G&L CLF Centennial L-2000

In celebration of what would have been our founder Leo Fender’s 100th birthday, the people of G&L Musical Instruments, in collaboration with Phyllis Fender, have created a guitar and bass to honor Leo by incorporating certain elements of Leo Fender’s early G&L designs with a modern, heartfelt approach.



The C.L.F. Centennial L-2000 begins with a comfortable quarter-sawn slim “C” shape neck profile based on the G&L #8, a popular custom option on L-2000s for more than two decades, for its fast, easy playability. The body features the sleek and comfortable silhouette of the contemporary L-2000, while bringing back the body-hugging slim depth of the early versions. The electronics of the Centennial L-2000 also bridge the decades between Leo’s first production bass to feature active pre-amplification and today’s L-2000. The heart of every L-2000 has always been the MFD (Magnetic Field Design) humbucking pickups, and those in the Centennial L-2000 are carefully hand-wound by long-time employee Maria Isela Ramos in the early G&L tradition, using NOS 42 gauge plain enamel wire. While these pickups recall those of Leo’s time, they are mated to a contemporary L-2000 preamp circuit for lower noise.

An authentic black wrinkle powder-coated bridge plate embraces the vintage G&L aesthetic, as does the matching finish on a 6061/T6 cold-rolled aluminum control cavity cover. Though rarely fitted to L-2000s of the Leo’s time, NOS black matte finish G&L/Schaller tuning machines grace the Centennial L-2000 for a more unified appearance. These thoughtful details are brought together with contemporary G&L features, including a non-compression truss rod and the unparalleled playability of PLEK fret dressing, demonstrating the measure of G&L’s progress and standing as testament to the enduring appeal of Leo’s final designs and his company on Fender Avenue that continues to produce them today.

The C.L.F. Centennial L-2000 wouldn’t be complete without a tribute from Phyllis Fender. Leo and Me (My Eleven Years With The Guitar Man) is an autographed memorial album sharing over fifty pages of full-color photos from the Fender’s personal photo albums, each selected, arranged, captioned by Phyllis herself. Leo and Me reflects the warmth, honesty and good humor that characterized the Fenders’ relationship, as well as reveals a side of Leo that the public has never known – until now...

C.L.F Centennial L-2000 build info:

January 2009 - 50 piece production run announced
June 2009 (est.) - deliveries to begin
CLF L-2000 Headstock

Specifications:
BODY WOOD: 2-piece solid Swamp Ash
BODY FINISH: Sentimental Blonde (custom Pearl White Blonde)
NECK WOOD: Quartersawn Hard Rock Maple
NECK FINISH: Clear Gloss
NECK WIDTH: 1 1/2” Width at Nut
NECK RADIUS: 12"
NECK SHAPE: G&L Modern Narrow "C"
NECK DEPTH: 0.820" at 1st fret to 0.920" at 12th fret (+/- 0.015")
FRETWIRE: Medium Jumbo 6100
TUNERS: N.O.S. black anodized G&L "Ultra-Lite" with aluminum tapered string posts
PICKUPS: 2 G&L MFD humbucking pickups, hand-wound to late '80s spec with N.O.S. 42 gauge plain enamel wire
CONTROLS: G&L Tri-Tone active/passive electronics, 3-way mini-toggle pickup selector, series/parallel mini-toggle, preamp control mini-toggle (off/on/on with high end EQ boost)
KNOBS: black anodized knurled aluminum
CONTROL COVER: black wrinkle powder-coated 6061/T6 cold-rolled aluminum
BRIDGE: G&L Saddle-Lock, wrinkle powder-coated
CASE: G&G Black Tolex with Black Plush lining featuring embroidered Custom Creations

DOCUMENTATION AND ACCESSORIES:
* Custom Creations Silver Certificate of Authenticity
* Leo and Me (My Eleven Years With The Guitar Man) autographed memorial album
* G&L The Art of Fine Instrument Making Factory Tour DVD
* 14 ft. G&L Custom Creations/Spectraflex Platinum braided cable
* G&L Custom Creations Polish Cloth
* One spare set of D’Addario XL170SL strings (.045-.105)