G&L Tribute ASAT Classic- neck PU

Hi to All. I noticed on this guitar I recently acquired via eBay, that the neck PU poles do not line up exactly with the strings, off centre by 2-3mm (1/8" +). I noticed that the PU is hard up against the pickguard which would prevent the PU to be relocated downwards and then and re -fitted . Pulled off the plate and the PU. The PU is a very very tight fit in the body rout. Is that usual for this model?

I can do a little bit of dremel work on the pickguard and create clearance for the PU to move down a couple of mm, and then re-position and re-screw the PU so that the poles are directly under the strings. Good idea?

What surprised me was that under this neck PU, which I think is original, instead of PU height adjusting screws, there were 2 x pieces of soft plastic tubing about 7mm long (just over 1/4'), acting as springs by their cushioning effect ie the PU screws passed through these tubes. Can anyone tell me if this is the way the PU was installed originally, or has someone lost the springs along the way?

And any comments or advice on this guitar generally? Thanks to All,

Don

Hi to All. I noticed on this guitar I recently acquired via eBay, that the neck PU poles do not line up exactly with the strings, off centre by 2-3mm (1/8" +). I noticed that the PU is hard up against the pickguard which would prevent the PU to be relocated downwards and then and re -fitted . Pulled off the plate and the PU. The PU is a very very tight fit in the body rout. Is that usual for this model?

I can do a little bit of dremel work on the pickguard and create clearance for the PU to move down a couple of mm, and then re-position and re-screw the PU so that the poles are directly under the strings. Good idea?

What surprised me was that under this neck PU, which I think is original, instead of PU height adjusting screws, there were 2 x pieces of soft plastic tubing about 7mm long (just over 1/4'), acting as springs by their cushioning effect ie the PU screws passed through these tubes. Can anyone tell me if this is the way the PU was installed originally, or has someone lost the springs along the way?

And any comments or advice on this guitar generally? Thanks to All,

Don

Before doing anything else, see this post:String alignment issues and a simple cure.
It may be that your neck alignment in the neck pocket is off. If so, this simple procedure
should fix it.

Here is what the stock neck pickup should look like:

Does your have the individual adjustable pole pieces?

Can you post a photo of this guitar? And what is the serial number?

Hope this helps.

Thanks Craig. It looks like that may be the problem ie the thread you directed me to. However, the neck is a great, almost press fit into the body, so it may not have much give.

I will attempt to post a photo.

The neck serial # is 03032672, and dated 03. The body pocket has no serial number that is readable - there might be one there, but it would be obscured by overspray /discoloring of some sort. I can make out April 04, I think.

The colour is sunburst. The pickguard is matt black. The bridge is chrome adjustable 6 barrel saddles, but the barrels are not brass - ie a magnet lifts them.

The neck PU does not have adjustable poles - underneath, it has 2 x rectangular block magnets , with the poles between. Black binding cloth around the copper winds.

Will try to figure out a photo post. Thanks very much for your help. Don

I

OK. I need help to post a photo. I see "Img" above this text. How do I "attach" the image which is stored in Windows Live Photo Gallery?
Thanks, Don

For posting images, read here: viewtopic.php?f=47&t=4303

Craig already posted a photo in the first reply, where you can see how your pickup has to look like. If it doesn't, it's not a G&L MFD pickup.

Miles, What does MFD stand for?

Don

Miles, What does MFD stand for?

Magnetic Field Design.

All these pickus do have adjustable pole pieces. So at the pole pieces, an allen wrench does fit. For that fact they are easy to recognize.

Ok thank you. I will try to add a photo of the existing neck pick up. Can anyone identify whether it is original to the Tribute ASAT Classic circa mid 2000's? thanks.

[timage=http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/r500/wompygong/P1050903.jpg]Neck PU
[/timage]

Ok thank you. I will try to add a photo of the existing neck pick up. Can anyone identify whether it is original to the Tribute ASAT Classic circa mid 2000's? thanks.

[timage=]
[/timage]

somebody jammed a bridge pup into your neck pup route. some kind of cheap aftermarket crap. most likely from a squier. the bridge pup is also not original, don't know what it may be.

Ok thank you. I will try to add a photo of the existing neck pick up. Can anyone identify whether it is original to the Tribute ASAT Classic circa mid 2000's? thanks.

