Hi from the Netherlands and question about my G&L guitar.

Hi there,

I recently bought this guitar (serial is : 090814143)



I really like it. Great tones. I do have some questions
Can anyone help me out with the following, Keep in mind
that i am from the Netherlands (Europe).

- How old is this guitar and what are the specifications?
- Where can I order a black Pickguard?
- Where can I order a Tremolo arm?
- What is the best pickup height for this guitar?
- Are there any upgrade recommendations (like locking tuners that will fit)?

What do you guys recommend if you where owner of this guitar?

Thanks in advance!
Patrick

Hoi Patrick,

Some answers:

- That is a Made in Indonesia Tribute S-500. As far as the age is concerned, the information is in its serial number: August 2009, so 11 years old.
- Pickguards you can get from Pickguard Heaven (Chandler) although I am not entirely sure whether they are an exact fit. (For instance, a guard for a Tribute ASAT Classic does NOT fit the USA made ASAT Classic).
- A tremolo arm is available through the G&L Online Store. But you have to take international shipping into account.
- Setup instructions can be found here as well as in this 1988-2008 setup guide (pay attention to page 6. Except for conversion of units, there is no basic difference. But play around with it to what sounds good to you. Note that you have the option of either adjusting the height of the pickup and/or adjusting the height of the pole pieces for each individual string. Adjust to taste.
- Whatever you prefer; a good luthier can do many things (nuts, setup, etc.). If you are thinking about locking tuners, it seems Kiesel locking tuners are a direct drop-in.

Groetjes,
- Jos

Welcome to our site!

The specs for your Tribute S-500 are:

S-500
COLORS:
• 3-Tone Sunburst/Tortoise pickguard/Maple or Rosewood fingerboard
• Blueburst/Pearl pickguard/Maple or Rosewood fingerboard
• Natural Gloss/Tortoise pickguard/Maple or Rosewood fingerboard
BODY WOOD: Swamp Ash
NECK WOOD: Hard rock maple
NECK DIMENSIONS: 1 5/8" (41.3mm) width at nut, 9" radius
PICKUPS: 3 G&L Magnetic Field Design single coil pickups
CONTROLS: 5-way pickup selector with push/pull Expansion switch enabling
additional pickup combinations of neck+bridge or all 3 pickups together, Volume, PTB system
BRIDGE: G&L designed Dual-Fulcrum™ vibrato

Reference post in G&L Knowledgebase forum-> G&L Specifications and Options sub-forum : 2009-2010 Tribute Series Standard Production Models

Please do add your Tribute S-500 to our G&L Registry.

Hope this helps.

I seem to have read somewhere that you need to send in your existing pickguard for Chandler to make a fitting replacement if you own a Tribute model. Correct me if I'm wrong, best would be to contact them directly.

If you contact Chandler (Pickguard Heaven) via email, they might already have the correct pattern for the Tribute S-500. I have been successful tracing an existing pickguard onto standard printer paper and sending that to them for for production of a replacement. Sending a PDF doesn't work as there can be scaling issues with printing.

I did not get any notification on replies on this post.
Thank you all for the answers!!! really thanks!!! I can go forward with this.