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G&L Club Part 7

#17,121
Here's my SB-2 completed after I got it a little rough. It had some kind of patch work done on the body and the paint they used wasn't the same color so I decided to repaint it. Also they made a homemade pickguard that looked pretty awful IMO so I put a new one on. It was also really really dirty with a bunch of grime on the fretboard so I cleaned that off. The previous owner installed a stack knob setup. Ready to play now!

Before:
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After:
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#17,122
richwag said:
That was one gorgeous bass. Did get you buy that new? Do you remember the price?
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I bought it used off ebay for $600 plus $25-30 shipping. That was 2004 - 2005. The seller listed it for $650....no bids. He relisted it for $600. After seven days I was the only bidder. The listing had poor quality pics, no mention of the figured top or some of the other upgrades, either. I kept looking at the blurry pics thinking..."that looks like a flamed maple top and an ebony board".

This pic is from when it first arrived. I think the pearl guard was a $50 upgrade at the time, which I immediately flipped and installed a spare b/w/b one. It weighed 8.5 lbs and balanced perfectly, played exceptionally well.
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#17,123
Speaking of exceptional SB-2 examples, this ash/maple Butterscotch Blonde def qualified. With its #5 maple neck, strung with TI flats, it had a sound to match its good looks. It was the second G&L with that #5 neck that convinced me that some extra beef on the neck translated to some extra beef in the sound. Miss it.

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#17,125
Protagonist said:
Has anyone here played both a Kiloton and an L2000? Maybe owned them at or around the same time? Will the L2000 be pretty similiar to the Kiloton when playing it with the bridge pickup solo'd? Do the preamp and different magnets make a huge difference in tone (with preamp flat) or just output?

I own a Kiloton, but would love to get an L2000 if it can do most of what a Kiloton can do.
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Yes, I've played both, and I've owned an L-1500 which has the same pickup as the Kiloton, in the same location. When I tried a Kiloton, I thought it sounded exactly like my old L-1500 when the pickups were wired the same and the L-1500 in passive mode. I also have an M-2500.

The Kiloton's pickup is slightly farther from the bridge than the L-2000's bridge pickup; they have about one coil of overlap. With this, the Kiloton has less twang than the L-2000's bridge pickup, and a little more thickness, so they don't sound the same. They're both "bridge" tones, so some might find them similar, and the gap can probably be narrowed with amp EQ, but they are different. The L-2000's preamp doesn't add any more thickness, because the EQ controls are passive cut-only.

With my M-2500, I can approximate L-1500/Kiloton sounds by panning toward the bridge pickup, and then dial in fatness with the active EQ. It's a very flexible setup.
 
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#17,126
Just here to pat myself on the back for 20 years at TB! Apparently yesterday was the big day... and I missed it. I tried to post a pic from way back then, but TB is not working for me or something. You're not missing much.

Carry on.

Edit: here is some G&L content to stay on topic. I love both my G&Ls!
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#17,128
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#17,134
dwellers said:
How do you explain away the 20 pound giant box at the door?

I didn't think I would like the white on white with matching white headstock combo as much as I do but it's awesome. Really stands out in a crowd. Kind of like how good vanilla is really anything but "vanilla" in the bland sense.

View attachment 3897795
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Is that a white pickguard (vs parchment)?

(Trying to determine the best choice between 3-ply mint/parchment/white if I go for a change from black...)
 
#17,135
Hey all. Has anyone played both a Kiloton and a Fallout? If so, can you compare/contrast?

They have the same electronics (vol, single tone, 3-way) but obviously the Fallout is a short scale and the pickup is more in the L-1000 location.

I have a fretless Kiloton that I love and a Tribute fretted Kiloton. I'm considering swapping the Tribute Kiloton for a Tribute Fallout since I've been jonesing for a shorty and I dig the look of it.

Any insight would be great. Thanks!
 
#17,136
strost said:
Hey all. Has anyone played both a Kiloton and a Fallout? If so, can you compare/contrast?

They have the same electronics (vol, single tone, 3-way) but obviously the Fallout is a short scale and the pickup is more in the L-1000 location.

I have a fretless Kiloton that I love and a Tribute fretted Kiloton. I'm considering swapping the Tribute Kiloton for a Tribute Fallout since I've been jonesing for a shorty and I dig the look of it.

Any insight would be great. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I have not played both. However, while they both have vol/tone/3-way, the electronics are not identical. The Fallout retains the OMG mode found in the L-1000. Once my local pusher has one available, I'ma see if they'll open it up and lemme take some photos.
 
#17,138
Scott Loveless said:
I have not played both. However, while they both have vol/tone/3-way, the electronics are not identical. The Fallout retains the OMG mode found in the L-1000. Once my local pusher has one available, I'ma see if they'll open it up and lemme take some photos.
Click to expand...

Thanks! So "Series" on a Kiloton is not the same as OMG on a Fallout or L-1000? I did not know that. Do you know what the difference is?
 
#17,140
How often have you encountered a G&L bass (or guitar) made long after the series was retired? My Climax apparently was made 2 years after G&L discontinued the model by introducing L-1500.
As far as I know, Climaxes were made until 1996, and the 1997 was the first year of L-1500.
It also has an old style serial number (B0 instead of CLF) I know one SB-1 (Precision) originally made from 1983 neck and 1991 body, but I've never seen BBE models made after series retirement...
 

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