Any G&L Legacy experts out there?

[JZTampa]

I posted this on the G&L forum, was curious if anyone here can give me some guidance. Many thanks, Johnny

There's quite a few posts comparing the tribute and USA lines. I'm curious if you folks that have played various models of the Legacy give me your views comparing the older 3-bolt models to the 4-bolt more modern line. I assume they're supposed to get better with time but, is the vibe of a nineties 3-bolt worth pursuing ? I did see pictures comparing them and the 3-bolt body has a deeper cut w slimmer body? I'm talking USA models....stock.

Are the stained/aged look modern necks sticky or does it have a light gloss feel to it? Looked for one around here but all the Legacy's are new w rosewood or clear maple. No used Legacy's to be found.......Thanks again!

These two got me thinking:
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/GL/Leg ... 1476636.gc
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/GL/Leg ... 1311473.gc

[Thundersteel]

I had a 4-bolt Legacy several years ago. It had the maple board with the tinted gloss neck. As far as I know (which isn't much LOL) the 4-bolt neck was an improvement over the 3-bolt neck due to stability issues. Some argue about the "mojo" of the 3-bolt vs 4-bolt neck, but the 4-bolt neck is very stable.

The neck wasn't sticky to me at all, but if you like satin necks, then you may want to look for a non-stained/unglossed neck.

[Jeff R]

My '96 Legacy is what I'd assume to be one of the last three-bolts because Cajun Boy's '97 is a four-bolt. My three-bolt's joint is as solid as a rock and as one should suspect, three versus four bolts only comes into play if you're dealing with a poorly cut neck pocket. The pocket on mine has no air space whatsoever - you can feel the wood-on-wood resistance of the pocket's walls against the neck if you unbolt the neck and remove it.

Worth noting: G&L has admitted they went from the three-bolt design to the four-bolt design in '97'ish not because of a stability issue at all, but instead because of the prejudices against three bolt joints created by CBS-era Fender guitars and poorly cut neck pockets in the marketplace. Very simply put, corksniffers and purists were scoffing at the "shoddy" approach of three bolts they saw. Whatever, let dumbass be dumbass.

My Legacy's body has more significant edge contours/bevels compared to newer Legacy guitars and it definitely "looks" thinner because of it. The guitar body may very well be thinner - I've never measured overall thickness - but if it is, it's not much. My Legacy is lighter weight than more recent ones so it could be more thin, then again I might have scored a righteous slab of alder for mine. I'll hit the body with my digital calipers tonight and see what that gleans.

Whatever you do, DO NOT let the three-bolt deter you. Inspect for airspace around the neck, but I haven't seen a G&L 3-b with airspace yet. Use it to your advantage as a bargaining point instead. Act the ignorant corksniffer and you may be rewarded for it LOL.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'll put my personal '96 Legacy up against ANY strat-style of any era, including pre-CBS or Masterbuilt or booteeky whatever. Since I opened my repair shop, that guitar has hit the hands of a lot of new clients and friends around here, and the consensus response is that it is simply one magical guitar and they want my bench work to make "their" strat play, resonate, sound and behave overall like "that" strat. I consider that an incredible compliment on many fronts.

[SouthpawGuy]

I have eight Legacys, some are three bolt and some are four. I have no preference for either, the three bolt neck versions are just as good as the four bolters. The only major difference is the neck profile, almost universally the three bolt models have slimmer necks. Also Legacy necks built since 2006 or so are CNC'd and are more consistent, neck profiles pre -CNC tended to vary more.

Pre CNC era G&Ls used bi cut necks, there are some G&L fans who prefer the bi cut necks to the more recent non bi cut ones, but again I have no preference for either.

The first one you linked to has a very dark gun oil tint neck, or cheetos finish. I'd say that has a bi cut neck making it '06 or earlier.

[jettster]

The PLECK'd necks are awesome, think they started around 2007.

[JZTampa]

Thank you folks! Southpaw, that white one (hardtail) has a CLF15 serial which puts it early to mid 2000's....also has the chunky true V neck according to salesman. With their return policy, it may be worth just trying them out until I find one I like ha? There's a nice 3-bolt w emg's 2hrs away that may be had for $500ish I'm guessing? Just finding the time.......Thanks again fellas!

