G&L Placentia JB - Why Would Anyone Want This Bass? - LowEndLobster Review
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- Опубликовано: 25 окт 2024
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G&L Placentia JB: www.guitarcent...
Hey everyone! Today we're reviewing the latest budget Jazz bass from G&L... and it's not pretty.
This bass and all my other basses with rounds are strung with SIT Foundation Nickel Plated Stainless Steel 45-105(125) unless otherwise noted. Check them out at sitstrings.com/
Info on my signal chain, setup and more: • FAQ: My Signal Chain, ...
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"There's so many corners cut it's practically a circle!" - Lobster's best quote so far. Thanks for being honest. You're saving people time and money. Love ya dude!
Agreed. I can't believe G&L would put this out.
For 100 bucks more their JB tribute has the high mass bridge, G&L tuner, neck tint, binded neck and block inlays.
(They are my preffered Bass brand too. If you didn't notice lol)
The key to making the Placentia bass sound good is to only play umbilical chords.
It's part of the G&L Afterbirth series. This bass is much better than the CerviX. Mine sounded like total crap until I replaced my Sovtek tubes with NOS Fallopians.
@@MisterNiles Afterbirth series... 🙂
Oooof. I’d rather have a Squier Affinity Jazz Bass in my studio than this and you can actually find a good Affinity if you search hard enough. This was painful to watch and hear, but this is why your channel has so much staying power. Your honesty and diverse selection of instruments makes your content top notch!
its just as likely one of these was decently built. Only the VM tier of Squiers is even worth sneezing at.
Leo Fender is rolling in his grave. Hard to call this a G&L. I paid $500 bucks for my G&L M2000 GTB which is a stellar bass. This bass makes the Harley Benton MV-4JB Gotoh look and sound like a 2 grand bass. I totally agree with your quote ..."why".
I just bought my first G&L, a Tribute Series JB-2 in Shell Pink. It's coming tomorrow, and I can't wait!
Great honest review. G&L needs to fix this before it does damage to their brand. Imagine if this is the first G&L you ever played? You would never give them a chance again.
As much as this knocks G&Ls reputation, it is great for your credibility, as a reviewer. Finally seeing a bass that I never want to buy.
Love your reviews. Keep up the good work.
Definitely. This is not the instrument you want for any purpose and he's letting it have it
Your reviews are the best in YT, Lobster. I really appreciate it that you call 'em as you see 'em. Most "reviews" out there are far too worshipful. At the same time, there are others who unfairly trash the instruments they review. We can trust your reviews because they're fair and honest, which is important when one is considering a major purchase. Thanks!
Wish I had watched review first but purchased at Musician Friend stupid deal for $299.00. It was even less at GC Daily Pick. I guess I got lucky with not having some of the issues cited, no wiggly tuners. For me the protective film came off pick guard with ease, there is no unfinished wood showing at neck pocket, neck has very nice finish.
I am a keyboard player learning bass for fun. Thanks for the awesome review.
glad you JUST put this out, scoped out one of these in the same finish for resale at 300 Canadian, almost pulled the trigger based on the rep of G&L. Thanks for saving me a few hundy!
If this is their budget line, why is it ONLY 50 dollars cheaper than the tribute series?
Right?! The Tribute series is well established and evolving. This series is just.... I don't even know
I love my G&L L-1000 and L-2000. I saw you were reviewing a JB and thought “how cool” but wondered, “What’s Placentia” ? After watching I got a shock and thought “why would they ? We are living in crazy times.
YES, this cheapie bass does have serious potential if you want to put in the work to make it a better bass. Out of the box it is not the best as it can be. I did a bunch of work to mine to get to play great. If you are wanting a bass to hone your skills as a tech, this is a perfect starting point. you do have some building blocks to work with. First thing to go off this bass was the neck plate. plastic does not belong on any neck plate so take it off. Get a high mass neck plate. I install these on all bolt on neck guitars that accept Fender neck plates that spend time on my bench. Major improvement. Do a full setup to correct the issues and you will have a playable instrument. I did not stop there.
