New g&l owner and a few questions

[madrileno]

Hi everybody and thanks for this fantastic board devoted to g&l. I’m a new proud owner of a USA ASAT deluxe but, I’m an inexperienced guitar player and new to G&L so I can use some advice from you guys.

I learned about G&L not long ago searching in the internet for a HH telecaster guitar type, I started playing a few months ago and never touched a real quality guitar, so when I saw a very good deal on a used American g&l deluxe I decided to pull the trigger and buy it, even knowing that I’m miles away to really squeeze all the good things from such a guitar.
The former owner was not a prolific player also I guess, the guitar was missing a string and the remaining strings were rusted to dead, so most likely the guitar was sitting in a closet for years.

I Cleaned the guitar and replaced the strings, with 10-46. The guitar resonates loudly and you can feel the quality of the woods, but it’s probably missing a good setup, as string tension seems to high, giving it a “hard” feeling (compared to another 25’5 guitar I have also with 10-46 strings). Also the action is not bad, but I feel it could be a lot better for such a quality guitar, my other guitar, a mim made stratocaster has lower action. ¿Will a good setup make the strings feel softer with same gauge? Or is just how the guitar should feel. The nut feels like good material, but the strings seems to be “buried” in the string rails, not sure if this is how American g&l nuts are cut by default.

Last question, while the maple top in the guitar is beautiful, it’s natural finished, so the guitar looks a little bit bland (with maple neck also). Do you know guys if it is possible to refinish only the top? Changing to a sunburst, or prs-like finish In a bright color I think will make the guitar look a lot better, but I rather let it stay as it is than paying a ton for a complete re-finish.

Thanks everyone and I hope to learn a lot about g&l reading in this board.

[Craig]

Hi everybody and thanks for this fantastic board devoted to g&l. I’m a new proud owner of a USA ASAT deluxe but, I’m an inexperienced guitar player and new to G&L so I can use some advice from you guys.

I learned about G&L not long ago searching in the internet for a HH telecaster guitar type, I started playing a few months ago and never touched a real quality guitar, so when I saw a very good deal on a used American g&l deluxe I decided to pull the trigger and buy it, even knowing that I’m miles away to really squeeze all the good things from such a guitar.
The former owner was not a prolific player also I guess, the guitar was missing a string and the remaining strings were rusted to dead, so most likely the guitar was sitting in a closet for years.

I Cleaned the guitar and replaced the strings, with 10-46. The guitar resonates loudly and you can feel the quality of the woods, but it’s probably missing a good setup, as string tension seems to high, giving it a “hard” feeling (compared to another 25’5 guitar I have also with 10-46 strings). Also the action is not bad, but I feel it could be a lot better for such a quality guitar, my other guitar, a mim made stratocaster has lower action. ¿Will a good setup make the strings feel softer with same gauge? Or is just how the guitar should feel. The nut feels like good material, but the strings seems to be “buried” in the string rails, not sure if this is how American g&l nuts are cut by default.

Last question, while the maple top in the guitar is beautiful, it’s natural finished, so the guitar looks a little bit bland (with maple neck also). Do you know guys if it is possible to refinish only the top? Changing to a sunburst, or prs-like finish In a bright color I think will make the guitar look a lot better, but I rather let it stay as it is than paying a ton for a complete re-finish.

Thanks everyone and I hope to learn a lot about g&l reading in this board.

Welcome!

In case you have not seen this, here's a post to get you familiar with our site: Welcome! Read This First.
You will also find a link to our Tutorial so that you can post some photos of your ASAT Deluxe.

For current factory setup see the G&L Knowledgebase, G&L Tech Tips sub-forum.

It probably is possible to have the top refinished, but you would need to find a well qualified person to do it and it would likely be very expensive.

[LeeW]

Welcome, and congrats on your new (to you) G&L. A good setup can make all the difference. If you decide to refinish, I've only ever heard good things about Marty Bell finishing.

[Smoochimoto]

Hello Madrileno. Congrats on your purchase. Don't worry about having a guitar that you think is above your ability. First, it ain't true, second, having an instrument that is well made and sounds killer will inspire you to play more and improve. A good guitar tech should have no difficulty lowering the action on your instrument. and will probably tweak the intonation as part of the deal. An experienced tech will also ask questions about what kind of music you play and who some of your favorite guitar players are in an attempt to tailor your guitar's set up to that style of playing. If you're good with your hands, can measure accurately, and have a tuner you can probably do it yourself even if it takes a couple tries. There's lots of good resources on the web to learn how to do it properly.

As far as refinishing your guitar, that is NOT a diy project. The procedures are very different depending on the finish type, the sealer used under the finish, and there are specialized and somewhat expensive tools required. I'm part owner of this shop, http://www.rickhayesinstruments.com/guitars and it's not something I would undertake lightly, because I'm not familiar with the clearcoat properties. It makes a huge difference whether an instrument is finished in water based or solvent based products, and whether its polyurethane, polyester, or nitro lacquer. They all "play" by different rules which must be adhered to in order to get a good end result.

If its something you want to have done, get LOTS of references, and ask to see photos of refinished instruments. Most pros have an album like that, its their best sales tool.

Good luck and enjoy your instrument!

[madrileno]

Thanks everyone for your tips, definitely the refinish will wait. As soon as I have some time the guitar will visit a good luthier.