(Click on image for full size)


Here's the corrected code:

[timage="512,288"]http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/r500/wompygong/P1050903.jpg][/timage]

Louis is correct, those are not the stock G&L MFD pickups.

Hope this helps.

Hmmm. Sounds like Ive been shafted. Methinks someone did a switch before I bought it..... What about that bridge - I think I read that this Korean made G&L had this bridge, but with brass saddles?

Or Louis - is it possible I have a Squier Tele, with a G&L Tribute neck?

Or Louis - is it possible I have a Squier Tele, with a G&L Tribute neck?

no. you can not put a g&l neck on a tele. the bridge is g&l also. that neck pup is a bridge pup from a squier. or some other cheap guitar that uses those pups. did the seller claim that it was all original? it also looks like the neck pup route was altered to jam that bridge pup in there. the pickups are one of the most valuable parts of tributes, they are the same as the us guitars have.

Thanks Louis. It gets better. I just pulled the bridge off. It has a PU with 048610 stamped into its black plastic backing. A quick bit of research on that part # and its a MIM Fender Tele PU.

I will post another photo of this PU and the body rout soon and would appreciate a definite confirmation that at least, I have a G&L with MIM and Squier PUs. And yes, sold to me as a genuine G&L. That's eBay...... but man, you still feel ripped off.

[timage=]<a href="http://s1168.photobucket.com/albums/r500/wompygong/?action=view&amp;current=P1050904.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/r500/wompygong/th_P1050904.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" ></a>[/timage]

[Craig]

Thanks Louis. It gets better. I just pulled the bridge off. It has a PU with 048610 stamped into its black plastic backing. A quick bit of research on that part # and its a MIM Fender Tele PU.

I will post another photo of this PU and the body rout soon and would appreciate a definite confirmation that at least, I have a G&L with MIM and Squier PUs. And yes, sold to me as a genuine G&L. That's eBay...... but man, you still feel ripped off.

Please include a photo of the headstock and the body with everything put together.

If you want to put the original G&L pickups in, you can purchase them from G&L's online store or
look on eBay, because some ebay sellers part out G&L Tributes.

Last edited by Craig on Sun Jul 14, 2013 10:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Updated G&L On-Line Store link

[timage=]<a href="http://s1168.photobucket.com/albums/r500/wompygong/?action=view&amp;current=P1050904.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/r500/wompygong/th_P1050904.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" ></a>[/timage]

Clearly you are struggling with posting photos here.

Hint: use the Direct link selection from your photobucket album.
See Tutorial: Posting photos.

Hope this helps.

Yep struggling. Will try the Direct link.

[timage=]http://s1168.photobucket.com/albums/r500/wompygong/[/timage]

[timage=]http://s1168.photobucket.com/albums/r500/wompygong/[/timage]

You need to include the "width,height" after the '=' and the url path to the image file between [timage=] and [/timage]
Because your height is 1024 and the max is 1000, you must make it smaller. I choose to resize it by half,
so I used: "512,288". Here is the complete code I used to post your photo:

Code:

[timage="512,288"]http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/r500/wompygong/P1050904.jpg[/timage]

[click on image to see it full size]


Hope this helps.

My second attempt Craig to send a photo of the complete guitar. I will now add the size reduction (sorry!!).

[timage=]"512,288"http://s1168.photobucket.com/albums/r500/wompygong/[/timage]

[timage=512,288]http://s1168.photobucket.com/albums/r500/wompygong/[/timage]

Both these pickups are not from G&L. The neck pickup seems to be a cheap strat pickup.

Thanks Miles - yes I have got that figured out now via an afternoon of research. Does the guitar otherwise appear to be a Tribute? Is the balck pickguard original?

[timage=512,288]http://s1168.photobucket.com/albums/r500/wompygong/[/timage]

you are not getting the right code. you have to be on the individual pic page, and right click and either image info and copy from there, or right click and copy image location. then you have to put the timage quotation marks in the right place.

the rest appears to be a g&l to me, but the headstock decal looks funny. i am not sure what they looked like back then though, a close up of the headstock in focus would help. miles is right, that could be a squier strat neck pup.

Thanks Louis. I will take a close up of the decal. This photo thing is frustrating. I will use your directions as I have not been going to a single photo. I just ticked the box under the photo I wanted to include from a selction of 3 or 4 photos displayed in the 'album', and not tick the boxes under the other photos (sounded logical to me!), and then copy the "direct link" address. I can see the result on ground zero did not follow my logic though!

