g&l fallout tribute questions..

[jageya]

i have a question.....Looking to get a tribute fallout....from pics i would like to know the feel of the rosewood vs the all maple necks....sure they are #1 g&l style but from pics the headstocks seem different....the fullerton red headstock looks glossier and edges are rounded...the sonic blue headstock looks less glossy and more squared edges like my 1990;s legacy....i cannot try these out here where i live so i have to order...any help on feel differences (like if one is faster or smoother or thicker as well as if one is heavier?????...i have an sc-2 and the neck #1 is rosewood and that guitar is a bit neck heavy...) thanx all..

I do like both colors of the guitar so either would do( i have not seen them in person though)..if anyone has any advice please post.. thank you.

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTI0M1gxMTA1/ ... s/$_57.JPG


http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTYwMFgxMDY2/ ... ~60_57.JPG

see what i mean????

some say the maple neck on the sonic blue would be snappier/ brighter somewhat....would this be the case?

update.. after speaking to g&l the person thought rosewood is a brighter wood???? now i am confused....he also said both wood necks play the same....which i just cannot think is true as i have had both and they feel completely different....wierd!

[blueburst]

jageya - Speaking on my own behalf, I don't really think the differences in sound between a rosewood and maple fingerboard are all that huge, however, there's many players that would strongly disagree with me. That said, I have played a Tribute Fallout with a rosewood fingerboard and yes, it was ever so slightly warmer than the Fallout I own with the maple neck and fingerboard, but the differences to me were very minor. That said, the accepted standard in the guitar universe is that a rosewood fingerboard will always result in a somewhat warmer sound and maple will be a bit snappier and brighter. I can't imagine why a G&L employee would tell you the opposite, unless he or she completely misunderstood your question or made a typing error in an email reply. The biggest difference between rosewood and maple for me, is the feel. Rosewood is more porous with a deeper grain and, except for Rickenbacker, no manufacturers cover rosewood fingerboards with lacquer. As a result, you can feel the grain on your fingers when you're playing. I personally don't like that feel, so I always get maple fingerboards on my electric guitars because of the smooth feel and because I believe it plays faster than rosewood. I would go with the feel you prefer as the most important factor in choosing rosewood or maple. If you have no preference and feel equally comfortable with rosewood or maple and you want a slightly warmer sound, then go with the rosewood. If you have no preference and want something a bit brighter, go with the maple. If you prefer the feel of one over the other, then don't worry - go with the feel because as I said, the difference in sound between the two is very slight. BTW - The Fallout (rosewood or maple) is very well balanced and not neck heavy at all. It weighs a little over 7 lbs and, thanks to the arm & body contours, it's by far the most comfortable electric I've ever played.

[jageya]

Thank you....As you noted with the maple a bit more snappier, this is what i also have heard. I own guitars with both maple boards and rosewood as well as ebony...i like them all more so because i like the guitar as a whole i am playing. In regards to the fallout tribute..if the pickups were bright( like my sc-2) i may prefer a rosewood board to cut down on the icepik possible tone...I have a love of tele's and most have maple necks but as i said i do like both...so I am on the fence as i also like both the sonic blue and the fullerton red...lol....my sc-2 with rosewood #1 neck is Himalayan blue...Without playing them it is rather hard to decide for me.....Thank you for the reply....The seattle store is out of sonic blue till march i guess... are the pickups in the fallout leaning to bright or????? warm....?..i know humbuckers can be thicker sounding and p90 in the neck can vary from ok to muddy....any comments on tone of pickups?

[blueburst]

I would say that the Tribute Fallout pickups definitely lean towards the brighter side. Not bright and twangy like an ASAT Classic, ASAT Special or SC-2, but absolutely brighter than other guitars with a bridge humbucker, such as a Les Paul or SG. Your SC-2 is brighter than all of these because G&L uses the same MFD pickups on the SC-2 as they use on the ASAT Special. The humbucker/P90 combo on the Fallout makes it brighter than other humbucker stocked guitars, but still, it's not all that twangy or ice-picky. But the neck P90 is much snappier than any other guitar with a humbucker in the neck so that's a big difference between the Fallout and other guitars. And this is why I love the Fallout so much. I don't play jazz, so I don't need my neck pickup to be mellow and sweet. I want my guitars to rock, and the Fallout does just that. If I have to play an edgy or funky rhythm part, I flip it back to the P90 and it does the job whether I keep it sweet and clean or put some punch, overdrive or distortion on it. The humbucker is full but not dark like a Les Paul and it absolutely howls when you put on distortion and overdrive. The Tribute Fallout has the coil split on the humbucker as well, so that's a cool bonus. But to answer your question, it is definitely on the brighter side (but not really twangy or ice-picky) when compared to other guitars that use humbuckers. So if that's your main concern, you should probably go with the black or red Tribute models that come with the rosewood fingerboard.

[jageya]

i may just get both..lol

[blueburst]

For $399 a pop, buying two is not a crazy idea at all!

[jageya]

agree...yet..it is kinda overkill...

[jageya]

Hi.. also noticed from the g&l pickup explanation pages that the neck p90 in the fallout tribute is different then the usa model?? I know the humbucker is different for each model but i thought the p90 was the same.......has anyone played both the fallout usa and the fallout tribute..to tell tone differences? thanx i M just curious.

[Craig]

Hi.. also noticed from the g&l pickup explanation pages that the neck p90 in the fallout tribute is different then the usa model?? I know the humbucker is different for each model but i thought the p90 was the same.......has anyone played both the fallout usa and the fallout tribute..to tell tone differences? thanx i M just curious.

They both use G&L's P-90 pickups in the neck. The difference is the number of windings: 9K turns for the USA Fallout and 8.5K turns for the Tribute Fallout.
Paul does this to balance each P-90 pickup with their respective bridge pickup.

Check the G&L Audio and Video Clips!!! sub-forum for examples of the Fallout.

Hope this helps.

[jageya]

yes thank you... so with that in mind the bridge pickup on the fallout tribute must be less hot then the american made fallout with the duncan?..thank you

[jageya]

does anyone who own a tribute fallout have the weight of the guitar??????????? i am wondering if the neck is neck heavy like the sc-2.. and what the fallout weighs.......thank you