Leo's haunt, Doheny Beach in So Cal.
Although these are Leo's children, this guitar does not sound like it took the JM in a JM direction. The tone is between a JM and a Strat. Not sure that is something desirable to everyone.

Might fare better under distortion than clean. You can hear the bridge affect the sound and not in a JM way, but in its own way.

Maybe this bridge on a short scale Jag would hit something.

Wish G&L would've stayed with the original design parameters to get a JM tone.

Maybe if they'd been around in the 60's things would be different, as it is though, G&L guitars don't get much love on this forum. But I really like them. Although the Doheny is kind of weird, I have a different perspective along the lines of what Dragonsurfer is saying.

It's ok to play surf guitar on a Stratocaster and it's ok to play surf guitar on a Jazzmaster. But combine the two and it's not ok? If the floating vibrato bridge is essential for a particular player than obviously not. I understand why many in this forum do not view this guitar as the "Nashville Tele" of Jazzmasters. I find this guitar appealing because of the bridge rather than in spite of it (particularly the G&L version). As much as I like the sound and functionality of the floating bridge the lack of sustain eventually becomes an issue. As neat as I think those guitars are I just can't make them work for me. The sound of JM pickups is really interesting, but after playing the guitars for a while, sometimes months, I become aware of how the notes don't hang there the way I like. Solution: combine the JM pickups with a Stratocaster style bridge and keep the hip offset body shape. Tone wise, maybe it works, maybe it doesn't. I can't tell from a video. Point being, in principal, there is a player to whom this guitar appeals. Obviously that person is not a traditionalist.

For what it's worth, G&L guitars are fantastic. Even the modest Legacy Tribute I have is superior to many of the more expensive guitars I've owned. Ignore all that gobbledyguk on the other thread about "dad guitars".

The Vicissitones
Diesel Marine
The Rasputones

Just put it out there as a "public service". G&L Tribute models judged on their own merits are really nice playing and sounding guitars at very reasonable prices. For me, with my very small 60 year old arthritic hands I generally steer clear of long scale instruments (I do have a Tele, but I just had to have a good Tele :-). If the Doheny had a 24.75" scale I'd be all over it.

Surfadelphia wrote:

Just put it out there as a "public service". G&L Tribute models judged on their own merits are really nice playing and sounding guitars at very reasonable prices. For me, with my very small 60 year old arthritic hands I generally steer clear of long scale instruments (I do have a Tele, but I just had to have a good Tele :-). If the Doheny had a 24.75" scale I'd be all over it.

The Doheny is 25.5″ scale.

I agree that G&L are fine guitars. We would not expect less of Leo when he started and commissioned new guitars under the G&L name.

Granted any guitar can be used for a specific genre/song. That said you might be one who really likes doing Little Wing on a Strat and an upside down one at that.

Since this is a surf forum we are biased not surprisingly.

Hank Marvin used a Strat.
Bob Bogle used a Jazzmaster.

Note that from Jimmy Smith's 1954 original to Chet Atkin's inspirational- to-The-Ventures' WDR version off Mr. Atkins' Hi-Fi In Focus album in 1957, the guitars changed demonstrably, Chet using a Gretsch.

It does appear that G&L is reaching out to players not of the 1960's surf era hoping to combine style, a warehouse supply of existing parts as a lure to hit a mark somewhere else. But the fish hook does start with the name Doheny, being the famous California surf beach.

So the G&L Doheny does have a leggy leash to the surf crowd.

Doheny Beach, Dana Point California USA.

Last edited: Apr 08, 2018 22:48:31

Good gracious look at the real estate behind that bridge! There's enough room to stick a sheet of A4 paper, great if you're short sighted and need a set list to hand!

There must be a reason why there's so much space I wonder what it is?

Oh well, back to the Harley Benton catalogue. Ooh that's a nice one!

Ariel wrote:

crumble wrote:

There must be a reason why there's so much space I wonder what it is?

Subliminal signaling designed to solicit flat-earthers, musical overtones apparently break their theory.

According to the mothership, it’s something far more sinister.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

I like them and will be an owner at some point down the road. I don't understand the negativity about these. For the purist there are plenty of Fender JM's around. They still make them.
G&L has always been about Leo's later designs post-Fender. Seems like a great instrument! Now they're available at a lower price point.

OaklandA wrote:

I like them and will be an owner at some point down the road. I don't understand the negativity about these. For the purist there are plenty of Fender JM's around. They still make them.
G&L has always been about Leo's later designs post-Fender. Seems like a great instrument! Now they're available at a lower price point.

If you listen to the clips (Ben Woods) that twangineer posted Ben gets a good play on the one clip, the trem works smooth, just that the low end frequencies of the longer strings on an original JM are missing from the Doheny. The guitar shines under distortion. The bridge is part of the reason.

In the clip I posted the reviewer notes that the JM bridge is problematic with tuning, so surmises that the Doheny's bridge is an improvement. You can also note that the low end of the Doheny is not like the JM's.

May be something you can work around.

Since nothing is perfect, I found that changing the saddle and bridge screws on my '63 Leo JM to better tolerance units from McMaster-Carr helped to stabilize the bridge some.

The Mastery bridge is a good attempt but I find it too mass oriented that it changes the tone for my liking to where you really hear the addition of the bridge. Note that the Leo JM bridge is sitting on screw points in thimbles which by design lessens the sustain as the bridge is not bolted to the body but floats and rocks. This is the JM tone.

The Doheny changed the bridge character of the "JM." What other design could be had to take the original JM trem/bridge system into the 21st, I have no idea.

Can't speak for everyone, perhaps some are expecting more from G&L towards a JM direction and not a mutation as even Fender has offered.

Considering that each new company that Leo started, he basically took the things he learned from his Fender days and tried to better his designs.

But he's not designing guitars anymore.

What would he have done on a G&L JM?

Granted there may be patent issues to consider for G&L to use Fender designs but how far that goes, I'm not sure.

All it would take is for some hit song to be played on a Doheny and then the path to the G&L door will be worn.

As with all musical instruments, the designer has no idea how their inventions will be used to create music.

I'm going to pick one up. G&L Tributes are great guitars for the money and even though this isn't a JM it will tick all the boxes I'm looking for without being a Strat.

But I guess the Offset shape is pretty ubiquitous right now

Can anyone tell me if JM pickups are a drop in replacement? I’d love some measurements.

I’m way into the surf green one. I’ve never seen one in the wild, and I just wanna be sure it won’t be too much of a pain to swap the pickups.

Last edited: Aug 20, 2018 18:51:07