Hello, a couple of Asat Bluesboy questions

[phil]

Hi just bought an Asat Bluesboy, Semi-Hollow, off of eBay. It's a 2009 already registered on the site: CLF52640.

My Legacy I custom ordered new so I know everything about it, but this Asat is super clean with nice upgrades, but I have a question from hang tag that the original shipped with it.

It says on the store tag: 7.5 and it says TGN, WB , BLK. It also says MP.

It's tobacco sunburst with Black pickguard, wood binding, maple neck with what looks like the gun oil gloss I have on my Legacy.

TGN? Any ideas
MP i figure means maple
WB if figure means wood binding
the big one is the 7.5...you think that is the neck radius? I don't know how to check the neck radius to be sure.

Just curious.

This is my second bluesboy and they are great. I love the Seth Lover pickup, too. But this go round I will likely replace the stock Seth Lover with a 4 wire Seth Lover so I can split the coil. I already have a push pull vol knob I can use.

[yowhatsshakin]

It says on the store tag: 7.5 (= 7.5" fingerboard radius) and it says TGN (=Tinted Gun-oil neck), WB (= wood binding), BLK (=Black pickguard). It also says MP(=maple fingerboard).

My guess. But without picture 1) the guitar does not exists (as per the rules of this forum ) and 2) it is hard to verify.

Hope this helps,

- Jos

[Craig]

Hi just bought an Asat Bluesboy, Semi-Hollow, off of eBay. It's a 2009 already registered on the site: CLF52640.

My Legacy I custom ordered new so I know everything about it, but this Asat is super clean with nice upgrades, but I have a question from hang tag that the original shipped with it.

It says on the store tag: 7.5 and it says TGN, WB , BLK. It also says MP.

It's tobacco sunburst with Black pickguard, wood binding, maple neck with what looks like the gun oil gloss I have on my Legacy.

TGN? Any ideas
MP i figure means maple
WB if figure means wood binding
the big one is the 7.5...you think that is the neck radius? I don't know how to check the neck radius to be sure.

Just curious.

This is my second bluesboy and they are great. I love the Seth Lover pickup, too. But this go round I will likely replace the stock Seth Lover with a 4 wire Seth Lover so I can split the coil. I already have a push pull vol knob I can use.

Jos is correct on all accounts.

I am the one who registered it (Registry Admin). I saw it on Oklahoma Vintage Guitar 's website. It was listed as a 2009 model with a G&L Nickel Covered V Humbucker, GOT neck, and 3-ply black pickguard.
For a very short period (a few of months) G&L used their AS4250B Alnico humbucker with a nickel cover in place of the SD Seth Lover neck pickup. When I saw the guitar (yes, it does exist ) on
their website is was listed as having the G&L pickup. If you bought it second hand, perhaps a previous owner replaced the pickup with a Seth Lover. You should be able to check the DC-R and
the Seth Lover should read around 7.2k while the G&L AS4250B should read around 8.3k. Reference=List of pickups used in G&L guitars.
Also, GOT neck is the same as TGN.

To post a photo (you do have to provide it's existance to everyone else ) see: Tutorial: Posting photos.
Also, don't forget to update the registry entry in the G&L Registry.

Hope this helps.

[phil]

Thanks for the replies!

I will test the dc resistance, but I actually just ordered a Seth Lover 4 wire from an online music store so I will have a Seth Lover in here within a week. My last Bluesboy was a clear orange model that I regrettably sold and it had a Seth Lover in there. Sounded great. This new one I just got today, used, though it appears new!

I also put a pic of my Legacy in there. That I ordered new and it's a 2010/2011 (bought and ordered in 2010 before Thanksgiving but it didn't come in until mid January, 2011...so I guess it's technically a 2010)

Yes, I bought second hand (I'm told from original owner). It's a nice looking guitar. I'm going to try and post proof:




Last question...it looks like the top of the head stock had rubbed on the case in shipment (minor scuffing). Anyone ever try a touch up stick/marker like they use for furniture? Not sure how well I could match up the tinted gloss, but I'd like to try.

[yowhatsshakin]

Small correction on the info provided by Craig: since the pup has nickel covers, the type would be AS4250C (not 'B' which stands for visible black bobbins).

- Jos

[Craig]

Small correction on the info provided by Craig: since the pup has nickel covers, the type would be AS4250C (not 'B' which stands for visible black bobbins).

