G&L ASAT VS. Legacy

gnr4life · Post by **gnr4life** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 1:17 pm

in terms of tone, range, and feel which guitar is more favored? i like classic rock but i also play blues sometime, and what pickups does the legacy come stock with mfd's?

suave eddie · Post by **suave eddie** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 1:39 pm

Have you been to the G&L website?
http://www.glguitars.com/

Many of your questions could be answered there.

The standard Legacy is equipped with G&L vintage style Alnico V single coil pickups.

As far as which guitar is better for you, do you prefer a Tele or a Strat style?

The G&L website has many sound samples and you can find countless examples on Youtube.

Submersible · Post by **Submersible** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 4:40 pm

Personally, I think the Legacy is a fine guitar, but the ASAT is an exceptional guitar. It's not a matter of liking Teles more than Strats. I just think that the ASAT is a unique and inspired design that took the instrument to a new level, while the Legacy is a competent but unexciting Strat copy. I came to this conclusion by owning both. I recommend you try both and see what speaks to you.

SouthpawGuy · Post by **SouthpawGuy** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 4:41 pm

For classic rock / blues an ASAT Bluesboy is outstanding.

SouthpawGuy · Post by **SouthpawGuy** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 4:43 pm

Submersible wrote:Personally, I think the Legacy is a fine guitar, but the ASAT is an exceptional guitar. It's not a matter of liking Teles more than Strats. I just think that the ASAT is a unique and inspired design that took the instrument to a new level, while the Legacy is a competent but unexciting Strat copy. I came to this conclusion by owning both. I recommend you try both and see what speaks to you.

My "strat copies" get all the play time these days while my Strats look on in anguish !

gnr4life · Post by **gnr4life** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 5:05 pm

yeah thanks guys i appreciate the input ill deffinatly check them both out and let you know.

gnr4life · Post by **gnr4life** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 5:08 pm

is the asat bluesboy a good guitar for playing like AC/DC and Guns N Roses? if not what is a g&l guitar than can play heavier classic rock but also play blues too?

SouthpawGuy · Post by **SouthpawGuy** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 5:56 pm

gnr4life wrote:is the asat bluesboy a good guitar for playing like AC/DC and Guns N Roses? if not what is a g&l guitar than can play heavier classic rock but also play blues too?

If you're looking for classic single coil tones plus a bridge humbucker for leads the Legacy HB is a good bet, the JB in the bridge is killer !

The Bluesboy doesn't excel at metal in my opinion, hard rock, heavy blues, country or smooth jazzy tones it does very well. Metal wouldn't be it's forte, in my opinion of course.

Don't forget the Legacy Special with the blade humbuckers, they are a serious rock machine, you do lose some of the "quack" tones, the bridge power blade does a really good rock or metal tone and it has locking tuners and graphite nut if you're into heavy trem use.

gnr4life · Post by **gnr4life** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 6:27 pm

so if i wanted to play acdc what should i get i really like the bluesboy and legacy hb becuase the legacy special is a litle too heavy i dont want all heavy i want some to be able to play acdc but also like pink floyf and srv blues. ideas?

suave eddie · Post by **suave eddie** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 6:48 pm

I don't think anyone can really answer your question for you. What kind of gear do you have now? Guitar? Amp? Effects?

I am convinced that ANY type of music can be played on ANY guitar. I've heard jazz, country, blues and rock all played on Les Pauls, Strats, Teles, 335s, and they can all pull it off.

When you say SRV and Pink Floyd, I always envision a strat style guitar. When you say AC/DC and GnR I envision a HB guitar like a Les Paul or an SG. When you say blues, there are so many different blues players using a huge variety of guitars--single coil or HB.

If you have to have the in-between quack positions get a strat type guitar.

Here's a video I ran across on another board where they were having one of their endless discussions about "tone".
This gave my head a shake. Watch this with your eyes closed and try to figure out which guitar is playing.

