Quote Originally Posted by Eric View Post
Interesting. That's kind of crazy that there's so much output from those pickups, though I've found that I kind of get used to whatever I play with the most. After using a P with an EMG in it, the Ibanez I sold seemed super-weak even with the active Barts. I'd like to try a really low-action bass. I went to bass gathering out here and couldn't really tell the difference from one bass to the next, though I guess I did play mostly P-basses.
When I play the SB-2, I either engage the limiter pad or turn the gain way back on the amph. With the neck pickup volume rolled back about 50% and the bridge pickup off, it sounds quite like an old P-bass.

The really low action helps a lot if you're playing very busy bass parts as I do with Portrait. For most support-role playing though, it's really not so much of a big deal.

Also, I play with a fairly light touch which helps. A more aggressive playing style would likely require higher action.

G&L also started a new model, the LB-100, which is their P-bass and has a normal alnico pickup. Probably a very nice bass as it's a US model and you can get either a skinnier jazz-style neck or a chunkier P-style neck.