G&L Custom Shop 40th Anniversary L-2000 Bass To commemorate G&L's 40th anniversary in 2020, the G&L Custom Shop is making only 40 examples of their special L-2000 anniversary bass. Combining premium woods, an eye-popping quilted maple top, exacting construction, and G&L's excellent active/passive pickup system, their 40th Anniversary L-2000, is beautiful, musical and rare.

This USA 40th Anniversary Custom Shop bass features:

• Okoume body, with Quilted Maple top, 8.6 pounds
• Clear Ruby Red finish
• AAA Quartersawn roasted Maple neck, satin finish
• CLF Research 'Slim C' profile (1-5/8" width at the nut), 9.5" radius
• .800" depth at first fret, .900" depth at 12th fret
• '81 Control plate with color coded switch tips
• (2) G&L Heritage Magnetic Field Design (MFD) Humbucker pickups
• Volume, Treble and Bass controls
• Passive, Active, or Active with upper EQ boost, activated by lower mini-toggle
• Series/Parallel pickup mode (middle mini toggle)
• Three position pickup selector (upper toggle)
• Massive patented Saddle Lock Bridge (a locking saddle screw clamps the saddles together for better sustain)
• Lightweight Aluminum tuning pegs for better instrument balance
• Deluxe Custom Shop hardshell tolex case

Compared to some of the more pedestrian anniversary models (like the very green 35th anniversary series) the presence of the G&L Custom Shop allowed them to really pull out the stops for the Big 4-0. From its three-dimensional looking quilted maple top to the darkly striped flame maple neck, this L-2000 is anything but unassuming. For good measure they included the 80's CLF Research touches including the big chrome control plate.

The combination of Okoume with a maple top melds the mahogany-like roundness of Okoume with the tonal focus of Maple. And the use of Okoume help keep the weight in check. Tone Profile leans toward the warm side, but the maple top and sturdy quartersawn neck provided plenty of attack, note definition and pop. And speaking of neck, the profile is Leo's original 'Slim C' bass. It has a 1-5/8" nut, a moderately curvy 9.5" radius, and along with the gentle taper up the frets makes it easy to navigate even for those with smaller hands.

Electrically, the 40th Anniversary Bass is all L-2000, which is a good thing. What looks like a complex control format is quite intuitive: From top to bottom the knobs are Volume, Treble and Bass. In the active mode these controls provide true frequency boost and cut. In passive mode they work much like G&L's passive treble and bass controls on their Legacy guitar series.

First there is the Black toggle, which is a three-way switch that works exactly like a three-way pickup selector on an electric guitar (neck, both, bridge). The Red toggle puts the pickups in series or parallel mode. Parallel has a leaner, brighter tone, while the series mode adds a more pronounced midrange fullness. Lastly, the White toggle controls whether the guitar is passive, active, or active mode with a treble boost.

The tonal difference between active and passive is not dramatic, but active mode is a little crisper with a slightly sharper attack and more responsive tone controls. Neither is "better" but active mode is naturally more flexible, and you might only need passive mode if your battery goes dead or if you play an amp with very limited headroom.

With all this tone shaping capability, the 40th Anniversary L-2000 is capable of anything from bright slap bass, to warm jazz, fat growling low end, or trashy punk. With broad dynamic range and excellent overall sustain, it's really just a matter of a little experimentation to dial in the guitar to suit your style or particular gig.

While the 40th Anniversary L-2000 is no wallflower, its many features contribute to it being an excellent sounding instrument. It looks great, but it's really at its best when being played. This is one Anniversary model that truly takes the (birthday) cake.

We are an authorized G&L Premier dealer located in Bellingham, Massachusetts, and this is a new guitar with all tags, tools, paperwork and certificates. We have over 25 G&L’s in stock at all times, and please feel free to browse our other listings, or contact us for information on a custom order.