G&L SB2 not all that great

[fermata]

I prefer the SB-1 to the SB-2. The SB-2 inherently has a pretty aggressive sound; it seems to go from bright and aggressive to brighter and more aggressive.

The SB-1 seems more nuanced to me; it can do the aggressive thing, but it can do the more classic P-bass sound.

Between that hot, wide-range MFD pickup and the very reactive volume and tone controls, it's capable of a much wider range of sounds/colors than one normally associates with a single-pickup passive bass. Spinning the controls and hearing them interact almost makes it feel like an active bass or a two-pickup bass.

 

[Jim C]

I bought an SB2 used here and it far exceeded my expectations.
Fit, finish, and overall quality is much better than my MIM fender.

 

[sunbeast]

I prefer the SB-1 to the SB-2. The SB-2 inherently has a pretty aggressive sound; it seems to go from bright and aggressive to brighter and more aggressive.

The SB-1 seems more nuanced to me; it can do the aggressive thing, but it can do the more classic P-bass sound.

Between that hot, wide-range MFD pickup and the very reactive volume and tone controls, it's capable of a much wider range of sounds/colors than one normally associates with a single-pickup passive bass. Spinning the controls and hearing them interact almost makes it feel like an active bass or a two-pickup bass.

The trick to taming a stock SB-2 is lowering the Volume controls a bit. This has a similar effect as a tone control and also tames those growly mids a bit. It’s also super easy to add a standard Tone control by using a stacked pot on one of the positions, giving you all the best of both worlds

 

[fermata]

The trick to taming a stock SB-2 is lowering the Volume controls a bit. This has a similar effect as a tone control and also tames those growly mids a bit. It’s also super easy to add a standard Tone control by using a stacked pot on one of the positions, giving you all the best of both worlds

Good point. With MFDs in general, you're right the volume control is very useful as a type of tone control.

For my purposes, though, the extra sizzle the bridge pickup brings to the party isn't what I'm after, hence my preference for the SB-1. Regardless, they're great basses!

 

[sunbeast]

Good point. With MFDs in general, you're right the volume control is very useful as a type of tone control.

For my purposes, though, the extra sizzle the bridge pickup brings to the party isn't what I'm after, hence my preference for the SB-1. Regardless, they're great basses!

Fair! I pick up my straight P more than my PJ these days as well (though if I still had my beautiful SB-2 I think it would remain my fave P-bass)

 

[Floridaman]

I just got a tribute sb-2 and I love the poopie out of it. I read up on it before getting it and I’m glad I own one. It’s really hot if you just dime the volume pots, but surprisingly has many tonal options when you roll the dials back and balance them according to your needs. At first I thought about getting the tone mod done, but I’m good with just backing the treble off on my sans amp bass driver. I’m thinking about putting flat wounds on though since it’s so hot and zingy, which I love. I like the fact that the Sb-2 needs to be tamed, not boosted.

 

[sunbeast]

I just got a tribute sb-2 and I love the poopie out of it. I read up on it before getting it and I’m glad I own one. It’s really hot if you just dime the volume pots, but surprisingly has many tonal options when you roll the dials back and balance them according to your needs. At first I thought about getting the tone mod done, but I’m good with just backing the treble off on my sans amp bass driver. I’m thinking about putting flat wounds on though since it’s so hot and zingy, which I love. I like the fact that the Sb-2 needs to be tamed, not boosted.View attachment 4036116

I think the MFD P pickup has the highest output of any passive pickup I’ve tried, so it can definitely use some attenuation when going into effects!

 

[Floridaman]

For sure on the hot output! I enjoy the headroom it leaves. Really interacts well with the sansamp bass driver with the pup volume pots backed off almost half way.

 

[One Way]

Oh, and has anyone compared an M-2000 to the K'ton or SB-2? And is the body shape of the M the same as the L and the rest of the "classic" G&L line?

I own M-2500 and L-2500 Tributes. They share the same body design.

 

[Nedmundo]

I just got a tribute sb-2 and I love the poopie out of it. I read up on it before getting it and I’m glad I own one. It’s really hot if you just dime the volume pots, but surprisingly has many tonal options when you roll the dials back and balance them according to your needs. At first I thought about getting the tone mod done, but I’m good with just backing the treble off on my sans amp bass driver. I’m thinking about putting flat wounds on though since it’s so hot and zingy, which I love. I like the fact that the Sb-2 needs to be tamed, not boosted.

