Pics of my SB2s (non-trib & trib)

[skaelin]

Replaced the stock white pickguard on the Trib with a nicer black pearl pickguard. Trib has DM roundwound strings; good slapping bass. Non-trib has Thomastick-Infeld JF-344 Jazz Flatwounds (oh, baby do they sound great); use it for everything other than slapping. The work was done by my bass tech, Corey Keller, in Santa Cruz.

[snappytom]

Nice !!! Where did you get the pickguard for the Tribute ?

[skaelin]

Originally Posted by snappytom

Nice !!! Where did you get the pickguard for the Tribute ?

From a guy named Brian Boots in San Diego. He has a template for the SB2 Trib. This was all arranged by my bass tech, Corey Keller, so I don't have the contact info for Brian. If anybody is interested though, I can probably get it. I think it cost me around $40.

[craigb]

Very nice! The burgundy is growing on me quite a bit.

Can you compare & contrast your US SB-2 vs your Tribute? I've got US and 1st gen (Korean) Tribute SB-2s but haven't checked out one of the current Indonesian Tribute SB-2s yet.

Thanks

[snappytom]

Originally Posted by craigb

Very nice! The burgundy is growing on me quite a bit.

Can you compare & contrast your US SB-2 vs your Tribute? I've got US and 1st gen (Korean) Tribute SB-2s but haven't checked out one of the current Indonesian Tribute SB-2s yet.

Thanks

I can provide my 2 cents ....
The US SB-2 I have was acquired used, is probably about 5-7 years old. #6 neck with Ebony board, tone pot and a stacked vol/vol pot in place.
The Tribute SB-2 is Indonesian, about 6 weeks old, and completely stock.
The US is solid, meaning it has some weight but not too much (just under 10 lbs.). The Tribute is lighter and seems to balance better.
The #6 neck on the US is nice and has a semi-gloss finish. The Tribute neck is IMO superb, more like a #8 and has a nice stain finish with a very tight grain.
Fretwork and board on the US has seen some use but is well done. The Tribute fretwork and board (rosewood) is very impressive, straight and true, and responds well to trussrod adjustments.
Hardware on the Tribute is all chromed and looks good, US has the Aluminum post tuners.
Weak spot on the Tribute is the pickguard. A single-ply POS that I am looking to replace or paint. Mine is the black-on-black model, maybe the white perloid that comes with the burgundy model is better.
Sound/Tone;
My US will go anywhere from very Dark sounding to snappy and bright. IMO, this is due to the tone pot mod which really opens up the potential of the SB-2. Sustain is excellent.
The Tribute does not yet have the tone pot mod (waiting on parts) and has what I would call the "standard" SB-2 tone. Deep and aggressive, but sometimes a bit clanky. The bridge pickup can be quite noisy depending on what other electronics are nearby. I am hoping a tone pot will tame that a bit, may need to do some shielding. Overall the sustain and tone is very good.

I think the new Indonesian Tribute SB-2's are worth every penny. Bought mine without seeing it first and am very happy.

[skaelin]

Originally Posted by craigb

Very nice! The burgundy is growing on me quite a bit.

Can you compare & contrast your US SB-2 vs your Tribute? I've got US and 1st gen (Korean) Tribute SB-2s but haven't checked out one of the current Indonesian Tribute SB-2s yet.

Thanks

I pretty much agree with Snappytom but I'll add a few more details. My US SB2 has maple neck which is a bit different sounding than the ebony - the former is brighter and more defined while the former is warmer with a little less pitch definition. I don't think one is better than the other. It simply comes down to what you like more. I don't have a preference. I like the Trib for certain things and I like the US for others.

There are two areas where the US really shines above the Trib: weight and sustain. The lower registers on the US have a sort of palpable presence that the Trib lacks. Call it weight, gravitas, whatever -- there's just more of a solid foundation. The US has unbelievable sustain -- and I mean "A Day in the Life" kind of sustain; great for Pink Floydish material.

Because I put flatwounds on the US, the differences are even greater now -- the Trib and the US sound like different basses, although there are some similiarities between the two, call it the G&L "house sound" if you will.

Anyway, hope that helps.

[Dr. Cheese]

Both are nice, but the MIA SB-2 is a beauty.