It's a love/hate relationship at times. But it's still a cool instrument, IMO.
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Is a Kiloton more P, or more MM?
- Thread starter LowendG
- Start date
It's a love/hate relationship at times. But it's still a cool instrument, IMO.
Agree with both these guys.
Some days I love it and dial it right in, others I'm like, mod it, sell it, trade it.
That's how I was at times with my L2500s.
Thanks for all the replies. The fact that the pickup is even closer to the bridge than on a 'Ray makes me way less interested!
If you something like a P from G&L, I'd be looking at whatever flavor of the L1000/1500 series they are making today.
In series the kiloton sounds like a beefier stingray. In parallel mode, it sounds just like a stingray to me. Single coil mode is like a P, but a little more "honky".
Sorry, but it's no more a P bass than this.
If you want a Precision, go with a G&L LB-100.
If you want a Stingray, consider the Sterling Ray 34.
If you want a Precision, go with a G&L LB-100.
If you want a Stingray, consider the Sterling Ray 34.
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If you have to compare it to something it's probably closer to a really hot jazz bass solo bridge pickup than it is a P or a Ray.
Well, that is not my cup 'o tea, so I'll look at other ideas! Just thought it could be cool if the pu was a little closer to the bridge than a P or L1000, but not even as back as a MM.
Since you had an L-2500, you know how that bridge pickup sounds, and the Kiloton's pickup overlaps the L-2500's pickup by one coil. So it's thicker sounding than the L-2500's bridge pickup, but it's still very much a "bridge" tone as opposed to a "neck" tone.
That's exactly how I felt about my L-1500, which had the single MFD humbucker in the same location as the Kiloton's. With the right rig and room acoustics, it was flat-out amazing. At other times, it sounded thin and nasal. I cured this with an Aphex Bass Xciter pedal, but I prefer a more plug-and-play experience, so I eventually sold it. The L-1500 was essentially replaced by my SB-2, which provides MFD power with all the plug-and-play goodness of a P-bass.
That's exactly how I felt about my L-1500, which had the single MFD humbucker in the same location as the Kiloton's. With the right rig and room acoustics, it was flat-out amazing. At other times, it sounded thin and nasal. I cured this with an Aphex Bass Xciter pedal, but I prefer a more plug-and-play experience, so I eventually sold it. The L-1500 was essentially replaced by my SB-2, which provides MFD power with all the plug-and-play goodness of a P-bass.
Kiloton is more Ray than P. A L1000 is more P than Ray. Neither is either of the other two.
Since it sounds like you got the information you needed and the Kiloton might not be the best fit for you, you might look into an Ibanez ATK.
He'll get tired of me paraphrasing him
but @Dr. Cheese put it so perfectly when he described the ATK as not a Stingray clone, but a Stingray alternative. With the switch in the third position and the highs boosted, an ATK will come close to a stereotypical Ray sound; and it really won't sound like a Precision regardless of settings; but a single-pickup ATK will do big, round sounds with the highs flat or cut and the coil splitter in the first or second position, which will then get aggressive in a hurry with any boost to the highs. Some models also have a single coil pickup in the approximate neck position of a Jazz, but I have no personal experience with those.I got the ATK305 for my first five-string when they debuted in the mid-'90s and have played it at least regularly ever since, though the four-string twin I acquired five years ago sees somewhat more action at the moment. I think Stingrays look cooler (and no, I'm not calling my own instrument or anyone else's ATK ugly), but every time I play a Stingray it just makes me appreciate the sound and feel of my ATKs more.
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Freekmagnet
Commercial User
@LowendG - If you live in SoCal, there's tons of dealers down here. If you cruise the G&L website and make a few phone calls, I'm sure you could find a Kiloton within a 3-4 hour drive of your location. You could try one out yourself and take the guesswork and hearsay out of the equasion. I haven't been looking for a Kiloton in particular, but I see G&L's in shops around the LA area all the time.
ATKs are highly underrated basses.Since it sounds like you got the information you needed and the Kiloton might not be the best fit for you, you might look into an Ibanez ATK.
He'll get tired of me paraphrasing him
I got the ATK305 for my first five-string when they debuted in the mid-'90s and have played it at least regularly ever since, though the four-string twin I acquired five years ago sees somewhat more action at the moment. I think Stingrays look cooler (and no, I'm not calling my own instrument or anyone else's ATK ugly), but every time I play a Stingray it just makes me appreciate the sound and feel of my ATKs more.
Careful, the pickup of the L1500 was precisely where the Kiloton's is. The 1500 was based on the L-series body and had the L-series active/passive electronics and series/parallel modes only. The Kiloton is passive only and based on the smaller SB body, with series/parallel/single coil modes: almost like the L1000's electronics.
I have one of those Premium instruments and it is a *very* sweet bass with a host of useful tones. I do prefer the ATK's humbucker to the prototypical MM sound.
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You had an L2500… you had both an L1K and an L1500/Kiloton put together.
Were you able to get a P or Ray tone out of either pickup?
eta- I'm not sure if you said what your tone goal is if it's not just a P5. Is there an aesthetic concern? You just want it to look like it's from far later than 1962?
Were you able to get a P or Ray tone out of either pickup?
eta- I'm not sure if you said what your tone goal is if it's not just a P5. Is there an aesthetic concern? You just want it to look like it's from far later than 1962?
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Really? Lay some money on that. You're saying veteran bass players couldn't tell a P from a Stingray?
Pass the blindfold...
