G & L ASAT Special

Zach Parish · From: Asbury, MO USA

I just bought one of these guitars and I think they are sweet! The large rectangular pickups have an awesome tone. It seems like the rythem pickup has a more clearer tone than a telecaster. I also have a 52 Telecaster reissue that I have been playing. But after I bought the G & L, I may be playing it. Just my thoughts. What does everyone else think?

Keith Cordell · From: San Diego

I have had 3 of the G&L's, and have been impressed with all of them. Unfortunately it was during my days as a dealer, and I had to sell them- A little piece of my heart went with each of them...

Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

Zach.. I'm glad your G&L worked out... MOST guys LOVE them.. I had 2.. an ASAT Special and a Legacy..

They were both among the WORST sounding guitars I have ever owned.. NO sustain, tinny,just awful sounding..My stock Fender Strats and Teles made them look silly in the sound department, as did my $199 Danelectro Innuendo strat style... they both played about average,but neither had very good intonation..However,both seemed VERY well built... I must have gotten 2 "mutts",because they are very nicely made and most players love them.. I am VERY afraid to buy another personally... bob

[This message was edited by Bob Carlucci on 22 September 2005 at 08:09 AM.]

Bob Smith · From: Allentown, New Jersey, USA

Zach, I have an old ASAT that sounds and plays better to me, than any Fender guitarI have ever owned. My next new axe will definetly be a G&L,a nice Z -3 is what i would like. forgot to mention they blow Fender away in the looks deparment too! bob

Mark Metdker · From: North Central Texas, USA

I love my G&Ls. I have an S-500, a Legacy and an ASAT classic. All are wonderful axes and blow my Fenders away. I'm a G&L guy for life.

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Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

Mark..Not the ones I had... yech....

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

I got a slightly-used ASAT Classic at a NJ Vintage show about seven years ago. It's beautiful, with a highly-figured birds-eye maple neck with nice fat frets, and a red sunburst body with top and bottom white binding.

I loved it instantly, and so I took it to Joe Glaser for a B-bender. The neck p/u is much better than the Fender equivalent. It's been my #1 'electric' ever since, and my 'real Teles are consigned to the cupboard!

Along with my Emmons, my Martin 000-28, these are what I'd save in a fire (after I'd got the lady wife out!).......

Roger R.

Zach Parish · From: Asbury, MO USA

Bob, sorry your guitars didnt work out. I really like mine and my Dad has had a Legacy for about 3 years now and he loves his too. I guess there is good and bad in everything.

Bryan Knox · From: Gardendale, Alabama...Ya'll come

I have a G&L Skyhawk (lefty)that I absolutely love. Found it in the used bin at Mars Music Store before they went bust and I must say it is everything I ever wanted in an elec. axe.

Mine is Serial # G001586, which should make it (according to my investigations) around an '81 or 82 model. At that age of "birth" it is very possible that Leo or George actually touched mine, which may account for the quality?

It's been my experience that the overall quality seems to better that what Fender is putting out these days, but I still long for a Tele one day.

Bryan

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Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

I just don't get it.. I wanted a couple of G&L guitars very badly.. I KNOW they are VERY well made, and know how well respected they are.... I got the Legacy first.. used in mint cond.. I could not believe how bad that guitar sounded after I took it to some gigs.. thin, trebly and NO sustain.. sounded like a $50 guitar... I traded it for a dead mint Gorgeous candy apple metallic red ASAT Special... Again I was horrified.. The guitar would NOT intonate properly, action was mediocre, no matter what I did.. Tone wise the guitar was fair at best, but the notes DIED instantly.. I mean NO ring at all.. dead.. NO sustain..

