Preferred G&L ?

[chuck65]

Thinking about moving my SB2-T and getting a Kiloton. Can’t get my hands on a Kiloton near me so I pose the question.... Would you trade or sell your SB2-T for a Kiloton ? Or maybe the other way around? USA for USA only.
Right now my main squeeze is my USA JB4... Burst AND Tort !

 

[Raw N Low]

I just got a chance to try out both this past weekend. Both are really good basses and are very different in sound and concept. The Kilo will cut the mix and has very defined mids. The SB-2 is a growly monster and the neck pickup sounds really good.

I can't endorse one over the other and would love to have both. I'm a high output single-coil guy and that's looking for an early SB-2 with dual MFD singles.

My main players are an L5500 and a JB5 with an L2500 and L5000 in the rears. Definitely try out a Kilo before you sell the SB-2 and don't shy away from a Tribute model as a testing ground. They are fine built instruments that don't skimp despite cost level.

Hope my input helps...

 

[chuck65]

I just got a chance to try out both this past weekend. Both are really good basses and are very different in sound and concept. The Kilo will cut the mix and has very defined mids. The SB-2 is a growly monster and the neck pickup sounds really good.

I can't endorse one over the other and would love to have both. I'm a high output single-coil guy and that's looking for an early SB-2 with dual MFD singles.

My main players are an L5500 and a JB5 with an L2500 and L5000 in the rears. Definitely try out a Kilo before you sell the SB-2 and don't shy away from a Tribute model as a testing ground. They are fine built instruments that don't skimp despite cost level.

Hope my input helps...

Thank you! Seems like the Kiloton might occupy the sonic space between my JB4 and my SB2-T . I feel the GAS setting in already! Lol!

 

[Raw N Low]

Perhaps. The Kilo is a very different animal.

Me and a couple of friends got together and A/B'd several G&L's and they are very different from each other. The biggest question is what type of music do you play and what kind of sound are you looking for?

The Kilo is definitely hotter than a G&L Jazz or standard Jazz bass.

 

[chuck65]

Perhaps. The Kilo is a very different animal.

Me and a couple of friends got together and A/B'd several G&L's and they are very different from each other. The biggest question is what type of music do you play and what kind of sound are you looking for?

The Kilo is definitely hotter than a G&L Jazz or standard Jazz bass.

Well, right now I’m in one of your standard fare classic rock bands. Sell beer and keep the feet moving . The JB4 is serving me very well in this type of band . My previous ( back in the day ) forays were more hard rock / metal .. Maiden , ozzy, Metallica ect . But gone are the days of playing that stuff in venues here ..... If I could find even find a singer! The SB2-T eats that music up! Even if it is only at home . I was thinking that with the Kiloton being passive with that monster MFD that it might go from that JB4 growl and honk to the SB2-T’s feel it in your bones tone at the flick of that switch that is advertised as making it a “tonal monster”
I’m probably trying to get apple juice from oranges !! LOL

 

[Raw N Low]

Well, right now I’m in one of your standard fare classic rock bands. Sell beer and keep the feet moving . The JB4 is serving me very well in this type of band . My previous ( back in the day ) forays were more hard rock / metal .. Maiden , ozzy, Metallica ect . But gone are the days of playing that stuff in venues here ..... If I could find even find a singer! The SB2-T eats that music up! Even if it is only at home . I was thinking that with the Kiloton being passive with that monster MFD that it might go from that JB4 growl and honk to the SB2-T’s feel it in your bones tone at the flick of that switch that is advertised as making it a “tonal monster”

You might get a little honk out of the MFD on the Kilo with the single-coil tap. It was very mid prominent and I was quite surprised for a passive bass. I'd vote you keep the SB-2 and pick up a Kilo if the funds negate it. I'd have no qualms about buying a Tribute model.

 

[TDR1138]

I’ve had a Tribute SB-2 with a tone mod, and had a L-1500 concurrently. I voted SB-2T, really just because I like the sonic space it played in a little better. That said, I mostly used it with the neck pickup only. On the flip side, the sound guy I was working with at the time said the L-1500 was his favorite sounding bass of mine.

 

[Raw N Low]

I’ve had a Tribute SB-2 with a tone mod, and had a L-1500 concurrently. I voted SB-2T, really just because I like the sonic space it played in a little better. That said, I mostly used it with the neck pickup only. On the flip side, the sound guy I was working with at the time said the L-1500 was his favorite sounding bass of mine.

FYI - The Kiloton and the L1500 do have some discernible differences. The Kilo is all passive and has series/parallel and coil splitting. The L1500 is active/passive with series/parallel electronics and the MFD sits slightly closer to the bridge.

The tricky thing about G&L's is that some of the older models look similar but, they aren't the same. Pickups and electronics can have differences that affect the voicing as well.

