Doheny V12 vs ASAT Deluxe vs ???

Hello wise friends!

I've been over in the '80 to '91 subforum asking a bunch of questions about an F-100 I ran across locally. For those with time to kill, the thread in question is here:

viewtopic.php?f=122&t=17211

The conversation has drifted a bit since I decided not to buy the F-100, and it's probably time to move the discussion here since a Doheny V12 is high on my wish list now. But I have some questions in the other thread that go about like this:

I have for a while been thinking about adding a 2HB guitar to my small collection. On the electric side, I have a 3 bolt Legacy and a mid-2000s Bluesboy. I have been casually been thinking the various 2HB guitars in the G&L lineup and have really been paying attention to the Doheny V12, but not anywhere near to pulling the trigger yet. And that's in no small part due to the fact that I don't have a dealer locally to try one out, but that's never really stopped me before...

My goal here is to round out my arsenal with one last guitar (HA!) to complement my ASAT and my Legacy. Naturally, you'd think about a Les Paul maybe, but for various reasons I don't actually want an LP, I just want something that loosely fits that space. An ASAT Deluxe fits that space and I don't think it's hard for any of us to imagine what that would be like as anyone here has a real good idea of what a guitar with 2 PAFs sounds like. But can the V12 play in that same space as well?

I've heard that you can get a PAF-like tone by rolling off the bass and treble controls a bit, and then when you roll them back on, you have that huge variety of other tones and options to play with. Does that sound like what you've experienced?

My concern is that I get a V12, and find no matter how cool it is, that it doesn't do the sounds that an ASAT Deluxe will do, and then I gotta get another guitar.

So there you have it. I love the MFDs in general, and appreciate that they are a major distinction for G&L and a connection to the Leo-era past. The ASAT Deluxe is super cool, but also kind of feels like anyone could have made that. But in the end, it's about the sound, and if a Deluxe scratches that itch, so be it.

Thoughts?

I own a Les Paul, Doheny V12, and ASAT Deluxe. If you are looking for a Les Paul sound I think you can come close with either an ASAT Deluxe or Doheny V12. Neither of the G&L are an exact match to a Les Paul as there are differences. The Les Paul has a set neck and shorter scale neck.

However, I can get pretty close with either of the G&L. The Doheny V12 will give you more variety of options in other sounds. The PTB on the V12 really opens up the options of sounds. But, the V12 has no options, take it or leave it. If the 9.5” radius neck or modern classic neck on the V12 isn’t to your liking, maybe you want the ASAT deluxe with a 12” radius? There are differences in how they feel playing with two different body styles. If you are choosing solely on sound, I would take the V12 over the ASAT Deluxe. The V12 really have more sonic options. But the ASAT Drluxe feels like a trusted friend with a familiar body style and alnico pickups.

Personally, I like the V12 better than the ASAT Deluxe. But, that is my preference. Truthfully, you can’t go wrong with either one. They are both great in their own way.

Last edited by Challenger on Wed Feb 23, 2022 8:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Thanks. I’m not looking for an exact match to an LP but just something that can live in that approximate range. If we think of Strat, Tele and LP as being the three major food groups, I think I can get the same vitamins from a Legacy, a Bluesboy and a V12.

Another G&L you might want to consider is the Fallout. While only half humbucker, the body and control layout on the Fallout is fantastic. The smaller Fallout body will be lighter and it fits against you very comfortably. I really enjoy playing the Fallout and you can certainly get Les Paul like tones out of it.

Thanks, you continue to be super helpful. It's much appreciated.

General question: anyone know why Sweetwater lists some of the V12s as CLF Research and some as Fullerton Deluxe? I called and asked my rep and got an unconvincing answer not much different than, "They're that way because of the way that they are."

Thanks, you continue to be super helpful. It's much appreciated.

General question: anyone know why Sweetwater lists some of the V12s as CLF Research and some as Fullerton Deluxe? I called and asked my rep and got an unconvincing answer not much different than, "They're that way because of the way that they are."

