Description
The CLF Research S-500 revisits an era before G&L even had a name for itself — the tail end of the 1970s, when Leo Fender was quietly refining the Magnetic Field Design pickups and Dual Fulcrum vibrato that would define the brand. This isn’t just a reissue; it’s a what-if instrument, built as though it had rolled out of the Fullerton shop a year or two before the first official G&L left the building.
John R. McLaren reworked the standard S-500 pickup formula from the inside out — altering coil bobbin apertures, pole piece length, and wire turns — chasing a tone that’s softer and sparklier without sacrificing the punch and clarity S-500 players expect. The build traces back to Dave McLaren’s #Project1979s500, a prototype developed openly with the CLF Research community on Instagram and Facebook, whose input helped shape details like the 3-ply black pickguard and machined CLF knobs, plus a period-correct headstock fitted for Kluson tuners and topped with a ’70s-style “go faster” logo.
Electronics carry over the S-500’s signature versatility: a Passive Treble and Bass (P.T.B.) circuit lets you cut treble and bass independently for shaping well beyond a standard tone knob, while the Expander switch works with the five-position selector to unlock extra pickup combinations, including all three pickups engaged at once.
Available finishes:
- Cherryburst over Alder body, 3-ply black pickguard, maple fingerboard
- Honeyburst over Swamp Ash body, 3-ply parchment pickguard, Caribbean rosewood fingerboard
Built at the original G&L facility on Fender Avenue in Fullerton, California — the Birthplace of Bolt-on — this guitar channels a chapter of Leo Fender’s story he considered among his finest work.
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