. Solidly constructed and anchored into -- not just on -- the body, the saddle lock bridge also features a locking set screw on the side. The set screw is used to clamp the solid brass saddles together tight for increased coupling, sustain, and fewer sympathetic vibrations.

The G&L-made Alnico 5 pickup has a nice wide -- and low noise -- response, and even with its central mounting location provides an ample amount of high end content. The hand-wired full size pots provide generous tone shaping capabilities, and while the LB-100 can slap with the best of them, it's no problem to dial in more mellow tones that are rounder, softer, and more typical of what you might expect from a P-Bass. This bass has the capability to be very aggressive or laid back and jazzy.

We optioned this bass with a 1-1/2" nut width quarter-sawn neck. The narrower nut width is reminiscent of the Fender Jazz bass, and is our favorite width for easy playing comfort. The quarter-sawn neck means that the grain of the wood is perpendicular to the fretboard (instead of parallel as with a standard flat sawn neck). The wood grain orientation means that the neck is stiffer, more stable, and more responsive. Plus if you've ever had a bass with dead spots, a quarter-sawn neck pretty much eliminates the chance of that happening.

The LB-100 is not fussy or complex but is neatly executed and solidly built with top-notch hardware and materials. The result is a big, natural sounding instrument that can slot into almost any playing situation or style of music. When you get the fundamentals right, you don't need a lot of bells and whistles.