as said above, which one would you guys get? And which one is more versatile? cuz the pickups are diff too

I'd get an SB-2, heck I've got 3 of 'em (US, Tribute, fretless). But would/should you?

SB-2 - MFD P-J pickups, 2 volumes, skinny neck standard

L2K - MFD humbuckers, vol/treble cut/bass cut knobs, pickup selector (neck/both/bridge)/series-parallel/passive-active-active+boost switches, wider neck standard

Sonically the L2K is highly versatile. With the 2 pickups, 3 knobs and 3 switches you can get a lot of different tones out of it. The SB-2 has a single basic sound with variations in texture offered by the bridge pickup (the P pickup overwhelms the J pickup).

Both have a vintage-ey, growl-ey character to them. The SB-2 can be a touch clearer (and also harsher and clankier). The L2K is a bit less clear but has more bottom and more growl (in addition to the greater range of tones available).

For me I prefer the clarity and simplicity (passive, less controls) of the SB-2. I like using plucking position and playing technique to extract different sounds from it. I plug-and-play with it and don't usually mess with the controls once I've started playing. I have modified my controls so they are master volume/bridge pickup volume (stacked) and tone.

I'm also a skinny-neck weenie but you can get a skinny neck on an L2K also (I've had those), albeit only on US G&Ls.

Which is best for you depends on which one gets the sound(s) you want and whether the variety of sounds is important to you.

I love them both. Both basses are quite versatile, but require tweaking to find the sounds you may want.

The SB-2 is a great, simple, honest bass. You can't go wrong.

The L2K/ASAT (ASAT has a skinnier neck standard) has a punch & growl that nearly makes me weep. You won't find a more versatile bass either.

I say- get both! You can't get the SB-2 sounds from an L2000 or vise-versa. If I was going to choose only one, it would be the L2000- because I like a bass with lots of bottom end, and especially low mids. The SB-2 has alot more high mids, and might work better for alot of music- just not what I do. Plus, you can always cut bass on the L2000 to make it sound more like what the SB-2 does- it just won't sound quite the same. If I was ever in a position where I'd be playing lots of bass solos then the SB-2 would be my go-to bass over any other bass I've ever played (but I rarely play solos!)- it is a very fast-playing bass and cuts similar to a Rickenbacker.

Karl

This makes me want an SB-2 even more!
That black tribby...

EDIT: Sunbeast, would you say the SB-2 lacks bottom end and low mids? Or is it just that the L2K has so much of them?

Craigb: do you use your tone control a lot? And did you lose some tones with the master volume instead of P volum? Or is it (almost) exactly the same?

For me, I didn't lose a thing with the master volume over separate volumes. The reason is that I never try to adjust the J pickup volume greater than the P pickup volume (I could live without the J pickup but you don't usually find SB-1s with skinny necks). So going with my setup I can adjust the J pickup relative to the P and then adjust the overall volume with the master without changing the relative pickup levels.

I find myself using the tone to tame newer strings - they can be clangy/zingy and I can tone that down. It's not that I tweak it while playing, just that I set it to a level that pleases me at the start of a playing session and then leave it be and vary tone using plucking position/technique from then on.

EDIT: Sunbeast, would you say the SB-2 lacks bottom end and low mids? Or is it just that the L2K has so much of them?



Its not that it lacks them at all- its low end is very comparable to a Fender P-bass, it just has so much more high end and high mids than the average P-bass that you may find yourself boosting lows to compensate (or cutting the highs/ wishing you had a tone knob- but I personally am fine without one!). Also, the L2000 has more lows than any other bass I've ever played- so there's hardly any comparison (the difference between a split coil pickup like a P and a giant humbucking pickup...).

Karl

I had a L2K. I sold it and bought a SB2. I agree with most of what has been said already. For the type of music I play (R&B, Classic Rock, vintage funk) The SB2 w flats nails the tone I am looking for. I only had rounds on the L2k, so I cant do a direct comparison there :hmm: I found the L2K was very hot and needed a lot of tweaking in active, and sounded kinda thin passive. If you slap or are looking for more growl, the L2K is probably a better choice. The SB2 with flats is a thump beast!