G&L SB-1 Electric Bass – Black – Maple Neck – Late 1980s/Early 1990s – Includes Hard Case – Used Excellent
Leo Fender founded G&L in 1980 after his time at Fender and Music Man, and the SB-1 is one of the clearest expressions of what he was trying to do — take the fundamental concept of a single-pickup passive bass and apply everything he had learned about pickup design, bridge engineering, and ergonomics to make it better. The SB-1 launched in 1982 and evolved into its definitive form by the mid-to-late 1980s when the MFD split-coil humbucker replaced the earlier Schaller unit. The Magnetic Field Design split-coil is the key innovation — a ceramic bar magnet design with individually adjustable pole pieces that delivers considerably more output, articulation, and low-end authority than a standard P-style split-coil, with a growl and presence that makes the SB-1 genuinely competitive with much more complex and expensive basses. The Leo Fender-designed Saddle-Lock bridge anchors each string saddle to the body directly, transferring string energy into the body end-grain for exceptional resonance and sustain. The alder body with contoured front and rear, maple neck with maple fingerboard, and volume and tone controls with a single output jack keep the signal path as clean and direct as possible. Built at Leo’s facility on Fender Avenue in Fullerton, California — genuinely a “Latter Day Leo” instrument from the peak of his final chapter.
This example is a much healthier and nicer player than most of the vintage G&Ls that come through the shop. The neck is straight with a fully functioning truss rod, the finish on the maple neck is almost entirely intact — smooth, hard, and glossy — and with a light touch you can get this bass sitting really low if that’s what you’re after. The pickup sounds great and the Saddle-Lock bridge is solid. At 10 pounds 11 ounces it is a meaty, substantial instrument with the kind of mass and resonance that contributes directly to the tone. Plenty of signs of honest play throughout — finish scratches and marks that tell the story of a well-used and well-cared-for instrument — but overall desirable wear, not too much, and it presents nicely. Comes with a very nice custom hard case.
- Make: G&L
- Model: SB-1
- Serial number: B018251
- Era: Late 1980s / Early 1990s
- Country of origin: USA (Fullerton, CA)
- Body: Alder, contoured front and rear
- Finish: Black, gloss
- Neck: Maple, bolt-on, gloss finish — nearly fully intact, smooth and hard
- Fingerboard: Maple, black dot inlays
- Scale length: 34"
- Nut width: 1-5/8"
- Frets: 21, minimal wear
- Pickup: G&L MFD split-coil humbucker
- Controls: Volume, tone
- Bridge: G&L Saddle-Lock
- Tuners: Original G&L
- Hardware: Chrome
- Weight: 10 lbs 11 oz
- Modifications: None
- Condition: Used Excellent – honest play wear throughout, finish scratches and marks, neck finish nearly fully intact and excellent, plays great
- Includes: Custom hard case
Ships carefully packed and insured for full value. International buyers are welcome — please contact us for a shipping quote before purchasing.
About Mill River Music
Mill River Music is an independent, human-powered music shop located in downtown Northampton, MA, run by a team of players, enthusiasts, and certified repair technicians. Every piece of used gear we sell is personally inspected, tested, and set up before it ships — we don’t list it until we’d be happy to play it ourselves.
As Martin and Taylor certified techs, we hold our guitar work to a high standard, and we’re committed to full transparency about the condition of everything we sell. No surprises.
When you buy from Mill River, you’re supporting an independent local business that genuinely cares — about gear, about players, and about doing things right. We’re here every step of the way. Reach out anytime.
