Just Announced: the new Ascari GTS and Fiorano GTS ...

The street price should be around that of a Tribute ASAT Classic.

I'll really close to ordering a Fiorano GTS.

Craig how long will be before USA versions are shipping (if ever)?

I see guitar adoptions has the Ascari offered at a reasonable price: http://www.guitaradoptions.com/g-l-tribute-ascari-in-trans-red.html

if you're right handed, that is.

Dave did mention (on Facebook) that they will get to lefty versions (probably with the US models).

Hope this helps.

I went to the local G&L dealer today who was checking on the Ascari GTS
availability for me. He said that he could get the tribute and the USA Ascari
according to the rep, that both were shipping now. I said I knew the tributes
were shipping but didn't expect the USA models for some time. But he insisted
the G&L rep told him he could get his hands on a USA Ascari now. I wonder if
that is a prototype or sales hype. I not sure whether I want the Ascari or an
Invader.

I went to the local G&L dealer today who was checking on the Ascari GTS
availability for me. He said that he could get the tribute and the USA Ascari
according to the rep, that both were shipping now. I said I knew the tributes
were shipping but didn't expect the USA models for some time. But he insisted
the G&L rep told him he could get his hands on a USA Ascari now. I wonder if
that is a prototype or sales hype. I not sure whether I want the Ascari or an
Invader.

He is mistaken about the USA Ascari being available now. It is not.

Hope this helps.

I think jwebsmail nailed it: this isn't supposed to an ASAT or anything else G&L already does. it's supposed to be eye-catching, toneful, different and top-quality at its price. It gives non-G&L players permission to tap into G&L's reputation for quality without having to struggle with the fact that "it doesn't say Fender on the headstock." Those guys are going to be saying, "Hey, now G&L is making a guitar FOR ME." A lot of the complaints in here focus on "it doesn't have a G&L bridge" or "it's not a bolt-on." By that logic, G&L would only do the same thing forever, in ever-tighter spirals. The more I look at these guitars, the more I love their looks. I'm dying to hear how Gagon-spec'ed pickups sound: G&L didn't just call Seymour. If someone asked me "What would G&L's first G-style, 3x3, set-neck, dual-humbucker guitar look like?" I'd never have thought of this. I think a ton of players are going to be trying this out in the stores, and if the guitars share the Asian Tribute quality we all know about, they're going to seriously sell.

The street price should be around that of a Tribute ASAT Classic.

I'll really close to ordering a Fiorano GTS.

Craig how long will be before USA versions are shipping (if ever)?

I see guitar adoptions has the Ascari offered at a reasonable price: http://www.guitaradoptions.com/g-l-tribute-ascari-in-trans-red.html

if you're right handed, that is.

Dave did mention (on Facebook) that they will get to lefty versions (probably with the US models).

Hope this helps.

Thanks Craig!

I love the sound of the G&L humbuckers in my tribute Invader. In fact I like them better than the Seymour Duncan 59 and the JB I've had installed in more than one other guitar (I haven't heard a TB4). If I get a USA model I would prefer to have G&L humbuckers over the SD. The G&L tribute Invader bridge humbucker split sounds fantastic. Normally humbuckers split are less than ideal. But I use the bridge split direct into the BBE Green Screamer DAW plugin (stomp ware) most of the time and it sounds great - it really wails. Paul really knows how to design pickups! When I bought the Invader used the wire was broken off the mini-toggle so when in the split position it only split the neck and not the bridge. That had a neat strat like sound with the neck split and the brige full humbucking. But since I fixed the wire it only splits both coils together so I can't get that sound any more. But in exchange I can now split the bridge humbucker which it wouldn't do when it was broken.

The D shape neck I prefer the most so the Fiorano GTS sounds like my cup of tea.

Do the Fiorano GTS humbuckers sound good cleaned up and in regular tuning?

Last edited by jwebsmall on Mon Sep 26, 2011 7:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I was pretty sure the dealer was wrong about the USA model being available and figured it was just the rep was mistaken.

A humbucker in the bridge with a big MFD neck single coil would make
for a very nice short scale guitar. If you can split the bridge humbucker
too that would be even nicer.