Those cheapie tuners have PVC bushings in the holes. Want to upgrade the tuners? You're in luck. Take out the old tuners, then you want to extract the PVC bushings. This pretty much gives you a standard G&L neck after taking out the PVC bushings so you can install the Grovers or Graph Tech Ratio tuners if you so choose. Be careful when removing the PVC bushings cause it is tricky to do. I installed a set of Grovers I had in my shop. I pressed in the steel bushings and drilled the screw holes and the Grovers covered up the old screw holes from the cheapie tuners. Tuner problem solved.
The bad buzzing can be fixed by a simple truss rod adjustment because you will need to loosen the truss rod then get some neck relief. Some of these imports have the truss rods cranked down to where the neck has a serious back bow and you will get tons of buzzing when that happens, Time on the bench is required. I did have to do some dressing of the ends on the frets because fret sprout will happen on imports. There is no such thing as a perfect instrument out of the box for a production run instrument. Bench time is always required. You will need a few tools for this job to do it right and also time. Fret and neck problem solved.
The pickup rout is NOT the problem. The route will accept EMG pickups just fine. The problem is the screw holes for the pickups, on the plastic covers, are allowing the pickups to hang up so redrilling those holes will allow for more clearance. These pickups have a longer than usual place where the screws go through. Inside the cavity are pieces of neoprene foam. it is a small piece and not what I install when installing pickups. I will be installing an EMG JV52 set and this bass will accept this set. I had to order a set of these. EMG pickups go in my guitars. Add a bigger piece of foam when doing the install. The foam acts like and adjustment spring and also keep the pickups from being wobbly This is a great bass for one who likes to do mods. The EMG JV 52 pickups are passive and they are very easy to install and they are much better than stock. Pickup problem solved.
The bridge mounting holes are at the same spacing as a Fender. You are able to install a Hipshot Kickass bridge with brass saddle inserts just like I will be installing on mine. A Graph Tech Tusq XL nut is a must on this bass. A set of GHS stainless steel flatwound strings will be installed on this bass and don't forget the fret wrap from Gruv Gear. You will need to put in the work but it can be a great bass.
1:53 Well that's literally almost every US made Fender neck pocket.
Your honesty is truly appreciated!
Wow that's a real dog! Not sure if I remember you dishing a one claw review before!
It takes time to build a great reputation but destroying one is much easier! I hope G&L sort this out.
Lobster you are without a doubt the best reviewer anywhere. You don't hold back nor do you aim to please manufacturers so you can get some free stuff. That review was brutal, but deservedly so. I mean I would not care if it was the best bass on the market. The name is atrocious. I don't know about any other bass players but when I hear/see the name Placentia I do not think of a bass. How in the world did that name get passed by the folks responsible for naming. Did they have the naming meeting and all agree, "Yeah, Placentia, great name. Made in China says it all. You're the best Lobster Man!!!
I love G&L USA basses, which are some of the best basses in the business! This is just sad and now I cannot unsee it. Thanks! haha
"spoiler alert: no" haha made me laugh hard! the look on your face was similar to the face I make when I find something the cat peed on! haha
Played one yesterday, it was fucking great.
I am also shocked that G&L can actually make a bad Jazz bass! Thanks for the review
Thanks. I always love and enjoy your reviews because you always tell us the truth.
Believe it or not, but I own a Hamer SLAMMER budget jazz bass in Midnight Blue made in Korea (possibly late 1980's). And the body is made out of,....(drum roll, please) Two, maybe three SHEETS OF TRIPLE-PLY PLYWOOD laminated together. The only way you can tell at first glance is by shining a light on the curverd body heel at the top and you can actually see the grain pattern of the milled ply-wood. And odd as that sounds, it's doesn't effect the sound at all. It makes a great practice or beater bass.
I just ordered one of these on a similar sale. It sure looks and sounds good and I hope it doesn’t have the QC issues yours did. If it’s that bad I can always send it back!
Thanks for your review I actually just bought this bass and some of the cosmetic problems. You are definitely point on,,particularly the bridge cavity is poorly carved out. But the neck pocket on mines is pretty good. I actually owned a couple of Sire Basses. They cost to little bit more than this G&L. With a good set up. The neck is plays pretty darn good and the pick ups in my opinion are excellent especially for them to be single coil passive pick ups has a nice little funky sound that I appreciate. I respect your review, I think it was a bit overstated how bad the base is, but everybody is entitled to their opinion, I’ve been playing over 30 years myself. There’s definitely some improvements that can be made on this base that might rise the price up. Seriously when you was playing, the bass actually sound pretty darn good that’s all that matters. You might have to pay a bass technician to set it up the way you want. I do that with playing high end basses, because they don’t always feel perfect after you spend ridiculous money,,at least on this cheap base I don’t mine put a little money into it to make it feel and sound like a high end or expensive base. Overall, the pickups and electronics on his bass is great!! But I do agree the price is a little too much for this particular bass if it were like 299 to 350 it will be okay.
