G&L Club Part 7

[GroovyBaby]

I was just nosing around the Sweetwater stock, looking at weights. They've a couple of SB-1s and a LB-100 atm, Fullerton Deluxes made from alder – all three lighter than my Squier P made from basswood. (I know the SB body is more svelte than the LB, but I don't know how the two shapes relate to a standard P)

I'm guessing that somewhere along the line, a selection is being made, to avoid especially heavy bits of alder – do they do the same for their basswood? The option (MRSP $72) is advertised as "Lightweight American Basswood".

On average, do the USA basswood instruments come in much lighter than the alder? Empress (MRSP $143) seems to be at least 1 lb lighter then alder on average. Does basswood split the difference?

(And how pointless is it asking questions like this when all we have is tiny slivers of anecdotal evidence? )

Perhaps a better pair of questions would be: do alder SB-1s always come in under 9 lbs these days, and does anyone feel the $72 for basswood is worth it?

My alder sb-1 is 8.4lbs. I only buy basses w weight clearly marked. My JB-5 is alder and also a crazy 8.4! That's crazy light for an alder five string jazz. My L-2500 is empress and 7.9lbs. In my experience, 8 is about the sweet spot. I had an lb-100 that was 7.2 and it had too much neck dive. U just have to be patient and always ask "weight?"

 

[jmlee]

Has anyone else seen these G&L Tribute LB100 with block inlays and tort? There are a couple other variants as well. I had my eye on this one but someone scooped it up.
View attachment 4426422

I really like the blocks. The 'burst, though, it's not very attractive. It seems a bit too much of a wide black/thin red halo around the periphery of the front. I've seen this on some of the Tribute basses—and usually the back is just plain black. It's quite a different burst than G&L's lovely US 3-tone bursts where the not-too-wide black gives way to a red that gently bleeds into the yellow at the centre. That Tribby burst would be enough to shoo me away.

 

[woodyng2]

I really like the blocks. The 'burst, though, it's very attractive. It seems a bit too much of a wide black/thin red halo around the periphery of the front. I've seen this on some of the Tribute basses—and usually the back is just plain black. It's quite a different burst than G&L's lovely US 3-tone bursts where the not-too-wide black gives way to a red that gently bleeds into the yellow at the centre. That Tribby burst would be enough to shoo me away.


View attachment 4426481

I like both really. That tribute finish almost looks like a tobacco burst with just the thin red halo.
My US JB2's sunburst finish is sort of in between both of these examples. (And it also has the black finish
on the sides and rear).

 

[jmlee]

Looks like my Tribute JB-2, black on the back. I *do* like more red fading into the amber. I'm sure it takes more personnel time and coats to get the gentle fades from black-to-red-to-amber and that doesn't necessarily make dollars and sense. But @woodyng2, you've got some nice red flare-outs around the waist of your instrument.

 

[tony caskey]

Well that won't be some weak ass jazz bass will it?View attachment 4419396

i know this is an old post, but *** that thing is cool, are the electronics active or passive, looks like custom shop. i would like a passive one with an L 1000 neck

 

[Jim C]

I picked up a beautiful Kiloton 5 from the TB classifieds with a light empress body and really liked how it played. It had a really solid tone with good definition but I also wanted some rounder and warmer tones that the single MFD pickup didn't provide for my taste, so I ordered a Nordstrand Big Rig with custom spacing to fit in the P-bass sweet spot. I had the new pickup mounted along with a stacked volume pot to avoid drilling more holes in the control plate. The wiring diagram is shown in this cross post #19:
G&L Kiloton/BigRig Wiring Assistance | TalkBass.com
View attachment 4421390
I thought the Big Rig might not have the output to keep up with the MFD but with the Big Rig wired series and the MFD in parallel or single coil their outputs and tone blend match very well. I love what the new pickup adds to this bass. Either pickup can be soloed but for me the sweet spot is with them blended with one or the other dialed back about 1/8 turn.

Here is a play along sample through my 15" cab with Tractrix horn recorded with a Zoom H4n of my G&L Kiloton 5 through the Berg Forte HP with bass bumped, mids cut slightly, and treble flat. The Big Rig pickup in the P-bass position fattens the tone up.
View attachment 4421396

Sorry for the derail, but who is the band? Bass and band sound awesome. Is there some OD on the bass track?

As far as weights:
I was following weight and G&L woods for a few years. It's amazing how much variance there is in alder and pine for G&L. I've seen some alder at well over 11 lbs. on Sweetwater. I do have 2 Tributes at 8.5 lbs but they took a while to find.