There is a new video up on the Ascari GTS page of the Edisun band discussing their
tributes, i.e. 2 ASAT deluxes, L-2000 bass, Ascari, and Legacy that has been
modified with a fat MFD pickup in the bridge position. The transparent
black finish on the Ascari is very pretty also!

There is a new video up on the Ascari GTS page of the Edisun band discussing their
tributes, i.e. 2 ASAT deluxes, L-2000 bass, Ascari, and Legacy that has been
modified with a fat MFD pickup in the bridge position. The transparent
black finish on the Ascari is very pretty also!

Yep, and I had just added it to the Edisun music video:Tribute Ascari ... post in the G&L Audio and Video Clips!!! sub-forum.

Check it out!

Played 'em both on Saturday. Although I ain't in the market for an electric, they are alot of guitar for the bucks. Absolutely beautifully built instruments. The pics do not really do them justice.

Played 'em both on Saturday. Although I ain't in the market for an electric, they are alot of guitar for the bucks. Absolutely beautifully built instruments. The pics do not really do them justice.

Did you like both colors, i.e. red and black?

Did you like the D shaped necks?

How did the pickups sound clean, dirty, split?

Thanks!

A humbucker in the bridge with a big MFD neck single coil would make
for a very nice short scale guitar. If you can split the bridge humbucker
too that would be even nicer.

I dont have the funds to buy anything now and my ASAT Special makes me very happy but if they put one out like that, especially if they make it semi-hollow, I'll find a way to make it happen.

I had a Tribute Legacy HB that had a fantastic HB in the bridge and my ASAT Special has the best neck pickup I have ever heard. That has to be a winning combo.

There is a lot of competition in that price range for set neck/humbucker rigs, but IMO it can take some looking to find the ones that don't need a lot of work to set up right--and even then fit and finish may not be great. The regular tribute line seems to compete on those attributes--for the price--if this one does as well I could see it finding a niche. Rather have a different bridge myself though.....

I had a Tribute Legacy HB that had a fantastic HB in the bridge and my ASAT Special has the best neck pickup I have ever heard. That has to be a winning combo.

The G&L HB pickup used in the tributes are wonderful. I like then better than the Seymour Duncan 59 SH pickup. And the G&L HB split sounds great too!

I'd like to see the Fiorano GTS with it's G&L HB in the bridge as it has now and an S-500 bridge pickup right next to it. The neck pickup would then be done away with entirely.

What I really want is a semi hollow ASAT with an HB in the bride and MFD in the neck but I dont see the making one anytime soon.

A single coil sized humbucker should fit in the ASAT Classic single coil bridge hole, at least with a little help if not without.

[Craig]

New demo of Ascari and Fiorano on Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjXVXSV-kzg

[youtube]HjXVXSV-kzg[/youtube]

I wish they didn't use so much reverb.

Last edited by Craig on Thu Oct 13, 2011 9:53 am, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Admin added inline video

In the video he comments on how good the single coil sounds
are from the G&L pickups.

I found the G&L pickups on my Tribute Invader XL to be outstanding
- I like the G&L bridge pickup more than the Seymour Duncan TB-4.

Paul designed the P-90's on the korina ASAT Jr. I haven't heard those
but bet they sound good too!

Some new single coil pickup designs as options for the ASAT's and S-500
would be welcomed I would think.

I kinda like these...I might hop down to my local G&L Dealer and see if they got one. The Ascari is looking kinda cool. When are the USA models going to be available?

I kinda like these...I might hop down to my local G&L Dealer and see if they got one. The Ascari is looking kinda cool. When are the USA models going to be available?

I have not heard but they are working on a couple of other projects which will likely appear before these do.

Stay tuned.

Dave just posted this on G&L's Facebook page:

G&L Musical Instruments
Check out the new Ascari GTS and Fiorano GTS, the first set-neck models from G&L. Designed by Paul Gagon and Grover Jackson, these models are available first in our Tribute Series range and we've already started shipping them. Get the full story at http://www.glguitars.com/ascari-fiorano/index.asp - Dave

Ascari GTS



Fiorano GTS



Read all about them here: Ascari and Fiorano models

REALLY doesn't do much for me..Just Sayin..