- Jos

It has a Nickle cover not a Chrome cover. I stand by my post: "AS4250B Alnico humbucker with a nickel cover ..."

See: Decoding the various G&L Alnico Humbucker pickups.

[yowhatsshakin]

Small correction on the info provided by Craig: since the pup has nickel covers, the type would be AS4250C (not 'B' which stands for visible black bobbins).

- Jos

It has a Nickle cover not a Chrome cover. I stand by my post: "AS4250B Alnico humbucker with a nickel cover ..."

See: Decoding the various G&L Alnico Humbucker pickups.

That is if you read 'C' as 'chrome' instead of 'Cover', as I do, which given the other designations I find more plausible. Most metal humbucker covers I know of are nickel-silver with their surface either 'brushed' or plated with either nickel, chrome, or gold (and I've seen some black, potentially anodized nickel-silvers). Another material used (more so in the past) is brass with different finishes but by many those were deemed too dark. There is no such thing as a pure, 100% chrome cover as far as I know. But ask Paul Would be good to know whether a distinction is made between chrome and nickel covers in G&L's pup designations, in other words if there is such a thing as a AS4250N, and whether they offers both options in the first place.

- Jos

[Ahryn]

That is a real piece of work there Phil, but then again I have a major weakness for bursts.

Is that Legacy in Himalayan blue?

[phil]

Thanks. The Legacy is baby blue with a mint pick guard. When I ordered it in 2010, G&L still had baby blue as an option. Now I only see Himalayan blue on their site: maybe they are the same color?

The mint is very subtle. I have aftermarket pickups in there that were ordered with creme covers and there is little contrast between them and the mint guard (so little I didn't reuse the G&L mint covers).

The neck is gun oil tint.

[phil]

That is a real piece of work there Phil, but then again I have a major weakness for bursts.

Is that Legacy in Himalayan blue?

That sunburst is beautiful on your guitar, Ahryn. Are those the large G&L MFDs? How do you like them?

[darwinohm]

Phil, that is a sweet looking BB alongside the cool blue ASAT. I feel badly about the tip damage on the headstock. This is GOT so I am assuming it is a gloss. This is not an easy repair and would probably be done best by a professional using an air brush with the proper tint. Has it worn through to the wood? If it hasn't it may be minimized using a very fine polishing compound.-- Darwin

[phil]

Phil, that is a sweet looking BB alongside the cool blue ASAT. I feel badly about the tip damage on the headstock. This is GOT so I am assuming it is a gloss. This is not an easy repair and would probably be done best by a professional using an air brush with the proper tint. Has it worn through to the wood? If it hasn't it may be minimized using a very fine polishing compound.-- Darwin

Thanks...that's what I figured. It might be through the finish, but it's really not that noticeable so I'll deal with it.

Nice ASATs! I like that sparkle finish.

[phil]

Hi just bought an Asat Bluesboy, Semi-Hollow, off of eBay. It's a 2009 already registered on the site: CLF52640.

My Legacy I custom ordered new so I know everything about it, but this Asat is super clean with nice upgrades, but I have a question from hang tag that the original shipped with it.

It says on the store tag: 7.5 and it says TGN, WB , BLK. It also says MP.

It's tobacco sunburst with Black pickguard, wood binding, maple neck with what looks like the gun oil gloss I have on my Legacy.

TGN? Any ideas
MP i figure means maple
WB if figure means wood binding
the big one is the 7.5...you think that is the neck radius? I don't know how to check the neck radius to be sure.

Just curious.

This is my second bluesboy and they are great. I love the Seth Lover pickup, too. But this go round I will likely replace the stock Seth Lover with a 4 wire Seth Lover so I can split the coil. I already have a push pull vol knob I can use.

Jos is correct on all accounts.

I am the one who registered it (Registry Admin). I saw it on Oklahoma Vintage Guitar 's website. It was listed as a 2009 model with a G&L Nickel Covered V Humbucker, GOT neck, and 3-ply black pickguard.
For a very short period (a few of months) G&L used their AS4250B Alnico humbucker with a nickel cover in place of the SD Seth Lover neck pickup. When I saw the guitar (yes, it does exist ) on
their website is was listed as having the G&L pickup. If you bought it second hand, perhaps a previous owner replaced the pickup with a Seth Lover. You should be able to check the DC-R and
the Seth Lover should read around 7.2k while the G&L AS4250B should read around 8.3k. Reference=List of pickups used in G&L guitars.
Also, GOT neck is the same as TGN.

