Advice Requested

[Tooslowhand]

I'm considering purchasing a new ASAT Classic Bluesboy and would like some input on fingerboard choice. The guitar would be Andromeda, white double bound body, no pickguard, headstock painted Andromeda. The neck would be quartersawn gloss maple. Fingerboard would be either maple with black block inlays, or ebony with white block inlays. I am concerned that the ebony might not be black enough and could clash with the Andromeda parts. What do you folks think?

[Craig]

I'm considering purchasing a new ASAT Classic Bluesboy and would like some input on fingerboard choice. The guitar would be Andromeda, white double bound body, no pickguard, headstock painted Andromeda. The neck would be quartersawn gloss maple. Fingerboard would be either maple with black block inlays, or ebony with white block inlays. I am concerned that the ebony might not be black enough and could clash with the Andromeda parts. What do you folks think?

You need to read my recent post on the 2023 changes made to the Build To Order Price List, see:
1/1/2023 BTO Price List changes ...

You need to checkout the latest Custom Shop Price, to be able to get all the options you mentioned, see:
1/1/2023-present Custom Shop Specifications & Options

Here are some examples with the Andromeda finished bodies:
Andromeda -NEW- 12/2020.

Hope this helps.

[bigjim711]

Of those examples in the link Craig posted I'd have to say the ebony looks fine to me. I don't like the rosewood with that finish too much but the only one with block inlays was rosewood. I like the maple too. I bet maple would look really nice with black block inlays. If you scroll down to the "Plum Crazy" section the second one, a Kiloton bass, has ebony with with pearl block inlays and it looks pretty slick. It's not a one-to-one comparison and rosewood actually looks good on that color, but I can dig the fingerboard and think it would look nice on Andromeda.

I wonder what ebony with no dots or inlays would look like (just dots on side) or maybe dots along the bass edge (if G&L ever does that).

I don't think any choice will be bad and look forward to some photos when you get it (or if they post photos and Craig links them here when they are shipping it to your dealer).

[DanDoulogos]

To me it isn't a question of aesthetics but rather tone, notwithstanding I'd go with Ebony for both tone and aesthetic, so this would be an easy choice for me personally.

[sam]

Gotta go ebony with that combination.

It sounds like a beauty, when you order and it’s delivered we want pics ASAP!

[tomanche]

Without parsing the latest options, but looking at the guitars in Craig's link, I'll cast my vote for maple. It's a tough call. I have a Bluesboy that's all black body and headstock, with ebony fretboard, and it all works well. (Currently listed on Reverb!) The ebony, since it's probably unstained, isn't quite black enough to give the look that I hear you aiming for. But the maple fretboards in the examples really pop and make a great contrast. I'm also picturing/referring to maple fretboard Broadcasters here.

Andromeda is a cool finish. Kudos for ordering a guitar with that.

[tomanche]

Just today, a new ASAT Bluesboy is listed on Reverb in Andromeda, white top binding, ebony board, no dots or inlays, but neck binding. This might aid your decision? I think the neck binding is a great option here. Looks killer, IMHO:
https://reverb.com/item/68762489-g-l-us ... -headstock

[Tooslowhand]

Thanks Tom. That helps a lot. I actually really like the white neck binding and ebony board without markers. Hmmm. I'm finding that at list prices, custom shop starts at about 1K more than a build to order just for a base guitar. But the BTO options have been reduced so that the only binding you can get is wood. If not for the F-Hole, I think I'd buy this one off Reverb.

[Craig]

Thanks Tom. That helps a lot. I actually really like the white neck binding and ebony board without markers. Hmmm. I'm finding that at list prices, custom shop starts at about 1K more than a build to order just for a base guitar. But the BTO options have been reduced so that the only binding you can get is wood. If not for the F-Hole, I think I'd buy this one off Reverb.

Actually, Natural Wood binding is not an option available for the BTO models.
I have corrected this omission in my reference post.

