So, as I always do when pondering new gear, I beat the subject to death reading everything I can find on the internet. Great thing about the internet is you get all sorts of opinions to help formulate your own. TB is an excellent resource for this with a multitude of views from the vastly experienced to the completely inexperienced.
I had read so much praise for G&L Guitars that I had to look into them. I was thinking a jazz but as I looked at the different models I began gravitating to the SB-2. I’ve never bought a new bass but just for kicks I looked at the list of already built basses on the G&L website. I scrolled down to the SB-2’s, of which there were 3, and, oh my, there she was…absolutely beautiful…strong wood grain, rosewood fingerboard…8.55 lbs..just looking for a date.
So I call G&L and they had me pick a reseller. I contacted Al at Watermellon Music in Davis, CA and went out to play the G&L’s that he had. He had a Tribute SB-2 that I played for about 10 minutes. I liked the pickups and sound but I didn’t care for the neck. Al pulled an American Kiloton (cool name for a bass!) off the wall and after 5 seconds of playing it I said “Wow, now this plays great!”. He said it’s an American bass that was built and PLEK’ed in Fullerton CA. So I sat there playing it for 20-30 minutes and discussed with him the neck and what I could expect from an American SB-2. As I had already inquired about the SB-2 on the G&L site I put a deposit down that day (Thursday) and expected around a week delivery. Al called me on Tuesday morning and said “Your bass arrived today” – YEAH!!!
So I’ve now played it for ~15 hours and I absolutely love playing this bass. The P pickup has a steroidal grind at full volume but mellows out quite a bit as you back off the volume. Initially I tried bringing in some of the J pickup but have enjoyed the P alone so much that I’ll just wait to fiddle with the J. So far the absence of a tone control does not bother me as with every bass I've had I adjust tone 90% of the time by adjusting the last 20% of the volume on one or the other pickup.
If you’re contemplating a G&L and looking at the Tribute series then I urge you to try the American versions. The difference to me was dramatic and worth the extra coin. As stated previously, this is my first new bass and I’ll play this one for a long time. I’m very happy with my purchase!
I had read so much praise for G&L Guitars that I had to look into them. I was thinking a jazz but as I looked at the different models I began gravitating to the SB-2. I’ve never bought a new bass but just for kicks I looked at the list of already built basses on the G&L website. I scrolled down to the SB-2’s, of which there were 3, and, oh my, there she was…absolutely beautiful…strong wood grain, rosewood fingerboard…8.55 lbs..just looking for a date.
So I call G&L and they had me pick a reseller. I contacted Al at Watermellon Music in Davis, CA and went out to play the G&L’s that he had. He had a Tribute SB-2 that I played for about 10 minutes. I liked the pickups and sound but I didn’t care for the neck. Al pulled an American Kiloton (cool name for a bass!) off the wall and after 5 seconds of playing it I said “Wow, now this plays great!”. He said it’s an American bass that was built and PLEK’ed in Fullerton CA. So I sat there playing it for 20-30 minutes and discussed with him the neck and what I could expect from an American SB-2. As I had already inquired about the SB-2 on the G&L site I put a deposit down that day (Thursday) and expected around a week delivery. Al called me on Tuesday morning and said “Your bass arrived today” – YEAH!!!
So I’ve now played it for ~15 hours and I absolutely love playing this bass. The P pickup has a steroidal grind at full volume but mellows out quite a bit as you back off the volume. Initially I tried bringing in some of the J pickup but have enjoyed the P alone so much that I’ll just wait to fiddle with the J. So far the absence of a tone control does not bother me as with every bass I've had I adjust tone 90% of the time by adjusting the last 20% of the volume on one or the other pickup.
If you’re contemplating a G&L and looking at the Tribute series then I urge you to try the American versions. The difference to me was dramatic and worth the extra coin. As stated previously, this is my first new bass and I’ll play this one for a long time. I’m very happy with my purchase!
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