LR- Last Rose OF Summer- 09/18/12

Thanks to those of you who checked in yesterday. Lunch today will be a fine Chicken Crunch Honey Mustard salad at a local Perkins.

The G&L content today is ASATS and I will show a couple of my favorites. I used to be a Strat type guy but just realized today while taking photos that I only have 2 Legacys, an S-500 and the F-100 Return in the S-configuration. I have really migrated to the ASATS and especially those with the belly cut, they really fit me. Here are a couple of my favorites.

First, the most recent of my ASATS, a Pine body with alnicos. This thing is light, really sings unplugged and is very sweet plugged in. It has a belly cut just for guys like me.



The next is an ASAT Special which is really light and this one has snarl. It covers quite a range of tones.



Today is the day to show your favorite ASAT or more if you have!

Non G&L topic is one that you are forced to think of if you gig. Reality sets in when you have equipment failure and it happens when you least expect it. Last weekend we had set up and done our sound check and came back later for the gig. To our amazement my Twin Reverb Custom 15 wouldn't power up. Steve uses two amps and he was able to reroute cables to work with one amp. I had an idea what the problem was and discovered a blown fuse in the tube filament circuit after taking the chassis out the next morning. This had happened once before and the fuse holder had burned to a crisp. I rewired the circuit and installed an automotive spade fuse. The problem is that the chassis has to be removed from the amp to replace it. Stupid design, but it is what it is. This time I drilled a hole in the chassis and moved the fuse holder to the outside where it can be replaced in 30 seconds. These types of problems will happen in tube amps and usually happen while powering the amp on or off. Here is a picture of the amp and the fix:




It was back in service for our Saturday night gig and worked great. I also have a spare bass amp head available in case of a bass amp failure but could plug into the PA if I had to. Spare tubes are also essential.

Tell us about your nightmare gear failure, how you worked around it and what you do for backup. What would be your backup if you smashed your guitar over the head of one of your bandmates in the passion of the moment?? It had better not be a G&L that you smashed! Give us detail on your disaster planning.

Here is a photo with Steve using the Legacy with the Roland Synth. If you look directly in front of the stool you will see the 882I Sonic Maximizer feeding into the house system. We use it on the vocals. We used our PA for all the instruments.



I am leaving you with a photo of the Ladies in our band in action. Kelly on the left and Kari on the right. Give us your best shot on the questions. See you tomorrow! -- Darwin

Nice display in the garden there Darwin. I was a bit late pruning our roses this year so we're still waiting for the first rose of Spring!

Nice looking ASAT and I do like the Autumn burst.

What would be your backup if you smashed your guitar over the head of one of your bandmates in the passion of the moment??

Our sound guy is passable on both drums and bass so we should manage ok.

We had a few issues early in our career (many many years ago) with equipment failures in front of paying crowds - highly embarassing and a little unprofessional. You can't cover every contingency but since then in addition to the mandatory back up guitars each player has had a second amp set up, powered up and ready for a quick lead transfer if anything happens. Having accoustic instruments handy proved useful on one occassion when the venue lost power to the stage.

cheers, Robbie

I'll never understand why amp designers put fuses inside the chassis. My Peavey has one in there too. You'd think that Fender and Peavey, with all their years of being in the business would know better!

So far I've been lucky and none of my equipment has failed on stage. I haven't even broken a string for several years . I'm in the (foolish?) habit now of only bringing one guitar and one amp to gigs. The other guitarist has one of these that he carries in his gig bag in case of emergency

It's a 44W amp. Connect it straight to the speaker in your dead amp and away you go. It doesn't sound too bad either. I thought about getting one of these, but they're kind of pricey (around $250 last time I checked) for something I'm only likely to use every couple of years. Another idea has been to take the chassis out of the Peavey - an Envoy, cost me $40 - in the back of my main amp, but adding weight to an amp that already weighs about 80lbs isn't a great solution either.

On the topic of failures, I was at a gig recently and one guy was running two amps in stereo - an AC15 and a Hot Rod Deluxe - with a LOT of dirt pedals slamming the inputs of both. First the HRD stopped working. The guys was unhappy but kept on playing. Then the AC15 died. The guy threw a diva-style tantrum and walked off stage. Seeing as he was the opening act with 3 bands on the bill he had to suck it up and walk back out and get his large amount of gear off the stage.

My favourite ASAT? The Korina Jr. It's an ASAT by name only really - the bridge and P90s make it very different to the others.

