Description
The CLF Research S-500 is G&L’s homage to a version of the S-500 that never quite existed—until now. Inspired by Dave McLaren’s #Project1979s500 build, shared and refined with input from CLF Research followers, this model imagines what a Leo Fender design might have looked and sounded like had it emerged just before the earliest G&L guitars hit the scene in 1980.
John R. McLaren reworked the MFD single-coil pickups from the ground up for this run, altering the coil bobbin aperture, pole piece length, and wire turns to coax out a softer, more sparkling tone while holding onto the smooth muscularity that defines the S-500 lineup. Combined with the Passive Treble/Bass tone circuit and expander switch, players get an unusually wide sonic palette—from glassy cleans to gritty, textured leads.
Vintage-styled touches carry the concept through: a 3-ply black pickguard, machined CLF knobs, and a modified headstock fitted with Kluson tuners and a period-correct ‘go faster’ logo. This particular version pairs an Alder body with a maple fingerboard under a Cherryburst finish.
Under the hood, it’s built to G&L’s exacting standards: bolt-on construction, 25 1/2″ scale, Okoume body wood, Vintage Tint Gloss hard-rock maple neck with a Modern Classic profile (9.5″ radius, 1 11/16″ nut width), bone nut, and 22 medium jumbo nickel frets. The Dual-Fulcrum vibrato bridge uses forged brass saddles for stable, expressive pitch control. Controls include a 5-position pickup selector, volume, PTB treble/bass knobs, and the mini-toggle expander switch for extra pickup combinations. Ships in a G&L deluxe gig bag.
- Construction: Bolt-on, 25 1/2″ scale
- Pickups: Leo Fender-designed G&L MFD single coils, re-voiced
- Body: Okoume, Cherryburst over Alder
- Neck: Vintage Tint Gloss maple, Modern Classic profile, maple fingerboard
- Bridge: G&L Dual-Fulcrum vibrato with forged brass saddles
- Hardware: Kluson Vintage tuners, bone nut
- Case: G&L deluxe gig bag
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