ASAT Super

[GeorgeB]

Hi all,

First post here.

Owning a selection of G&L basses and playing guitar as well I thought it's time for a G&L guitar as well (my last buy was 15yrs back). I was dreaming up my favorites with the online builder and had already it narrowed down to a hardtail Legacy Deluxe or HB2, ebony FB, big neck and all. I then went to my G&L dealer to discuss the options and to try some guitars to get some general feeling, focussing on Strat-bodied specimen, Tributes as well as US models. Well, all was quite nice, perhaps the necks typically felt a bit slim for my tastes, and some were sort of boat anchors.

Then I spotted that sunburst ASAT Super hanging on the shop wall, then unknown to me. I never was a Tele man, let alone one with a slab body, so ASATs were not on my mind, initially. I looked at it closer, played it and was immediately struck. Everything felt so right on this guitar and i find it's a masterpiece of art, aesthetically, everything falls in place so naturally and workmanship is 100% flawless.

I went home undecided... couldn't get it out of my mind, did some research on the net, figured out it's a rarebird... and ended up buying it. I can get a standard G&L with my options anytime but I won't get a second chance on this one any time soon and it's quite close to what I had in mind, well, except for being Tele-bodied. But it is a light-weight guitar and thanks to the rounded edges it still feels comfortable, the slight neck dive also is not an issue. I'll sure have to reconsider my previous thinking of Teles not being very ergonomic.

There is one sore spot though, which is not excatly specific to this G&L but applies to many guitars, and that is zero shielding. IMHO, third millenium guitars need a fully RF-tight shield job including the pickups, singlecoils or not. Today we have so much more disturbed electrical conditions, given all those CFL lamps, switch-mode power supplies, computers, CRTs, WLAN and cell phone networks etc than 30yrs before. With clean amp settings and tone control rolled back this is not much a problem but when you enter heavy crunch territory on the bridge pup with tone full open there can be a lot of buzz/noise/static when electro-smog levels are high. While G&L's attention to detail and usability is extremely high, in general and on this guitar, they missed the shielding isssue.

Of course part of the "noise problem" is from the single-coil nature of the beast, then again in the middle position the high frequency buzz/static is not any lower which is sign of no shielding, together with the huge increase of buzz once the hands don't touch metal parts. On a perfectly shielded guitar there is no difference whether you touch the bridge/strings or not, IME.

So a full shield job is needed (like on any other guitar/bass I've owned, for that matter) and while I'm at it, I'll try to install and dial in some DIY dummy coils to remove the magnetic interference to get a truly silent guitar in all modes. Those will be of this exiticing large size, low impedance coil type that will fit nicely into the lower bout's chamber.


Other than that commonplace electrical issues, the guitar is able to make me perfectly happy and will continue to do so for years. It's sustain and sensitivity to the touch is to die for, the sligtly D'ish and substantial neck shape suits me fine, the pups are amazing -- I've seen comments of people not to happy with these overwounds but I dig their beefy yet articulate tone very much.

Thanks to G&L for putting out this fine and unique guitar.


Sorry for the crappy pic, will post better ones in the "porn" thread sometime.

Cheers, George

[louis cyfer]

the noise that happens when you don't touch the strings is your body causing the interference. when you touch the strings, you ground yourself, thus stop being the antenna for interference. shielding the guitar has nothing to do with you acting as an antenna, and you need to be grounded for that to stop.

[yowhatsshakin]

Hi again George,

I see you posetd the picture here (crappy or not) so the guitar indeed does exist! Supers are great instruments with their chambered hog bodies ad overwound pups. I love mine too. Great score and happy to know some can be found in old Europe too

- Jos

[Fumble fingers]

the super is a hollow body with no F hole ?? ...... sweet guitar , I like the matching headstock

[meursault]

wow... sexy beast !

[GeorgeB]

the noise that happens when you don't touch the strings is your body causing the interference. when you touch the strings, you ground yourself, thus stop being the antenna for interference. shielding the guitar has nothing to do with you acting as an antenna, and you need to be grounded for that to stop.

While this is basically true, it misses the core point. When you touch strings on an unshielded guitar, you (i) stop your body from being a sending antenna as you say, and (ii) provide some weak shielding for the receiving antenna (unshielded hot conductors in the guitar) because the body is grounded. That's the normal sceanario.

Now, once you have a full shield installed (incl. pups, with grounded pole pieces), there is no receiving antenna anymore to pickup any electrostatic fields. In this case, grounding you body is neither needed nor actually any better. You basically want as little noise currents to flow in cable shields as any possible, because noise current flowing in the cable shield causes a bit of signal disturbance, too. Cables are not perfect.

