4-string Electric Bass with Poplar Body, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fretboard, and 1 Humbucking Pickup - Black Frost
Rated 5/54 reviewsWrite your reviewItem ID: KiloTBF
Building your custom Guitar Gallery
Earn $65 back in Bonus Bucks† OR pay $28/month with 24 month financing*
$65 Earn $65.00 back in Bonus Bucks† on this purchase from April 26 – December 31, 2024 when you use your Sweetwater Credit Card without financing. Select your offer in checkout. Terms
OR
24 months
Special Financing
As low as $28/month with 24 month financing*
See all payment options
55-point Inspection
Fast Shipping Tech Support Free Sweetwater Support Free 2-year Warranty
In Stock!
(Hurry, limited quantity available)
Ask An Expert
Our expertly trained Sales Engineers are ready to help!
(800) 222-4700
What is a Sales Engineer?
Most Popular Accessories & Related Items
G&L Tribute Kiloton Bass Guitar - Black Frost
In Stock!
This article was Written By
Our Product Research Team
Get to know them!
The Sleek and Powerful Bass You’ve Been Waiting For
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
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
Why Buy Your Guitar from Sweetwater?
See how Sweetwater goes to great lengths to give you the very best online guitar buying experience. From our online Guitar Gallery that allows you to see and select the exact instrument you want to our 55-point Inspection process and our in-house guitar techs, we take the guesswork out of buying your next guitar online.
Additional Media
Warranty Info
Sweetwater's FREE 2-Year Total Confidence Coverage Warranty
Extra peace of mind at no extra cost.
- Save money with FREE parts and labor
- Get back to making music with the industry's fastest turnaround time
- Fix it the first time with our award-winning, factory-certified Service Department
Learn More about Total Confidence Coverage
Free 2-year Warranty
Sweetwater's 2-year Total Confidence Coverage™ Warranty gives you extra peace of mind at no extra cost.
Learn More about Total Confidence Coverage
Save money with
free parts & labor!
Get back to making music with the industry's fastest turnaround time.
Fix it the first time with our award-winning, factory-certified Service Department.
Tech Specs
- Number of Strings: 4
- Left-/Right-handed: Right-handed
- Body Shape: Tribute Kiloton
- Body Material: Poplar
- Body Finish: Satin Polyurethane
- Color: Black Frost
- Neck Material: Hard Maple
- Neck Shape: Medium C
- Neck Joint: Bolt-on
- Radius: 12"
- Fingerboard Material: Indian Rosewood
- Fingerboard Inlay: White Pearl Blocks
- Number of Frets: 21, Medium Jumbo Nickel
- Scale Length: 34"
- Nut Width: 1.5"
- Nut Material: Synthetic
- Bridge/Tailpiece: Leo Fender-designed G&L Saddle Lock
- Tuners: Traditional Open Gear
- Bridge Pickup: G&L MFD Bass Humbucker
- Controls: 1 x volume, 1 x tone
- Switching: 3-way mini toggle series/split/parallel switch
- Strings: D'Addario, .045-.100
- Case Included: Sold Separately
- Manufacturer Part Number: TI-KIL-113R54R20
What Makes Our Sales Engineers Great?
Sweetwater Sales Engineers are a world-class team of experts dedicated to you. Hand selected from across the globe, each brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the world of music gear to provide you with unparalleled service completely free of charge. Friendly relationships, real trust, and the right gear are only a call or a click away!
(800) 222-4700
Contact Your Sales Engineer
Customer Reviews
4.8 out of 5
Customer Added Media
This product doesn't have any review media yet!
Write your review
Kiloton G & L bass
Solid, powerful bass arrived in great condition
There are little fit and finish issues that I expect in an import series instrument- the neck pocket is not flush to the body on the E string side (neck is straight, connection with the body is solid and is flush to the other side of the pocket) and the finish is light on sides of the headstock - but nothing that affects playability or sound quality at all.
The neck is very comfortable and the frets are good (the fret ends are smooth but not the best). The finish is smooth and the pearloid inlays are flush with no gaps. No issues with the nut.
The outstanding parts of the Kiloton are the MFD pickup/switching and the saddlelock bridge. I had read that the pickup is hot - hear me when I say it's the most powerful passive bass pickup I've played in my 20 years+ playing - it's awesome!! I love the tones available just from the series/split/parallel switch. That, coupled with the bridge, gives a really clear, full, punchy sound with incredible sustain. The saddlelock bridge is a beast and you can feel it in the body when playing.
The bass also came packed extremely well. The setup was great and I didn't have to adjust for intonation or height. I give Sweetwater a lot of credit for the attention they gave it before shipping.
I feel this bass really punches above it's weight.
Amazingly Versatile
Fantastic bass!
The only issue I've had with this bass is that the pickups are too hot. I blew out 2 speakers and an effects processor. I would suggest having a Luthier modify the pickups a bit to protect your amps and pedals. Other than that, its hands down the best bass I've ever owned and played
See also:4 String Bass Guitars, ,