Nice. Are these G&L's answer to PRS guitars or the Ibanez market? My knee jerk reaction was PRS, but the more I look at em, I'm not so sure.....


J5

Nice. Are these G&L's answer to PRS guitars or the Ibanez market? My knee jerk reaction was PRS, but the more I look at em, I'm not so sure.....


J5

i don't think they are targeting a specific brand, just a market segment.

What I really want is a semi hollow ASAT with an HB in the bride and MFD in the neck but I dont see the making one anytime soon.

Doesn't Reverend make something similiar called the Double Agent?

I wish they had the saddle lock, but I really like this idea!

I like what I see, the question is will I like what I hear?

The only way that will happen is if I can find one, or preferably both, and play it. Both actually interest me and if I like it I will buy it. The hard part it seems is finding one and in an effort in trying to do just that I have called every G&L dealer in the state I live. The only response I got is if I want to try one I have buy one. "I aint gonna buy somthin for my store if you aint gonna buy it". "Um sir, do you buy your car without test driving it or your house without walking through it?". "Listen kid dont tell me how to run my business". "Sir, I am 52 years old". CLICK. Well lets just say that dealer in Tucson is not gonna get my business anytime soon.

Ok so that did not work. Lets look up on the website and see if there is an email that I can send to sale. Uhhh, no email addys. Ok, so lets give them a call. Ring Ring. Thank you for calling.... Please leave a message (paraphrase). " Hello, I am interested in the Ascari and Fiorano guitars and would like to see if there is a dealer in my state that has one or both in stock". You can reach me at 480....". Several days go by and no reply. So I call again today and hit 0 several times to see if I can get a live voice.

Well I luck out and get what seems to be a nice lady but completely of no help. Asking the simple question of where is a dealer in my state that has one or both yielded and "uh, I dont know". The conversation continued and was absolutely of no help what so ever.

So I am left wondering if G&L really wants to sell these guitars.

I like what I see, the question is will I like what I hear?

The only way that will happen is if I can find one, or preferably both, and play it. Both actually interest me and if I like it I will buy it. The hard part it seems is finding one and in an effort in trying to do just that I have called every G&L dealer in the state I live. The only response I got is if I want to try one I have buy one. "I aint gonna buy somthin for my store if you aint gonna buy it". "Um sir, do you buy your car without test driving it or your house without walking through it?". "Listen kid dont tell me how to run my business". "Sir, I am 52 years old". CLICK. Well lets just say that dealer in Tucson is not gonna get my business anytime soon.

Ok so that did not work. Lets look up on the website and see if there is an email that I can send to sale. Uhhh, no email addys. Ok, so lets give them a call. Ring Ring. Thank you for calling.... Please leave a message (paraphrase). " Hello, I am interested in the Ascari and Fiorano guitars and would like to see if there is a dealer in my state that has one or both in stock". You can reach me at 480....". Several days go by and no reply. So I call again today and hit 0 several times to see if I can get a live voice.

Well I luck out and get what seems to be a nice lady but completely of no help. Asking the simple question of where is a dealer in my state that has one or both yielded and "uh, I dont know". The conversation continued and was absolutely of no help what so ever.

So I am left wondering if G&L really wants to sell these guitars.

typical experience with g&l customer service. i went through it several times. i ended up calling bbe, and yelling at them until they got someone from g&l on the phone. they are absolutely clueless on the business end, the only feasible way to get anything done is ask craig here to ask for you.

I like what I see, the question is will I like what I hear?

The only way that will happen is if I can find one, or preferably both, and play it. Both actually interest me and if I like it I will buy it. The hard part it seems is finding one and in an effort in trying to do just that I have called every G&L dealer in the state I live. The only response I got is if I want to try one I have buy one. "I aint gonna buy somthin for my store if you aint gonna buy it". "Um sir, do you buy your car without test driving it or your house without walking through it?". "Listen kid dont tell me how to run my business". "Sir, I am 52 years old". CLICK. Well lets just say that dealer in Tucson is not gonna get my business anytime soon.

