NGD - ASAT III Signature

Howdy campers, look what I found!

Found this ASAT Classic Signature with tremolo just waiting for a new home. I was informed it had been around for a couple of months and no one would commit. Must have been my "density" to have this one. (Back to the Future reference to the younger crowd)

Arrived yesterday and my wonderful wife sent pics so I can stare at my screen for a while. I am in an airport now trying to get on an earlier flight to get home and play this baby.

Need bigger picture for this one








The sticker is still in good shape for a guitar about 27 years old.


For me, finding a rarebird like this is pretty sweet. She is in good shape for a guitar this age that has seen some playing. A little finish wear on the back bottom and various small wear spots but this was made for playing. Will get closer inspection tonight. Serial number dates to 88/89 time frame, but i will dig deeper. No original case but i'm in it for the guitar.

Anyone other ASAT III owner's tell me about yours and your experience with them.

Last edited by sam on Fri Jun 26, 2015 5:25 am, edited 1 time in total.

Very sweet Sam. I love the Asat with a DF. You were lucky to find one.-- Darwin

Thanks Darwin,

Lucky indeed. There's the old saying, "I'd rather be lucky than rich. If I'm lucky I can get rich."!

Or maybe lucky enough to find an ASAT hiding in various places.

That's a sweetie, Congrats !!
That's gotta add some versatility to your palette of ASATs.

[youtube]bW5M5xljdCI[/youtube]

super looking grain !! ... great score

Thanks guys,

Elwood - live that song and felt that way. Versatility is right on. You know how much I love ASAT's but have never been much of a tremolo user, but this gives me that option and some pups I don't have. This could be habit forming.

Fumble - the grain was another reason. I love the look of wood on a guitar and this has it in spades.

Time to play

yep , that's a beautiful piece of wood , front and back !!

Sweet As Score Sam! Wow, Rare and rarer yet with the DF… very cool. Looks like a alum black p/g to boot - Yes?

Cheers,
KF

Indeed a great score Sam. I would be curious to know whether the pup are S-500 or Skyhawk in terms of their specs and tonality.

Both my ASAT IIIs are incredibly sweet. I love these 3-pickup ASATs. The pre-BBE ones are better IMO than the ASAT "Classic III" released in 1998, which might very well be the S-500 or Skyhawk pups on the former and ASAT Classic pups on the latter. The later ASAT Classic 'S' is somewhere in the middle with the Alnico version close to the pre-BBE ASAT III in terms of mojo.

- Jos

Thanks Jos and KF,

Ya know I just realized in all of my excitement I listed this as a ASAT Classic III Signature when it is a ASAT III based on the age, not one from '98. Will edit heading.

I will check on pup specs. Played her last night and this thing has tone for days. Most of my ASAT's have MFD's, with the exception of some Z coils, and these pull sounds from all over the place.

My thoughts on this ASAT III after quick test run are:

- looks better in person than the pictures, dings and all
- neck feels fantastic
- as said above, these pickups can cover a lot of ground. I'm thinking S-500 because they sound meatier
than the Skyhawks I have played. I played a Classic S last summer and this is better to my ear.
- tremolo is in great shape and feels perfect
- pick guard is plastic. Slightly disappointing since I love the black crinkle, maybe our own GLDP member "Thumbs" can help at Tone Guard.
- nut may need to be replaced sometime.

Will be spending a lot of time playing and inspecting this weekend.

Cool Sam! Yeah tricky with the moniker…. I would say SIg like you first did but I think you are correct… all ASAT Models around that time bore the Signature on the upper bout as Leo thought to place it there after FMIC told him is couldn't have it on the headstock…


Judging from the time period my guess would be S-500 but Jos raises a good question as the transitional period was ~ 1987 or so and since you said they sound meatier I bet they're Skyhawk pu's.. I had a refin'd SC-3 from about that timeframe and it had Skyhawk pu's which surprised me… they sounded full and tasty. About a year prior I found a 1990 SC-3 neck and pickups attached to a non G&L strat body that I sold to Spot. I heard that guitar heaps in the studio and live and it had the glassier stratty sound which clean sounded nice but was thin as compared to my SC-3 which I still had a the time.
Re the p/g I was thinking it was metal as it look single ply but then realised they didn't make black shiny alum guards. I hear you, I dig black plastic tho esp as it ages… and w/ white pu covers.

