Looking for some general G&L opinions

[dnadz]

Howdy! I'm currently in the market for an American G&L ASAT, and I'm hoping you can offer me some wisdom. I'm a rock guitarist by nature, but I have always loved improvisation and have been deep in to studying and playing jazz for the last 3 years, so I'm considering that my main direction, as well as fusion. I'm currently playing a 1996 Epiphone Sheraton into an Allen Accomplice (basically a deluxe reverb clone but with 6L6s) with a JBL D120. I also have an Eminence Red White and Blues speaker I can run the the Allen through for more breakup. I have always wanted a G&L and finally decided to sell some old gear and make it happen! I'm a bit torn over what guitar to get, and I'm a lefty, so I don't have many options to try before I buy.

Right now I'm considering: the ASAT Classic, ASAT Classic Semi Hollow, the Bluesboy 90, and the Bluesboy 90 semihollow. My sheraton gives me all of the semi hollow humbucker tones I could ask for, but since I love it so much, I'm tempted to bring some of that vibe to my new guitar. On the other hand, I could just go with the ASAT Classic and save some money. I'm tempted to think that the others would be better suited for jazz, but I've been recently watching John Scofield, Ted Greene, Julian Lage, and Matthew Stevens all get amazing jazz sounds out of Telecasters. In the end, it's entirely up to me, and I'll still have my sheraton for all the smooth and warm jazz sounds I want.

Sorry for the rambly post with no definitive question! Just want to hear your opinions with these instruments. Thanks!

[yowhatsshakin]

Hi Dillon,

If you want some Jazzy tones, beyond the Bluesboy 90, you might want to look into a ASAT Classic Bluesboy (the one with a neck bucker). I have a semi-hollow version that has nice warm tones when the neck is used but some serious bite from the bridge pup. With the tone control, you have a wonderful palette of tones.

- Jos

[Katefan]

Welcome Dillon!

I'd say go for a used Lefty ASAT (large MFD pickups) and a Leo-era one should you come across one. Sounds like you have enough humbucker territory covered and seeing how you come from a rock background the ASAT would suit both… IMO they're one of the most versatile and underrated guitars and quality wise they can't be beat. BBE-era G&L stuff isn't my cuppa so I can't say much about them but nothing I've heard/seen holds a candle to George & Leo's original designs.
(Not long after BBE took ownership things got sloppier, they changed the specs on the pickups and as time went one they did away with most Leo & George's appointments) I'm a bit outspoken on this but I call it like I see it.

Should you find yourself an older lefty model you most likely would really dig it.

My .02.

SInce you mentioned Mr. Greene -

[youtube]-sK9xN84-2I[/youtube]

Cheers,
KF

[Tooslowhand]

I would also suggest the current ASAT Special, or the Leo era ASAT. The large MFD pickups are really great sounding and versatile.

[Elwood]

I would also suggest the current ASAT Special, or the Leo era ASAT. The large MFD pickups are really great sounding and versatile.

..or an SC-2 for the same reason.

[guitar_ed]

Hi,

Another guitar to consider is the Fallout. I love the neck pup for blues/jazz type music. The bridge hummer can be split if you need a bit more single coil sound.

later,

edg

[john o]

I would also suggest the current ASAT Special, or the Leo era ASAT. The large MFD pickups are really great sounding and versatile.

+1, the ASAT special, with the large bobbin mfd pups has some great tones for blues, jazz or rock styles.

[WitSok]

I agree, the large MFDs are hard to beat. Just great pickups. Before the Bluesboy 90, there was a model called the ASAT Classic Custom. Instead of a P90 in the neck position it had a large MFD. While I haven't heard one , I would believe it would be real sweet. One thing to be aware of is there were two different production models called an ASAT Classic Custom. The earlier version did not have the large MFD.

BTW, I personnaly haven't noticed a big quality difference between BBE and pre-BBE era guitars. I'd probably put my LE-2 as the best quality which is BBE era. I have a Tribute ASAT Special Deluxe (large MFDs), Tribute JB-2 bass, GbL LE-2, ASAT Classic S, and a second body style SC-3 (pre -BBE era). Love them all and would hard pressed to give up any of them - especially the three USA built ones. Still want a SC-2, ASAT Z-3 or Comanche, and a F-100 (BBE era).

Cheers, Dan

[Fumble fingers]

I agree, the large MFDs are hard to beat. Just great pickups. Before the Bluesboy 90, there was a model called the ASAT Classic Custom. Instead of a P90 in the neck position it had a large MFD. While I haven't heard one , I would believe it would be real sweet. One thing to be aware of is there were two different production models called an ASAT Classic Custom. The earlier version did not have the large MFD.