I did add a tone control to my SB-2, but you're absolutely right about the range of tones available from balancing the volumes. I completely understand why folks would leave the SB-2 stock. Also, good point about adjusting treble elsewhere in the signal chain. My last band's rehearsal space had a Hartke head with the ten-band EQ, so I could just cut the top band (or two) for something like cutting a passive tone control. On other amps, the treble control isn't as close to a bass's tone knob, so I'm glad my SB-2 has a tone control.

 

[CletusMarley]

Has anyone tried stacked vol/tone for each pickup? I love my SB-2 as a player but have never been crazy about the tone. I really want to try this mod.

 

[lermgalieu]

+1. I bought my SB-2 new after only playing one for a short while at low volumes. I remembered really liking the one I had played and I was freaking out looking for a heavy John Wetton-esque tone, so bit the bullet when I ran across a stupid good deal on a brand new custom one (I'm convinced it may have been a NAMM bass).

It seemed really clanky and thin when I first got it, but it was cranked up in the band mix that it really revealed its true face: a really heavy low-mid punch that carried the band coupled with a really present grind on top that filled out and added definition to the sometimes muddy guitar in my ambient metal band.
With the addition of a tone control (a really cheap and easily-reversible modification), I was able to really dial in any P-bass eque tones I could ever want- not to mention a range of tones using the blend of the bridge pickup that went beyond the scope of a P-bass (I found some very convincing Rickenbacker and almost Jazz bass-ish tones as well).

I stupidly sold my SB-2 when I began my love affair with my vintage L2000, though I guess something's gotta go sometime! I'd feel waaaay more regret if I had chosen to sell the L2000- that bass fits me like a glove (actually better than most gloves!).

Karl

I am starting to think an SB-2 would be perfect for me, and this description really furthered that opinion. As it stands, my favorite bass is my cheapest - a 1996 MIM P which just have some great low mids and aggressive top end. I have an MIA P as well which is mellower but still a great bass. Then there's my Stingray, which I love but just can't love in a band mix these days, and a JMJ Mustang (which you know from other threads). The description above really speaks to me in terms of what I love about that MIM P, but I think the SB-2 would offer me greater tonal flexibility as well. Does that sound accurate to you?

 

[sunbeast]

I am starting to think an SB-2 would be perfect for me, and this description really furthered that opinion. As it stands, my favorite bass is my cheapest - a 1996 MIM P which just have some great low mids and aggressive top end. I have an MIA P as well which is mellower but still a great bass. Then there's my Stingray, which I love but just can't love in a band mix these days, and a JMJ Mustang (which you know from other threads). The description above really speaks to me in terms of what I love about that MIM P, but I think the SB-2 would offer me greater tonal flexibility as well. Does that sound accurate to you?

For a P pickup capable of really punchy and aggressive mids I think the G&L MFD P pickup is the king, and it can be tamed nicely with a tone control (or lowered pickup height). I'd recommend trying one in one of your basses to see, as that pickup is really the main asset of the SB-2 IMO. The bridge pickup of the SB-2 works best as a sort of mid contour for the P pickup in a way, so a bit different than a typical J-type bridge pickup in a PJ (its output alone is fairly anemic, especially compared to the very high output of that MFD P pickup). Whether or not you like what that 2nd pickup adds is hard to say without trying one (and I definitely think and SB-2 is improved with the addition of a Tone control as I mentioned in that old post). If you have the opportunity to try an SB-2 I think you might be impressed, but I'd also suggest you might just pick up one of the MFD P pickups from the G&L store and put it into one of your current basses unless it is the interaction of the bridge pickup you are most intrigued by.

 

[lermgalieu]

For a P pickup capable of really punchy and aggressive mids I think the G&L MFD P pickup is the king, and it can be tamed nicely with a tone control (or lowered pickup height). I'd recommend trying one in one of your basses to see, as that pickup is really the main asset of the SB-2 IMO. The bridge pickup of the SB-2 works best as a sort of mid contour for the P pickup in a way, so a bit different than a typical J-type bridge pickup in a PJ (its output alone is fairly anemic, especially compared to the very high output of that MFD P pickup). Whether or not you like what that 2nd pickup adds is hard to say without trying one (and I definitely think and SB-2 is improved with the addition of a Tone control as I mentioned in that old post). If you have the opportunity to try an SB-2 I think you might be impressed, but I'd also suggest you might just pick up one of the MFD P pickups from the G&L store and put it into one of your current basses unless it is the interaction of the bridge pickup you are most intrigued by.

Thank you, great info. I don't want to mess with my MIM, but I suppose I could drop a MFD P pickup in my MIA P and see how it sounds. I oscillate between wanting to keep that bass with flats/for other types of music and wanting to make it aggressive and Rock like the MIM, so I will need to think about my intentions here.