I replaced them with made in China SX strat and tele, and they were better by far than those hi end G&L guitars.. I KNOW how good G&L guitars are.. I KNOW I just was unlucky with these particular guitars, but now I'm too spooked to buy one again.. I've had lousy Gibson and Fenders too, and some great ones, but those G&L dogs I owned are stuck in my head forever... I am in the minority for sure.. G&L couldn't stay in business if thier product was poor.. bob

Jim Walker · From: Headland, AL

I had a Legacy and an ASAT back in the late 80's They were awsome. I bought an ASAT Tribute few months back, JUNK! sold it. I bought a 95 Lagacy on ebay last year and the trus rod was locked up. Sold it lost $100. If I ever get another G&L it would have to be an 80's model.

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Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

Am I right in thinking that there's now a budget line of G&L guitars? Maybe that would explain the disprepancy in these different experiences.

There are many excellent guitars on the market today, and the 'big' companies - like Fender and Gibson - can no longer depend on mere brand loyalty to hold their own. There'll always be the guy who 'has to have a guitar just like so-and-so's', but I hope that's the minority.

My point is that Bob has been put off G&L by his experiences - it would have put me off, too - so why should he ever risk it again when there are so many fine alternatives?

Gibson have had some pretty bad periods, Fender had those dreadful Strats and Teles made in the '70s, which was the same time that Martin started strengthening the tops of their guitars (to 'protect' themselves against their own lifetime warranty) with disastrous results.

It's a buyers' market, for sure.

RR

[This message was edited by Roger Rettig on 23 September 2005 at 03:12 AM.]

Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

Roger.. Both my G&L guitars wre USA models.. they now make an import line called "G&L Tribute"...

To be fair, It may have been the pickups.. MANY guys don't like G&L pickups.. I've seen MANY full sets for sale on ebay and on Harmony Central.. Maybe I was expecting to have my world "rocked"... I did not feel like swapping pickups and just sold the guitars... The ASAT is beautiful, but it still sits on the wall of the store where I traded it 2 years ago... bob

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

I've played G&Ls since the 80s. My first was a black '85 Broadcaster, forerunner of the ASAT, signed by Leo in the neck pocket, with the larger, almost P-90 looking, MFD pickups. Carl Perkins played an identical guitar for the last 10+ years of his life. I played that guitar for over 10 years and, to me, has the best of both worlds between a Tele and a Les Paul Junior. I eventually replaced it with a lighter ASAT because it was very heavy - this was a common feature of these. I've also had ASAT Thinline-styles, a mahogany-body S-500, and still use a green-sparkle Legacy, made in the late 90s. Every one has been an excellent guitar, and all these were better in the weight department. But my main G&L these days is a blonde, maple-necked ultra-light swamp ash early 90s plain ole' ASAT. This is a truly great guitar, IMO.

This is like any other serious make of guitar. Some are great, some are not so great, and the difference is determined entirely by ones taste.

The Tributes have the same electronics as the American-made ones. If one can find a used one reasonable, they're fine as an inexpensive beginner or spare guitar, but no comparison to the "real" ones, IMO.

One thing on the Legacies - the pickups evolved over a period of time. I really like the pickups they're using the last several years. Previous pickups were thin-sounding, to my ears. Same for the thinner ASAT pickups - some guys love 'em, I don't.

Those larger ASAT pickups have just a bit more juice than a trad Tele pickup, and they're not quite as thin-sounding. Every one I've played is capable of Tele spank, but one may need to adjust effect/amp controls. When chicken-pickin' with a compressor, less compression works better, and the tone settings that work for a Tele might need to be changed a bit. Sometimes, changing between 250K and 500K pots produces a useful change.

The guitar store I started (am no longer involved in the business) is a G&L dealer, so I've played a lot of them. Like any make, players may or may not like them, but they are well-made guitars and have an individual sound, which can be tailored quite a bit, IMO. I would never just write off anything that Leo Fender initiated - these are a natural evolution of the classic Fender guitars, to me.

Bob Smith · From: Allentown, New Jersey, USA

I forgot to mention i just shipped my ASAT out to Charlie McVay to have a b-bender installed. I cant wait to get it back!!!! bob

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