G&L Club Part 7

[twinjet]

I apologize for the terrible lighting but here is my new Kiloton 5 in Margarita Metallic Satin Frost:

View attachment 2926777 View attachment 2926778

G&L is making a very good product these days and gets my vote for the "best bang for the buck". Hard to beat a near custom USA made bass at this price point.

So lovely.

 

[jmlee]

Just saw this on Reverb. Dang this would look sharp next to my trans blue L1505. its fretless but the photos look like it has fret slots cut with no frets.
G & L L 1500 Fretless 2008 Flame Maple with binding

Dang dat's purty! The L1500 makes for a lovely fretless.

 

[jefff100]

Yeah and here I just bought another Carvin / Kiesel a few weeks ago. Grrr.

Want vs need.

 

[Red Planet]

My two G&Ls together.
The LB-100 just has this massive vintage tone that is so appealing and attractive sounding while the L-1500 has this modern sting that is instantly unmistakable.

 

[BigBigGuy44]

Thanks! Yeah I got the standard Modern C neck. I think they also use it on their JB-5. It's the 4+1 Headstock, not the 3+2.

It's my first 5 I intend to give a solid try. I've owned a couple 5'ers, (Carvins, etc. but no G&Ls) and never really bonded with them. I've owned 4 other G&Ls in the past and I keep going back to them. My main player is also a SB-1. The Kiloton is intended to replace it as main player and relegate it to backup status.

It sounds awesome, can't wait to try it out.

What specs did you order on the Kiloton?

I play four bangers 95% of the time so I'm no where near as proficient as I should be on a 5. I find the neck and string spacing the G&L Modern C neck to be perfect for me but that's just a personal preference. The SB-1 and Kiloton will have that distinctive G&L MFD underlying tone, but I don't know how similar they will be otherwise. The SB-1 I had was thump whereas the Kiloton is growly. I compare them to the neck and bridge pickup on a J bass. They are similar but different.

Either way, I think you will be very happy with the Kiloton.

 

[Antisyzygy]

What specs did you order on the Kiloton?

I play four bangers 95% of the time so I'm no where near as proficient as I should be on a 5. I find the neck and string spacing the G&L Modern C neck to be perfect for me but that's just a personal preference. The SB-1 and Kiloton will have that distinctive G&L MFD underlying tone, but I don't know how similar they will be otherwise. The SB-1 I had was thump whereas the Kiloton is growly. I compare them to the neck and bridge pickup on a J bass. They are similar but different.

Either way, I think you will be very happy with the Kiloton.

I ordered the Kiloton 5 in cherryburst satin with matching headstock. Parchment guard.

I ordered it with the 9.5" Modern C5 neck. Vintage frets. Maple on maple, quartersawn. Light satin tint.

Greg at Rocket Music told me the light tint is more consistent than the vintage one bass to bass, otherwise I would have probably got the vintage tint.

My thought on the neck options was it's the closest to a vintage neck feel on a 5 you can get without going to a radius that would be problematic (i.e. 7.5" on a 5 would be ridiculous, strings would be really different heights). My SB-1 currently has a 7.5" radius Jazz neck though so I tend to lean the rounder direction.

My understanding is the Modern C5 has a nice edge roll to the board, and has a sort of intermediate string spacing as far a 5s go. Not very wide or very narrow.

Regarding the tone, totally, the Kiloton sounds more growly to my ears in the Youtube demos. The Low B sounds really tight in part due to that I think. My SB-1 is currently strung with cobalt flats and it pretty much sounds like a really punchy P bass. Not a punch to the gut like some P basses, more like a punch to the solar plexus.

 

[bonin in the boneyard]

Greg at Rocket Music told me the light tint is more consistent than the vintage one bass to bass, otherwise I would have probably got the vintage tint.

That's interesting. I ordered vintage tint and it came out surprisingly light. Closer even to their [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] than light.

 

[BigBigGuy44]

Sounds nice @Antisyzygy! Great way to describe the Modern C 5 neck too.

 

[Yogi Bear]

Question regarding the K-Switch... I have it on my L-2500, installed from G&L, but I don't necessarily hear any real discernible difference between that and Parallel mode. Should I be hearing something vastly different? Not that I really use anything other than Series/Passive, but I was curious if I am missing something..?

 

[dedpool1052]

Should be quite noticeable. To my ears, parallel tends to be scooped and have a
compressed character to the tone while single coil is more open with a brighter attack.

There could be something afoot with the wiring. Set it in SC mode and use a screwdriver
to tap each coil. One should be much quieter than the other (as it's not completely "off").

 

[delta7fred]

If you have both pickups on it will sound similar as it is 2 single coils in parallel (that make up a humbucker) especially if you have it wired for the inner coils. Outer coils sound a bit more different although it still forms a humbucker, just a wide spaced one!

Select either neck or bridge pickup and it is true single coil and sounds quite different (it certainly does on my L-2500).