I own two G&L M2000 Tributes and they are fantastic instruments - beautifully made and sound great. This saddens me that G&L would put their name on a cheap Chinese bass with so many cosmetic issues. Surely they have better options? Why couldn’t the Tribute factory produce some budget models with similar specs to the “umbilical” model?
I don’t think it sounds as bad as the quality leads you to believe. I bought a L-2000 tribute and am happy with it however it’s the cheapest bass I own. Doubt I would be happy with this one with all the QC issues. Thanks for the review bro.
The more reviews I watch the happier I am with my choice of buying a Sire V5R in large part thanks to your honesty.
I'd love to see what you think about the Fullerton Deluxe JB. I'm a fairly new player and have one. I get lots of compliments for it whenever I let more experienced players use it. My bass teacher even said it's one of the best sounding jazz basses he's ever seen
Their MIA stuff is absolutely fantastic, even their Tribute series is pretty good value. Seems to just be the Placentia series that is bombing
@@brazenhead262 I started out on a tribute l2000. Other than the nut wearing out kinda fast, it was a high quality instrument. And bone nuts are easy to come by. The only reason I switched to the JB is for a slimmer neck
@@jerryjb yeah I love the sounds from my Tribute L-2000 but it's very heavy and the neck is a bit bulky, so it doesn't see as much play time as my others
I have the Fullerton Deluxe JB as well. Love it!!!
I've owned ten G&L basses (and currently have three) and these are a total blight on the franchise. Hell I got a Tribute JB from MF for 299 shipped, and it's fantastic. Sad to see them scraping the bottom of the market like this.
“Its almost a circle!”
Nice
Even though it looks like a Fender bass it has that G&L tonal characteristics.
What a shame! I have played many G&L basses over the years, both Fullerton made and the Tribute series and they were all great instruments.
Woua, Halloween is not over yet ?
I literally just bought an Affinity P+J bass from ProAudioStar for $170. It's obviously a low quality, entry level instrument but for one third the price of this G&L, it was close to perfect out of the box. No route issues, tuners are what you expect for a sun $500 instrument, zero sharp fret edges, one or two slightly high frets. If you arent too aggressive of a bassist, it was giggable out of the box. I'd say G&L needs to seriously re-evaluate this series. Looks like a few bad choices were made and the implementation was even worse.
It’s a shame about the QC on this bass, but it’s honestly one of my favorite sounding jazz basses I’ve heard. It has a more modern and fuller sound than the average jazz bass. That bridge pickup is *muah*
It looks like these are available only available at Guitar Center, Musicians Friend, Woodwind and Brasswind, and Music Arts. All of those are corporate related retailers. These have made regular appearances as Stupid Deal of the Day. I suspect that these are FSR's made to be marked down to $249-299. But we all know what mama said about Stupid
Can't even find this on the G&L website. They don't seem to be proud of those instruments themselves lol
If you want a damn good bass and looks to boot, get one of the Squier 40th anniversary edition basses. I bought 2 Jazz gold editions in ruby red used from Reverb and they are awesome. Other than a gloss neck like a basketball court these things are built well, sound fantastic and still make for an awesome upgrade platform.
And you can fix the neck with some steel wool (and a little effort).
@@scottbrower9052 Thanks for the tip. I’ll give it a go.
I just bought a Fazley Outlaw P-bass, just for fun. 199 euro.... roasted maple, rolled fingerboard edges and frets. Perfectly level frets, 3-piece ash body and great rubbed finish, Graphtec nut, D'Addario strings. Hardware is above "Squier affinity" quality, works good. Setup was fine out of the box. Pickup is cheap, but pretty good. Then the G&L....500....wow....
I got a G&L Placentia series ASAT from Musicians Friend in a similar sale earlier this year and it's also pretty bad. When I contacted G&L to ask them for specs, they would not provide them and only said they didn't make them (no duh) and the factory made them from their general specs. When I continued the conversation and asked about a particular issue I had with the bridge, they ghosted me so it looks like even they're a little ashamed of this series.