[LordsoftheJungle]

Legacies are consistently great, I've had both 3 and 4 hole versions without any problems. I got lucky and landed one off of this forum with a quartersawn neck, rosewood board, and a sparkly green finish,,, and locking Sperzels. Love this thing!

[SouthpawGuy]

Thank you folks! Southpaw, that white one (hardtail) has a CLF15 serial which puts it early to mid 2000's....also has the chunky true V neck according to salesman. With their return policy, it may be worth just trying them out until I find one I like ha? There's a nice 3-bolt w emg's 2hrs away that may be had for $500ish I'm guessing? Just finding the time.......Thanks again fellas!

The only way to be 100% sure which neck is on an older G&L ( pre 2010 -2011) is to remove the neck and check the markings in the pocket. I haven't done that to any of mine. Some guys are hyper particular about neck shapes / profiles, I really don't care. I go from Ibanez Wizard to EBMM to G&L, Hamer or Heritage and the different neck shapes don't bother me at all. If you are very particular you will need to play before you buy, both Legacys you linked to have very different necks, and neither will be the same as a brand new current Legacy as since July 2015 the factory have adopted new default neck radius / profiles.

This is an early to mid '00s Legacy with four bolt pre CNC bi cut neck. The neck is different to my other seven Legacys ( plus two S500s which have the same default neck as the Legacys). It is also tinted, satin finish and birds eye. It's not a V shape, but it is also not a C but somewhere between a D and a V.

I don't have any Legacys with a V neck, but I have this ASAT Special with one, it is also from the early to mid '00s. It has the dark glossy gun oil tint, the same as the white Legacy you linked to. I would also describe it as a chunky V.

.

[Ted]

Thank you folks! Southpaw, that white one (hardtail) has a CLF15 serial which puts it early to mid 2000's....also has the chunky true V neck according to salesman. With their return policy, it may be worth just trying them out until I find one I like ha? There's a nice 3-bolt w emg's 2hrs away that may be had for $500ish I'm guessing? Just finding the time.......Thanks again fellas!

The only way to be 100% sure which neck is on an older G&L ( pre 2010 -2011) is to remove the neck and check the markings in the pocket. I haven't done that to any of mine. Some guys are hyper particular about neck shapes / profiles, I really don't care. I go from Ibanez Wizard to EBMM to G&L, Hamer or Heritage and the different neck shapes don't bother me at all. If you are very particular you will need to play before you buy, both Legacys you linked to have very different necks, and neither will be the same as a brand new current Legacy as since July 2015 the factory have adopted new default neck radius / profiles.

This is an early to mid '00s Legacy with four bolt pre CNC bi cut neck. The neck is different to my other seven Legacys ( plus two S500s which have the same default neck as the Legacys). It is also tinted, satin finish and birds eye. It's not a V shape, but it is also not a C but somewhere between a D and a V.

I don't have any Legacys with a V neck, but I have this ASAT Special with one, it is also from the early to mid '00s. It has the dark glossy gun oil tint, the same as the white Legacy you linked to. I would also describe it as a chunky V.

.

SouthPaw--Your Legacy is Gorgeous!

[elduave]

is the vibe of a nineties 3-bolt worth pursuing ?

Depends what kind of "worth" you're pursuing. Value, maybe yes, sound, not so much.

Are the stained/aged look modern necks sticky or does it have a light gloss feel to it?

They have a light gloss feel but are FAR from sticky feeling. We've been a G&L dealer for almost 10 years. These are some of the current options for a new G&L order:

NECK FINISH OPTIONS

Vintage Tint Gloss Has a hue of an aged finish. Can work well for both a vintage or modern look. Not recommended with Wood Binding on a Swamp Ash body (doesn't match well).
ORDER CODE: VTGN
Vintage Tint Satin Has a hue of an aged finish with the modern feel of a satin finish. Can work well for both a vintage or modern look. Not recommended with Wood Binding on a Swamp Ash body (doesn't match well).
ORDER CODE: VTSN
Light Tint Gloss More of a subtle hue than Vintage Gloss, adds character and warmth to the look. Versatile.
ORDER CODE: LTGN
Light Tint Satin More of a subtle hue than Vintage Gloss with the modern feel of a satin finish. Adds character and warmth to the look. Versatile.
ORDER CODE: LTSN

[JohnnyB]

What JeffR said. Bad neck joints on bolt-ons have a lot more to do with ill-fitting neck pockets than the number of bolts. Some of the 3-bolt Fenders were sloppy; George Fullerton even mentions this iin his book--that they worked as consultants at Fender in the early CBS days and the neck pocket for the 3-bolt Fenders was not well done. But they knew what they were doing when they did the 3-bolt joint at G&L. Their snug neck pockets are legendary.