Ok so that did not work. Lets look up on the website and see if there is an email that I can send to sale. Uhhh, no email addys. Ok, so lets give them a call. Ring Ring. Thank you for calling.... Please leave a message (paraphrase). " Hello, I am interested in the Ascari and Fiorano guitars and would like to see if there is a dealer in my state that has one or both in stock". You can reach me at 480....". Several days go by and no reply. So I call again today and hit 0 several times to see if I can get a live voice.

Well I luck out and get what seems to be a nice lady but completely of no help. Asking the simple question of where is a dealer in my state that has one or both yielded and "uh, I dont know". The conversation continued and was absolutely of no help what so ever.

So I am left wondering if G&L really wants to sell these guitars.

I brought your post to Dave McLaren's attention.

I like what I see, the question is will I like what I hear?

The only way that will happen is if I can find one, or preferably both, and play it. Both actually interest me and if I like it I will buy it. The hard part it seems is finding one and in an effort in trying to do just that I have called every G&L dealer in the state I live. The only response I got is if I want to try one I have buy one. "I aint gonna buy somthin for my store if you aint gonna buy it". "Um sir, do you buy your car without test driving it or your house without walking through it?". "Listen kid dont tell me how to run my business". "Sir, I am 52 years old". CLICK. Well lets just say that dealer in Tucson is not gonna get my business anytime soon.

Ok so that did not work. Lets look up on the website and see if there is an email that I can send to sale. Uhhh, no email addys. Ok, so lets give them a call. Ring Ring. Thank you for calling.... Please leave a message (paraphrase). " Hello, I am interested in the Ascari and Fiorano guitars and would like to see if there is a dealer in my state that has one or both in stock". You can reach me at 480....". Several days go by and no reply. So I call again today and hit 0 several times to see if I can get a live voice.

Well I luck out and get what seems to be a nice lady but completely of no help. Asking the simple question of where is a dealer in my state that has one or both yielded and "uh, I dont know". The conversation continued and was absolutely of no help what so ever.

So I am left wondering if G&L really wants to sell these guitars.

I brought your post to Dave McLaren's attention.

craig, i hope g&l pays you well, if it weren't for you, there would be no customer service at all. at least not through direct contact with the company.

I like what I see, the question is will I like what I hear?

The only way that will happen is if I can find one, or preferably both, and play it. Both actually interest me and if I like it I will buy it. The hard part it seems is finding one and in an effort in trying to do just that I have called every G&L dealer in the state I live. The only response I got is if I want to try one I have buy one. "I aint gonna buy somthin for my store if you aint gonna buy it". "Um sir, do you buy your car without test driving it or your house without walking through it?". "Listen kid dont tell me how to run my business". "Sir, I am 52 years old". CLICK. Well lets just say that dealer in Tucson is not gonna get my business anytime soon.

Ok so that did not work. Lets look up on the website and see if there is an email that I can send to sale. Uhhh, no email addys. Ok, so lets give them a call. Ring Ring. Thank you for calling.... Please leave a message (paraphrase). " Hello, I am interested in the Ascari and Fiorano guitars and would like to see if there is a dealer in my state that has one or both in stock". You can reach me at 480....". Several days go by and no reply. So I call again today and hit 0 several times to see if I can get a live voice.

Well I luck out and get what seems to be a nice lady but completely of no help. Asking the simple question of where is a dealer in my state that has one or both yielded and "uh, I dont know". The conversation continued and was absolutely of no help what so ever.

So I am left wondering if G&L really wants to sell these guitars.

I brought your post to Dave McLaren's attention.

craig, i hope g&l pays you well, if it weren't for you, there would be no customer service at all. at least not through direct contact with the company.

I think its kinda sad that I had to go to this to try and even get some information... Still nothing on my end though and make me wonder once again, does'nt customer service even have a login for this forum so they can respond to inquires like mine???

Guys,

In a general sense I'm trying to find out where the holes are and making some adjustments. For starters, I had a good look at what's on the contact and support pages and made some changes. The contact page had the phone number, but it should have brought clear attention to the support page first. I want to avoid anyone just dialing, getting the phone system and trying this or that to get somewhere. On the support page I've added Todd Brushwyler for general enquiries.