Thanks for the warning. I'm waiting for the Peanis up grade.
Hey Lobster! Always appreciate your honest review, just wondering is there any chance you could review the new Cort GB Modern bass? That bass has some good hardware, but I don't know how it play and sound. Your review would be very helpful for me, thanks!
I'm struggling to understand what market G&L was going for with this one. They have a high end line and a very respected mid range line, then they go and release a Glarry tier bass for double the price
Considering what you can get for $500 these days, this is unforgivable. The obvious option here is to get a Sire; probably the absolute kings of that price range.
There are so many choices at the 500 and less point. So if the QC is that bad I would give this bass a pass. That said I did like the sound with everything turned to 100%.
Love your hohnest reviews👌
So after this review, GC just put it on the Daily Pick for $279.99 ! (12-08-22). No way I'm paying even that much after Lobsters review. Thanks so much Lobster. PS: Is it just me or did Lobsters playing make even this crappy Bass sound decent ? 😀
I guess being a Placentia bass , it's the After Bass I guess?
I have the Tribute JB its a nice bass.
Haha, - just wanted you to know your humor wasn't wasted.
devils advocate - it has a pretty decent tone and I can tell you like it too by your smile at 11:14 :)
Sounds like someone in marketing convinced management to offer a budget line. Sadly they did not consider the damage it might do to their reputation.
Makes me wonder what the decision process was to put this bass into production. Would love to see a deep dive on the process from drawing board to showroom. I don’t own a G&L but I know they have a good rep. Sad to see this low quality bass put into production. Someone not knowing better is going to get ripped off.
Wow... I wanted to (eventually) buy a G&L bass, but I'm now having second thoughts.
Sure, the ones I'm interested in are from their more expensive series, but the fact that they're willing to put their name on such a pile of shit shakes my confidence in the brand.
I guess I might buy another Sire...
I still think the Tribute and US series G&Ls are definitely worth checking out. I'm a big fan of my L2500 and L1k. This Placentia series is just major poo.
@@LowEndLobster Yeap, I know they're great (and I loved your reviews of those), it's just that treating their customers like this is a huge disappointment!
To be fair Lobster, you could take a biscuit tin and an elastic band and make it sound better than me on a Fodera. Sounds very nice to me...
i have a recommendation for a next bass for a review: the ibanez gsr180
i haven't found a proper demo of it here on youtube and would also love to hear your opinion on it(if you're interested of course)
My G&L JB says Guitars by Leo. I only play made in Fullerton basses. I also have
a SB 2 Guitars by Leo and my 63 P bass I bought in 63. It's all about keeping it
real. Upgrade to SD or EMG pickups in your cheap basses for a way better sound.
Los Angeles Blues bassist
Oh boy! A J bass knockoff. What an original idea. I think G&L is on to something here. If only other companies were savvy enough to get in on the P and J knockoff market from the ground floor, they'd be the mega empire that G&L is today. (Insert eye roll emoji here). very enjoyable review, though Lobster. I don't think you've hated a bass more. :)
As a side note, I like the Carter Vintage t-shirt. Being in Nashville, that's a dangerous place to be near (at least for my wallet).
Should someone tell the good folks of Placentia?! Brutal name.
The guy who thought of this idea, sold it to the executives & managed it all the way through production is already fired. If anything, this bass deserves one decrepit, mangled, Creature From The Black Lagoon claw (not just one regular lobster claw).
Lobster, whats your favorite / best 5 string jazz bass you have ever played? one with a killer B string...I am on the market for one....
Hey Mr.Lobster, great video as always, it would be really cool if you could review a tribute version of the L2500
I want to get one for myself, your opinion would be really helpful, thanks!
I for sure was expecting the first zero claw in lowend lobster history. I don't remember a worse review.
I was drawn to this bass because I needed a beginner bass, and I am from Placentia. Disappointed to hear it is awful, but glad to find out before I spent money.
If it costs about the same as the tribute line, Why would they make this? I don't get it.
Just bought an L2k tribute lefty on special offer at Guitar Guitar here in UK. The QC on that one left much to be desired as well and there have been others who've had problems.
I sorted the problem myself and it does play and sound great.