Edit - Try the tap test as dedpool1052 suggests.

 

[Yogi Bear]

Should be quite noticeable. To my ears, parallel tends to be scooped and have a
compressed character to the tone while single coil is more open with a brighter attack.

There could be something afoot with the wiring. Set it in SC mode and use a screwdriver
to tap each coil. One should be much quieter than the other (as it's not completely "off").

I'll give that a try. Thanks!

 

[Antisyzygy]

Sounds nice @Antisyzygy! Great way to describe the Modern C 5 neck too.

Thanks! I hope so!

I've had to base all that on what I can read about; there isn't a Kiloton 5 around here to try out. The color was a bit easier since one can look at other G&Ls and get an idea.

Anyway, I sold off most everything to get this sucker so it's sort of a gamble. However, I trust G&L as I've traded around a few used ones (all great) and eventually acquired this SB-1 which is now my only bass other than an acoustic one.

The reviews and other material out there makes it seem like the right choice for a 5, anyway. Looking forward to it. I'll post pics for sure.

 

[A-Ro]

Thanks! I hope so!

I've had to base all that on what I can read about; there isn't a Kiloton 5 around here to try out. The color was a bit easier since one can look at other G&Ls and get an idea.

Anyway, I sold off most everything to get this sucker so it's sort of a gamble. However, I trust G&L as I've traded around a few used ones (all great) and eventually acquired this SB-1 which is now my only bass other than an acoustic one.

The reviews and other material out there makes it seem like the right choice for a 5, anyway. Looking forward to it. I'll post pics for sure.

I sold off everything too for my Kiloton 5 (which still has 4-5 weeks left). I don't have any doubts on the quality or my decision.

 

[BassPilot]

I have an American SB-2 and Kiloton 4. I don't play any of my other basses any more except a Squire VM Jazz about 5% of the time.
The playability, tone and weight of these two G&L instruments has RUINED ME for anything else I have. The uniqueness of the G&L MFD pickups grabs my attention every time I play them. I find that for me, the Kiloton pairs beautifully with my Mesa Walkabout and the SB-2 is an equally great match with my Mesa D800/SW112/115. I don't dislike either instrument with the other amp, but right now I just like those pairings (like a nice juicy tender steak and a good glass of red wine - well, the SB-2 is more like Mad Dog 20/20 sometimes).
I don't play 5 strings but the video's I've seen of the Kiloton 5 sound amazingly clear with a more pronounced B string that other 5's that I've heard.
You guys are gonna love these basses and I can't imagine you'll have a single regret! (except the wait...)

 

[R&B]

I recently came thiiiis close to trading away my 1996 SB-1. A hair over 8 pounds. Thunderous beyond belief. What was I thinking?

Whew! Mischief managed.

 

[Antisyzygy]

I have an American SB-2 and Kiloton 4. I don't play any of my other basses any more except a Squire VM Jazz about 5% of the time.
The playability, tone and weight of these two G&L instruments has RUINED ME for anything else I have. The uniqueness of the G&L MFD pickups grabs my attention every time I play them. I find that for me, the Kiloton pairs beautifully with my Mesa Walkabout and the SB-2 is an equally great match with my Mesa D800/SW112/115. I don't dislike either instrument with the other amp, but right now I just like those pairings (like a nice juicy tender steak and a good glass of red wine - well, the SB-2 is more like Mad Dog 20/20 sometimes).
I don't play 5 strings but the video's I've seen of the Kiloton 5 sound amazingly clear with a more pronounced B string that other 5's that I've heard.
You guys are gonna love these basses and I can't imagine you'll have a single regret! (except the wait...)

I had a SB-2 for awhile. Great basses. The bridge volume really is like a tone knob in some respects. Except with the scoop available.

I eventually added some tone knobs to it in VT VT setup where you could isolate the tones using the volumes. It was a neat mod but I wound up preferring the SB-1 more for its neck and sold off that one. Nothing wrong with it just not my perfect neck.

This time I opted for a custom build for my kiloton. I've never done that with a G&L before, always buying used or trading for one. So I never had a wide neck selection. I'd have probably kept the SB-2 if it had my SB-1s neck.

Anyway G&L is hands down my favorite brand. I still like what some of the others guys are doing but I keep going back to them. Anymore I'm just not a collector and I want a few good players.

 

[TDR1138]

I recently came thiiiis close to trading away my 1996 SB-1. A hair over 8 pounds. Thunderous beyond belief. What was I thinking?

Whew! Mischief managed.

View attachment 2931186

I'm in SoCal and I want that bass, if you ever change your mind again...

 

[R&B]

I'm in SoCal and I want that bass, if you ever change your mind again...

Negatory, good buddy! I have come to my senses. Thanks for the vote of confidence though!!

 

[jefff100]

I was sort of thinking that SB-1 needs a change in climate and to sort of grow its legs a little.

I'd be happy to give it an East Coast home.