Back to navigation


The Sleek and Powerful Bass You’ve Been Waiting For





This article was


Written By





Our Product Research Team





Get to know them!





The G&L Tribute Kiloton Electric Bass affordably delivers the epitome of Leo Fender's electric bass design at an accessible price. Just like its California-built stablemate, the Tribute Series Kiloton rocks a curvacious ergonomic body and a comfy Medium "C" neck. From its fat, punchy Magnetic Field Design humbucker to its rock-solid Saddle-Lock bridge, every aspect of this sleek tone machine is purposeful and flawlessly executed, representing over a half-century of innovation ? all in the name of performance. From its smooth playability to its killer tone to its wicked visuals, the G&L Tribute Kiloton is ready to rock.





Related Videos: Tribute Kiloton Bass Guitar - Black Frost





NOW PLAYING:


Sweetwater Welcomes G&L Guitars





What to Know Before Buying Your First Bass


MFD humbucker: tonal domination





A major component of the Kiloton’s tonal domination is G&L’s Magnetic Field Design (MFD) pickup. The MFD uses a ceramic bar magnet underneath each coil in combination with soft iron height-adjustable pole pieces that transfer the magnetic field to the top of the pickup, allowing pickup strength adjustment to be set per string. This gives the guitarist or bassist more tonal flexibility than traditional bass pickup designs that use alnico magnet pole pieces, which only allow height adjustment of the entire pickup. Magnetic Field Design pickups are renowned for their distinctive tone, which combines power, along with high-fidelity clarity and airy sweetness. On the Tribute Kiloton, a single MFD humbucker sits in the tonal sweet spot designated by Leo Fender himself when the factory was still named CLF Research.





Your tone arsenal awaits your command





The Tribute Series Kiloton’s lone Made-in-Fullerton MFD humbucking pickup is so powerful, it doesn’t require a preamp. That means no dying batteries in the middle of a set or always having to remember to unplug. A 3-way series/split/parallel toggle puts you in command of the pickup coils’ awesome power, while master volume and tone controls bring out the broad range of textures for which Leo Fender’s MFD humbucker is renowned.





Saddle-Lock bridge increases resonance and sustain





Another G&L innovation has found its way into the Tribute Kiloton ? the G&L Saddle-Lock bridge ? which blows away the comparatively primitive bridge designs found on vintage basses by efficiently transferring string vibration to the instrument’s sleekly sculpted, offset-waist body. The Saddle-Lock bridge reduces the lateral movement of the saddle pieces by tightening an Allen screw on the side of the bridge. Additionally, the Saddle-Lock bridge has a solid protrusion on its backside that is sunk firmly into the instrument’s body wood. Together, these two features make it easier for string energy to travel into the body and translate into a rich, resonant, and sustaining sound.





G&L: a legacy of innovation and quality





Today, G&L USA instruments are built at the same Fender Avenue factory in Fullerton, Calif., that originally housed Fender production and manufactured early Music Man instruments. Leo’s private workshop remains the heart and soul of the factory and is regularly visited by music lovers from across the planet. Although not widely distributed, G&L instruments are held in high esteem among savvy musicians and collectors. The company’s relatively small-scale American production operation, employing a blend of computer-assisted CNC machine processes and handcrafting by expert luthiers, allows for a range of customization that is not possible with large production lines. Sweetwater is proud to offer such a fine line of distinguished musical instruments.





G&L Tribute Kiloton Electric Bass Features:


Sleek, sculpted poplar body


Bolt-on hard-rock maple neck, Medium "C" profile


Rosewood fretboard with 12-inch radius


G&L Magnetic Field Design humbucking pickup


3-way series/split/parallel mini toggle switch


Master Volume and Tone controls


Leo Fender-designed G&L Saddle-Lock bridge