The place to discuss, post photos, video, and audio of the G&L products (US instruments, stomp boxes, etc.) produced after 1991, including the amps & gear we use with them.
Looking for help and opinions. Currently four used ASATs on the internet have caught my eye. All are priced within $100 of each other, in good to excellent condition, case included. I own one ASAT: an ASAT Junior.
Which would you choose and why?
1. ASAT Deluxe, ca. 2005, Duncan bridge pickup and (G&L?) neck pup, toggle for coil split (not push/pull pot); upgrades: birdseye maple neck, gun oil tint.
2. ASAT with three pickups, unknown year (BBE era), three (assume G&L?) pickups all in one pickguard (like pre-BBE ASAT III, unlike ASAT Classic 3 or Classic S with box steel bridge); upgrade: top binding.
3. ASAT (Special), pre-BBE, maple body, maple fretboard, crinkle hardware.
4. ASAT 25th Anniversary.
I was fortunate to buy a pre bbe ASAT back in December . So for me your choice is a no brainer. Buy the crinkle ASAT and don't look back . Tons of good vibes in those old guitars. You need at least ONE Leo era G&L , but the caveat is that you won't stop looking for # TWO ( that would be a first body SC-2 for me )
4 and 2 could possibly be flipped. A Will Ray Signature ASAT could go 1 or 2 as well.
Why this order? The ASAT is pre BBE, sounds fantastic especially with maple body and has all the old vibe. The 25th has some killer tone with the old model pups, is a Custom Creation and does have a chunkier neck if you like that. The ASAT III is a different beast but has all the sounds you can squeeze from three pups and you found a pre BBE as well. The Deluxe would be the choice if you want heavier tones.
Just my .02 but you can't go wrong with any of them but beware, you will wind up getting one of each, I did!
Thanks all. Some good observations there. I should add that I do have one Leo-era guitar (a Skyhawk acquired a year ago that is astounding), so I'm already in the realm of "once you have one, you'll want two!"
Part of my thinking is that I have many tonal bases covered: Besides Junior (big MFD, semi-hollow mahogany) and the 'Hawk (small MFD, maple), there's a Comanche (Z-coil, ash) and two LP types (mahogany/maple)---one with P90s, the other with humbuckers. So I have a broad palette of tones to choose from. Each available ASAT overlaps in one or more ways with my current stable. I don't feel a strong need to get another guitar. It's just that when I see one in good shape that is fairly priced.... Well, you know!!
I am hoping Jos will chime in here. I was re-reading his descriptions of each type on his website. He makes them ALL sound necessary!
I would go for the Leo-era ASAT and never look back. The pairing of two large MFDs with a maple body is magical. I'm not sure that the body wood makes an appreciable difference in tone in this case (that is, comparing the maple and ash G&L used back then), it definitely has a vibe you won't find elsewhere. I currently own two maple Leo-era ASATs, and sold a third to my neighbor a couple of years back to fund a rarebird bass. I am out of room for new instruments these days and try to avoid duplication in my collection, but I am always on the lookout for the right Leo-era ASAT.
One thing to keep in mind with any Leo-era G&L is that the tone can vary quite a bit between any two of the same model. None of my "pairs" (ASAT, SC-1, SC-2, or SC-3/ASAT III) sound exactly the same. If you get #3 on your list and it's not to your liking, just flip it and try another one.
The other guitars you mentioned have an ASAT body, but they aren't ASATs "under the hood".
Thanks, Ken! I was hoping to hear from you as well. Along with Darwin, Jag_in_the_bag (haven't seen him post in awhile)...
Agree that the maple in the Skyhawk sounds amazing. Interestingly, I found it gets me closer to a Jerry Garcia tone than the Comanche or my old Strat, and I believe it's because the core of his Tiger (and subsequent guitars) was flame maple.
I'm glad to help! Work has been keeping me away from the Forum lately, not to mention how quiet it's been since the demise of the Lunch Reports.
I love my maple Skyhawk too. I have that pickup set on four guitars at the moment ('86 Skyhawk, '82 or '83 SC-3, '87 SC-3 and '87 ASAT III), and recently sold an '83 Nighthawk after grappling with the question of how many S-types was too many. I couldn't hear any difference to speak of between the Skyhawk and Nighthawk, but the SC-3s and ASAT III sound very different from the Skyhawk and from each other. I would actually give the ASAT III an edge over the others in the tone department.
I do hear what you mean about the Jerry tone from my Skyhawk. If I could just get remotely close to the note choice and phrasing...
I need to get around to taking some pics and posting a couple of belated NGD threads.