[youtube]azo9bwSYDuA[/youtube]

Michael-GnL-Michael · Post by **Michael-GnL-Michael** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 6:58 pm

gnr4life wrote:so if i wanted to play acdc what should i get i really like the bluesboy and legacy hb becuase the legacy special is a litle too heavy i dont want all heavy i want some to be able to play acdc but also like pink floyf and srv blues. ideas?

I have a standard Legacy and an ASAT Classic. To my ears the ASAT Classic sounds closer to SRV and Gilmour than the Legacy. The ASAT MFD also has a way of being very sensitive to touch so you can really get subtle nuances as well as biting attack notes out of it. I do not hear that much of the typical Strat quack in SRV or Pink Floyd music though it is probably most prevalent in PF rhythms. The earlier Echoes era was done with a different guitar without active PUPs than most of the cleaner bluesy stuff heard after. That SRV tone is available in the ASAT Classic. AS far as ACDC goes I don't know how to get that sound. That is an SG Angus uses if I am not mistaken. I do not pay enough attention to ACDC so I could not say whether the SG has PAFs or full size humbuckers. FWIW

louis cyfer · Post by **louis cyfer** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 8:32 pm

suave eddie wrote:I don't think anyone can really answer your question for you. What kind of gear do you have now? Guitar? Amp? Effects?

I am convinced that ANY type of music can be played on ANY guitar. I've heard jazz, country, blues and rock all played on Les Pauls, Strats, Teles, 335s, and they can all pull it off.

When you say SRV and Pink Floyd, I always envision a strat style guitar. When you say AC/DC and GnR I envision a HB guitar like a Les Paul or an SG. When you say blues, there are so many different blues players using a huge variety of guitars--single coil or HB.

If you have to have the in-between quack positions get a strat type guitar.

Here's a video I ran across on another board where they were having one of their endless discussions about "tone".
This gave my head a shake. Watch this with your eyes closed and try to figure out which guitar is playing.

[youtube]azo9bwSYDuA[/youtube]

and we have a winner. it is up to you what you make the guitar sound like. any of them will do any of it. i can do metal on my bluesboy. i would suggest the asat special, those big mfd's are very nice and versatile. i would do an s500 or a comanche before a legacy, i would definitely change the pups on a legacy. people think sg and humbucker when they think acdc, but it is really a gretch that you hear. with a filtertron pup.

astutzmann · Post by **astutzmann** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 5:18 am

just curious, what would you change the pups in a legacy to?

With a new PG, can I put S500 MFDs in my legacy?

I have a dimarzio DP 184 in the bridge now and was thinking of maybe all three being humbuckers or MFDs...

louis cyfer · Post by **louis cyfer** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 7:30 am

astutzmann wrote:just curious, what would you change the pups in a legacy to?

With a new PG, can I put S500 MFDs in my legacy?

I have a dimarzio DP 184 in the bridge now and was thinking of maybe all three being humbuckers or MFDs...

mfd's would be one way to go, but at that point isn't it just an s500? t i personally would probably put in a set of klein jazzy cats with an s8 bridge pup. the last thing i'd go for is dual blade humbuckers.

SouthpawGuy · Post by **SouthpawGuy** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 8:07 am

astutzmann wrote:just curious, what would you change the pups in a legacy to?

With a new PG, can I put S500 MFDs in my legacy?

I have a dimarzio DP 184 in the bridge now and was thinking of maybe all three being humbuckers or MFDs...

I have one Legacy stock, another with DiMarzio Areas, 61 bridge/ 67/ 58, and a third with DiMarzio Injectors neck and bridge with an Area 67 in the middle. All three retain the PTB tone controls.

The lowest output of the three is the one with Areas, stock Legacy is in the middle and Injectors / Area is the highest output with the fattest sound. I was surprised that the Areas were lower in output than the stock G&L alnicos.

The Areas are very bright, low output and lots of quack in the two and four positions. The Injectors are higher output, probably not as much as S500 MFDs, they sound very good clean and exceptional for overdrive / distortion which is what they were designed for. The purpose of an Area 67 in the middle of two Injectors is to retain the quack in the two and four positions and it does that nicely.