However I picked up a used Fallout Tribute lefty which also has a few rough bits of QC.
G&L need to buck their ideas up on the Tribute Line it would appear, let alone the Placentia sh*tshow.
Wow! Goodness, thanks for the warning on these.
Should have called it the Mr. BBQ JB, it's closer to the G&L plant than the city of Placentia.
I'm hoping you just got a bad one and this isn't par for the course with this new series. I love G&L! (That name though . . . .)
The ONLY reason to get this over a Squier is that it has 21 frets (you can get a Warmoth aftermarket neck but that’s an additional $200 otherwise). That’s the only reason I could see someone getting this over that.
G&L should spend the money relegated to making this line and spend it on marketing the truly great basses they already make
Is this better than Hard Luck Kings?! If you had to choose?
I'm pained by this. I too love my G&L. (Mr Sheeple) But this is pure rank, honestly, they need to discontinue this entire series of instruments until they can get on top of the qc. For the same price you can easily get a secondhand Fender Mexico bass, that are very good. I will get another G&L but not this, I'd rather get a used one, than this.
OMG, that pickup route.
For 500$ you could prolly getta mexi fender on Black Friday thinking about snagging one meself
I saw this on sale and knew there was something up, that bridge gave it away.,
I played one, I wasn't impressed. I have a mid 90's G&L 2004 that I absolutely love.
It’s like you got a “luthier special” from a guitarfetish factory buyout.
Has a nice clear wirey twangy sound and bright clean pops. Bottom end was a bit muddy. And yes the frets were not stellar.
Could you tell us how you really feel about this bass? Don't hold back on us. 🤣
So do you think a hard pass on this one is appropriate? 💩
Honestly... I've got to say... I've never laughed so hard during a bass review video. The placenta bass may suck the big one, but this video is golden entertainment.
Man, what a shame. Hopefully they improve that budget line.
Hey, Lobster,......look on eBay now and you'll find a damaged one of these basses for sale,......the body is cracked all the way through from the top to the bottom (check out photos for the item),.......and the current price the seller wanted was $330,......for a broken and destroyed bass. You won't believe your eyes when you see it.
Oooof. Rough. Love G&L but this look tough.
maybe the reason it was 200 off retail was because of all the quality issues....maybe by one at full price to compare the two...dont really think its fair to judge based on one guitar that was almost 1/2 off sticker price....just my 2 cents
Like it or not its a beast nice colours no more .😶
afterbirth series?
Ha ha ha, what a joke 😂 I think I'll take the Harley Benton MV-4JB Gotoh or the Squier CV 70' or Late 60's Jazz Bass any day of the week.
Placentia tribute model?
You are a very measured person. When you are so thoroughly disappointed in a product, I take that seriously. I certainly don’t need any Jazz Bass, and if I did, I’d probably buy any other but this one. G&L should be ashamed to have released this, no matter the price point.
I say ZERO fricking claws.
Man, this bums me out. It's almost 2023, there are tons of companies doing great work producing great instruments at all price points, and then there are others turning out absolute crap at all price points.
From someone who lives in Placentia, this bass is about as good as their public school system.
lol
Dangit. Sad to hear G&L's going that route...
What a shame. The Tribute basses are excellent value and quality. I have a Tribute SB-2.
I have nothing against import basses, no matter where they come from. But made in China to me means that they just used off the shelf hardware and electronics the local factory had. Meaning that a Harley Benton could be using the same exact OEM stuff, under different brand names etc. Also, for a max of 300$ you can buy far better Harley Bentons, with better hardware, electronics, ergonomics, woods and dare I say quality control.
I have no idea why G&L thought they needed a rock bottom tier which isn't at rock bottom prices. They clearly contracted with the wrong factory. Watching this hurt my ears.
I'm still dying to see the Tribute Kiloton Fretless actually hit a store.
I Disagree man! For me is a Good instrument! Fully Playable and Well Guitar Bass! Obviously This is and "Entry Level" Musical instrument but, al least for me well constructed!
Oh dear... the only way you would need less modding or repairs would be if you bought an actual tree!
I've played a few Cortek built Tribute series and they have always been amazing.... this is really disappointing.
Placentia... more like an abortion. This is terrible. Love your honesty Lobster.
Is this worth getting even at the occasional $280 deals?
IMO no