Verderacer, I'd love to be able to tell you where you can try these guitars, but we don't have a line on what dealers have in stock at any particular time. I remember trying to cobble together a feedback look with our field reps in an attempt to know what dealers have in stock, but it proved impossible because the feedback wasn't real time - or anything close. Pretty much all of us guitar and bass makers, small and large, have wide enough product lines such that no single dealer has every model in stock. It's usually not even close. We do the best we can to encourage our dealers to have a good cross section that works well for their market and customer base, but we don't want to force things on them that aren't going to work for them. Some bigger manufacturers do that and sometimes it puts the dealer out of business. That's the worst outcome, as there aren't so many music dealers like there were years ago and not many coming into the business these days.

Believe me, I'd love to be able to point you to a dealer within reasonable range so you can test drive an Ascari and Fiorano. I just don't know which of them has either of them in stock - right now when it matters. That said, Musician's Friend and Amazon both have very generous return policies. They want to get the gear in your hands and hope you fall in love with it, but if you're not, you can send it back very easily. That's how they do so well. I know that's not the ideal situation, but it's well worth mentioning.

What really surprised me is the interaction with a dealer you posted about, that's not the way retailers do things. Heck, I'd expect that if a dealer has you on the phone and doesn't have something in particular in stock, he'd at least see if he could get you interested in something, whether it's a G&L or product from another brand he's got in stock. That's not exactly what I would want, being the guy with the product that's NOT there, but I know how the retail world works. Most of all I need these guys to be healthy, because without that, I don't have dealers to carry anything.

Sorry I've digressed a bit there, but I like to give the clearest picture I can.

Dave

In a general sense I'm trying to find out where the holes are and making some adjustments.

Dave,

I've struggled with ordering parts from the G&L store. I mention this just to give you a practical example of some holes in the system. I just needed some miscellaneous bits and pieces for a couple of older G&Ls that were not left intact by previous owners. I tried several times to reach the "store" by telephone, and was only able to get voice mail. Messages were never returned. One time I did get a live voice on the other end. I believe it was Todd. He was exceptionally helpful, and told me he could get the parts in the mail to me that day. Unfortunately, I was not in a location where I could pull out my credit card and read off the numbers. I was not able to get back through to him by phone after that; it was back to the voice mailbox. I tried the main number for BBE once just to see if it would help. I was put through to G&L (I believe the front office maybe?). The person I spoke to was very polite, but she let me know that the factory was under a huge rush with some end-of-month order filling and that it would be best to leave a message requesting a call back after the first of the month. Per the pattern, that call was not returned. Likewise, emails to the store go unanswered.

All of that said, I would still rather deal with G&L than with any other manufacturer out there. Contact with G&L employees has been great when I have reached them. I understand that daily production workload will need to get the most attention. I have nothing to suggest in terms of specific solutions, but I do really appreciate that it has your personal attention.

Ken

My experience mirrors Ken's almost exactly, except that the on-line store doesn't even work for international customers. All I need are some pickup covers and some PTB pots, but 2 years later I'm no closer to my goal. I love G&L guitars, but the support side of things can test the relationship.

I'm guessing the amount of $$ generated from on-line sales is not great enough to warrant improving the site, or the systems behind it. But extra $$ invested to improve and publicise the site might also generate more sales and end up being cost neutral. Would charging 10% extra on all items and outsourcing the store be an option? If it's not a core part of the business then it should be outsourced so as not to distract G&L from the business of building excellent guitars.

Dave,

I've struggled with ordering parts from the G&L store. I mention this just to give you a practical example of some holes in the system. I just needed some miscellaneous bits and pieces for a couple of older G&Ls that were not left intact by previous owners. I tried several times to reach the "store" by telephone, and was only able to get voice mail. Messages were never returned. One time I did get a live voice on the other end. I believe it was Todd. He was exceptionally helpful, and told me he could get the parts in the mail to me that day. Unfortunately, I was not in a location where I could pull out my credit card and read off the numbers. I was not able to get back through to him by phone after that; it was back to the voice mailbox. I tried the main number for BBE once just to see if it would help. I was put through to G&L (I believe the front office maybe?). The person I spoke to was very polite, but she let me know that the factory was under a huge rush with some end-of-month order filling and that it would be best to leave a message requesting a call back after the first of the month. Per the pattern, that call was not returned. Likewise, emails to the store go unanswered.