[GeorgeB]

the super is a hollow body with no F hole ?? ...... sweet guitar , I like the matching headstock

Yeah, it took me a moment to figure that out as well because unplugged it didn't sound like a solidbody and that confused me. When you tap the body with your knuckles or fingernails you actually hear the transition from the solid centerpiece (which seems to be a bit wider that the pickups) to the chambered sections on both sides.

I'll check if there is a ventilation hole for the upper chamber because I've seen those crazy pics of hollowbodies sans F that literally blew up?!? If can't find one, I'll probably drill a tiny hole starting in bridge pickup routing. Anybody think that's a bad idea?

I haven't played it much over my amps yet but the chambers seem to provoke some feedback at just the right level, single notes sing and chords ring in overtones forever, even with rather clean amp settings, running at stage levels.

[GeorgeB]

Hi again George,

I see you posetd the picture here (crappy or not) so the guitar indeed does exist! Supers are great instruments with their chambered hog bodies ad overwound pups. I love mine too. Great score and happy to know some can be found in old Europe too

- Jos

I admit reading your posts was helping a lot to pull the trigger on the Super.

The guitar seemingly sat in the store for like two years, collecting a bit of stain on the frets. G&L runs a low profile, the Super is a rather costly model unknown to the world plus I can imagine many people are (too) quick to dismiss it as a wanna-be P90 Les Paul in a Tele form factor, a guitar with an identity crisis of sorts. Tastes are different, I like this split personality thing when it is well done.

I tried some different tunings these days, again my ASAT Super shines in that the sweetspot seems to be right on E standard tuning. Eb standard doesn't work well for example, some of the strong neck and body resonances happen to lie on frequencies of open strings and/or their harmonics for that tuning, making it rather dead sounding. In E standard (or drop-D) the few spots with less than stellar sustain happen to be on less important notes (I'm not a Jazzer, mind you) and open strings and harmonics are fat and chimey.


So far the only mod (except the pending electrics) was to mount two Graphtec string trees. The second one on D & G wasn't exactly needed because the was only little "sitaring" on the open G thanks to the excellent tuners with tapered shafts. Still I prefer the somewhat fatter and dryer sound with the string tree in place, putting more force on the nut. For the same reason I raised the bridge saddles considerably (also to avoid their Allen screws protruding), I had to shim the neck a little to get a proper range of adjustable action.

[darwinohm]

George, that is a sweet looking guitar. I also have one chambered G&L with no F hole and have thought about drilling a small hole like you described to prevent what happened to Louis's guitar. I looks like you know what you are looking for in your setup and I have shimmed the neck on a couple for the same reason. I don't want any saddles resting on the bridgeplate. That is a very nice wood grain. -- Darwin

[louis cyfer]

the super is a hollow body with no F hole ?? ...... sweet guitar , I like the matching headstock

Yeah, it took me a moment to figure that out as well because unplugged it didn't sound like a solidbody and that confused me. When you tap the body with your knuckles or fingernails you actually hear the transition from the solid centerpiece (which seems to be a bit wider that the pickups) to the chambered sections on both sides.

I'll check if there is a ventilation hole for the upper chamber because I've seen those crazy pics of hollowbodies sans F that literally blew up?!? If can't find one, I'll probably drill a tiny hole starting in bridge pickup routing. Anybody think that's a bad idea?

I haven't played it much over my amps yet but the chambers seem to provoke some feedback at just the right level, single notes sing and chords ring in overtones forever, even with rather clean amp settings, running at stage levels.

i don't think g&l puts in a ventilation whole, and it is indeed a very good idea for you to do it. going from the bridge pup is a perfect solution.

[GeorgeB]

i don't think g&l puts in a ventilation whole, and it is indeed a very good idea for you to do it. going from the bridge pup is a perfect solution.

At the moment I'm not hard pressed (sic!) to do something about it, the top mirrors light perfectly flat. And the only way I can think of what could produce pressure after assembly is some funghi growing inside the chamber or whatnot ( ).
Certainly not a stock feature.
I'll check back with a luthier, anyway. I think having a small hole driled there would not affect warranty so I'm gonna go for it.

[Boogie Bill]

The Super is a very nice guitar. I'm not a tele guy either, but that one really got me major G.A.S. Beauty!

