New member, old owner, with questions.

[domino2]

I have owned a black L-1000 bass since 86 (?). A monster. Don't play it much anymore but returning to music. Mine has a maple fretboard which I despise. Questions; What does ASAT mean? I want to play fretless. I have a line on a fretless ASAT neck but will it fit my bass? The ASAT neck has an ebony fretboard. Are there any G&L basses (ASAT or otherwise) with rosewood fretless necks that will bolt to my L-1000? I prefer the darker sound of the rosewood. Looking forward to your replies.
Thanks,
Domino2

[yowhatsshakin]

I have owned a black L-1000 bass since 86 (?). A monster. Don't play it much anymore but returning to music. Mine has a maple fretboard which I despise. Questions; What does ASAT mean? I want to play fretless. I have a line on a fretless ASAT neck but will it fit my bass? The ASAT neck has an ebony fretboard. Are there any G&L basses (ASAT or otherwise) with rosewood fretless necks that will bolt to my L-1000? I prefer the darker sound of the rosewood. Looking forward to your replies.
Thanks,
Domino2

As stated by George Fullerton in his books, ASAT mean Anti-SATelite. As far as exchangeability of your necks goes, the most important part is the the number of bolts. Your L-1000 likely has a 3-bolt neck attachment and a neck plate with S/N. Modern G&L basses use 6-bolts in all and ferules, so you would have to drill and the appearance will change. This transition took place around '97; the same time the guitars went to a 4-bolt neck attachment. From that time on, the S/N was stenciled on the back of the headstock. It should be easy to see whether one is present on your candidate neck/bass.

If you can find a fretless ASAT neck that is old enough it should fit. On his web site, Greg Gagliano does not list a fretless bass. It might be that the fretless board, ghost lines or not, is a rather modern option which would increase the likelihood for a bolt mismatch. This is certainly true for fretless rosewood necks which were introduced only recently. G&L website is even still in internal conflict: compare the caption of this fretless L-2500 and these Other Neck Options. Also be aware that G&L does not sell after-market necks so you would have to go through channels like eBay, Craig's List, or placing an ad in the Marketplace of this forum.

Hope this helps,

- Jos