 

[BassPilot]

I had an SB-2 and traded it for a JB. I go for more of a classic sound and the SB-2, while it's a pretty amazing bass (I love the body style!) the MFD pickups were just too aggressive for me. Replacing it with the JB was exactly what I wanted.
I also have an LB-100 and, wow, just WOW! What GREAT bass!!!
I've also had a Kiloton for a couple of years and I still haven't really bonded with it. Again, it has the MFD pickups and I'm not that fond of them. I've played it at a jam session (Kiloton -> GK Backline 600 -> 2x15 PA cab) and it was OK. The only gig I played it on was Kiloton -> GK 700RBii -> Bergantino AE410. That was a freaking MONSTER MID MACHINE! You wanna cut through a mix, try that combo.
I haven't put the Kiloton up for sale yet but if a trade for a black/maple/black block inlays/satin finish/less than 8.5 lbs JB came along I'd jump on it.

 

[chuck65]

I had an SB-2 and traded it for a JB. I go for more of a classic sound and the SB-2, while it's a pretty amazing bass (I love the body style!) the MFD pickups were just too aggressive for me. Replacing it with the JB was exactly what I wanted.
I also have an LB-100 and, wow, just WOW! What GREAT bass!!!
I've also had a Kiloton for a couple of years and I still haven't really bonded with it. Again, it has the MFD pickups and I'm not that fond of them. I've played it at a jam session (Kiloton -> GK Backline 600 -> 2x15 PA cab) and it was OK. The only gig I played it on was Kiloton -> GK 700RBii -> Bergantino AE410. That was a freaking MONSTER MID MACHINE! You wanna cut through a mix, try that combo.
I haven't put the Kiloton up for sale yet but if a trade for a black/maple/black block inlays/satin finish/less than 8.5 lbs JB came along I'd jump on it.

Exactly!
I had my SB2-T before my JB4 and bought the JB4 for the same reason . It’s tax time again so I just might get a Kiloton to have and maybe sell at a later time.

 

[TDR1138]

FYI - The Kiloton and the L1500 do have some discernible differences. The Kilo is all passive and has series/parallel and coil splitting. The L1500 is active/passive with series/parallel electronics and the MFD sits slightly closer to the bridge.

The tricky thing about G&L's is that some of the older models look similar but, they aren't the same. Pickups and electronics can have differences that affect the voicing as well.

Aware of the electronic difference, but pickup location? First I’ve heard of that.
I’ve played a few Kilos, and they were all in the tonal ballpark of the L-1500, about 90% there.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Thinking about moving my SB2-T and getting a Kiloton. Can’t get my hands on a Kiloton near me so I pose the question.... Would you trade or sell your SB2-T for a Kiloton ? Or maybe the other way around? USA for USA only.
Right now my main squeeze is my USA JB4... Burst AND Tort !

I dont like the way the kiloton sounds. The only good position is the single/split position, and it's not great. You have to fiddle with the knobs too much to get anything decent out of it, and it's hard to find your spot again. I returned mine. Swapped it for a set of m50x headphones and a new pf210he. Couldn't be happier.

 

[fretter]

One given to me.

 

[chuck65]

One given to me.

You and me both !!

 

[Gizmot]

If I was getting another G&L, it would be an L-2000 or an M-2000, although the Fallout looks interesting too. I’m going to check out a Fallout at NAMM in a couple of weeks

 

[moreblues]

I love my G&L LB100'S, and also really like my JB, L2000 and M2000.
I had AN SB2 but sold it, never tried a Kiloton.
My next bass will be a G&L CLF Research L-1000

 

[Nedmundo]

Aware of the electronic difference, but pickup location? First I’ve heard of that.
I’ve played a few Kilos, and they were all in the tonal ballpark of the L-1500, about 90% there.

Same here. I'm also fairly certain the Kiloton's pickup is in the same spot as the L-1500's, and when I tested a Kiloton its series and parallel settings sounded exactly like my old L-1500 in passive mode. However, some L-1500s have their pickups closer to the bridge, in the same location as the L-2000's bridge pickup. I recently saw one of these at the Philly area guitar show. So, if one of these oddball L-1500's is one's frame of reference, then yeah, the Kiloton's pickup is further from the bridge.

I used to have an L-1500, and my SB-2 kicked it and a couple of Fenders right out of the herd. I found the 1500's usefulness varied widely across different rigs and in different rooms. At its best, it sounded fantastic, so if you have a rig that flatters the Kiloton you'd probably love it. At other times, it just had too much high midrange: it's a thick bridge pickups tone as opposed to a slightly tighter neck pickup tone if that makes any sense.

The SB-2, on the other hand, is as plug-and-play as any Fender and provides all the thickness, MFD slam, and growl you could want. I find it much more useful than the L-1500. Every so often I consider selling the SB-2 because I gravitate toward my J-basses and M-2500, and would prefer a maple fretboard for an SB-2, but then I fire it up with a band, and realize how much I'd regret letting it go. It's a fantastic bass.