NBD - G&L Tribute Kiloton (DV247 B-Stock)

[Tokalo]

Got a new base last week (I blame the snow – I worked from home due to the travel warning a couple of weeks back, and found I could fill some of the time I was waiting for network connections by looking for bargain basses on my tablet. Ahem.)

I don’t have easy access to a guitar shop with a decent range of basses, so I am dependent on basschat for working out which guitar will suit me best. Based on what I’d read on here, I began to focus on G&L, with my criteria for my next bass being: passive, 38mm nut width, not JJ pickups.

There was a B-stock Tribute Kiloton on DV247 with about £120 off. It was white, with the reduction for a “chip in paint by the neck joint”, although there was no photo of the actual bass/damage on DV247 website*. 

It arrived, as promised, in 4 working days from Germany (got to say, I was impressed with the communications from DPD via their app).

First impression out of the box is that it’s a bit chunky. Reviews mention the slimline SB body, but it’s about twice as thick as my Squier VM Jaguar. In terms of weight, though, both have basswood bodies but the Kiloton (counter-intuitively) is half a pound lighter.

The plastic scratchplate protector had been removed, and there was no documentation at all in the box. The strings are not the standard stock  d’Addario EXLs (no coloured ends or silks), and feel like they’re nickel-coated. I’m guessing that this is an ex-display model, and that the strings have been changed at least once. The serial number dates the bass as Sept 2017. However, the scratchplate has no scratches, so there are no actual signs of wear, and everything else is fine apart from the paint chip and the neck joint, which isn’t the neatest: some of the cuts appear not to be perfectly straight.

Plugged into a practice amp, at first it was all about playing with the 3-way switch, working out which is series, parallel and single coil. Online reviews mention the increased output through the series setting, and this is clearly the case. The neck is nice and quick; the large inlay dots somehow make it look wider than it actually is. The tuners are smooth (noticeably smoother than the Gotoh GB707s on my step-son's SR1605).

I was asked to play in a one-off band at a local church 4 days after it arrived so had an early chance to give it a proper test, playing through their huge Peavey combo. I instantly had to turn the master volume on the amp down from 5 to just under 3: this MFD pickup is certainly as hot as all the reviews suggest! The thing with the three-way-switch pickup variations is that they have such different outputs that I decided to stick to just one: in this case the parallel because it was a church, and I didn’t want to blast them away with the series option. I’m afraid my ears aren’t good enough to tell how closely this sounds like a Stingray, j-bass or p-bass in the various pickup settings: all I know is that there is a lot more variety than I expected, and that I can see each having its place.

To me, the bass sounded brilliant – deep, rich, clear and with incredible sustain, I’ve never really considered why sustain is important to a bass, but now I think it means the full tone of the note lasts longer: for any notes of a minim or more in length, the outstanding, full timbre of the Kiloton just keeps shining though. And there’s no worries about getting lost in the mix: you won't.

Even with the unknown strings , I didn’t want to stop playing. It's made me aware of my poor technique (particularly right hand) – there’s no hiding place with such a powerful pickup, but I’m looking forward to the challenge as it means more time playing this bass. Next step is some new strings, probably GHS Pressurewounds as I’ll be playing a fair bit of pick and I hate string noise.

Overall, this was an excellent purchase, and for the first time, I can't imagine needing (or even wanting) any other bass. 

 

* BTW The paint chip is about 1cm across and ugly, but only visible to the player, and there’s no damage to the neck joint. I reckon a dab of tippex and some superglue on top will be good enough for me: I’m not selling this beast! 
 

[BassApprentice]

Great purchase! I recently tried one of these to see how it stacks up to my L2000, was really impressed too. Like you say, dead easy to play and the straightforward controls make it simple to find a usable tone quickly.

Only thing I would change about the white is a different pickguard but that's being extra picky!

 

Enjoy

[Jono Bolton]

I'd never heard of this bass before but it looks awfy smart

[Cato]

I

Great looking bass.

've been interested in these for a couple of years

I keep finding myself drawn to the one at Bass Direct.

http://w.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/G%26L_Kiloton_White.html

But I keep telling myself there's other gear I need to prioritise before I get another bass.

Edited February 13, 2019 by Cato

[2elliot]

I'm tempted with these as well, nice and simple with a skinny neck. 

[Danuman]

Such a good looking bass... G&L tributes are amazing value for money. Nice to have it pre-dinged as well.

[Walliebal]

I bought one form Thomann recently. It was a B-stock model. The plastic on the scratchplate was present and the bass looked very new. No idea why it was B-stock. It plays excellent and the sound is awesome. I don't touch my Warwick basses anymore because of the Kiloton. I like it so much. The only thing that bothered me a little was the sharp fret ends in closer to the body. I can feel them when I slide down the neck. I don't feel them when I am playing though. It is possible it left the factory alright, but due to climate differences the wood of the neck has shrunk just a tiny bit? Who knows. I am very happy with it and am now considering a LB100 Tribute in the future.

Edited June 3, 2019 by Walliebal

[andruca]

Great score! Kilotons are lots of bass for the money, moreso Tributes. G&L always has me wishing they made Tribute Kiloton5 and JB5 versions. IIRC their only 5er offer is the L2500, and I don't like L 5ers at all (had a 1505, played lots of 2500s, not for me, hate the unintuitive yet noisy electronics and also prefer the K5/JB5 thinner neck profile).

[BassBunny]

I would love to try a Kiloton 5 and I contacted G&L to ask if they were going to produce one but apparently no plans at the moment. They did say "never say never" though.

[andruca]

4 hours ago, BassBunny said:

I would love to try a Kiloton 5 and I contacted G&L to ask if they were going to produce one but apparently no plans at the moment. They did say "never say never" though.

You're meaning a TRIBUTE, are you? That's what I was referring to. There's the USA Kiloton5, which I've in fact tried, and loved ❤️

Edited June 5, 2019 by andruca

[BassBunny]

3 minutes ago, andruca said:

You're meaning a TRIBUTE, are you? There's the USA Kiloton5, which I've in fact tried, and loved ❤️

Sorry, yes I do mean a tribute. When I bought an L2500 I compared US against Trubute and couldn't find a lot of difference and couldn't justify the extra spend so a Tribute would do me just fine. 🙂