59 of 127 people found this review helpful:

Review by: Eduardo Lara

User Experience: 6 months to 2 years

Submitted on: Apr 9, 2008

User Rating:

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I like any kind of objects (better olds) like jewelry, coins etc. I found the Fisher Gold Bug 2 easy to use. But it is some times hard to tune.

I found a lot of things but never something of big value, I found a big pan, a mattress (with a lot of springs) and one time meteorite (the half aprox. 4 or 5 cm.). I recommend this metal detector specifically for big jars or cages with some relic, coins, or jewelry.

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176 of 180 people found this review helpful:

Review by: Michael Wessels

User Experience: 7+ years

Submitted on: Mar 19, 2008

User Rating:

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The Goldbug 2 is an easy to assemble, light weight unit that uses two drop in 9 volt batteries. It comes with a 10" elliptical coil and there is a 14" and a 6" interchangeable coils that can be purchased separately. The 14" coil searches deeper, but doesn't pick smallest gold as does the other coils. The 6" picks up very small pieces of gold, but does not go over 4 or 5 inches deep. It is good to use where bedrock is shallow. One of the benefits of the elliptical coil is that you can use the heal or toe to pinpoint as this is the most sensitive part of the coils. There is a carrying case that is available to protect the detector.

One of the main problems in most gold bearing area are "hot rocks" or high mineralization. The Goldbug 2 has a switch to put it in "high mineralization" setting. Remember to check your ground balance when you switch from normal to high or low there is a small adjustment you must make. If " hot rocks" are present in the area and are causing problems try setting your ground balance over the "hot rock", this will eliminate the signal.

This detector also has a iron discrimination switch you can turn on when hunting in real trashy areas. Headphones should always be used because they allow you to hear even faint signals that would be lost in the wind or out side noise. There is a audio boost mode, that will amplify the faint targets sounds without amplifying the loud constant sounds.

The goldbug2 operates at a frequency of 71 khz. This high operating frequency makes it very sensitive to small gold nuggets and it also means that most other detectors will not cause interference with it.

This is a good medium level priced detector for finding gold nuggets. It would work alright hunting on a beach, but is not a good machine for coin hunting. I have had my Goldbug 2 for seven or eight years. It is an enjoyable gold nugget detector to use without spending three or four thousand of dollars for a pricey detector.

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122 of 128 people found this review helpful:

Review by: Ted

User Experience: 4-6 years

Submitted on: Aug 1, 2008

User Rating:

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I would really recommend the GB2 to anyone serious about prospecting for gold. I believe this detector to be ideal for a complete novice or the more experienced user. I have other detectors and use them for relic hunting as the GB2 is not ideal for coin and relic shooting, but I have found relics with it. My personal feeling is there are easier and cheaper detectors for the coin and relic hunters.

Here in the Silver Valley (Wallace ID) there is a lot of heavy mineralized soil, lead, and all the hot rocks you can think of. The gold fields also have these metals and minerals and the GB2 works well. However, you need to be aware that the ground balance on the GB2 can be a little tricky. There have been times I have spent more time re-balancing that sweeping and that can be a little frustrating. Also, be prepared to spend a lot of time practicing so you can tell the difference in your tones. The GB2 has allowed me to now have one of the largest lead shot, foil, bullet case, soda pop top collections in the world. You need to really be serious with your practice time if you want to enjoy your prospecting.

One great thing is that it is light weight. I use the small 6.5 coil because I prospect in river areas, and there was a lot of bucket dredging done in the 1920’s. The smaller coil fits in the cracks and holes easier. I may have lost some depth with the smaller coil but I have been very pleased with what I have found. I have found small flake (pin head size) and nuggets (1.4 ounces). All have been within 1-4 inches deep but I really don’t want to dig a foot down through river gravel and rock to find a pin head flake (I am lazy that way).

Once again, make the time to practice with the GB2!! You will be glad you did!

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91 of 92 people found this review helpful:

Review by: Richard Vezzani

User Experience: 2-4 years

Submitted on: Mar 17, 2008

User Rating:

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I was lead to believe that a medium priced detector was a better value for sound, depth, and ease of understanding instructions and operation. I still believe that, but my first choice did not provide the sound quality I required - but my Fisher Gold Bug 2 did!