[Tooslowhand]

When I spoke with the folks at Up Front Guitars they told me that G&L had taken wood binding and neck shape options off their BTO list, but that dealers complained so loudly that they agreed to allow them. G&L isn't very effective at documenting what is available; half the things you see on their Custom Shop builds don't appear as Custom Shop options; that it is really hard for the customer to figure it out, and it would seem the same for dealers as well. Axe Palace has a Custom Shop order form on their website, but G&L doesn't list them as a Custom Shop dealer. Who knows... I live in L.A., and would prefer to purchase something locally rather than deal with shipping hassles, but there isn't even a Custom Shop dealer in the area.

[Craig]

When I spoke with the folks at Up Front Guitars they told me that G&L had taken wood binding and neck shape options off their BTO list, but that dealers complained so loudly that they agreed to allow them. G&L isn't very effective at documenting what is available; half the things you see on their Custom Shop builds don't appear as Custom Shop options; that it is really hard for the customer to figure it out, and it would seem the same for dealers as well. Axe Palace has a Custom Shop order form on their website, but G&L doesn't list them as a Custom Shop dealer. Who knows... I live in L.A., and would prefer to purchase something locally rather than deal with shipping hassles, but there isn't even a Custom Shop dealer in the area.

I obviously was not made aware of this change to the BTO dealer price list. Lately my emails to my G&L contacts have gone into a Black Hole (except for Memo, thank goodness!). I don't have an updated Custom Shop Dealer list, but by looking at the Custom Shop instrument postings I made in the G&L Custom Shop Instruments sub-forum, I see these local L.A. dealers:
CS2302012 is headed to Bass Exchange/Amp Shop in North Hollywood, California
CS2212017 is headed to G&L Premier Dealer Mo's Fullerton Music Center in Fullerton, California

They don't even list the Custom Shop only finishes, so I compiled a partial list of the Custom Shop finishes and photos they have posted on their facebook pages.
See this post: 1/1/2023-present Custom Shop Specifications & Options.

Hope this helps.

[Tooslowhand]

Craig,

I went through all of the specification / finish information you provided earlier in this thread and I REALLY appreciate your putting in the tine to catalog all of this. I will check out the dealers you list below, but note that they aren't in the Custom Shop list on G&L's website. The closest listings are Music Store Live and Pitbull Music which are really the same place and not who I want to deal with.

We all really like G&L's guitars and their history, but their marketing and customer facing representation is horrendous. They must do well enough to stay in business, and none of us wants them to turn into FMIC-2 or Ernie Ball, but a small amount of effort would go a long way to eliminating customer frustration and improving their image. One has to rely on a very small number of quality dealers, and YOU, for information about their products, which is ridiculous in 2023. Up Front guitars is very knowledgeable and helpful. Of the three dealers I contacted they are also the only ones who returned a query, They're 3200 miles from me.

[glvourot]

Tooslowhand,

Your last post summed up the G&L buying experience perfectly. Even buying inexpensive parts from their online store is extremely frustrating ( I'll get into that on an NGD post I will get around to soon ). I do wonder how many sales they lose when potential customers just give up and go buy something else. Good luck with your new but maybe not G&L odyssey. There are always old Leo era's to be rescued...

[Tooslowhand]

Paul,

Thanks. We'll see. They make it "un-fun" enough, that I'll probably end up buying nothing... I have more guitars than I can play anyway. I did buy a G&L t-shirt from their on-line store last week and got it in two days.

[DanDoulogos]

It'll be some time before G&L starts selling directly to the customer. Right now their customers are not you and I, they sell their guitars to resellers.

You can buy directly from Gibson and Fender - but if you want a G&L, you have to buy indirectly from an online reseller.

That makes me unhappy.

[Tooslowhand]

Actually, their customers are us. If they don't develop and support the end user market, they won't be selling product to dealers. I just wish G&L would develop a quality website; accurately represent what they sell; develop an effective dealer network; and assist customers in connecting with those dealers. As I said above, their website is not accurate as to what is available in the BTO or Custom Shop line. Many of the guitars pictured in their Custom Shop builds have colors, wood choices, or features that aren't even listed as Custom Shop options. A simple statement that "If you don't see your dream guitar on the list, please contact us or your dealer to see if we can make it possible" would help.

