When Leo Fender† launched the G&L SB•1™ bass in 1982, he packed his latest innovations in pickup and bridge design into a straightforward, hard-working bass. At that time the SB•1 had an MFD single coil pickup and no pickguard, which was a departure from the classic single-pickup passive bass. By 1985, however, the SB•1 had taken the form it has today, with an MFD split-coil humbucking pickup and pickguard. In some way, the SB•1 set the stage for several G&L models to come: Leo took a a classic design and applied his core improvements, in this case, the MFD pickup and Saddle Lock bridge.