The DiMarzios mentioned are all noise cancelling "single coils" and are very quiet in operation and can be purchased individually or in sets. Most importantly they are available in left hand configuration, important as the pole pieces are staggered for height, although right handed ones can be installed 180 to their intended mounting due to the Legacys routing under the pickguard.

astutzmann · Post by **astutzmann** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 8:30 am

thanks for the info, awesome as always.

gnr4life · Post by **gnr4life** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 5:52 pm

thanks so much for all your input! i decided its between the s-500 and the asat special for me those two appeal to me the most. but its SO hard to decide. does anyone know what i should get? i know its personal preferance but i like them equal so its hard to decide.

Post by **Craig** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:21 pm

gnr4life wrote:thanks so much for all your input! i decided its between the s-500 and the asat special for me those two appeal to me the most. but its SO hard to decide. does anyone know what i should get? i know its personal preferance but i like them equal so its hard to decide.

Well, you could flip a coin and then when you are ready to buy your next G&L, buy the other one.

Hope this helps.

louis cyfer · Post by **louis cyfer** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:37 pm

gnr4life wrote:thanks so much for all your input! i decided its between the s-500 and the asat special for me those two appeal to me the most. but its SO hard to decide. does anyone know what i should get? i know its personal preferance but i like them equal so its hard to decide.

easy. get both.

SouthpawGuy · Post by **SouthpawGuy** » Sat Mar 03, 2012 2:54 am

Both is always good.

gnr4life · Post by **gnr4life** » Sat Mar 03, 2012 6:36 pm

ive decided on the s500 and im thinking of all white or a gilmour copy with black on black with white hardware

Michael-GnL-Michael · Post by **Michael-GnL-Michael** » Sat Mar 03, 2012 9:06 pm

SouthpawGuy wrote:
astutzmann wrote:just curious, what would you change the pups in a legacy to?

With a new PG, can I put S500 MFDs in my legacy?

I have a dimarzio DP 184 in the bridge now and was thinking of maybe all three being humbuckers or MFDs...
I have one Legacy stock, another with DiMarzio Areas, 61 bridge/ 67/ 58, and a third with DiMarzio Injectors neck and bridge with an Area 67 in the middle. All three retain the PTB tone controls.

The lowest output of the three is the one with Areas, stock Legacy is in the middle and Injectors / Area is the highest output with the fattest sound. I was surprised that the Areas were lower in output than the stock G&L alnicos.

The Areas are very bright, low output and lots of quack in the two and four positions. The Injectors are higher output, probably not as much as S500 MFDs, they sound very good clean and exceptional for overdrive / distortion which is what they were designed for. The purpose of an Area 67 in the middle of two Injectors is to retain the quack in the two and four positions and it does that nicely.

The DiMarzios mentioned are all noise cancelling "single coils" and are very quiet in operation and can be purchased individually or in sets. Most importantly they are available in left hand configuration, important as the pole pieces are staggered for height, although right handed ones can be installed 180 to their intended mounting due to the Legacys routing under the pickguard.

Using a scale of 1-5 with 1 being worse, 5 being better and 3 being where the stock pups are, where would you place the DiMarzio guitars you have in terms of tone?

JagInTheBag · Post by **JagInTheBag** » Sat Mar 03, 2012 9:22 pm

gnr4life wrote:ive decided on the s500 and im thinking of all white or a gilmour copy with black on black with white hardware

Post pictures once you get it!

SouthpawGuy · Post by **SouthpawGuy** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 4:09 am

Michael-GnL-Michael wrote:
SouthpawGuy wrote:
astutzmann wrote:just curious, what would you change the pups in a legacy to?

With a new PG, can I put S500 MFDs in my legacy?

I have a dimarzio DP 184 in the bridge now and was thinking of maybe all three being humbuckers or MFDs...
I have one Legacy stock, another with DiMarzio Areas, 61 bridge/ 67/ 58, and a third with DiMarzio Injectors neck and bridge with an Area 67 in the middle. All three retain the PTB tone controls.