BTW, I personnaly haven't noticed a big quality difference between BBE and pre-BBE era guitars. I'd probably put my LE-2 as the best quality which is BBE era. I have a Tribute ASAT Special Deluxe (large MFDs), Tribute JB-2 bass, GbL LE-2, ASAT Classic S, and a second body style SC-3 (pre -BBE era). Love them all and would hard pressed to give up any of them - especially the three USA built ones. Still want a SC-2, ASAT Z-3 or Comanche, and a F-100 (BBE era).

Cheers, Dan

I agree with everything .... I don't notice much difference in quality between BBE and Leo era and don't want to get rid of anything I have
Big MFD's are nice either ASAT or SC 2 ..... if weight is a concern then SC 2 ..... big MFD's have more meat and sparkle than the P90 , P90 is much more mellow .... but the Big MFD's don't have anything that rolling the tone off a bit won't fix for the mellow sound .....

[GeorgeB]

My vote goes for a ASAT Super, which is sort of a refined ASAT Special :
- Semi-hollow, no F-holes,
- Overwound big MFDs,
- Mahogany body and rather fat neck,
- Ebony fingerboard.

It is pretty much the guitar with the most refinded tone in my stash, extremely versatile and a joy to play (a very light-weight guitar) -- though I whished it had a wider neck...
Fat, beefy tone, superb articulation, ultra-responsive.

At a bargain, even the Tribute model of the Special is hard to beat, especially the model with mahogany body.

Big MFDs rule!

[NickHorne]

+1 to what George just wrote.
There is a more flexible route: Asat Special (with the wood / neck spec of your choice, and then fit the pickup that goes in a Super (available at G&L's online store, under something like "Jumbo MFD single coil, (other) S-3 bridge pickup"). That's the overwound, chunkier - sounding one from the Super. If you do this, you may want to make a tiny circuit mod at the tone control (see the schematics here and at G&L's own site) to convert from the Special wiring to the Super. It's just one unsoldering and one new soldering. This will preserve the brights from the meatier "Super" -type bridge unit. Just possibly, you might then want to wire a resistor of around 250kOhm across the neck pickup, at the 3-way switch, to bring its sound back to where you started. Also simple to do.
When you try a Special, do use the tone control. It's useable by design, and not the usual leave-it-on-ten uselessness. Lots of good sounds.
And after writing the above about the Super pickup, you may well just find the Special lovable just as it comes. It's a great rock guitar, as well as a great Tele when you want it to be.

I have a Special that I love. I also have the Super-type pickup, still boxed and not yet installed. I'm enjoying the Special just fine, and will probably (though not certainly) put the other pup in to see whether it's more for me at some point. Or, if that pup's still in its box next spring, I may just make a chunky-fat lap steel around it instead....

My Special came with pickups set quite high (which I guess is sort of a stock modern sensibility); I dropped them in a bit, mostly at the bass end, and prefer what I have now.
I find the string-to-string balance, and also the balance up-and-down the neck are both really excellent now, which is really important for me to feel relaxed and connected with the guitar. I have raised poles of A (a bit), D (some more) and top E (a bit), pretty much as you would expect. Of course, if you use a wound third, its pole will want to come up highest of all, as usual, instead of being lowest for a plain string.

Lovely versatile single-coils, and adjustable too. No more struggling to get a nice top-E response like with a lot of others.

[NickHorne]

I also hear what you say about your Sheraton... because I also have a Bluesboy (humbucker) semihollow.
Everything about this guitar is good too! The Seth Lover humbucker is naturally bright, as buckers go, although the circuitry loads it down a bit, deliberately so that it's a bit more mellow. Again, more sparkle is there to be released if desired by very simple wiring mods. As for the bridge unit, I cannot imagine a more ideal T-type unit for my own taste.
Again, the tone control is there to be used!
And both pups together is lovely.
The "semi-ness" doesn't seem to diminish sustain (though it's not a Les Paul Traditional, obviously) it just has a nice moderate helping of complexity of character.
My Bluesboy's a lifer too, along with the Special. Fat lot of help I've been, eh?

[WitSok]

I read that Jaz761, might be parting with his '88 ASAT. Perhaps an option for a pre BBE acquisition...

[dnadz]

Thanks for all of the info everyone! The big MFD pickups look & sound awesome from what I've found online, so the ASAT special looks like it will do the job. That was a great Ted Greene video Katefan! What are people's experiences with semihollow vs solid? Is it worth the extra cash/Is it a big difference? I'm already excited to have a guitar with a *gasp* functional tone knob!

[NickHorne]

So hard to offer any sort of judgement, it's so personal. I lean towards solid for myself, but love my semi also.
Have you ordered yours yet?

[Katefan]

Cheers dnadz, glad you dug it.

I can't say as I only roll with Leo-era models which tend to be on the heftier side of things but they sound Fab and live cut thru the mix like nothin else.

Cheers,
KF