As to shielding: One of the best ways to do sheilding is with conductive paint. I had a Les Paul Special back in the the day and had it sheilded by a luthier. He used foil and paint in the cavities, and used paint under the pickup covers. It helped some, definitely and noticeably quieter, but certainly didn't completely cure the problem. One thing to be wary of though, is that with some of the G&L pickups, it can be very difficult to remove that plastic cover without ruining the pickup. There have been some horror stories about trying to sheild ASAT pickups--perhaps our moderator Craig can help clue you in on any issues. It's definitely a job for a knowledgeable and experienced pro.

Most of the time, noise isn't a big problem for me. When I'm playing out live, you have the music masking it, and I'm usually pretty good about rolling off my volume at the end of a song. In recording a single coil guitar, you want to set yourself up so that in moving around the amp, you're in the null spot. Position in relationship to the amp is key to minimizing noise. Can't always do that in a club, but in a studio you should be able to find a spot where the noise is minimal.

That said, it certainly can't hurt. It's a shame more manufacturer's don't do a better job of sheilding. I think most of them see it as a very time-consuming, labor-intensive step in the production process--one that doesn't give them much return. Some guys are willing to spend $100--$200 on aftermarket sheilding, but many guys don't need it and would balk at having that amount added to their purchase price. I could see it being a factory option--like a nav system or DVD player in a car, but I doubt G&L would make any money doing it.

As for drilling a hole...I don't think you need to do that, but I could be wrong. But if I were a customer service rep and you drilled a hole in your guitar to fix some non-existent problem--and then you came to me with a problem--I wouldn't be inclined to honor the warranty.

I know Gibson will not honor warranty claims on guitars that have been modded. I'm told that if you have a Les Paul with a neck problem and you send it back with after-market pickups and an RS kit installed, your warranty is voided--even though the mods may have nothing to do with the neck issue. Mesa is real particular about using their tubes in their amps--and they say they will void your warranty if you have a problem with your amp caused by a after-market tube. I can think of some other companies that have similar policies, and some that are more forgiving. Warranties are a serious issue for any manufacturer.

So if it were me, I'd have to really think twice about doing a "ventilation hole"--if it were going to mess up my 10-year warranty.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the Super, and that it puts a smile on your face for many years to come.

Bill

[GeorgeB]

Bill,
You've raised some good points here, and you're right in that I should certainly think twice before having holes drilled etc.

As for shielding, the hard part is to really get it to 100% coverage if any possible. I like to use copper spray which is expensive but very low surface resistance. Still the best thing is to build an "airtight" enclosure from solid copper foil (8mils, 0.2mm) around the pots, switch(es) and jack, and connect the pups with shielded cables. Shielding the pup's internals will be the harder part, I hope the caps come off easily.

Shielding pups themselves -- additionally to their cavities -- will be the last step of shielding (if required, that is) because all of that makes not much sense without installing those large cancelling coils first to get rid of the of the magnetic hum. I just ordered some kinds of magnet wire for that and am exited to see how that works out, with a spare SC I have lying around. Probably the residual is strong enough to render fully shielded pups useless... I'll see.

Played the guitar today over a bandmate's Twin, what a joy that was!

[Lefty]

The Super is a very nice guitar. I'm not a tele guy either, but that one really got me major G.A.S. Beauty!

As to shielding: One of the best ways to do sheilding is with conductive paint. I had a Les Paul Special back in the the day and had it sheilded by a luthier. He used foil and paint in the cavities, and used paint under the pickup covers. It helped some, definitely and noticeably quieter, but certainly didn't completely cure the problem. One thing to be wary of though, is that with some of the G&L pickups, it can be very difficult to remove that plastic cover without ruining the pickup. There have been some horror stories about trying to sheild ASAT pickups--perhaps our moderator Craig can help clue you in on any issues. It's definitely a job for a knowledgeable and experienced pro.

Most of the time, noise isn't a big problem for me. When I'm playing out live, you have the music masking it, and I'm usually pretty good about rolling off my volume at the end of a song. In recording a single coil guitar, you want to set yourself up so that in moving around the amp, you're in the null spot. Position in relationship to the amp is key to minimizing noise. Can't always do that in a club, but in a studio you should be able to find a spot where the noise is minimal.

That said, it certainly can't hurt. It's a shame more manufacturer's don't do a better job of sheilding. I think most of them see it as a very time-consuming, labor-intensive step in the production process--one that doesn't give them much return. Some guys are willing to spend $100--$200 on aftermarket sheilding, but many guys don't need it and would balk at having that amount added to their purchase price. I could see it being a factory option--like a nav system or DVD player in a car, but I doubt G&L would make any money doing it.