The lowest output of the three is the one with Areas, stock Legacy is in the middle and Injectors / Area is the highest output with the fattest sound. I was surprised that the Areas were lower in output than the stock G&L alnicos.

The Areas are very bright, low output and lots of quack in the two and four positions. The Injectors are higher output, probably not as much as S500 MFDs, they sound very good clean and exceptional for overdrive / distortion which is what they were designed for. The purpose of an Area 67 in the middle of two Injectors is to retain the quack in the two and four positions and it does that nicely.

The DiMarzios mentioned are all noise cancelling "single coils" and are very quiet in operation and can be purchased individually or in sets. Most importantly they are available in left hand configuration, important as the pole pieces are staggered for height, although right handed ones can be installed 180 to their intended mounting due to the Legacys routing under the pickguard.
Using a scale of 1-5 with 1 being worse, 5 being better and 3 being where the stock pups are, where would you place the DiMarzio guitars you have in terms of tone?

Compared to ? Tone is like socks, my preference changes regularly

I really like the stock G&L alnicos in a Legacy. I originally bought the stock Legacy intending to change the pickups but decided against it. The Areas have a thin bass light tone with low output, think Buddy Holly type Strat tones, the Injectors are fuller, much more SRV, but also very good for clean sounds which surprised me I was expecting them to be a one trick pony.

A large part of my pickup choice lately has been influenced by a need for noise free operation, as I've mentioned a few times incandescent light bulbs have been banned in Ireland for a couple of years now. CFL or compact fluorescent bulbs are all that's available, and that means lots of 60 cycle hum, and lots more when using overdrive / distortion or even when using a ts type pedal as a clean boost. Really annoying.

gnr4life · Post by **gnr4life** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 8:04 am

@JagInTheBag of course! but itll be awhile i just ordered it!

astutzmann · Post by **astutzmann** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 8:14 am

congrats and good luck.

pls tell us what you ordered, options, colour, neck, fingerboard, frets, etc, curious.

If you look at my avatar,you'll see a vintage white legacy, came with white pickguard and pup covers, now tortise shell with cream....

The colour reminds me of banana pudding. Certainly not a white.

Michael-GnL-Michael · Post by **Michael-GnL-Michael** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 1:02 pm

SouthpawGuy wrote:Compared to ? Tone is like socks, my preference changes regularly

I really like the stock G&L alnicos in a Legacy. I originally bought the stock Legacy intending to change the pickups but decided against it. The Areas have a thin bass light tone with low output, think Buddy Holly type Strat tones, the Injectors are fuller, much more SRV, but also very good for clean sounds which surprised me I was expecting them to be a one trick pony.

A large part of my pickup choice lately has been influenced by a need for noise free operation, as I've mentioned a few times incandescent light bulbs have been banned in Ireland for a couple of years now. CFL or compact fluorescent bulbs are all that's available, and that means lots of 60 cycle hum, and lots more when using overdrive / distortion or even when using a ts type pedal as a clean boost. Really annoying.

Thanks for the non-answer to the DiMarzio tone question

They are impractical for standard lamp applications but magnetic ballasts in the tube type fixtures are very quiet and do not add significantly to 60-cycle hum. I play in a room lit with 8 tubes. I have other light sources in the same room that I could use but there is no need to and I prefer the illumination from the fluorescent fixtures. My guitars (reg noisey type pups) are equally noisey whether the fluorescent lights are on or off. I do get interference from the computer ACD if I am close enough.

gnr4life · Post by **gnr4life** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 1:17 pm

@astutzmann
would it be like looked down apon if i got a david gilmour copy. like the black on black with white hardware? would it be cool or would people dislike it for not being original?

Michael-GnL-Michael · Post by **Michael-GnL-Michael** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 1:25 pm

gnr4life wrote:@astutzmann
would it be like looked down apon if i got a david gilmour copy. like the black on black with white hardware? would it be cool or would people dislike it for not being original?

