electric · solidbody
S-500
| Maker | G&L Guitars |
|---|---|
| Origin | United States |
| Type | electric · solidbody |
| Introduced | 1982 |
| Price | USD 649.99 (2026-09) |
| Maker founded | 1979 |
| Status | current |
G&L's S-500 is the company's take on the double-cut bolt-on, using MFD single-coils and an expander switch.
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Why it matters
G&L was founded by Leo Fender after he left the company carrying his name, and the S-500 is its version of the three-single-coil instrument, with hotter MFD pickups and a passive treble and bass circuit. The range divides between US-made Fullerton Deluxe and CLF Research models and the import Tribute series, which spans a much wider spread of prices. It offers a familiar shape with a more assertive voice.
Note
Hotter MFD pickups, expander switch — the modern G&L Strat.
Specifications
- Scale length: unknown
- Neck shape: medium C
Before you buy
- Tribute and US-made versions are very different instruments despite the shared name
- expect to wait longer on resale than with mainstream brands
- MFD pickups are hotter than vintage-style single-coils, which changes pedal and amp choices
Other opinions
One video is one opinion. These are the other videos for this entry, most-viewed first. The order is the view count, not a ranking of ours.
ProGuitarShopDemos · 2010-06 · 161,953 views
“It's Magnetic Field Design pickups have all the richness of a vintage single coil, but with more output and less noise, making the G&L S-500 a great axe for recording.”
ProGuitarShop demo of a G&L S-500.
Sweetwater · 2020-03 · 38,077 views
“More videos like this G&L Fullerton Deluxe S-500 Electric Guitar Demo 👉 Shop for the G&L Fullerton Deluxe S-500 at Sweetwater 👉 Sweetwater Sales Engineer Trevor Parks presents the G&L Fullerton Deluxe S-500.”
Sweetwater demo of the G&L Fullerton Deluxe S-500.