asat classic and asat special

[cporro]

i'd had a bit of an epiphany. started out looking for a better strat and now heavily leaning toward a tele design. i played about 6 g&ls. s500, classic, asat classic, and special. no comanche.... yet. i've also listened to demos at proguitarshop of the classic and special asats. in the store i preferred the classic. in the videos i preferred the classic.

anyone want to take a stab at the sonic differences? i know they have different pickups. can the special ever sound like a classic? how about construction, like the bridge, would any of this effect the sound? i always had this idea that the pickups should be bolted down to the body. i don't know why but that always bugged me about my strat. and i see on some guitars they are. is this true of the classic?

i think i'm about to narrow things to the asat classic but i don't want to write off the special yet. to me the one special i played sounded more muted....jazzy, bluesy...whatever you want to call that. seems the classic has a more bell like tone.

is there any apples to apples comparison of the 2? like the nice s500 legacy comp on the g&l site? and see no comparison in the knowledge base. am i missing something?

thanks

[blargfromouterspace]

The main difference between the two (assuming you're not talking about the Classic Alnico, with the more traditional pickups in it) is the bridge, which itself has a big impact on the sound and feel of the guitar. You'll get a more traditional tele twang from the Classic (especially with the Alnico pickups), and while the Special can do those sorts of sounds too IMO they aren't as quite as authentic.

It sounds like your preference is for the Classic and my advice would be to go for that. Chances are you'll end up with a second one anyway

[meursault]

i have both... i like the classic more, it's clearer, more punch... i like the special too but it sounds more round, more smooth (rounder ? smoother , can i say that ?)...

i think the special is perfect for more soft jazzy style...

[cporro]

yes, was talking about the classic not alnico. good to hear others sharing my opinion. for me it takes some time to know a guitar. so my time in the store is subject to second guesses like "did i tweak the controls right? was the amp a good match? am i imagining that? are the looks of this guitar making it sound different?"

thanks.

[NickHorne]

Here's another vote for following your gut.
I think we all try to produce the "sounds in our head", and mostly succeed (unless we're playing something really unsuitable). But it's whether the process feels connected and natural, or alternatively not quite so ideal, that tells us whether or not a particular guitar suits our purpose.

[yowhatsshakin]

I have many of both. And each ASAT has a lot of similarities with any other. But none of them are the same. They each have their own personality. I betcha that even if we would take lest say all 20th Anniversary ASATs, a model picked just to limit a sample down to 50, none of them will sound exactly the same. So in the end it comes down to what NickHorne says: do you in the end connect with the instrument.

- Jos

[Ahryn]

Follow your gut, I listened to demos of the classic and the Special and even tried various classics.

In the end I went with my gut and followed the sound in my head and ordered an ASAT Special Deluxe without the maple cap.

I had never tried the big MFDs beforehand, and I fell in love with them

The only classics I would consider would be the now defunct ASAT Classic Custom or the new Solamente.

[cporro]

connecting with the instrument sounds ideal. but even in san francisco it requires a lot of driving to track down my soul mate guitar. or some luck. i'm light on luck so far.

so i'm thinking just get one and see how that goes. in 2 weeks i'll know if i like it. if not, back it goes on the market. that's essentially what i'm dong with my parker fly. sorry parker, you sound and feel too modern for me! but that neck!!

i am trying to narrow things as much as possible by playing some, listening to videos, and asking advice here. i feel i'm on the right path so thanks.

[KenC]

You could check out some of the big box stores that have good return policies on used instruments, and order one in. Sometimes good deals are out there. IIRC, Guitar Center has a current model SC-2 that's down to $500 - just as an example of what you could find to try out.

Ken

[meursault]

Here's another vote for following your gut.
I think we all try to produce the "sounds in our head", and mostly succeed (unless we're playing something really unsuitable). But it's whether the process feels connected and natural, or alternatively not quite so ideal, that tells us whether or not a particular guitar suits our purpose.

well... the first time, a year and a half, that i plugged my classic in my amp, i found it... no more GAS since then... well, even if i bought an asat last january... and considering the fact that it's impossible to see and try a SC-1 around here !