Shipment tracking updates...soon NGD!

Wed Jun 20, 2018 5:41 am

On Father's Day I was sitting beside a nephew at my wife's parent's father's day BBQ get together.

I like this nephew as he has an interest in guitars, and has been playing now for about five years. A couple of years ago he pawned his only electric (He's twenty), because he needed cash, but retained an acoustic. Unfortunately he never got the electric back, so I asked him about that and he said he was looking for another electric now.

Like a lot of you, I too wile away time online occasionally engaging in guitar "window shopping."

In that endeavor, I had recently noted a certain G&L dealer on Amazon.ca had discounted a brand new Blue burst ASAT Special - Tribute by about 15%, and it qualified for prime member free (essentially insured) shipping. I'd been considering picking up an ASAT Special Tribute model ever since one particular review got my interest stoked. So when my nephew mentioned this, I thought perhaps I could point him in the right direction.

By the time I started to pull up the ASAT up on my phone to show him, he had already described the kind of guitar he wanted - a Les Paul, or possibly a double cutaway hollow body. That was that. I was going to show him the ASAT anyway, but glancing down at my phone I noticed it had been further discounted another 20% (i.e. it was now a 35% discount on a new -already reasonably priced- ASAT).

So I pulled the trigger.

It arrives either tomorrow (June 21) or Friday (June 22). I'll let y'all know (with pics) when it gets here. I almost always buy used guitars - the last "brand new" guitar that I bought was my 87 Fender Strat Plus! Now I just need a case for her... oh and a strap.. and maybe an after market jack...?

Re: Shipment tracking updates...soon NGD!

Wed Jun 20, 2018 9:35 pm

Great news- sorry if I'm a bit fuzzy right now, but is it for you or your nephew?

Re: Shipment tracking updates...soon NGD!

Thu Jun 21, 2018 6:14 am

Its for me. The young fellow had his heart so set on either a Les Paul or hollow body Gibson, that he wasn't interested in the ASAT Special at any price.

I on the other hand, noting that the ASAT had come down further in price, jumped in with both feet.

Re: Shipment tracking updates...soon NGD!

Fri Jun 22, 2018 8:01 am

Checked the carrier's Shipment Tracking website today: "Out for delivery"!!

BOO-YAH!

Payday. End of the work week. A new guitar waiting to meet me at home. I should check my lottery ticket, today just keeps getting better.

Re: Shipment tracking updates...soon NGD!

Fri Jun 22, 2018 8:48 am

Sweet! Hope you end up liking it. I bought and sold a few ASAT Special Tributes. Not that I didn't like them, but I liked the SC-2 more and they were a bit redundant. They sounded really good and were surprisingly light for a tele. Jumbo MFDs are just so much fun to play.

Re: Shipment tracking updates...soon NGD!

Fri Jun 22, 2018 11:27 am

Great day Dan, I too am having a banner day. They are replacing my AC/Heat unit today!! Not quite the same as a new guitar but the wife is happy, and that opens up the door to more guitars, if you know what I mean.

I hope the guitar arrives as planned and it is everything you expect. Those pickups are special and I can't wait to hear your response to them. Have fun and crank it up.

Tom

Re: Shipment tracking updates...soon NGD!

Fri Jun 22, 2018 3:59 pm

So it arrived!

Here's me playing it for the inaugural first time. Mind the mess, and the messy noodling. I just walked in the door from a 45 minute bike ride in the hot sun - and jumped on this thing in my messy basement. Don't let my wife see - she'd have me clean the house before taking a picture...

I like the tone. I'm playing clean through a Fender Jr, all knobs midway, with more reverb than I needed, but I didn't feel like changing it once I started. I edited out a sneeze, but other than that, I just left it all unvarnished and full of flubs. ;)

Fun fact: I ordered that strap separately, they arrived within an hour of each other.

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Final thought: best bang for my buck ever!

Re: Shipment tracking updates...soon NGD!

Fri Jun 22, 2018 7:38 pm

Well, it's got cat class and it's got cat style.

Re: Shipment tracking updates...soon NGD!

Fri Jun 22, 2018 7:51 pm

love the asat special, Dan. nice playin, too!
that one will be competition for the comanche.
two of G&L's best offerings, IMO. enjoy

Re: Shipment tracking updates...soon NGD!

Sat Jun 23, 2018 6:27 am

dhgleaves wrote:Well, it's got cat class and it's got cat style.


+1 That made me cat smile.

Re: Shipment tracking updates...soon NGD!

Sat Jun 23, 2018 6:47 am

drjho7 wrote:love the asat special, Dan. nice playin, too!
that one will be competition for the comanche.
two of G&L's best offerings, IMO. enjoy


Definitely have to move the amp dials around a bit between the Comanche and the ASAT, but I am very pleased with the depth of tone. She sounds a lot better with the volume rolled off a bit, and with the treble (on the amp) held in check. The ash body, coupled with that big ol' bridge, work in tandem to reduce the kind of harmonic dampening that could otherwise suck a lot of the tone out of the final sound. At first the pickups seemed shrill, because I had my amp set up for my Comanche. Once I dialed it back, I found a lot more expression in the pickups.

All in all, it's a very powerful, and balanced sound.

First upgrades will be a new (bone) nut, pots, and strings (the once that were on it left my fingers back, and were way too flimsy).

Color me pleased.

Re: Shipment tracking updates...soon NGD!

Sat Jun 23, 2018 8:28 am

Sweet !! Bummer for your nephew's Dark Side but he'll come around eventually :) the Special looks and sounds great , excellent score

Re: Shipment tracking updates...soon NGD!

Thu Jun 28, 2018 9:00 am

Here is a quick photo of the new lady under some natural light.

Image

Re: Shipment tracking updates...soon NGD!

Thu Jun 28, 2018 10:13 am

Hey Dan (cat daddy!)

Beautiful ASAT ya got there, she sounds great and thanks for sharing.

You can never have too many ASAT's!

Re: Shipment tracking updates...soon NGD!

Fri Jun 29, 2018 9:02 pm

Nice score! I just love that sound of an ASAT's two pups together. And they are great on their own, too! Play on!!