Sweetwater is listing them incorrectly; look at the back of the headstocks and you will see that they are CLF Research models not Fullerton Deluxe models.
The Doheny V12 model is only is a CLF Research model. BTW the finishes on the CLF Research models are Thin Urethane not Polyurethane as they have list it.

Thanks, you continue to be super helpful. It's much appreciated.

General question: anyone know why Sweetwater lists some of the V12s as CLF Research and some as Fullerton Deluxe? I called and asked my rep and got an unconvincing answer not much different than, "They're that way because of the way that they are."

Sweetwater is listing them incorrectly; look at the back of the headstocks and you will see that they are CLF Research models not Fullerton Deluxe models.
The Doheny V12 model is only is a CLF Research model.

Thanks. I told them that but they didn’t believe me.

Thanks, you continue to be super helpful. It's much appreciated.

General question: anyone know why Sweetwater lists some of the V12s as CLF Research and some as Fullerton Deluxe? I called and asked my rep and got an unconvincing answer not much different than, "They're that way because of the way that they are."

Sweetwater is listing them incorrectly; look at the back of the headstocks and you will see that they are CLF Research models not Fullerton Deluxe models.
The Doheny V12 model is only is a CLF Research model.

Thanks. I told them that but they didn’t believe me.

Sweetwater is still listing them incorrectly as Fullerton Deluxe models, only the Demo models they have for sale are listed as CLF Research Doheny V12 model.

I recently brought this to the attention of one of my G&L contacts and he said he is on it.
Today I posted a comment on Sweetwater's Contact Us webpage, indicating that they have the Doheny V12s listed as a Fullerton Deluxe model instead of CLF Research model. I also pointed out that the back of the headstock lists them as "CLF Research", too.

Stay tuned.

Thanks for looking into this.I don’t know why it bugs me so much. I think more than anything, it was that my sales rep doubled down on them being different instruments then delivering a mumbled, circular description of what the difference is. I also which they hadn’t tried to setup the guitar for me because they clearly didn’t look at the specs there either.

Thanks, you continue to be super helpful. It's much appreciated.

General question: anyone know why Sweetwater lists some of the V12s as CLF Research and some as Fullerton Deluxe? I called and asked my rep and got an unconvincing answer not much different than, "They're that way because of the way that they are."

Sweetwater is listing them incorrectly; look at the back of the headstocks and you will see that they are CLF Research models not Fullerton Deluxe models.
The Doheny V12 model is only is a CLF Research model.

Thanks. I told them that but they didn’t believe me.

Sweetwater is still listing them incorrectly as Fullerton Deluxe models, only the Demo models they have for sale are listed as CLF Research Doheny V12 model.

I recently brought this to the attention of one of my G&L contacts and he said he is on it.
Today I posted a comment on Sweetwater's Contact Us webpage, indicating that they have the Doheny V12s listed as a Fullerton Deluxe model instead of CLF Research model. I also pointed out that the back of the headstock lists them as "CLF Research", too.

Stay tuned.

I now see that they have corrected their listings of the Doheny V12 to be only a CLF Research model.

Ha! And with their most recent stock addition, they broke it again!

Ha! And with their most recent stock addition, they broke it again!

I pointed it out to Steve and he said they are still working on correcting their website.
I added both Clear Blue Doheny V12s currently listed as Fullerton Deluxe models to our G&L Registry with this note:

[RA note: 7/12/2022 seen on Sweetwater's website incorrectly listed as a Fullerton Deluxe

I'll keep monitoring and continue adding those still be listed incorrectly.

The best I can do at this point.

Ha! And with their most recent stock addition, they broke it again!

I pointed it out to Steve and he said they are still working on correcting their website.
I added both Clear Blue Doheny V12s currently listed as Fullerton Deluxe models to our G&L Registry with this note:

[RA note: 7/12/2022 seen on Sweetwater's website incorrectly listed as a Fullerton Deluxe

I'll keep monitoring and continue adding those still be listed incorrectly.

The best I can do at this point.

Thanks! And let me add that I am not in any way suggesting that this is your problem to solve. But it's great that you have the contacts that can fix this.