To post a photo (you do have to provide it's existance to everyone else ) see: Tutorial: Posting photos.
Also, don't forget to update the registry entry in the G&L Registry.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the heads up, Craig. I went to Oklahoma Vintage and they still have this guitar posted on their site, so I pulled what spec's I could. It is a 7.5"
radius (there was a lot of confusion on the neck type on the eBay auction), so that will take a little getting used to.

[NickHorne]

Have you thought of coilsplitting thru a cap (approx tone-pot size) instead of a hard short-out?
Keeps the pup sounding a bit fatter, though still very single-coil, and also keeps some humcancelling at mains frequency.
Great looker...!

[phil]

Have you thought of coilsplitting thru a cap (approx tone-pot size) instead of a hard short-out?
Keeps the pup sounding a bit fatter, though still very single-coil, and also keeps some humcancelling at mains frequency.
Great looker...!

That's interesting. Do you run a cap in series with your single coils? Never thought of that.

You're saying from the center tap on my humbucker, instead of a direct short to ground I would put say a .047uF cap in series to ground in single coil mode? I might try that to see how it sounds.

I actually already put the Seth lover in there in a std. coil split arrangement using a push pull vol pot and it sounds great; but I'm interested in the cap suggestion. Thanks.

[phil]

Small correction on the info provided by Craig: since the pup has nickel covers, the type would be AS4250C (not 'B' which stands for visible black bobbins).

- Jos

It has a Nickle cover not a Chrome cover. I stand by my post: "AS4250B Alnico humbucker with a nickel cover ..."

See: Decoding the various G&L Alnico Humbucker pickups.

Well, I took it apart and put the 4 conductor Seth Lover in but--contrary to the Oklahoma Vintage site--it already had a Seth lover in there. In the humbucker cavity was a date of August 2008. Perhaps they took possession in 2009, but it seems to have been built in '08.

[NickHorne]

Phil,
Yes, what I mean is that instead of shorting-out one of the coils in the humbucker completely, you do it via a cap and not a complete, simple short.
What this will do is to disable that coil at higher frequencies, but let it come back into effect at lower ones.
So it won't strangle the harmonic character, but it will remain a bit beefier than a simple single-coil.
The humbucker's ability to dull the harmonic life of a string comes from the fact that it cancels string motions which are going opposite ways at the two coils, and in varying degrees it also reduces the presence of vibration modes which merely approximate to that in some degree. These movements are the vibrational detail that characterise the twang and sparkle in the string.
But reducing one coil's effectiveness at higher frequencies (and we're not talking super-high here) brings the sparkle back, and the single-coil feel, but with some nice fatness and a useful helping of humcancellng at lower frequencies (which is, after all, where hum lives anyhow).
Why not give it a try if you're thinking of coiltapping? So simple to see if you like it!

[phil]

I will try it. I'm sure I have a cap in the garage I could use.

This guitar is very rich in bass already on that neck pup, but it would help in output loss when going to single coil.

What do you think about the treble bleed cap on the vol pot? Do you keep that on or remove it? (off topic....just curious.)

[NickHorne]

The coil-tap-via-cap will subjectively tighten up that woofy low end, don't worry! It will be much clearer than the full bucker. And yes, it will help keep the output sounding strong.

The treble bleed at the vol pot is a very personal thing, and depends on how you run your amp, and also how / whether you want the guitar's sound to change when you reduce its vol setting.
This is very subjective; without a cap, most of us would probably say the sound dulls down a bit when the volume is reduced, though this can take on a different meaning if you run the amp set high and use the guitar's volume a lot to control your level, rather than just to quieten down a bit from time to time.

[NickHorne]

One more thought on coil-tapping:
You can, of course, choose which coil to keep fully active, and which one to short out (completely or via a cap).
Consider:
If you keep the screw-polepiece coil as the fully active one, you will retain the best adjustability of string balance (you can use the screw poles)..
If you like the sound of this (and you may well prefer it to the sound of the slug-polepiece coil), you can turn the pup around so that the screw poles are nearer the bridge. This will clear up the sound even more, and very likely help harmonics to speak better, when in coil-tap mode.

[phil]

Thanks. I tried the cap in series for the coil split but I ultimately went back to no cap to ground. It made a significant difference in tone but I lost the quack I like from a single coil. I think it's a good mod for someone who likes humbuckers more than single coils but I'm generally the opposite.

I had a 0.022uF on hand and tried that. Too compressed for me.

Take care