The dealer network seems pretty haphazard. If one clicks on the "Dealers" link on the G&L website you can get a listing, by state, of US dealers. They have descriptions of the type of dealer, like "Premier Dealer - Tribute Series", but no description of what that means, and nothing about Custom Shop dealers. For that you have to click on Custom Shop, where at the end of the page there is a random listing of dealers. Why make it so obscure?

The entirety of Southern California, from the Grapevine to Mexico has two listings on the G&L website as Custom Shop Dealers, one of them is actually a recording studio, and neither of them even mention G&L Custom Shop. Massachusetts has two as well, though one of them G&L doesn't list as a Custom Shop dealer, even though they have a Custom Shop order form on their website. They never responded to my query though. I clicked through the G&L website listing for one dealer and was taken to a web hosting page that offered to sell me that domain name for $3000. I was planning to spend the money on a guitar, but I guess I could buy a website name instead . Many of G&L's dealer websites have dozens of listings for G&L guitars, most of which are "Out of Stock". So you can look at pretty pictures of guitars that someone made, but you can't buy one. If only Buffalo Brothers was still around.

I have come to the conclusion that Craig is the most effective source of information available on G&L guitars, though even he can't sell me one . I hope G&L are at least giving him free beer. Look, I didn't mean to start a rant, I was just interested in buying a guitar. I enjoy watching the folks at G&L express their obvious joy for Leo Fender, G&L, and guitars in general. I wish they would spend more effort on their customer's experiences. I am a ready made customer who already knows about their products, and has grown frustrated trying to purchase one. Can there be any doubt why so many players have never even heard of G&L?

[Tooslowhand]

Go figure, About 10 minutes after I made the previous post, one of the dealers I had contacted previously got back to me. They're checking on price and lead time. We'll see what they say.

[SUaPYG]

Go figure, About 10 minutes after I made the previous post, one of the dealers I had contacted previously got back to me. They're checking on price and lead time. We'll see what they say.

Karma

[Tooslowhand]

New Guitar Day...

So I ended up buying the Andromeda Bluesboy from the Reverb link posted by Tom. Got it for a decent price and it will arrive today. I'll let you know what I think. It's not exactly what I wanted, but pretty close. It was BTO and many of it's features are now Custom Shop only. It has a slim C neck and I'm not sure that will work for me. I contacted four Custom Shop dealers with a specification. Three responded. Two bothered to provide a quote. One was very professional and interested in working with me. The initial price he offered was reasonable, but I balked at the expected 14 month wait time. I figured by then I probably forget I bought it and wouldn't want it anymore .

Not sure what I make of the G&L buying process other than the obvious that it is much easier to buy something that is hanging on a wall and given the apparent low volume production for G&L USA getting exactly what you want is difficult. If they solved that problem by increasing production I'd probably complain about that too .

[tomanche]

Congrats on your purchase! This is what the quest is about. I hope you will bond with it.

[Tooslowhand]

Well I waited 24 hours to unbox the guitar to let temperature and humidity settle. The dealer shipped it tuned to pitch which is not good, but doesn't appear to have caused any damage. It is really beautiful and very light. Sounds nice, but the setup is horrible so it doesn't play very well. That can be fixed. However there is a noticeable rough spot on the back of the neck between the first and second frets that is felt every time you move your hand. From the right angle or with a magnifier it looks like there are small tool marks likely the result of poor finishing. Since it is a satin finished neck I doubt there is anything simple that could be done. I'll call the dealer tomorrow, but it will most likely be going back.

[sam]

Man, sad to hear. I saw that one and have always loved the Andromeda color. Hope ya don’t have any return hassle if it goes that way, and still keep yer eye out for another one.

[Tooslowhand]

I spoke with the dealer today. He was very helpful and offered a number of options, including returning it for a refund. He is contacting the G&L factory to have them look at it. I like the guitar so if it can be taken care of I'd rather do that. G&L are only about 50 minutes from me so I might drop it off rather than risk more shipping.

[DanDoulogos]

I spoke with the dealer today. He was very helpful and offered a number of options, including returning it for a refund. He is contacting the G&L factory to have them look at it. I like the guitar so if it can be taken care of I'd rather do that. G&L are only about 50 minutes from me so I might drop it off rather than risk more shipping.

That sounds like a good turn of events. I hope this works out for the best outcome.