asat classic signature?

[justin1991]

Hey guys. Im new to the forum and to g&l guitars.
Im thinking about buying a used asat but i have a few questions.
The one Im looking at has a sunburst maple body with a maple fretboard.
I have seen the signature classics with a rosewood fretboard and i was wondering if they had the option for the maple fretboard? I don't have any pictures i can post yet.
Also if it is an original signature would it be worth $1000?
Thanks for any help!!

[KenC]

Hi Justin,

I'm sure they were also made with maple boards. For the most part the Signature Series were identical to their non-signature counterparts in terms of options and features. The only difference was getting the decal under the finish.

It's hard to say on pricing without seeing pictures and knowing about the condition. I'd say that $1000 is toward the upper end of the reasonable price range for an ASAT Classic Sig, but having a maple body would definitely boost the value. Any figure in the body or neck would boost the value even more. Production had gone almost entirely to swamp ash by the time the Classics and Sigs came out, so this guitar will be a bit uncommon.

I have no experience with maple ASAT Classics, but plenty with maple ASATs. I suspect the Classic pickups would pair very nicely with maple.

Ken

[justin1991]

Ok cool. Thanks for the info.
I was just trying to be sure and not get a parts guitar.
The guitar is in great condition with some figure in the wood.
Im gonna try to get him to come down on the price a little just so i can try and get a better deal.
Thanks again!

[KenC]

You're welcome.

Assuming the body is genuine (who would fake a Leo Sig G&L when they could get a better price faking a Fender?), I would look for a couple of sure G&L signs:

- A Leo Sig G&L will have a bi-cut neck. If you're not familiar, these would start out as a single piece of maple and be cut lengthwise to insert the truss rod. The two sides would be glued back together, leaving a barely faint line where the grain doesn't match exactly. This was a patented process, so it wouldn't be found on a one-off parts neck. Be aware that the joint line can be very hard to see in many cases.

- The pickups will be G&L Magetic Field Designs (MFDs). I don't have a Leo-era ASAT Classic for comparison, but I believe you will see a G&L logo on both pickups. The neck pickup has a plastic cover with adjustable pole pieces, unlike the metal-covered one found on Teles.

- The bridge plate should have a G&L logo.

- The neck will attach with a black, three-bolt plate. The serial number (G0XXXXX) will be on the neck plate.

If you can get the serial number, I would cross-check it against the G&L Registry on this site. I've found the serial number lookup to fail sometimes, but if you search on the ASAT Classic Signature model there shouldn't be a lot of them to wade through.

If you get this guitar and it isn't registered, please enter it. Some photos in the G&L Porn section would be nice too...

Ken

[Craig]

Hey guys. Im new to the forum and to g&l guitars.
Im thinking about buying a used asat but i have a few questions.
The one Im looking at has a sunburst maple body with a maple fretboard.
I have seen the signature classics with a rosewood fretboard and i was wondering if they had the option for the maple fretboard? I don't have any pictures i can post yet.
Also if it is an original signature would it be worth $1000?
Thanks for any help!!

Here's the Suggested Price List page showing the Signature Guitar Series listings for 1990:



We also have over 90 AC Signature Series with Maple fretboard in the G&L Registry.

Hope this helps.