Gold Bug vs Gold Bug Pro

[Underburden]

I’m trying to decipher the benefit of spending the extra money for the Pro.
Here’s my scenario.
Gold prospecting only.
All Metal - All the time
The Fe304 graph and Arc target ID is nice
Have no need for discrimination
Have no desire for manual ground balance

All I require is a simple 19Khz beep & dig machine

Wouldn’t the plain jane Gold Bug be sufficient?
How would the Pro benefit my particular scenario?

Thx
Bob

 

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[kazcoro]

The Gold Bug is manual ground balance. The Pro has automatic and you can also alter it easily. To ground balance the Pro, you just push the ground grab button and bounce it up and down a few times until it smooths out. Then, let go of the button. To alter the ground balance, you just push the up or down buttons. So simple a child can do it. Or me..... LOL

 

[IMPDLN]

I don't think Kazcoro understood the question. .....Underburden, I have the GB non pro version and it is fine. Paid for mine the 4th time out using it. Finds gold no problem. Only difference I see is the Pro you can manually tweek the ground balance. I recommend getting the 5''x10'' accessory coil as well. Put the extra money towards the coil. Just my opinion of course. Dennis

 

[Hoser John]

I much prefer the Gold Bug 2 as much better built and NOT as trouble prone as pro,especially coils failures abound. NEVER in 12+ years a single GB2 problem of any kind. To each their own, but my Tesoro Lobo ST is my all time,all around favorite --John

 

[Underburden]

Dennis,
That's exactly what I wanted to hear from a non-Pro owner/user.
I have a Tesoro Lobo ST with the 5x10 DD coil for tailing piles and the 3½x7 discontinued DD sniper coil for bedrock.
The 5x10 DD coil for the GB will be on my shopping list. Bought the GB for my wife...a family that swings together, stays together !!!
Thanks again,
Bob

 

[Underburden]

John
Last year, my wife and I were on the claim, doing our thing. I broke out the Lobo ST with the sniper coil and started hitting the creek floor. With each bump in the threshold, I'd place a red marker on the spot. After 4 markers were placed, my wife came through and scooped and swept the bedrock material at each marker. She pulled .1 to .3 gram pickers from each locale.
We'll spend a lot more time doing that this each...count on it.
Bob

 

[Steve Herschbach]

Ok, just for the few who do not know, Fisher originally released a 19 kHz Gold Bug model about 1987. It was a real breakthrough design at the time with a compact control box, S-rod, and elliptical coils. The detector is a good unit but is strictly all metal (no discrimination). It has no LCD readout. Some people are confusing this old model with the new when shopping used so I thought I should mention this.

Around 2010 a number of new Gold Bug models were released by Fisher and have settled into two basic versions, the Gold Bug and the Gold Bug Pro. They differ from the old 1987 model by having an LCD readout. The standard version of either detector comes with a 5" round coil. There is a Gold Bug DP (Deep Penetrating) which is nothing more than a Gold Bug Pro with an 11" elliptical coil.

The only difference listed by Fisher between the Gold Bug and Gold Bug Pro is that the Gold Bug Pro has a manual adjustment option for the ground balance and also offers "higher sensitivity".

Both models use a "Ground Grab" button as a simple ground balance method that is quite effective. The Gold Bug Pro allows you to also manually adjust the ground balance setting up or down. The manual adjustment can be used in conjunction with or separately from the Ground Grab button.

The big question is the "higher sensitivity" claim. There are two possibilities here. First, that the Gold Bug Pro actually allows for higher gain or sensitivity levels. However, I was in marketing too long and have a more jaded thought. Manual ground balance allows for a higher degree of control that if used properly can get you more sensitivity. There is a very distinct possibility the higher sensitivity claim follows directly from the ability to manually ground balance the Gold Bug Pro. This could be tested with both units set side by side with identical ground balance settings and max gain. If the Gold Bug Pro is inherently more sensitive an air test should show it. I have not had the chance to do this my self but if somebody wants to there you go.

My opinion? I believe the Gold Bug and the Gold Bug Pro if outfitted with the same coil are basically the same detector. The only real difference is the manual ground balance option on the Gold Bug Pro. Do you need it? Not really, and especially when you consider that for $499 vs $649 that is probably all you are getting. The Ground Grab function is remarkably effective and would suit most people just fine.

I personally do like manual ground balance and so for me spending the extra money to get it was a non-issue. I do as a rule tell people that if money is not an issue get the Gold Bug Pro. But in all honesty I think the Basic Gold Bug is the real bang-for-the-buck unit. There is nothing else close to it at the $499 price point that offers full LCD readout target discrimination while in full power all metal prospect mode.

I should note that First Texas owns both Fisher and Teknetics. The Fisher Gold Bug DP (Gold Bug Pro with 11" coil) is marketed by Teknetics as the G2. The Fisher Gold Bug DP goes for $699 and the Teknetics G2 is $749. The $50 extra gets you a pistol grip rod instead of the Gold Bug S-rod and an arm strap. Nice gray paint scheme also. Really boils down to pistol grip vs S-rod, purely a personal preference thing.

