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Nice looking bass. If it were a 5 i might have been interested. GLWTS
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You're a 5 and a G&L guy for sure!
The finish of these 3 basses is gorgious, especially the latest one, congrats!
I think the M-2500 has my favorite finish for G&L instruments, we don't see it very often, is that "honney burst"?
Thank you, guys.
First of all, this 2014 M-2500 weighs like a feather compared to my 1997 L-2500.
The body is also smaller (I believe the L body was slimmed down by 1998).
The L is an alder body with a bookmatched swamp ash top. The M is solid swamp ash.
I had forgotten the tone of my Fullerton M-2500 that I sold 10 years ago.
The Tribby M delivers that very same tone.
Modern and very versatile (Paul Gagon's pre is wonderful and very efficient), I think much more than with the L.
Yes, it's Honeyburst. The Kilo is Clear Red (looks darker because there was not enough light in the roome this morning) and the L is Clear Orange.
The wood of the rosewood fingerboard is outstanding, and it will even look better with some lemon oil applied.
For those who might ask, the L has a 1-15/16th nut width (49 mm). I like it, even if I have rather short hands....
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Nice looking collection & great addition to round out the set!
that's too bad. I just checked, and the guitarsbyleo.com site and forum are still active. along with the serial number registry.
That M2500 looks great! Surprised it seems light compared to your older Fullerton, but good to hear. I'll need to look into one if this new project I'm trying to pull together works out.
I agree. It seemed like he really didn't want to try ut the bass. I stopped watching at the point where said he would never touch the tone controls because he said it sounded "thin" when the bass was rolled off. I do not share that experience.
These are the G&L basses (all Fullerton) I don't own any more (with the excuses
):- ASAT Bass semi-hollow, 3TSB, MN, 2004 (beautiful body, but could never find a good tone with it)
- M-2500, alder, tobacco sunburst, RW, 2012 (selling it was a mistake, yeah ! the best low action I never got, thanks The Bass Place, Peoria, AZ)
- ASAT Bass Signature fretless, clear honey, swamp ash, ebony FB with no ghost lines, 1989 (my band said my intonation was
) - SB-2, swamp ash, clear blue, swamp ash, MN, 1999 (4-strings are not for me anymore)
- JB-5, alder, sonic blue, MN, 2016 (never bonded with it, I cannot explain - JB body is too big)
I've sold a lot on Reverb and Sweetwater's Gear Exchange used site without any issues (knock on wood). G&L's are a tough sell on the used market. You'll have people low ball the heck out of you or others that will only jump when the specs are exactly what they want. Selling any G&L is a patience game that's for sure.
I get it about the body, and they are a bit heavy. Mine, though... JB, alder, vintage white, CR fingerboard, 2021... it's a beast. I love that bass.
Question for Glazenn (or anyone who has had both a Kiloton 5 & the 5 string L series:
How do the two compare?
IE: Neck / Body shape etc. I've heard the Kiloton is a smaller body
I have an L1505 - is the Kiloton significantly different other than being completely passive and doesn't have the 2 band EQ?
How do the two compare?
IE: Neck / Body shape etc. I've heard the Kiloton is a smaller body
I have an L1505 - is the Kiloton significantly different other than being completely passive and doesn't have the 2 band EQ?
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Kilo has slimmer body. Neck on Kilo is 9.5" radius (versus 12" on L1505). I expect most will find the Kilo more comfortable due to the slimmer body.
The coil tap switch on the Kiloton is 3 position (adds single coil mode that L1505 does not have).
As you pointed out, Kilo does away with the bass cut knob and the active/passive switch. When I tried an L1505 years ago, I found the bass cut unnecessary (it is useful on the L1000 and L2X00 basses). I never use active mode on my G&L L series basses. Do not miss that feature on the Kilo.
IMO Kiloton is marginally better than the L1505. If I already had an L1505, I would not trade it for the Kilo. If I wanted a similar sounding backup for the L1505, Kilo is a good option. For anyone who does not have an L1505 and is comparing Kilo to L1505, only way I would take the L1505 over the Kilo is if it was cheaper.
Thanks for your feedback. I'm not looking to unload my L1505 - this would be in addition to the current stable...although I do have an Ibanez I'll probably sell to keep the headstock count on an even track.
This is my L1505...I'm kinda partial to it.
In addition to @ahadl2500's comments:
The Kilo has the same body as the SB-1/SB-2, that is slimmer than the L series. This was announced by G&L, prior to the launching of the model, as a substantial benefit, i.e. more comfortable, compared to the L-series.
As well as the pickup position, similar to a StingRay, and that was found ideal by Leo through his experiments.
Based on these two features, G&L's marketing team claimed the model would be like "1,000 kilotons of TNT"!
Like the SB series, the Kilo is passive.
As neck is concerned, my L-2500 is a very early example of the model (Jan. 1997) and the nut width is 1-15/16th (49mm), that is the widest nut I have ever heard of on a fiver. I don't find it's a disturbance to my playing (I prefer a P when with a 1.75" nut width). I don't know the value for the fretboard radius, just saying it's very flat.
In 1998, G&L progressively re-designed the body shape and several other features on the L-2500 (6 bolt neck plate to 6 bolts/washers, 4+1 headstock to 3+2, thinner nut width, through-body stringing), as well as some on the L-2000.
So, my ancient L-2500 is quite different from the modern ones, that have remained practically the same since 1998. I have not played any of these (and my comments may not exactly address the comparison between the Kilo and the present L-series).
I have never played an L-1505, therefore I cannot comment. I just know that the pickup position was moved once.
Lastly, I think G&L launched the Kiloton partly to counter (or after) the lack of success of the M-series. I like both. Well done, G&L!
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