All of that said, I would still rather deal with G&L than with any other manufacturer out there. Contact with G&L employees has been great when I have reached them. I understand that daily production workload will need to get the most attention. I have nothing to suggest in terms of specific solutions, but I do really appreciate that it has your personal attention.

Ken

Hi Ken,

If you're up for it, let's try this again using only Todd. I don't know if we'll have all the parts for the older models, but we'll give it a shot. Send it to todd at bbesound dot com and copy me dmclaren at bbesound dot com.

Sorry for the runaround, Ken.

Dave

My experience mirrors Ken's almost exactly, except that the on-line store doesn't even work for international customers. All I need are some pickup covers and some PTB pots, but 2 years later I'm no closer to my goal. I love G&L guitars, but the support side of things can test the relationship.

I'm guessing the amount of $$ generated from on-line sales is not great enough to warrant improving the site, or the systems behind it. But extra $$ invested to improve and publicise the site might also generate more sales and end up being cost neutral. Would charging 10% extra on all items and outsourcing the store be an option? If it's not a core part of the business then it should be outsourced so as not to distract G&L from the business of building excellent guitars.

Hi Philby,

You're on point with the store. The basic issue is that even outsourcing requires quite a bit of work to set up, unless it's just for swag which some manufacturers do. Offering parts, the real nuts and bolt bits, is another animal. One thing I started looking into, but it got snagged along the way for some reason which escapes me at the moment, was to use an ebay store. With the right tools (shipping calculators and so on), overseas transactions shouldn't be much of an issue.

For overseas customers, we depend on the national distributor to handle orders for parts and accessories. It's not that smooth, I know, but it does get done. Have you tried ordering the pots and covers through your national distributor?

Dave

This whole conversation about the lack of COMMITTED customer service is "deja vu all over again" from three years ago when Boogie Phil complained about customer service and the marketing and got kicked off the board. Truly a regrettable incident. I'm not privy to the details of those conversations, but Phil was evidently over-zealous in his critcism of the company. Still, to hear these complaints now is disheartening.

I'm glad to see Dave working so hard on these cases. Obviously, having the "boss" on our side gives us great hope in the future. I think all of here on the board want G&L to thrive and prosper, and we wish the best for the company.

I really liked the Ascari when I first saw it. I think it is a very nice guitar, and I could see myself playing one--except for the eleven Les Pauls sitting around here, LOL! The Ascari is probably a closer match for my two Ibanez GR-520 Ghostriders. While I would give the Ascari as slight edge in build quality, I like the tone of the Ghostrider better; and I over-all prefer it to the Ascari. No doubt, the Ascari is a tremendouse value for the money. But I haven't seen one anywhere in my area for a year now. Perhaps my area rep James Fox will bring one with him when I see him at the Seattle Guitar Show, on September 16th.

My last order from the G&L was shipped promptly, with no issues. I have to make another order soon, and I'll admit to being nervous about it.

Let's see if there's some way we can get Philby his parts.

Bill

One thing I started looking into, but it got snagged along the way for some reason which escapes me at the moment, was to use an ebay store. With the right tools (shipping calculators and so on), overseas transactions shouldn't be much of an issue.Dave

Great idea Dave! With PayPal or direct deposit and a shipping calculator it should definitely fly. Stay-at-home Moms selling baby clothes seem to be able to get EBay stores running, so it can't be too difficult.

For overseas customers, we depend on the national distributor to handle orders for parts and accessories. It's not that smooth, I know, but it does get done. Have you tried ordering the pots and covers through your national distributor?Dave

I see that there's a new Aussie distributor. I tried the old distributor (Payton's) and they just referred me to a local G&L dealer...who referred me back to Payton's.
I'll try the new distributor and see if I get any joy. If I go in with low expectations I can only be pleasantly surprised. As a rule Aussie distributors do not have the same service mentality that exists in the US, so it's nearly always easier to cut out the middle man and deal direct with the manufacturer (where possible).