Finally, I use the 5" x 10" elliptical myself and consider it to be the best all around coil for the Gold Bug. However, right now you have to get it as an accessory or as part of a two coil package. Fisher would be doing us a service to release the Gold Bug with this coil as standard on the unit.

I have had zero service issues with my Gold Bug Pro and use it hard. My Gold Bug 2 is slightly better on the tiniest of gold but the Gold Bug Pro easily outperforms the Gold Bug 2 on larger nuggets at depth. For all around nugget detecting the Gold Bug or Gold Bug Pro have a better balance of both small gold and large gold capability than the Gold Bug 2.

Hope that helps.

 

[Underburden]

Thank you Steve
When I purchased my Lobo ST from you at AMDS 12+ years ago, you offered me the last 3½x7 sniper coil in stock.
Sure glad I jumped on that offer.
After reading your post, I feel I made the right choice in purchasing a basic Gold Bug for my wife.
Bob

 

[Steve Herschbach]

Hi Bob,

Real shame that Tesoro stopped making that sniper coil. The Lobo is a fine detector and would benefit from the coil still being available.

Yeah, I think you made the right choice. I hope she finds a huge nugget with her Bug!

 

[Lanny in AB]

Good luck to you and your wife Bob!

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Underburden]

Thanks Lanny
I'm sure she'll add 'Sassy' to her vocabulary when describing her finds this year
Bob

 

[kazcoro]

I don't think Kazcoro understood the question. .....Underburden, I have the GB non pro version and it is fine. Paid for mine the 4th time out using it. Finds gold no problem. Only difference I see is the Pro you can manually tweek the ground balance. I recommend getting the 5''x10'' accessory coil as well. Put the extra money towards the coil. Just my opinion of course. Dennis

Yes, I was confused. I thought the OP was comparing the original Gold Bug to the Pro. Not the new version versus the Pro edition of it. You are right, my friend.

 

[kazcoro]

)
For all around nugget detecting the Gold Bug or Gold Bug Pro have a better balance of both small gold and large gold capability than the Gold Bug 2.

Hope that helps.

That sure is an eye opener. I thought that the 2 was a more sensitive machine, and I had "settled" for the Pro so that the girls in my house could detect too.. Thanks for the shot of confidence.

 

[IMPDLN]

Well, there you go. I certainly like what Steve had to say on the subject. Pretty much the same conclusion I came to. If I ever see somebody with a GB Pro I will certainly make the comparison first hand and let everybody know the outcome. I do know and agree with Steve that the non pro GB is the best bang for the $500 price. Especially since I got mine from Cabelas bargain cave for $275, lol. I don't use mine all the time since I do have a Minelab 2100, but if I am going on a long hike into a new area or just looking to do some cherry picking, the GB is my unit of choice.

I recently got to compare it to an AT Gold and the GB seemed to be more sensitive to the sub gram nugget we used to compare the 2 units. The other guy didn't have the smallest coil for the AT so that might help that particular unit even the score. I myself love my little GB.

One thing I would like to see Fisher do is make a small elliptical coil similar in size to the GB2 small sniper coil. I believe that would level the field between the GB2 and the newer digital GB Pro or non pro on the tiny gold that the GB2 is so well known for finding. Dennis

 

[Hard Prospector]

My buddy has the new Gold Bug and I have the Pro, we have done some air tests on small pickers with the same coils, settings etc. and just using the grab feature to ground balance both machines. Result; no differences until I tuned the Pro slightly hot on the down stroke then 2 of the smallest pickers sounded off slightly louder but that was it. The grab feature on the new GB series is so good that I almost never re-tune over it (unless hunting shallow exposed bedrock but even then it probably isn't necessary) However when using the GMT, it's ground grab feature seems to need "manual re-fining" much more often to achieve the highest performance possible. I'm not sure why this is so but I suspect it has something to do with the GMT running at nearly 50kHz and its older technology (still one of my favorites)

 

[Lanny in AB]

Thanks Lanny
I'm sure she'll add 'Sassy' to her vocabulary when describing her finds this year
Bob

I certainly hope she finds many sassy nuggets!

There's nothin' better.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[AZADAM]

Dude ! Do you want to find more gold?
Gold Bug II is your answer

 

[AzViper]

Dude ! Do you want to find more gold?
Gold Bug II is your answer

Dang with a statement such as this I think we ALL should run out and get GB2.

 

[Underburden]

AzViper,
I know, right? With such convincing evidence I think I may have made a mistake

 

[IMPDLN]

No doubt the GB2 is a proven machine. Adam knows that as well as anybody here. However, don't doubt your decision to buy a GB non pro. It is a fine machine for finding gold. No matter what machine you have, it is only as good as the person using it. The best machine in the world is worthless in the wrong hands. Having confidence in your purchase and persistence in the field will help define your outcome. Dennis