Another new Gibson guy buys G&L, joins forum

[Jim_H]

Hi all. It really is interesting the number of new owners here lately. I think we must be on to something (like a remarkably well built under-valued instrument.Shhh..)

I've been a Les Paul (home) player on and off for years. Recently I've discovered tone and been looking for a cleaner tone from several amps and wanting a Strat sound to go with it. I found a used Fender Deluxe American FMT Strat that felt best to me of all the Strats I tried, but when I went back to get it, it had been sold. I knew I wanted an affordable American=made quality guitar, and G&L came up as a name I was familiar with from guitar lessons in the early '80s (my local shop stocked them) and had owned a G&L L-2000 bass in the '90s.

So after some searching I came up with this killer deal on a used Legacy Deluxe 2012. I've gotta say this is not only on par with Strats I've played but absolutely blows away any sub-$1000 Ibanez or PRS. So far I think it's great quality for value. Question for those in the know: Is there any difference in quality (real or perceived) between the pre-91 and post-91 years for G&L (i.e. BBE years, or holy grail years, etc.)?

I'm sure I will have questions regarding mods, etc. later.

[Fumble fingers]

I like both for sure .... the Legacy is BBE era ..... the Leo era is the last of the hand built guitars , switches , ect might have been a better quality in the 80's verses the off shore stuff today and it's truly amazing how perfect Leo era guitars are for being hand built , true craftsmen back in the day .... but I like the features better on the BBE era like 12 radius for instance , medium jumbo stainless steel frets and theres no denying that the finish are way better now than Leo era , it's not like the build quality is bad on BBE , if anything it's better do to the accuracy of modern day CNC equipment it's just the Leo era is so sweet for hand built guitars on all models and the effort it took to bring a product to the consumer is mind boggling just like the tooling it took just to make a proto type guitar back in the day ...... my favorite Leo era guitars I had converted to medium jumbo frets because I just can't play the low/wide frets worth a darn ...... you need a collection of both Leo era and BBE era along with a assortment of BBE 3 bolt and 4 bolt neck

[guitar_ed]

Yeah. You need an assortment of various G&Ls.

edg

[Jim_H]

Thanks guys. That is really good info. And I will show this to my wife to justify future purchases

My first guitar when I took up lessons in the summer of '82 was a LP copy with a maple strat neck bolted on. Terrible but it did the job while I proved to my parents that I was serious about learning and playing. When it came time for them to buy me a step-up "real" guitar, I had my choice between G&L or Electra (pre-Westone). Even though it was Kieth Richards and Start Me Up on the radio in '82 that inspired me to play, I chose the Electra Phoenix because let's face it, I was a rocker at heart. But I now wonder what the value would be had I gone with the G&L. They had a beautiful black one there, I think it was an ASAT but not sure if those were in production that early.

Anyway I digress... btw, pics of my new Legacy Deluxe are in the G&L Porn section.

[KenC]

But I now wonder what the value would be had I gone with the G&L. They had a beautiful black one there, I think it was an ASAT but not sure if those were in production that early.

ASATs weren't around until April or May of '86, but the SC-2 came out in late '82 with similar pickups. The other models the one you passed up could have been an F-100, S-500, or an SC-1/2/3. The F-100 and S-500 go for about $700-800 now, and the SC-2 runs just south of $1,000. The SC-1 and SC-3 models are a bit more, due to their lower production numbers.

The one early G&L guitar that really went up in price is the G-200 (starting north of $2,000 these days), but they were not made with black finishes.

To your original question, I am a big fan of Leo-era instruments. BBE-era G&Ls have amazingly good construction, very consistent quality, great sound and finishes that beat just about anything else on the market. Leo-era instruments are hand-built, have neck joints so tight they might as well be set necks, and feel and sound amazing. The real draw for me, though, is the way that every one is a unique creation with its own personality and strong points. The guitar that's currently out next to me right now isn't just a Leo-era ASAT, it's an '86 ASAT with an unusually dense maple body, thin veneer ebony fretboard, plastic pickguard (unlike the anodized ones that came out a year later for better hum shielding), Kahler vibrato, and G&L locking nut (which means it has a different string path at the headstock than most G&Ls). The pickups on this one are a lot hotter than the ones on my other '86 ASAT, but not quite as hot as the ones on an '88 ASAT I sold a couple of years ago. I'm not sure if it's because of the density of the maple body, the variability in pickups due to hand-winding, the bridge and headstock, or some combination, but it is an entirely different guitar to play than my other maple/ebony '86. I mention the details just to give an idea of some of the Leo-era appeal for me at least.

One other thing about the Leo-era that is absent for the most part in later years was the experimentation with new designs and the brilliant ideas that never caught on in the marketplace. Just look to the Interceptors (two versions of an X-body guitar, plus an amazingly comfortable bass), the Cavalier, the G-200 or the SC-1 as examples. I haven't had the chance to play an X-body Interceptor, but the other ones I mentioned are wonderful designs that you won't find anywhere outside of the world of Leo-era G&Ls.

Ken

[Jim_H]

Wow, thanks Ken - you really know your stuff!

Thanks for the rundown on the Leo & BBE era hallmarks. Regarding the G&L models you mentioned from the early '80s, I distinctly remember there being a red-tipped mini switch so I'm guessing it would have been the F-100.

There was recently an F-100 Return Edition for sale locally asking $699. And when I say locally, I mean, the guy ended up being in my same town. But after some research (i.e. other people's opinions) the F-100 didn't seem like it would sound "Strat-like" enough for what I wanted so I passed on it. I'm glad I held out for the Legacy Deluxe.

I am tempted to go look at a used limited edition Legacy Mahogany (2004?) that is for sale locally for $799. Any opinions on how it would feel/sound compared to the Deluxe? Same mahogany body but with plastic pickguard instead of maple top, and a gloss painted neck (with rosewood board, like my Legacy) that feels a little thicker and the radius seems rounder than my Legacy's 12.