Guys,

In a general sense I'm trying to find out where the holes are and making some adjustments. For starters, I had a good look at what's on the contact and support pages and made some changes. The contact page had the phone number, but it should have brought clear attention to the support page first. I want to avoid anyone just dialing, getting the phone system and trying this or that to get somewhere. On the support page I've added Todd Brushwyler for general enquiries.

Verderacer, I'd love to be able to tell you where you can try these guitars, but we don't have a line on what dealers have in stock at any particular time. I remember trying to cobble together a feedback look with our field reps in an attempt to know what dealers have in stock, but it proved impossible because the feedback wasn't real time - or anything close. Pretty much all of us guitar and bass makers, small and large, have wide enough product lines such that no single dealer has every model in stock. It's usually not even close. We do the best we can to encourage our dealers to have a good cross section that works well for their market and customer base, but we don't want to force things on them that aren't going to work for them. Some bigger manufacturers do that and sometimes it puts the dealer out of business. That's the worst outcome, as there aren't so many music dealers like there were years ago and not many coming into the business these days.

Believe me, I'd love to be able to point you to a dealer within reasonable range so you can test drive an Ascari and Fiorano. I just don't know which of them has either of them in stock - right now when it matters. That said, Musician's Friend and Amazon both have very generous return policies. They want to get the gear in your hands and hope you fall in love with it, but if you're not, you can send it back very easily. That's how they do so well. I know that's not the ideal situation, but it's well worth mentioning.

What really surprised me is the interaction with a dealer you posted about, that's not the way retailers do things. Heck, I'd expect that if a dealer has you on the phone and doesn't have something in particular in stock, he'd at least see if he could get you interested in something, whether it's a G&L or product from another brand he's got in stock. That's not exactly what I would want, being the guy with the product that's NOT there, but I know how the retail world works. Most of all I need these guys to be healthy, because without that, I don't have dealers to carry anything.

Sorry I've digressed a bit there, but I like to give the clearest picture I can.

Dave

I have to say I was rather surprised too by the dealer. The whole conversation was just wrong on so many levels and nothing I seemed to ask made it any better. With that said I have tried the route with Musicians friend and unfortunately they are not my friend anymore because of such an issue.

Well my email is attached my account. If one of the guitars should happen be shipped out Phoenix AZ way, drop me a line.

Sorry, but not a fan of these guitars. Looks like a combination of a Schecter/Ibanez body and an awkwardly made headstock of a Gibson Les Paul/Ibanez Artcore . It even has a awkward design on the head stock reminiscent of the Gibson Custom Classic line. Maybe appealing to the younger folks, just not my glass of whiskey.

Hi Ken,

If you're up for it, let's try this again using only Todd. I don't know if we'll have all the parts for the older models, but we'll give it a shot. Send it to todd at bbesound dot com and copy me dmclaren at bbesound dot com.

Sorry for the runaround, Ken.

Dave

A quick update on this...

I sent the email listing the parts I needed, had an email from Todd the next day confirming pricing and availability, and received the package a couple of days later. It definitely was faster and smoother than trying to work through the voice mail system. On the basis of this transaction, I would give G&L customer service an A+.

Ken

Hi Ken,

If you're up for it, let's try this again using only Todd. I don't know if we'll have all the parts for the older models, but we'll give it a shot. Send it to todd at bbesound dot com and copy me dmclaren at bbesound dot com.

Sorry for the runaround, Ken.

Dave

A quick update on this...

I sent the email listing the parts I needed, had an email from Todd the next day confirming pricing and availability, and received the package a couple of days later. It definitely was faster and smoother than trying to work through the voice mail system. On the basis of this transaction, I would give G&L customer service an A+.

Ken

sure. after dave inserted a foot up their behind to make sure it gets done. but hey, if that's what it takes, i am all for it. i live close enough, i'd even volunteer to help dave to perform this important motivating public service.