You are not asking me however, of course some people will look down on that. Others will recognize it, think of it as a nod and like it.

gnr4life · Post by **gnr4life** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 1:33 pm

so if i did a gilmour copy would most people hate it or like it?

suave eddie · Post by **suave eddie** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 1:37 pm

Should it matter?

Get what YOU like.

Michael-GnL-Michael · Post by **Michael-GnL-Michael** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 1:51 pm

gnr4life wrote:so if i did a gilmour copy would most people hate it or like it?

I agree that you should get what you want. Gilmour is very popular so I would guess that most people including non-musicians would like it if they noticed the connection. Of musicians, some people develop a bias wanting to be unique. Keep in mind there are not enough things to do for everyone to be unique so just accept it and get the one that you like for whatever reason and do not worry about those that might not agree with you. Plenty will agree with you. I personally like the color scheme. I have a black Legacy though I did not choose it for those reasons. Mine is not the same exactly. It is all black.

gnr4life · Post by **gnr4life** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 2:02 pm

im actually gonna get ans 500 so the knobs look like there metal to me not plastic so can i get those white or no?

Michael-GnL-Michael · Post by **Michael-GnL-Michael** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 2:08 pm

gnr4life wrote:im actually gonna get ans 500 so the knobs look like there metal to me not plastic so can i get those white or no?

You would have to go through a vendor to find the S-500 style knobs in white. G&L only offers black and chrome. Or you could use Legacy knobs if there was room for the toggle. I don't have one to measure for those knobs.

gnr4life · Post by **gnr4life** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 2:11 pm

yeah i have a dealer right donw the sreet i know im lucky but either way i think ill get the black s500 with black pg and white pup covers and white switch. even if i have to get chrome knobs. ill try to find white ones but if not chrome would look fine. you think so?

Michael-GnL-Michael · Post by **Michael-GnL-Michael** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 2:35 pm

gnr4life wrote:yeah i have a dealer right donw the sreet i know im lucky but either way i think ill get the black s500 with black pg and white pup covers and white switch. even if i have to get chrome knobs. ill try to find white ones but if not chrome would look fine. you think so?

Yes, knobs are an area that you could choose to be unique. I could not locate white knobs for the S-500. Here is something with the size, and both colors, that would effectively offset everything in my opinion. I am assuming the S-500 knobs are the same used in ASATs. Please verify that before buying anything. You probably will not find anything made specifically for the S-500 except on G&L or Chandler the G&L pickguard supplier

Click on image to go to the webpage source.

gnr4life · Post by **gnr4life** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 3:10 pm

could i just get regular like strat or asat knobs or do they have to be s500 knobs to fit the s500, jw

ChinoGee · Post by **ChinoGee** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 3:27 am

I don't know how sounds the Legacy (I've got a Strat), but I think the ASAT Special is maybe more original and unique in term of sound, and like the look of the big MFD pups.

My 1993 ASAT has got a very distinctive sound because of those pups, very different from a Strat or a Tele.

I think I prefer to have a good Strat rather than a good Legacy, but between a Tele and a good ASAT Special, I choose the ASAT Special!

Elwood · Post by **Elwood** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 6:50 am

ChinoGee wrote:I don't know how sounds the Legacy ...
I think I prefer to have a good Strat rather than a good Legacy,

How can you give advice if you don't know what a Legacy sounds like?

Miles Smiles · Post by **Miles Smiles** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 7:36 am

ChinoGee wrote:I don't know how sounds the Legacy

It's simple. A Legacy sounds like a Strat, but better.

SouthpawGuy · Post by **SouthpawGuy** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 7:57 am

Michael-GnL-Michael wrote: Thanks for the non-answer to the DiMarzio tone question

They are impractical for standard lamp applications but magnetic ballasts in the tube type fixtures are very quiet and do not add significantly to 60-cycle hum. I play in a room lit with 8 tubes. I have other light sources in the same room that I could use but there is no need to and I prefer the illumination from the fluorescent fixtures. My guitars (reg noisey type pups) are equally noisey whether the fluorescent lights are on or off. I do get interference from the computer ACD if I am close enough.

