# NGD #2 - G&L ASAT Special



## davewrites (Oct 22, 2013)

#2 - G&L Tribute Series ASAT Special, Tobacco Burst (via eBay.com)



















































































Coles Notes: Leo's ultimate evolution of his T-style guitar? I believe it now. MFD pickups are the real deal and his Saddle-Lock bridge is a brilliantly engineered block of brute resonance. This is an amazing guitar and I could go on for hours about it's features, build quality, bang-for-the-buck, etc… Honestly, if you need a full review, check out Nick Jaffe's YouTube demo. I wholeheartedly agree with everything he says and appreciate how well he says it, even the uber-technical bits. Plus, he's 1,000x the player that I am. I wish I could make my ASAT sing like this...


[video=youtube;LrEJUY3I7C8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrEJUY3I7C8[/video]


I would highly recommend either guitar to any player. I also assume my next guitar purchase will be a G&L -- tremendous power, versatility, quality, value… Simply the best!

… 

(See: NGD #1 - G&L Fallout)


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Congrats!

Though I haven't ever tried a Tribute, I've heard that they are a great value.
I believe that they use the US hardware, pickups and electronics, don't they?
I love the bridges on these, I have an older three bolt Special.

Nice burst too!


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## davewrites (Oct 22, 2013)

sulphur said:


> Congrats!
> 
> Though I haven't ever tried a Tribute, I've heard that they are a great value.
> I believe that they use the US hardware, pickups and electronics, don't they?
> ...


Yes, same MFD pickups as the USA models, same bridge, same tuners... a steal considering I paid only $369. 

Envious about your 3-bolt neck. Love that look.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Wow, I didn't realize that these were so inexpensive.

For some reason, I thought that they'd be double that cost.
Where did you order from? Was it an online store?

The Fallout would definitely be worth a look, for under four bills.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

they make such cool guitars! good for you! when i bought my strat, i was actually looking for a G&L, but no one had what i wanted, or would order it for me. someday....


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Here's my early '90s Stealth Special...


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## davewrites (Oct 22, 2013)

Nice! Alder or Swamp Ash?


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## davewrites (Oct 22, 2013)

sulphur said:


> Wow, I didn't realize that these were so inexpensive.
> 
> For some reason, I thought that they'd be double that cost.
> Where did you order from? Was it an online store?
> ...


The "regular" G&Ls are California made and priced accordingly ($1,000 - $2,000). 

The Tribute Series are made in Indonesia with US hardware ($450 - $550). You can find some used or B-stock under $400. 

I don't have enough skill to appreciate any quality difference between US models and the Tributes.


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## b-nads (Apr 9, 2010)

I had a Tribute series S-500 that, in all honesty, would have probably beat out my MIA Strat had I bothered getting the frets dressed before selling it. The pickups were amazing, and the guitar was solid with excellent fit and finish...the fret ends were a saw blade. Telling one from an American G&L by sound alone will be tough...my Tribute was a 2-piece body, just like the American Legacy Special I had, and it was similar in weight. The frets were perfectly dressed and Plekked on the USA model - that was a major step up.

With their more solid bridges and 12" stock radius, I much prefer G&L's to Fenders. I'm not really a Strat guy, but should I add one back to the mix, I wouldn't hesitate to go with a Tribute Legacy or S-500 over any Fender up to a 2010 MIA Standard. 2011 Std Strats are a step above, and I'd probably suffer the 9.5" radius and go with a 2012 Standard over even an American G&L, but that's my personal tastes. 

Congrats - those Trbutes are GREAT guitars.


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## davewrites (Oct 22, 2013)

I've always preferred G&L over Fender, especially in the 90s when Fender seemed to be going through the motions.

When I bought my first Tele (1998?), I joked with the salesman and said I was buying the Fender because I couldn't afford a G&L. G&L was always outside of my price range and they eventually dropped off my radar when I discovered Reverend Guitars. 

I didn't know the Tribute Series existed until this September. (Duh!) Had I known, I probably would have been a G&L owners years ago.


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## ElectricMojo (May 19, 2011)

Really nice. Congrats!


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## zurn (Oct 21, 2009)

Love that burst, congrats!


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## davewrites (Oct 22, 2013)

Spent almost a hour running this through my Vox Pathfinder 15R tonight. Great fun. These pickups are full bodied and they remain articulate with high gain. 

One of my favourite Pathfinder tricks is keeping the master volume real low (@ 7 or 8 o'clock) and then using the Gain knob to dial in the "loudness." It's a cool effect, especially with single coils. Individual notes are fat and piano-chimey but any strumming or chucking is dirty as hell. It's just a beefy machinist grind even without activating the Boost.


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