As for drilling a hole...I don't think you need to do that, but I could be wrong. But if I were a customer service rep and you drilled a hole in your guitar to fix some non-existent problem--and then you came to me with a problem--I wouldn't be inclined to honor the warranty.

I know Gibson will not honor warranty claims on guitars that have been modded. I'm told that if you have a Les Paul with a neck problem and you send it back with after-market pickups and an RS kit installed, your warranty is voided--even though the mods may have nothing to do with the neck issue. Mesa is real particular about using their tubes in their amps--and they say they will void your warranty if you have a problem with your amp caused by a after-market tube. I can think of some other companies that have similar policies, and some that are more forgiving. Warranties are a serious issue for any manufacturer.

So if it were me, I'd have to really think twice about doing a "ventilation hole"--if it were going to mess up my 10-year warranty.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the Super, and that it puts a smile on your face for many years to come.

Bill

+1 - Adding shielding might void the warranty too!

[Fumble fingers]

or email the factory and see if its OK to drill a vent hole ..... that pict of the one that blew up is just terrible , I sure wouldn't want that to happen to one of my guitars

[NickHorne]

+1 on Bill's warning about removing pickup covers!!
Many years ago, I ruined a Z-coil in 2 second flat by removing its cover.
When I posted about the incident here, Will Ray replied that he had once trashed an entire set of three, the same way. It's not like a Strat where you can just keep taking them off and putting them on again and again; the coils are often lightly touching the inside of the covers, and the wax can make them adhere, so moving the cover breaks the wire. Nowadays I gently tape the cover to the baseplate if I ever have to take a pup out of the guitar.
That said, they're perfectly robust in use, safely inside the guitar.

But I really do doubt that you will want to screen the pups themselves. Once you have done all the cavity work, you should be fine.
And that should also make it completely unnecessary to use coax. That would involve dismantling the pup too, and if the cavity around a cable is screened thoroughly, the cable itself doesn't need to be at all; it wouldn't make any difference.

Great looking guitar you have!

[GeorgeB]

Hi Nick,
Thanks for this detailed info. So OK, I will *not* touch the pups given these delicacies, shielding their cavities etc has to do it, plus finding the best polarity.

I've played the guitar for a few hours now, at different locations, it all depends on the electric conditions there. At the rehearsal/recording space it's pretty OK but at home (downtown) and in the office (industrial zone) everthing is quite a noisy mess. Even my fully shielded Samick GL-650 with 'buckers, or any of my basses for that matter, is always having a hard time there.

Again, thanks everybody for your opinions and experiences, much appreciated.

[thecajunboy]

Supers are bad ass. Congrats.

Somebody send me some links on the blown up guitar thing. Sounds fishy to me. I want to read up on that, and I can't find much with a Google search.

[louis cyfer]

Supers are bad ass. Congrats.

Somebody send me some links on the blown up guitar thing. Sounds fishy to me. I want to read up on that, and I can't find much with a Google search.

it's not fishy. it is mine. what do you want to know?

[thecajunboy]

Pics and the story would get me going. Sounds interesting.

[louis cyfer]

Pics and the story would get me going. Sounds interesting.

story is simple. open the case at home, not hot, in airconditioned house, and the top is literally blown off the body on the upper bout. played and sounded fine still, played a gig that weekend with it. i still have the body, i can glue it back and refinish it in solid color.

[thecajunboy]

Truly interesting. Is there an official story or theory as to what happened? Seems that there was an overpressure of the chamber, but what could cause that? I'm thinking of different things that might have happened, but none make much sense.

[louis cyfer]

Truly interesting. Is there an official story or theory as to what happened? Seems that there was an overpressure of the chamber, but what could cause that? I'm thinking of different things that might have happened, but none make much sense.

nobody has been able to figure it out. no official theory. but a release hole would have prevented it. i think g&l should put one in, just drilling from the bridge pup route through the block to the upper bout. it would not add cost, maybe 30 seconds to do during production.

[sirmyghin]

Wow Louis, I can't say I have ever heard of or seen that before. Sounds like your luck with the odds is about as good as mine, unfortunately such chance goes both ways and you gotta take both sides.

I will also chime in saying I have not the slightest clue how that much pressure could build up inside a guitar.. Very odd.