I have had 7 G&Ls through the years, five guitars and two basses. All but one, a 1998 ASAT Classic Semihollow, are 3-bolt, including both basses. Never had a problem. I never noticed any difference between playing a 4-bolt or 3-bolt. They're all solid. The 3-bolters offer an adjustable neck angle without removing the neck or shimming.

Incidentally, G&L kept using the 3-bolt joint on ASAT basses into the 2000's. Here was my 2001 ASAT semihollow fretless bass with the 3-bolt joint.

Do you think an instrument would be so meticulously made with such top notch woods and materials only to be ruined by a crappy neck joint?

[tbonesullivan]

You can't really go wrong with G&L guitars. I can't recall hearing of people getting a bad one. Just people who didn't like the particular guitar/sound. They do pretty much have IMHO the best non locking two point trem in the business.

[JohnnyB]

Legacies are consistently great, I've had both 3 and 4 hole versions without any problems. I got lucky and landed one off of this forum with a quartersawn neck, rosewood board, and a sparkly green finish,,, and locking Sperzels. Love this thing!

If there's anything worth looking for, it's a quartersawn neck. Not that the plank-sawn ones are bad, but quartersawn ones have less wiggle in them. This is especially noticeable in the basses.

[sixesandsevens]

is the vibe of a nineties 3-bolt worth pursuing ?

Depends what kind of "worth" you're pursuing. Value, maybe yes, sound, not so much.

Are the stained/aged look modern necks sticky or does it have a light gloss feel to it?

They have a light gloss feel but are FAR from sticky feeling. We've been a G&L dealer for almost 10 years. These are some of the current options for a new G&L order:

NECK FINISH OPTIONS

Vintage Tint Gloss Has a hue of an aged finish. Can work well for both a vintage or modern look. Not recommended with Wood Binding on a Swamp Ash body (doesn't match well).

ORDER CODE: VTGN

Vintage Tint Satin Has a hue of an aged finish with the modern feel of a satin finish. Can work well for both a vintage or modern look. Not recommended with Wood Binding on a Swamp Ash body (doesn't match well).

ORDER CODE: VTSN

Light Tint Gloss More of a subtle hue than Vintage Gloss, adds character and warmth to the look. Versatile.

ORDER CODE: LTGN

Light Tint Satin More of a subtle hue than Vintage Gloss with the modern feel of a satin finish. Adds character and warmth to the look. Versatile.

ORDER CODE: LTSN

Have they toned down their vintage tint too, or just introduced something in between? I had a Legacy HB (don't recall the year) with the tinted neck and up close it was a really artificial color.

[JZTampa]

Folks I wanted to thank you for all the input. Between here and guitarsbyleo I was able to make a somewhat informed choice. I went with this 82-83 Mahogany S-500....far from being mint but, was owned by previous owner since 1990. This thing has exceeded expectations...I'm not the most experienced player but, the tones and feel this guitar has is very impressive. Unfortunately, I'll be putting my T-51 for sale soon (will be looking for a Duo Tone to replace it)...if you know someone looking for one, let me know. Thanks again!

 

 

[JohnnyB]

That looks like an ebony board, too. To many vintage (i.e., Leo-era) G&L enthusiasts, the mahogany/ebony combo is a tonal legend. The ebony gives you a sharper attack and slightly forward midrange while the mahogany body gives fullness and bloom to the tone.

[SouthpawGuy]

One more thing to note .. the green ones are also always better.

 

All I got

[JZTampa]

Dig the green Southpaw! Johnny B, I can attest to the....I'm trying to find words to properly describe it.....the response and tone, sustain, clarity plus mixing in treble/bass controls are really something else. I'm really surprised it sounds that good. You read about stuff like that, have expectations etc...I guess Hogs w ebony are the real deal. She spent many years in a closet bouncing around....still, the action is fabulous! 

[tbonesullivan]

This makes me want to get a Green ASAT Classic. hmmmmmm.