After working with my first gold detector I decided to try a different one because I could not hear the audio signal of the gold nuggets as clearly as I wanted. I tried full ear headphones. I tried ear buds and everything else. Nothing seemed help with the hearing problem I had with the first detector. I tried different more expensive headphones and types and I still had problems hearing the signals. I had to do something because I enjoyed being outside it the sunshine and in gold country.

I had tried several different detectors for gold and I liked the Fisher Gold Bug the best. I must say that the audible qualities as well as the basic electronics have really improved in nearly all of the detectors since I got my original one.

I tried the very expensive gold detectors and found them to heavy. Some of the light weights just didn't seem to be built well enough. Others were to complicated to for me to spend hours trying to understand all of the possibilities available. I wanted to locate gold, like when I was able to turn on and go with my original detector.

The Fisher Gold Bug had a very loud and a good detected gold sound. It is easy to use, you could turn it on and go. Oh yes you had to ground balance it but it is easy to adjust. The sensitivity is very good even at low numbers. I did find smaller pieces of gold with lots of signal that perhaps I had missed with my other detector. The Fisher Gold Bug is well balanced and is easy to pinpoint a target. The manual was easy to read and understand and not a big book.

This detector has taken a beating in the areas where I have worked with it. I have replaced the coil cover once and the detector still keeps on going. I have used it in Nevada, Arizona, Oregon and Calif. Arizona has lots of hot rocks and this detector will ground balance out the hot rocks and still find the gold. Of course this only happens when you know your detector and what it can and will do.

Regarding the audio of this detector I can say that you can hear the signal without hearing aids as long as you use some sort of headphones. I have used ear buds, full headphones and just ear cover phones. In fact with the good sound of the Gold Bug I can hear in a wind up to 20 mph and have no trouble. It is an older Fisher gold detector and I like it better than their newer model. How do I know? I tried it and I don't get the same satisfaction with it as I get with the Bug. I have the small detector head also and use it in tight place. Large rocks, around big boulders and inside mines.

I usually shorten the shaft in a mine. The smaller head you can check overhead, the walls and of course the floor area. You may want to carry a piece of the shaft for you personal comfort when in a mine. Outside you will still be able to work around the rocks and boulders with our shaft set properly.

Metal detecting is something that takes a little time and effort to get used to regarding success. So try a detector that isn't to heavy, or complicated and has a good company that makes it. I found mine in the Fisher Gold Bug which is one of the best gold detectors for a really good first gold detector in my way of thinking.

I would rate it a 5 Star.

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67 of 69 people found this review helpful:

Review by: Richard Vezani

User Experience: 2-4 years

Submitted on: Apr 8, 2008

User Rating:

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As the second detector I bought and still use, it is compared to my original detector which I still have and use occasionally. That is the one way to tell you of the advantages the Fisher Gold Bug 2. It is very sturdy. It gets long life on the batteries which are 9v batteries. It is well balanced if you adjust it to fit your body and adjusts easily for every member that chooses to use it. It has very good detection qualities as well as being a very high quality product.

It is easy to ground balance even without a high school degree. It is has a very good audio system with our without earphones. I am hard of hearing and I needed something I could hear even in the wind. I use ear phones all of the time. It finds gold. I have found pin head pieces at over 3 niches. I have found large nuggets as deep as 7 inches with the ground balance set perfectly. You can find quality in this detector because it is real solid 2 piece construction with a real solid electronic casing that has been kicked, dropped and even gotten damp in a heavy rain.

As knowledge increases using this detector you will learn that the circuitry will block out lead etc that could hide gold. Its cost is low for a really entry level gold detector. I sure like it better than my other two detectors for gold. Learning to use the all metal reject you can also use it to find coins and other treasures. By learning the sounds of items you will add to collections of horse shoes, picks, shovels and other prospecting equipment. It creates fun and excitement in real gold country.

I think that you can find one you will be very happy with it for your gold detecting and some other treasures.

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