I suspect that if I hit someone over the head with an ASAT that they'd likely die without leaving so much as a mark on the guitar

I had the same issue with a 50-watt Marshall head many years ago. We were all set up, I powered up the Marshall and pooof, the fuse blows. Of course, I did not have any spares. Luckily, I was able to find an open electronics store nearby and they happened to have a fuse. Since then I carry spare parts with me to include, fuses and tubes.

RickT

Tell us about your nightmare gear failure, how you worked around it and what you do for backup.

I had the MusicMan HD130 I was using for bass die just before it was needed. I have a Peavey six channel PA head and went home (not far away thankfully) and then used it instead. It didn't sound great, but it worked and was on top of an Ampeg 8x10 anyway so that was working for it. I later figured out that a lot of the sound I liked and attributed to the MusicMan was really the Ampeg 8x10.

Today is the day to show your favorite ASAT or more if you have!

I recently acquired these two guitars!

'93 Asat Classic







'96 Asat Deluxe Rare three bolt neck version.





Sprinter 92

As I suspected, several of you have experienced equipment failure. Just last fall , one of my SWR amps didn't have any output. The external fuse to the speakers was blown. I went in the kitchen and got some aluminum foil from the cook and wrapped the fuse. It got me through the night.

Aussie, Accoustic backup is something I hadn't thought of- Great idea.

Jamie, It has happened to most of us who have gigged. The 44 Magnum is a great idea. Easy to pack and I like the Bright/Normal switch on it. Just having the Peavey chassis would be handy, you could just cable it up.
The Korina is a gem. P90s are always a good choice . Your right, the ASAT would fare better than someones head!

Rick, you have the right idea on spare parts. Gear failure can give one a sick feeling in the tummy.

Brock, if I didn't have a spare bass head, I would plug in the PA. We have 12 channels so we have plenty of inputs.

Sprinter, that ASAT Deluxe is a beauty. The ASAT Classic is a class act especially with the maple neck, my favorite.

Thanks everyone, see you tomorrow for Bass day!-- Darwin

ASATs??? We got ASATs!!!!

This is the newest one, an '86 with maple body, ebony board and Kahler:


The Kahlers get a bad rap, but I honestly think this is the best sounding of my ASATs:


Here's the twin sister, also a maple/ebony from May '86:

The chrome hardware and crinkle PG look original to me, although they weren't in production for another 12-18 months. Another G&LDPer recently scored an '86 Broadcaster, which also had a crinkle PG. Maybe a few made it out early...

This '88 maple/maple ASAT is a phenomenal player, but has seen some use over the years:

The "L" inlayed into the upper horn looks like it was done at the factory. At least, there is no sign of damage or touch-up in the finish around it.

Here's the John Jorgenson Sig ASAT I posted yesterday:


A previous owner had to go and write on the back. I don't mind, though:


This '98 ASAT Classic's Mary Kaye finish with a BEM neck was what started my G&L obsession:

After two years, this ASAT Classic remains my go-to for everyday playing, and gets more playing time than most of the others combined. It just has a super-sweet feel, and not a bad sound either!

No gig disasters (yet). I've dealt with plenty of drama from band mates, but not from my equipment!

Ken

wow, some awesome guitars guys. here is mine



the worst i have happened was breaking a string. actually 2 in one song. i just walked over to the other player, as my solo was coming up and reached around him and played on his guitar. i have had the reverb tank go out, or fuse, but got fixed before starting. once i turn my amp on, i only put it on standby, i don't turn it off until finished.

Hey Darwin!
Thanks for the info on the fuse ordeal'' as I just purchased a Peavey classic and would have no clue if I blown a fuse!
PS, great looking photo of the band! I always enjoy playing with a full stage of pickers and singers!

Ken, A great assortment of ASATS. The JJ is awesome as are the others, but that JJ would look great on the wall.

Louis, Is that the original BB pickup in the neck position? I like how you have mounted the ring. I tried to order a BB this week without the pickguard but they wouldn't do it because the pickup is mounted to the pickguard.

Huck, thanks you for your comments. I love playing with this band!-- Darwin

Ken, A great assortment of ASATS. The JJ is awesome as are the others, but that JJ would look great on the wall.

Louis, Is that the original BB pickup in the neck position? I like how you have mounted the ring. I tried to order a BB this week without the pickguard but they wouldn't do it because the pickup is mounted to the pickguard.

Huck, thanks you for your comments. I love playing with this band!-- Darwin

it is not the original pup in the neck, but the original fit just fine. g&l gave me a black pickup ring and i changed it to chrome. dave said the no pg is available, they would use a pickup ring.