Most welcome.

And thanks for the lesson in fluent Mandarin.

gnr4life · Post by **gnr4life** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 5:18 pm

if i wanted to get a legacy and eventually change the pickups to say dimarzios or somthing could i? or would i have to like thcnage the pg and stuff? ive heard its easier either on the legacy or s500 i dont remember.

SouthpawGuy · Post by **SouthpawGuy** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 5:27 pm

gnr4life wrote:if i wanted to get a legacy and eventually change the pickups to say dimarzios or somthing could i? or would i have to like thcnage the pg and stuff? ive heard its easier either on the legacy or s500 i dont remember.

No need to change the pickguard or pots if changing to Areas or any other DiMarzio single coil, they're designed to be direct replacements. If changing to actives then the pots and output jack would need to be replaced.

gnr4life · Post by **gnr4life** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 5:55 pm

is either the s500 or legacy universal to all single coils or no?

louis cyfer · Post by **louis cyfer** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 8:10 pm

gnr4life wrote:if i wanted to get a legacy and eventually change the pickups to say dimarzios or somthing could i? or would i have to like thcnage the pg and stuff? ive heard its easier either on the legacy or s500 i dont remember.

i thought you are getting the s500? it would make no sense to switch to dimarzios.

Michael-GnL-Michael · Post by **Michael-GnL-Michael** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:17 pm

gnr4life wrote:is either the s500 or legacy universal to all single coils or no?

It would not be a good idea to get an S-500 if you plan to change the pups. That would be crazy. The MFDs in the S-500 are the most important reason for choosing the model. The switching options are trivial in comparison. The guitar is a Legacy otherwise.

If you want to try other pups in an S-type guitar get a Legacy. G&L pickups in the Legacy are slightly larger. Chandler, the supplier of pickguards to G&L, offers two pickguard types for Legacys. One is for standard pickups. The other is for G&L pickups. You only need to worry about this if you are going back to G&L pups and you or some previous owner had changed the pickguard to the standard PUP size guard. If you kept the stock guard and changed the pups the extra space around the pups would be very slight and you probably would not notice it unless you had some sort of anxiety disorder and were easily annoyed.

Michael-GnL-Michael · Post by **Michael-GnL-Michael** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:22 pm

SouthpawGuy wrote:
Michael-GnL-Michael wrote:They are impractical for standard lamp applications but magnetic ballasts in the tube type fixtures are very quiet and do not add significantly to 60-cycle hum. I play in a room lit with 8 tubes. I have other light sources in the same room that I could use but there is no need to and I prefer the illumination from the fluorescent fixtures. My guitars (reg noisey type pups) are equally noisey whether the fluorescent lights are on or off. I do get interference from the computer ACD if I am close enough.
thanks for the lesson in fluent Mandarin.

You don't understand the magnetic ballast information?

gnr4life · Post by **gnr4life** » Tue Mar 06, 2012 4:37 am

no i am getting an s500 and of course im keeping the mfd pups in but i was just curious. i asked my dealer if they could change the pot holes for the s500 knobs to legacy size so theyll fit and he said they could do it but lloking at an s500 wouldnt the knobs bump against the toggle?

louis cyfer · Post by **louis cyfer** » Tue Mar 06, 2012 7:12 am

gnr4life wrote:no i am getting an s500 and of course im keeping the mfd pups in but i was just curious. i asked my dealer if they could change the pot holes for the s500 knobs to legacy size so theyll fit and he said they could do it but looking at an s500 wouldnt the knobs bump against the toggle?

it's not the pot holes, that is the same, it is the shaft of the pot that is different. you would need a knurled shaft on the pot to for the strat style knobs, but the switch should fit just the same. doesn't hurt to ask though.

Post by **Craig** » Tue Mar 06, 2012 8:11 am

You can also request to have the toggle switch
eliminated and instead have any of the pots changed to
a Push/Pull pot for the expander function.

Hope this helps.