Curious to know where this one came from should you wish to reveal the 'source'

Cheers,
KF

Last edited by Katefan on Fri Jun 26, 2015 6:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Thanks for the background KF, I will get to,the bottom of these eventually. I'm testing her now through a Mesa Lonestar Special.

How's Spot? Haven't heard from him round here in too long.

Sure thing. Sweet as. Main thing is you dig it.

Don't know - we're no longer in touch. Yeah, seems its been a while.

Cheers,
KF

Sam, Congratulations! That's a beautiful ASAT III.

Ken

So cool!

Here's what she looks like under the hood: neck is October 28, 1988 and body is November 14, 1988.









Gotta update that the guard is metal not plastic as I reported. How did he not know metal versus plastic you ask? In the excitement of the moment, when I did not see the black crinkle I immediately thought this can't be metal. But, it is a metal guard after all.

Putting new strings on her and next and getting ready for a rockin' 4th of July weekend.

Sam,

That is a killer III. A great looking example. Enjoy it and turn up that amp so we can hear it all the way here in Chicago!

Y2kc

Sam,

Thanks for documenting this beauty!

- Jos

Cool that the p/g is in fact metal… Very Interesting - didn't know they existed. Jos??

Hey guys, thanks for the kind words.

Love the fact the dates are relatively close. Now I'm trying to remember what I was doing from October 28 to November 14, 1988 when these parts came to be. Must have been fun times.

A new set of Slinkys is on and she is sounding even sweeter.

W. O. W.

Sam,

Very nice! Another good score.
I'm sure it's found a good home.

enjoy,

Jeff

Sam... very nice ASAT!! I am a sucker for the natural finish.... beautiful wood!! Funny...after seeing your dates, I thought to myself that during that Oct-Nov 1988 timeframe I was just finishing up my field artillery battalion command with 2nd Inf Division in Korea. Meanwhile, back in 'the world', this beauty was coming to life!!
Mucho Congrats!!!

--Steve

Sam, I used to own that Asat III Signature. It has two drill holes in the metal pick guard right around the bridge pickup up correct? It was where the previous owner installed a Roland Midi pick up. It had the original case when I owned it. Where did you find it? I miss that guitar. One of those guitars you always regret selling! Ill see if I can dig up an old picture. I thin it may have been the 2nd G&L guitar I ever bought!

Hey Jeff,

Yep, the two guard holes are there. Interesting how the world gets smaller when you see an old guitar of yours again. Any other pictures would be cool to see.

Seeing your guitar again about ~2yr after its original posting it strikes me again: what a beauty. Only today I noticed some 'flame' showing on the back of the body close tp the treble horn (2nd picture in original post). I have never noticed that on any other ash body with transparent finish. Cool! Now I might have to check out mine ...

- Jos

Very nice guitar...glad you found it first!!

I would call that grain pattern "weeping swamp ash". It's awesome grain pattern, quite unique and I am sure it sounds great too.

This might be my next major search. Since I am unlikely to find a Broadcaster at a reasonable price (whatever that is) I might have to get one of the transitional ASAT builds with the same components but the name.

Great score though, congrats!!

Tom

Only today I noticed some 'flame' showing on the back of the body close tp the treble horn (2nd picture in original post). I have never noticed that on any other ash body with transparent finish.

My '84 El Toro has some flame under a Clear Blue finish. It's not obvious under normal room lighting, but it pops in flash photos:



I almost pulled the trigger on a swamp ash/natural L-2000 a couple of weeks ago, until I found out it was post-Leo. It had gorgeous flame throughout the body and birds-eye in the the neck. I didn't save the photos.

Ken

Lots of luscious flame in my ash SkyHawk-

Nice stuff Elwood!

Ken and Elwood,

Thanks for posting those beauties!

Sam,

Very nice.

y2kc