Thanks Louis. I will take a close up of the decal. This photo thing is frustrating. I will use your directions as I have not been going to a single photo. I just ticked the box under the photo I wanted to include from a selction of 3 or 4 photos displayed in the 'album', and not tick the boxes under the other photos (sounded logical to me!), and then copy the "direct link" address. I can see the result on ground zero did not follow my logic though!

The headstock is correct for a MIK Tribute.

The main problem you are having with your attempts to post photos is that you are using the
url to the album NOT the photo. The photo url will end with ".jpg". Review the Tutorial, playing
careful attention to the example for the timage= BBCode.

In photobucket, when viewing your album, you should find a "Share!Copy" box for each photo. Use the
"Direct link" selection for the photo you want to post. Or, as Louis pointed out, using the right click while
over the photo and select "Copy image URL".

Hope this helps.

Thanks Craig re the photos (he says sheepishly).

Well after all that, I have been ripped off somewhere along the line ! Someone has lifted the good MFD PU's, and maybe the brass saddle bridge (?), and sold it as a G&L Tribute. I had never seen a G&L before, so did not realize the original PU's are very distinctive with the allen key pole adjustments. Putting it all down to experience, and moving on now !

The photo I posted as big as the Empire State building of the bridge body rout; is that the correct rout to take the G&L bridge MFD PU ?

I am already looking for used original type MFD PUs. Would anyone have a set they want to sell? I can trade in the Squier and MIM Tele PU's . Just joking.

Also Craig, Louis,- is that bridge the original ? Or should it have brass rollers?

And, the reason the strings were not over the neck PU was due to that Squier PU being stuffed into the neck body rout, which as Louis noticed, had been routed slightly to squeeze it in, off proper string alignment.

I will need to keep this guitar "going" via this website until I get the guitar to be what I thought I had purchased. But I will be careful with photo downloads Craig. Thanks , Don

Thanks Craig re the photos (he says sheepishly).

Well after all that, I have been ripped off somewhere along the line ! Someone has lifted the good MFD PU's, and maybe the brass saddle bridge (?), and sold it as a G&L Tribute. I had never seen a G&L before, so did not realize the original PU's are very distinctive with the allen key pole adjustments. Putting it all down to experience, and moving on now !

The photo I posted as big as the Empire State building of the bridge body rout; is that the correct rout to take the G&L bridge MFD PU ?

I am already looking for used original type MFD PUs. Would anyone have a set they want to sell? I can trade in the Squier and MIM Tele PU's . Just joking.

Also Craig, Louis,- is that bridge the original ? Or should it have brass rollers?

And, the reason the strings were not over the neck PU was due to that Squier PU being stuffed into the neck body rout, which as Louis noticed, had been routed slightly to squeeze it in, off proper string alignment.

I will need to keep this guitar "going" via this website until I get the guitar to be what I thought I had purchased. But I will be careful with photo downloads Craig. Thanks , Don

Here is a page from the 2003-2004 G&L Tribute Catalog, showing the Tribute ASAT Classic:



The saddles are not the stock saddles, and given the amount of mods done to this guitar, I would
guess that the bridge tray and bridge assembly is probably not stock. I cannot tell whether or not the
control plate is stock, but I would be more concerned about the pots and wiring. It looks like the neck
pickup was jammed into the pocket and not necessarily enlarged. The stock bridge pickup rout is the
same size as a stock Tele bridge pickup, so the replacement pickup should have been installed without
damage to the body.

I'd like to see the original eBay auction ad, so if you could provide a link to it, we could see if/how much
mis-representation was done. You might have enough information to contact eBay/Pay Pal to dispute this
transaction.

Hope this helps.

the bridge plate and saddles do look like g&l, didn't they offer the steel version later? definitely not the original, but i have never seen that type of saddle on a different guitar.

I do not think G&L offered this or it would have the G&L logo. I believe they are available aftermarket and here is an example from Fender although it has a Fender logo. These are supplied with the 52 Tele reissues. Another clue is that G&L has used black saddle intonation screws.-- Darwin

Last edited by darwinohm on Tue Mar 06, 2012 5:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

the bridge plate and saddles do look like g&l, didn't they offer the steel version later? definitely not the original, but i have never seen that type of saddle on a different guitar.