The only constant is empress which seems to always be light. My JB is 7.5 lbs.

 

[5StringPocket]

Sorry for the derail, but who is the band? Bass and band sound awesome. Is there some OD on the bass track?

As far as weights:
I was following weight and G&L woods for a few years. It's amazing how much variance there is in alder and pine for G&L. I've seen some alder at well over 11 lbs. on Sweetwater. I do have 2 Tributes at 8.5 lbs but they took a while to find.

The only constant is empress which seems to always be light. My JB is 7.5 lbs.

That track was Taddy Porter - Shake Me. I like that straight ahead high energy rock. There is a bit of OD on the bass track. I dialed in some drive with the BFT circuit and a bit of compression on my Forte HP. That empress bodied Kiloton has a very comfortable neck, balances well on a strap, and has nice vibe to it which translates to the amplified tone. I've really grown to like it.

 

[NOLA Bass]

Hey guys, just listed my Tribute Fallout in the Classifieds. Thanks!

 

[NOLA Bass]

The Fallout sold fast!

 

[59jazz]

Long time Fender P bass player here, now considering a G&L LB100. Is the LB100 body a bit smaller or sleeker than a standard P body?
I'd really like to find one with a figured maple neck and under 9lbs.

 

[bonin in the boneyard]

I believe it's actually the SB-1 that has the slimmer body, if that's what you're looking for. The pickups are interchangeable, so you can drop any ol' split-coil in there. You should consider giving the MFD pickup a shot, though.

 

[bonin in the boneyard]

The body of mine is beat to spit, but the neck figuring is lovely:

 

[Jim C]

That track was Taddy Porter - Shake Me. I like that straight ahead high energy rock. There is a bit of OD on the bass track. I dialed in some drive with the BFT circuit and a bit of compression on my Forte HP. That empress bodied Kiloton has a very comfortable neck, balances well on a strap, and has nice vibe to it which translates to the amplified tone. I've really grown to like it.

Hmm. Another Kilotron that sounds awesome in the mix. Does the MFD do clean well? I sometimes wonder if my SPB2 is too dirty sounding although it usually sounds great recorded. Great track and playing BTW.

 

[jglunt]

Hmm. Another Kilotron that sounds awesome in the mix. Does the MFD do clean well? I sometimes wonder if my SPB2 is too dirty sounding although it usually sounds great recorded. Great track and playing BTW.

I play mostly country and country/gospel, using nothing but a clean tone on either my SB-2 or Kiloton (whichever suits my mood at the time). I truly love the sound of the MFDs clean. Great power and beautiful tone. In my experience (50 years of playing bass), they sound better than anything I've ever tried on any kind of music.

 

[59jazz]

I believe it's actually the SB-1 that has the slimmer body, if that's what you're looking for. The pickups are interchangeable, so you can drop any ol' split-coil in there. You should consider giving the MFD pickup a shot, though.

I have a SB-2T, but am not thrilled with the body shape. However I do really like the sound of the SB pup..

 

[TDR1138]

@59jazz The LB-100 body is smaller than the Fender P body but a little bit bigger/thicker in the waist than the SB body.

 

[ShawnG]

Long time Fender P bass player here, now considering a G&L LB100. Is the LB100 body a bit smaller or sleeker than a standard P body?
I'd really like to find one with a figured maple neck and under 9lbs.

I believe the contours on the LB-100 are more pronounced, as well. The forearm countour on mine is quite pronounced and the mid-body cut is a little different than a standard Fender P, too. Mine is by far my most comfortable bass to play while sitting and is really great while standing, too. I can't say enough good things re: my LB-100. If the best Fender is a G&L, then I'll posit that the best P-bass is an LB-100.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

People might remember that a shell pink SB-1 with a maple 1½" quartersawn neck weighing just 7.0 lbs went astray....

....well, watch this space....

 

[59jazz]

@59jazz The LB-100 body is smaller than the Fender P body but a little bit bigger/thicker in the waist than the SB body.

That's what I'm looking for…. I like my 2001 SB-2T custom, but they cut the body at 1.75" thick…..Gahhhhh!

 

[bonin in the boneyard]

Wow. Just for kicks I measured some of mine. My SB-1 and -2 are 1.625". My L2k is a hair under 1.6" (it's hard to be precise because I don't want to scratch finishes with my calipers).