The G&L JB is all about subtle refinements to a timeless design. Paul Gagon, the tone and pickup guru over at G&L, analyzed hundreds of coveted old-school basses from the '60's. He found that part of their revered status had a lot to do with inconsistency. Back in the day, each bass rolled off the line a little differently, so some were "accidentally" built perfectly. These near perfect "Holy Grail" basses inspired and informed the G&L JB. The looks, feel, sound and vibe are familiar and reliable, but there are tweaks hiding in the design that'll please your ears and hands for years to come. The tone is rich, all-purpose sound that will enliven your ideas without getting in the way, and the neck feels like an old friend. This is the perfect go-to bass for every kind of player.
Players fond of the old adage “if it ain’t broke…” haven’t played a JB. You see, the G&L JB is all about refinement, blending “holy grail” Alnico single-coil tone with modern improvements and superb craftsmanship.
The JB’s classic Alnico V pickups have tone reminiscent of the best examples from the early ‘60s, thanks to the work of Paul Gagon, G&L VP Engineering. Gagon found his inspiration reviewing original prints stored in Leo Fender’s† private laboratory at G&L, but that was just the start. About 30 years ago, Gagon was an R&D engineer at another company when he was tasked with finding out what was so special about the early bolt-on basses many players raved about. Gagon tirelessly analyzed many examples of what were considered “holy grail” basses, spending time out on the shop floor talking to builders still working in the pickup department since the ‘50s, all on a quest to discover where the real mojo was – and wasn’t. What he learned from the builders matched his own engineering analysis. You see, back in the day, the actual spec of pickups coming that down that old production line varied considerably. That meant coming up with the right specs was more challenging than simply following the prints, and Gagon’s persistence paid off as the JB serves up delicious, classic tone.
This JB projects a time-honored yet subtly progressive vibe, embracing the past yet unafraid of moving forward. The slim, hard-rock maple neck features an easy-playing satin finish, while its comfortable 9 1/2" radius and Jescar 57110 medium-jumbo nickel-silver frets deliver silky playability. What’s more, the JB features an innovative Leo Fender-designed Saddle-Lock bridge to transfer string energy right into the body end-grain for an incredibly resonant instrument. The moment you open the deluxe Tolex hardshell case, you’ll be greeted with an instrument of timeless elegance and a delicious aroma that’ll have your pulse racing
Music Store Live is proud to be one of the top authorized G&L dealers on the planet! We do our best to stock inventory of what our team of experts feels is the best combination of specs, specifically, so you don't have to wait for a custom order from G&L.
With that said, if you haven't found what you're looking for, we would be happy to custom order a G&L for you. G&L’s factory works like a big a-la carte custom shop, so it’s easy (and affordable) to get what you want. Finish, body wood, fingerboard, pickguard, bridge, neck profile, neck finish, nut type, frets, tuners, binding – there are nearly 1 million possible combinations of specs on a G&L. We love helping our customers make their dream guitar, so don't hesitate to reach out to us if you want to make your custom G&L a reality! Wait times are surprisingly short and most custom orders have an ETA of only 6-8 weeks from when the order is placed (sometimes even faster). As a premier G&L dealer, we are able to get expedited build times so we can get you the guitar of your dreams quickly!