Nope, not on the MIK and MII Tributes. They have always been brass saddles. I cannot see the
bridge below the pickup. If it is stock, I believe it should have the word "Tribute" stamped between the two screws.
See the catalog page I posted earlier. Also, the intonation screws and springs have always been black, as well.

the bridge plate and saddles do look like g&l, didn't they offer the steel version later? definitely not the original, but i have never seen that type of saddle on a different guitar.

Nope, not on the MIK and MII Tributes. They have always been brass saddles. I cannot see the
bridge below the pickup. If it is stock, I believe it should have the word "Tribute" stamped between the two screws.
See the catalog page I posted earlier. Also, the intonation screws and springs have always been black, as well.

i stand corrected. that means that every part of the electronics and hardware was switched, possibly for separate sale, i would not think the control plate or pots would have been left alone.
the pickguard is definitely not g&l, and a g&l pickguard could no longer be used, because of the extra holes drilled into the body.

donny, please post the ebay ad, and how much did you pay? this is about as bad as i have seen, you really would have a case if this was represented as an original g&l tribute. i am surprised that yo didn't do any of the research before the purchase.

Thanks to everyone who has educated me on this. I did look into this model a lot, in terms of its quality and reputation. I didn't look closely at photos on the web though. And I doubt if I would have noticed the differences anyway, without that photo that Craig has posted from the catalogue alongside (thank you Craig).

Now that I have that photo, I looked at the body, and sure enough, there are the original holes for the original pickguard.

Best I can do with this I think, is to gradually upgrade the guitar, rather than try to bring it back to original, as those extra pickguard drill holes are there, and I dont want to go to the lengths of a complete respray and restoration.

The guitar feels very good to play, so its worth the upgrades for sure.

The pots are USA made, as is the 3-way switch. So maybe these are original? Any way to tell?

So, on this little journey Im on, what upgrades could I do for the PU's, and bridge, and pots and caps ?

Once I know that, I can get on with it. Thanks , Don

BTW, with the ebay thing, the Seller will just say thats the way he bought it. And the photos do show the guitar as I bought it. A G&L owner would have probably picked up (no pun intended), the non-original PUs. So I will leave it alone, and put it down to experience.

The pots are USA made, as is the 3-way switch. So maybe these are original? Any way to tell?

So, on this little journey Im on, what upgrades could I do for the PU's, and bridge, and pots and caps ?

Those pots and pickup switch are not stock for a Tribute. So, you might have gained a little there.

If you want to get it closer to original, I would get the G&L MFD pickups and G&L bridge assembly. They
can be purchased from the G&L On-line Store.

Other's will likely have some ideas for you, too.

Hope this helps.

Hi Don,

If the pots and switch are USA made that will be an improvement over the originals which had a reputation for crackling, hissing and plain not working. I've got 2 Korean Tribbies and both of them had faulty pots. It's likely the electronics currently in your guitar are perfectly fine and don't need upgrading.

Re. pickups and bridge upgrades, everyone has their own idea of what sound they're shooting for so it is mainly down to personal taste. I've had good luck with Seymour Duncan and Fender Custom pickups, but you'll likely get as many different recommendations as there are people on this forum. The G&L MFD's are pretty high output and have their own tele-like sound (which I personally enjoy), but if you're shooting for authentic tele twang they might not cut the mustard.

As you're in Australia, there's a guy in Adelaide called Mick Brierley who winds some pretty awesome pickups. Google him if you get a chance.

Thanks Guys - been offline with internet cable outage - now repaired. Craig - is there an upgrade G&L PU's and bridge, to that originally fitted to this model? I do want to have a tele sound, but it does not have to be a clone, in fact, would prefer a varient that is still got that sound for country rock solos eg Eagles/Joe Walsh etc.

Thanks Guys - been offline with internet cable outage - now repaired. Craig - is there an upgrade G&L PU's and bridge, to that originally fitted to this model? I do want to have a tele sound, but it does not have to be a clone, in fact, would prefer a varient that is still got that sound for country rock solos eg Eagles/Joe Walsh etc.

The G&L pickups and G&L bridge for both the US and Tribute models are the same. They are
available from the G&L On-line store. See the link I posted above.

Hope this helps.