I received this over a month ago and had been waiting to post until I could try it with my band. Long story short, the guitarist decided he didn't want to do the band thing anymore for a while, so the opportunity hasn't arisen.
So here it is. A USA G&L Kiloton 5 string in surf green:
I usually prefer maple boards with this color, but the rosewood (at least in person) looks beautiful and rich with plenty of variation in the brown, and the block inlays are gorgeous. It originally came with a red tort pickguard which looks great on its own, but I'm not really a fan of it with the green, so I ordered a white pearloid guard from G&L and I think it looks much nicer. Plus it compliments the inlays.
It took some time to find strings I liked with it. I remember when I had had an L2000 that it sounded considerably better with rounds so I was sticking with those. It came with D'addarios, but they were getting a little dull so I then tried Dean Markley signatures (a pack was included.) They were okay, but a little thin for my tastes. They were fair enough when I tried playing along with a track, but on their own I couldn't get the bottom end I wanted. My next attempt was a pack of Ernie Ball cobalt flats. Apparently they're supposed to sound a lot more like rounds while still having the feel of flats. I'm not so sure about that. They're definitely in the flatwound timbral area, though maybe they're a tad brighter. Maybe. Either way they work quite well on the kiloton. It gives a fatter bottom with lots of rich color to the tone, and although they're a tad gummy under the fingers, they generally feel nice to play. I'm going to keep them for now. (FTR I got the 4 pack and kept the roundwound B string. I don't really notice a difference in tone or volume moving from the E to B.)
The neck is far and away the best I've ever felt on a bass. It's silky smooth in a way that's hard to describe. There's a slight browning of the maple which I'm not sure if its natural or a stain added to it, but it looks very nice. There's an attractive pattern along it. It's not a plain piece of wood by any means, and definitely one of the biggest differences I've noticed between the USA models and the Tributes. I can't say enough how pleased I am with it.
Having the switch in series mode really deepens the tone and I would love to try it with some heavier rock tunes when I get the chance. Parallel is thinner, but more even. I find myself using it the most. My one disappointment with the switch is that I notice little to no difference when comparing Parallel with the single coil mode. The tone is pretty much identical. Maybe a subtle accent of the higher frequencies, but it's honestly hard for me to pinpoint what's different. This was the case with both the rounds and flats.
The volume knob is smooth and changes from 0 to 10. The sound really seems to hit its sweet spot with the volume maxed. In comparison I remember the L2000 seemed best around 8 or so. The tone knob on the other hand doesn't seem to do much. I notice a change from 0-2, and then from 3-10 it's all the same to my ears. Sadly what change I hear is subtle. Is there any way to make the tone control more dynamic?
That one negative aside, the bass sounds fantastic regardless of where the tone knob is set so I'm not really feeling let down by it.
Overall I'm super happy with the purchase, and now even with the honeymoon phase past, I play it every day and can easily see myself having this as a lifelong instrument. It's truly fantastic. I'm proud to own it!
So here it is. A USA G&L Kiloton 5 string in surf green:
I usually prefer maple boards with this color, but the rosewood (at least in person) looks beautiful and rich with plenty of variation in the brown, and the block inlays are gorgeous. It originally came with a red tort pickguard which looks great on its own, but I'm not really a fan of it with the green, so I ordered a white pearloid guard from G&L and I think it looks much nicer. Plus it compliments the inlays.
It took some time to find strings I liked with it. I remember when I had had an L2000 that it sounded considerably better with rounds so I was sticking with those. It came with D'addarios, but they were getting a little dull so I then tried Dean Markley signatures (a pack was included.) They were okay, but a little thin for my tastes. They were fair enough when I tried playing along with a track, but on their own I couldn't get the bottom end I wanted. My next attempt was a pack of Ernie Ball cobalt flats. Apparently they're supposed to sound a lot more like rounds while still having the feel of flats. I'm not so sure about that. They're definitely in the flatwound timbral area, though maybe they're a tad brighter. Maybe. Either way they work quite well on the kiloton. It gives a fatter bottom with lots of rich color to the tone, and although they're a tad gummy under the fingers, they generally feel nice to play. I'm going to keep them for now. (FTR I got the 4 pack and kept the roundwound B string. I don't really notice a difference in tone or volume moving from the E to B.)
The neck is far and away the best I've ever felt on a bass. It's silky smooth in a way that's hard to describe. There's a slight browning of the maple which I'm not sure if its natural or a stain added to it, but it looks very nice. There's an attractive pattern along it. It's not a plain piece of wood by any means, and definitely one of the biggest differences I've noticed between the USA models and the Tributes. I can't say enough how pleased I am with it.
Having the switch in series mode really deepens the tone and I would love to try it with some heavier rock tunes when I get the chance. Parallel is thinner, but more even. I find myself using it the most. My one disappointment with the switch is that I notice little to no difference when comparing Parallel with the single coil mode. The tone is pretty much identical. Maybe a subtle accent of the higher frequencies, but it's honestly hard for me to pinpoint what's different. This was the case with both the rounds and flats.
The volume knob is smooth and changes from 0 to 10. The sound really seems to hit its sweet spot with the volume maxed. In comparison I remember the L2000 seemed best around 8 or so. The tone knob on the other hand doesn't seem to do much. I notice a change from 0-2, and then from 3-10 it's all the same to my ears. Sadly what change I hear is subtle. Is there any way to make the tone control more dynamic?
That one negative aside, the bass sounds fantastic regardless of where the tone knob is set so I'm not really feeling let down by it.
Overall I'm super happy with the purchase, and now even with the honeymoon phase past, I play it every day and can easily see myself having this as a lifelong instrument. It's truly fantastic. I'm proud to own it!
Nice. For strings check out GHS Pressurewounds. Very mellow with a unique outer wrap that's smoother and reduces finger noise. Very versatile string. I play them on my Jazz Bass and will on my L2500 as well next time I change strings.
