G&L Legacy Questions?

Hello all,
Thinking of getting a second guitar to compliment the Telecaster. With the new job I'd really like to get a Legacy. I'm wondering how people feel about some of the more unique features. Specifically, I'm interested on hearing thoughts on the G&L tremolo with and without locking tuners, the PTB system, the G&L special (with blade pickups), the neck radius (12"), the neck profiles (I really like the v-neck strat deluxe's feel), and if the quarter-sawn neck is worth the cash?

The nearest dealer is an hours drive at least and pretty limited in selection. I've heard great things and dig the tone but am hoping for some honest feed back before I gas myself up for it. It'd be my first guitar past the used MIM level. I've modded my MIM Tele to my liking except for a neck leveling I think it needs to really make it sing. The USA G&L's are Plek'd so I'd really like to go that rout.

Thoughts? Thanks everybody. You all are a great source of experience on these things and experience with G&L is pretty slim about these parts.

I can tell you my experience. My dealer actually talked me out of a quarter sawn neck. To me that means it's not worth it, why because the dealer obviously makes more money on a quarter sawn neck. And I live in conditions that go from extremely cold in the winter to extremely warm and humid in the summer.

One option I did get.. stainless steel frets... will last you a long time..

Taken from the Fender site...

the straight grain makes the board very strong and about 50 percent more stable than a plain-sawn board. Quartersawn wood is less susceptible to wear, shrinking, swelling in width, twisting, warping and splitting. It also provides a better paint surface—all highly desirable qualities in a guitar neck.

I think your fears are unfounded. The quartersawn necks on my guitars are some of the best feeling and the guitars they are on are some of my fav guitars to play because they sound so good.

Hello all,
Thinking of getting a second guitar to compliment the Telecaster. With the new job I'd really like to get a Legacy. I'm wondering how people feel about some of the more unique features. Specifically, I'm interested on hearing thoughts on the G&L tremolo with and without locking tuners, the PTB system, the G&L special (with blade pickups), the neck radius (12"), the neck profiles (I really like the v-neck strat deluxe's feel), and if the quarter-sawn neck is worth the cash?

The nearest dealer is an hours drive at least and pretty limited in selection. I've heard great things and dig the tone but am hoping for some honest feed back before I gas myself up for it. It'd be my first guitar past the used MIM level. I've modded my MIM Tele to my liking except for a neck leveling I think it needs to really make it sing. The USA G&L's are Plek'd so I'd really like to go that rout.

Thoughts? Thanks everybody. You all are a great source of experience on these things and experience with G&L is pretty slim about these parts.

I love G&L's personally....they are offering outstanding quality for the price! I've been gassing for a Legacy for a while but like your situation, my dealer doesn't offer much in the way of selection. I will have one though no question and I love my ASAT Classic Rustic, nothing else I have touches it in terms of playability, quality and tone.

J5

I did a quick rewiring job on a friend's G&L Strat. Very light-weight and I thought it played great. He had changed out the pups long ago. The G&L trem worked very well, very smooth feel and stayed in tune reasonably well. He had Sperzel non-locking tuners and had somehow set the trem with what looked like a pencil-sized thingy, stuck inside the center spring which had the effect of keeping the bridge from pulling back. Odd looking and it clunked just a little bit, but it seemed to work! He did not like the volume/treble/bass set-up so I switched it to volume/tone and a coil-split switch. I actually thought the treble and bass controls were pretty cool, but more knobs to twiddle if you're looking for simplicity, which he was. His G&L Tele weighed a ton in comparison. I definitely liked the guitar and enjoyed playing it for a couple of days. My 2 cents for what it's worth.

The only options I can express an opinion on is the PTB system and tremolo, since my Legacy is pretty basic and has the 7.25" radius. I really like the PTB. For one, it allows tone control over the Bridge p/u which is great to have on a Strat. Also, it's nice to be able to cut bass frequencies on the Neck p/u.

As far as the trem, it works very well and has a quick release trem arm. I can't say that the guitar returns to perfect tune, but I think it's a nut issue as opposed to trem. Overall, G&L guitars are very well made and sound great.

Thanks everybody. Sounds like G&L's deserve the hype. Has anyone ever played one with the V-neck?

I love all of my G&Ls. They just work and keep working. Everything on them just feels good, like they didn't cut any corners. Hell, even on their tribute series the pickups and bridge are all made and installed in their American factory.

The alnico pickups in the legacy are quite good. They are a tad bit brighter then most single coils. It's not a bad bright and can be easily tamed with the tone knob. The MFD pickups that are in the S-500 are worth looking into. They are really something else.

The trem is great. Awesome tuning stability and very smooth. The locking trem arm can be a pain in the ass to get in and out.

The neck feels great. Necks are such a personal thing it's hard to say what's good and what's bad.

Overall great guitar for a great value. The case you get with them is unreal. It's weighs like 8000 pounds and is solid. You also get a certificate of authenticity.

G&L just takes care of you. I've called the favored for parts and stuff and they'll ship it right to you. I will always be a G&L player.