[blargfromouterspace]

I'll check if there is a ventilation hole for the upper chamber because I've seen those crazy pics of hollowbodies sans F that literally blew up?!? If can't find one, I'll probably drill a tiny hole starting in bridge pickup routing. Anybody think that's a bad idea?

That was a rare thing. On a guitar as old as the one you have I'm sure if it was going to happen in would have by now. If you have to ventilate it just remove the top strap button screw, the hole for it should go into the cavity.

[louis cyfer]

I'll check if there is a ventilation hole for the upper chamber because I've seen those crazy pics of hollowbodies sans F that literally blew up?!? If can't find one, I'll probably drill a tiny hole starting in bridge pickup routing. Anybody think that's a bad idea?

That was a rare thing. On a guitar as old as the one you have I'm sure if it was going to happen in would have by now. If you have to ventilate it just remove the top strap button screw, the hole for it should go into the cavity.

mine was 5 years old when it happened. that screw indeed goes into that cavity, but obviously seals air tight when screwed in. i don't think the idea is to ventilate it from time to time, but to have a pressure release hole at all times. put it this way, putting in a tiny hole can not hurt anything, but if it prevents it, however unlikely for it to happen, it's an easy decision.

[Lazer]

Don't believe it can be air tight, a much more probable scenario is different expansion rates
in top vs body due to humidity change. This can create serious pressure.

Cheers
L-zr

[louis cyfer]

Don't believe it can be air tight, a much more probable scenario is different expansion rates
in top vs body due to humidity change. This can create serious pressure.

Cheers
L-zr

the top and body same the same wood and the lower bout was fine where there is pressure relief. it can certainly be airtight, it better be actually, otherwise it would mean pretty shoddy workmanship, as the fit would have to be pretty bad.

[GeorgeB]

I'll check if there is a ventilation hole for the upper chamber because I've seen those crazy pics of hollowbodies sans F that literally blew up?!? If can't find one, I'll probably drill a tiny hole starting in bridge pickup routing. Anybody think that's a bad idea?

That was a rare thing. On a guitar as old as the one you have I'm sure if it was going to happen in would have by now. If you have to ventilate it just remove the top strap button screw, the hole for it should go into the cavity.

I did not notice that when I changed buttons to strap locks the other day but it seems you are right, the screw is quite long and the pre-drill most likely made it through that 1.5...2in. of wood, thanks for pointing to this. I did not notice any pressure relief type of noise when I loosened the screw. It's not exactly an old guitar, though, it's from the 2010 run.

[Craig]

I'll check if there is a ventilation hole for the upper chamber because I've seen those crazy pics of hollowbodies sans F that literally blew up?!? If can't find one, I'll probably drill a tiny hole starting in bridge pickup routing. Anybody think that's a bad idea?

That was a rare thing. On a guitar as old as the one you have I'm sure if it was going to happen in would have by now. If you have to ventilate it just remove the top strap button screw, the hole for it should go into the cavity.

I did not notice that when I changed buttons to strap locks the other day but it seems you are right, the screw is quite long and the pre-drill most likely made it through that 1.5...2in. of wood, thanks for pointing to this. I did not notice any pressure relief type of noise when I loosened the screw. It's not exactly an old guitar, though, it's from the 2010 run.

Here's what the semi-hollow routes look like:

.

Notice that there is solid wood between the chambers, so the strap button will be mounted into solid wood.

[louis cyfer]

I'll check if there is a ventilation hole for the upper chamber because I've seen those crazy pics of hollowbodies sans F that literally blew up?!? If can't find one, I'll probably drill a tiny hole starting in bridge pickup routing. Anybody think that's a bad idea?

That was a rare thing. On a guitar as old as the one you have I'm sure if it was going to happen in would have by now. If you have to ventilate it just remove the top strap button screw, the hole for it should go into the cavity.

I did not notice that when I changed buttons to strap locks the other day but it seems you are right, the screw is quite long and the pre-drill most likely made it through that 1.5...2in. of wood, thanks for pointing to this. I did not notice any pressure relief type of noise when I loosened the screw. It's not exactly an old guitar, though, it's from the 2010 run.

Here's what the semi-hollow routes look like:

.

Notice that there is solid wood between the chambers, so the strap button will be mounted into solid wood.

thank you for the pic. nice to see how it's actually done. the one on the upper horn is what jamie mentioned. that one does go into the cavity.

[Craig]

You are welcome and you are correct about the upper horn strap button going into the chamber.

