Newbie says hi...

Hey guys been a lover of my g&l asat for manys a year never thought to check in on a forum, but here I am so hi.

can I ask some of uou knowledgable people about my guitar please?

I think I got her in 1989-1990 Or thereabouts ...played in a band at the time, long since defunct but the music lives on

I am confused by the time line and the chronology and the serial number alarmingly doesn't match the guidelines.....the number is on the three bolt neck plate at the bak of the guitar it isn't prefixed by a CL or G for example. Just 00023328.






I've got a gorgeous taylor 335 12 string and a Gibson J200 and starting to itch for something else to add to my collection.

I am sure all is genuine I did buy her from a reputable dealer at the time, but I got no paperwork other than a flimsy warranty card, other than that there is no Made in the USA anywhere.

I love her natural looks and sounds better now than she ever did, I would appreciate any info on her, I remember being kind of frustrated that the soap bar pick ups got replaced for more traditional tele picks ups by the manufacturer just after I bought her, but other than looks have no regrets sound wise.

Welcome!

Your ASAT's features are exactly like the ones on my '88. The black tuners and hardware put it no later than about '91, as does the "by Leo Fender" decal on the headstock. The "ASAT" decal is from mid-1987 or later. This brackets your guitar between the end of '87 and sometime around '91. The string tree was up by the D-tuner in early '88, when mine was built. I believe it was near the E-tuner through late '87 and moved back down there by the end of '88. Dating older G&Ls is very inexact without removing the neck to check production dates (and that sometimes raises more questions), but I would be confident placing yours in '88, give or take a couple of months.

The serial numbers can only give a ballpark approximation of production for most of G&L's existence. The plates were pulled out of a hopper at random as the guitars were built, and stray plates could show up much earlier or later than their sequential neighbors. I own G000504 (G000530 is officially the "first" production G&L); it was built several months after production began. My L-1000 has a serial number several hundred higher than the "first" production bass, but it was pre-production. My '86 ASATs have serial numbers that are nearly 4,000 apart, but they left the factory within a month of each other. I have two basses with serial number only apart by 600, but they left the factory two years apart.

Any serial number on a three-bolt neck plate will be in the "G123456" format. Since the plates were stamped before the plating was applied, it's very common for them to be hard to read. It can be helpful to make a rubbing of the serial number with the side of a pencil, if the numbers aren't clear. You may just have a dimple in the plating that looks like the first "0", and the second is actually a "G". The serial number G023328 is very close to my ASAT, which has neck and body dates from September and October '88.

The large Magnetic Field Design (MFD) pickups weren't replaced, but a new model called the ASAT Classic was introduced with pickups that were the same size as a Tele's. The ASAT Classic has a different voicing than your ASAT, and is also quite different than a Tele. The large MFDs on your ASAT are still in production.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions. Hopefully Jos (handle "Yowhatsshakin") will also chime in. ASATs are his favorites...

Ken

Hi Ken many thanks for your considered response. I think you are right actually, I did get her around 1988 so late 87, early 88 would seem right. I did a bit of rubbing and by a little stretch of the imagination can see that the initial character is indeed a "G".

Going to slap some 11's on her and maybe get a setup, I think she deserves a treat ;-p

Can't imagine where those years have gone one minute I was trading in a USA strat (which I never got on with) next minute it's like 24 years later.

Can you advise the colour is it satin clear do you think? I believe the fingerboard to be rosewood though at the time I recall it being sold to me as ebony or walnut. The body I assume is ash.

I will plonk her details down in the registry later.

GLJ, very nice Special and it is especially great that you have owned it all these years.-- Welcome--Darwin

Nice ASAT indeed

Given the location of your plastic string tree, the shape of the truss rod head, and the Leo signature on the headstock I have to concur with ken that your ASAT is more than likely an early to mid '88 model. You can follow the metamorphosis from the Broadcaster to BBE-era ASAT's by visiting the different model years on Greg Gagliano site. Be advised that they came with 9's. So slapping 11's on her might ake some nut work to widen the slots.

Congrats again!

- Jos

The bit of fretboard in the headstock photo looks like rosewood to me. Ebony was also in limited use at that time, but I doubt that's what I'm seeing in the photos. G&L didn't stain the ebony in the '80s, so it tends to be a dark greyish-brown with lighter streaks.

When I look closely at the photo of the neckplate, it appears to be a standard serial number. I can make out the "G023", two more numbers, and an "8". That would be the right character count for a G-series S/N.

It looks like the "Natural" finish over swamp ash to me. These were also produced in maple when yours was built (my '88 is maple), but the arching figure on the upper side is very common in ash but unlikely to be so pronounced in maple. If you post a closer picture of the body I should be able to tell for sure.

The headstock on my '88 is identical to yours. I just went to take some photos (I'll be putting in the Marketplace in the next day or two to make room for an inbound El Toro), but the camera battery died. I will post the pics of the headstock and neck plate for comparison when the camera is charged.

Ken

Last edited by KenC on Sun Nov 11, 2012 10:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I'm just chiming in to welcome you to the forum and to clarify (or emphasize) something that Ken correctly noted. G&L did not change the pickups in the model that you are very lucky to have from the Leo-era of G&L.

That general model (a Tele body with the large MFD pickups), formerly known as the ASAT, is now called the ASAT Special. The modern ASAT (Classic) - as Ken advised you - is a different take on the Tele, with smaller (more traditionally-sized) MFD pickups and a more traditional bridge design. I've never owned a Classic, but love my Bluesboy (which features a small MFD in the bridge and an S.D. Seth Lover humbucker in the neck position). I also love my '86 ASAT.

Personally, I wish that both the ASAT Classic and the Bluesboy were easily available with G&L's best bridges - the Saddle Lock and the Dual Fulcrum Tremelo.

What was I saying? Oh, welcome! - ed

Thanks all for your kind replies.

Yes I think it was purchased around 1988, I later went on and got myself a J200 (obvious from the username) in 1990.

Just restrung her with tens, 9's are a little on the light side for my clumsy sausage fingers.

Going to give her a little more attention soon and I will get her photographed properly and get her on the register.

Another welcome aboard!!, love the that guitar!..I have a Asat special and love the sound of those large MFD's..