G&L USA Custom Shop CLF Research L-1000 5-String Bass, Ebony Fretboard, 3A Flame Maple, Redburst

PLAYER'S PERSPECTIVE

Your favorite G&L Premier Dealers are back with this absolutely beautiful USA Custom Shop CLF Research L-1000 bass! Carrying on the tradition, heritage, and commitment to practicality and quality of Leo Fender, this is a gorgeous 5-string take on one of his original designs from his heyday with G&L. 

As far as Custom Shop features go, you obviously get the meticulous, handmade build quality we've come to expect from G&L's workshop, along with beautifully spec'd appointments such as a gorgeous dark ebony fretboard, a 3A flame maple neck, and a classy Redburst finish.

The neck and fretboard feel incredibly smooth. Open-position grooves are easy, and the upper register is very forgiving on your playing hand. G&L uses a smooth, velvety finish on their necks, so the wood still feels slick and will never glob up on you, even with the gloss finish. The break angle of the strings help the tension feel great under the fingers, especially that low B string. The string response just feels right.

Tonewise, this thing is a beast! Designed to sound like a P-bass on steroids, the L-1000 does just that. It's a simple 1-pickup design that can really get you a lot of mileage. The MFD pickup is aggressive as well as placed in the same position that a P-bass pickup would be, so you get all of that delicious, woofy tone but with more definition and a bit more output to help you remain punchy and articulate. The ability to dial in anything from an extremely fat sound to a thin single-coil sound, while having that parallel option for a bit more mid-range, punch, and growl, really makes this bass deceptively versatile whilst remaining super easy to figure out.

The best Custom Shop instruments are ones that retain the core voice and identity of the instrument, while bringing it to a new level with specs, luxurious features and appointments rarely seen. This Custom Shop bass does just that.

Details

The new CLF Research L-1000 brings back the best of the iconic passive G&L bass from 1980. Fans of the vintage G&L “wunkay” know.

It’s that rounded, fast shape of the neck combined with the slick feel of an old gloss finish. It’s the clean, modern aesthetic of the original CLF/G&L headstock.

It’s the tactile delight of those beautiful CLF Research knobs shimmering from an elegant chrome control plate. And of course, there’s the legendary punch of the L-1000’s MFD humbucker in OMG mode.

Now take all that goodness and pack it into the slimmer mid-90s L-Series body shape for added comfort and lower weight, and you can make it through that 3 hour gig with tone and style to spare.

And when you’re on the road, you can count on the neck to be more stable than those beloved vintage wunkays, with a modern dual-action truss rod and twin graphite stiffening rods. Add it all up and you’ve got the best of the vintage CLF vibe with the best of modern G&L elements.

In the late 1970s, Clarence Leo Fender was looking forward to launching his new G&L brand featuring his latest innovations including Magnetic Field Design pickups and the Saddle Lock bridge.  Leo developed these technologies at his CLF™ Research company, and production of the new G&L instruments took place in the CLF Research factory on Fender Avenue in Fullerton, California, where G&L production continues today.

The new CLF Research L-1000 is a fully modern “wunkay” that pays homage to its roots with classic details including the early CLF/G&L headstock and neck profile, beautifully reproduced CLF knobs and control plate, and red-capped mini toggle switch.

The C.L.F. Research series represents Leo Fender’s legacy for continuous innovation. These special instruments combine original concept designs with unique proprietary features that helped establish the building blocks and foundation for which all G&L guitars are made today.