[darwinohm]

After looking at Louis' guitar body and thinking about it, this is not a chamber pressure problem. If it were, the wood would have lifted enough to release the pressure and stayed very close to the body. This is an example of a piece of wood that has developed a severe warp in the grain, upward over time. Wood can curl and twist and I think this is a classic example. Not a chamber pressure blowout. I doubt that a pressure hole would have made any difference. My opinion for what it's worth. No doubt in my mind, a defective piece of wood on the top.-- Darwin

[louis cyfer]

After looking at Louis' guitar body and thinking about it, this is not a chamber pressure problem. If it were, the wood would have lifted enough to release the pressure and stayed very close to the body. This is an example of a piece of wood that has developed a severe warp in the grain, upward over time. Wood can curl and twist and I think this is a classic example. Not a chamber pressure blowout. I doubt that a pressure hole would have made any difference. My opinion for what it's worth. No doubt in my mind, a defective piece of wood on the top.-- Darwin

interesting theory, but the top lays back perfectly i even played it that weekend and nobody noticed it. i think the wood held until the pressure was too much, and when it gave, it gave violently.

[darwinohm]

After looking again Louis, is that a piece of wood lodged under the edge holding it up. I thought the wood stayed like it is showed in the picture. If it laid down afterward, I am wrong!-- Darwin

[louis cyfer]

After looking again Louis, is that a piece of wood lodged under the edge holding it up. I thought the wood stayed like it is showed in the picture. If it laid down afterward, I am wrong!-- Darwin

it did lay down. that is a piece of the bracing of the top that was holding it up.

[darwinohm]

Louis, you must have really been smokin' the neck, the heat transferred down and it blew up. Maybe a cool pearloid pickguard would have prevented it. -- Darwin

[Elwood]

Or maybe one of the G&L Gnomes fell asleep in there before the final glue up ,
( he's probably living off of cat food and leftover sushi).

[thecajunboy]

Seriously guys, a freaking vent hole? Didn't any of y'all take chemistry in high school? Simple calculations using ideal gas laws illustrate that if we take that guitar at 60F and put it in a room at 120F (which by the way is not what happened here), the resultant pressure rise in a constant volume would only be about 1.5 PSI above atmospheric pressure. Most of us can blow that much pressure. Ask yourself, do you think you could blow up that guitar by mouth?

Given that there is no evidence, or mention of such, that would indicate an exothermic reaction, we have to believe that this was not a case of an overpressure in the chamber, therefore it's vent hole schment hole.

I'd give some thought to the idea of bad or warped wood, but it laid back down. Even if it hadn't, I'd have a hard time believing that there was enough stored energy in that top to rip itself apart.

Without a substantial argument for either of these causes, I'm going with the most common cause of catastrophic damage to guitars. Sudden, forceful impact.

[louis cyfer]

Seriously guys, a freaking vent hole? Didn't any of y'all take chemistry in high school? Simple calculations using ideal gas laws illustrate that if we take that guitar at 60F and put it in a room at 120F (which by the way is not what happened here), the resultant pressure rise in a constant volume would only be about 1.5 PSI above atmospheric pressure. Most of us can blow that much pressure. Ask yourself, do you think you could blow up that guitar by mouth?

Given that there is no evidence, or mention of such, that would indicate an exothermic reaction, we have to believe that this was not a case of an overpressure in the chamber, therefore it's vent hole schment hole.

I'd give some thought to the idea of bad or warped wood, but it laid back down. Even if it hadn't, I'd have a hard time believing that there was enough stored energy in that top to rip itself apart.

Without a substantial argument for either of these causes, I'm going with the most common cause of catastrophic damage to guitars. Sudden, forceful impact.

there was no sudden forceful impact, there is no damage of any sign from the outside, the guitar had never been dropped.

[GeorgeB]

Some sad news on my ASAT Super... the other day I discovered the ebony fretboard had developped a quite visible crack at the heel end about 2" long, perpendicular to the frets. Also the finish has cracked at the junction of FB and neck. I know ebony is very brittle and difficult to work with, prone to cracking and chipping. Climate changes are benign where I live plus I have other instruments with ebony boards that never showed any issues over years and of course I massaged the FB with lemon oil on a regular basis... I have no idea what happened.
The crack probably doesn't affect stability and tone at all but it sort of ruins the look and the value of that superb guitar. Looks like I have to bring it to a luthier for a in-depth diagnose and repair

[jeffmarshall67]

I'm not drilling any holes in my Jr's or my Super. Guess I will just live on the edge!

[ronnywatson]

I just got my ASAT Super in today and man it sounds amazing!