Tribute - 'Satin' Neck Changes

[Danley]

I'm trying to talk myself into a new US G&L (or possibly Jaguar/Jazzmaster shh) purchase to reward myself - dropped by a local shop; the one I had in mind was already taken, decided to pull the trigger too late. But there were some Tributes in the shop - of course, we all know Tributes are pretty much great instruments that have fewer caveats than buying other import guitars. Couldn't resist giving them a few play-throughs, even if I'm ultimately aimed at something different.

I noticed a marked difference in the 'satin' neck finishes on these guitars - the newer (~2017 + ?) models have, much like my dad's ASAT Tribute Deluxe, a really awesome soft-touch sort of finish to their satin necks - reminiscent of my Breedloves or other nicer guitars with a satin finish.

Then again, I picked up a Legacy Tribute that had obviously been around the shop for at least a decade (otherwise it gave that appearance.) To me it was evident why this guitar might not have been bought yet - though it sounded/played great, it had the ugliest, green-tinged maple neck/fretboard I'd ever seen - and the finish, unlike the newer Tribute satin necks felt almost like bare wood that was hardly even sealed. It reminded me of a Squier neck, to be honest.

Looking back at Craig's posts, it appears the last Legacy to have a satin neck from the factory would have been pre-2015 . But do we know when G&L changed the Tribute 'satin' neck spec. from the nasty (fine, some people might like it but I don't) bare wood feeling neck, to the modern finished-yet-dull used since? Craig's model lists don't indicate that this was a separate option or considered as such from the factory.

In any case - I still really prefer gloss necks anyway; there was an ASAT Junior II Tribute that got the neck finish perfect and I'm still thinking about it. But curious if anyone knows when the definition of 'satin' changed.

[neutralomen]

I don't know if anything changed, but there is a big difference in the quality of the satin finishes between the USA and Tributes. I'm a glossy guy myself but I've had experience with both. The tributes both have a rougher, thinner satin finish and the boards aren't rolled so it's a sharp 90 degree angle, especially on the basses.

Tributes are amazing for the money, don't get me wrong. And maybe they've improved over the decades, but for the most part there is still quite a valley between them and their USA counterparts.

[Danley]

I don't know if anything changed, but there is a big difference in the quality of the satin finishes between the USA and Tributes. I'm a glossy guy myself but I've had experience with both. The tributes both have a rougher, thinner satin finish and the boards aren't rolled so it's a sharp 90 degree angle, especially on the basses.

Tributes are amazing for the money, don't get me wrong. And maybe they've improved over the decades, but for the most part there is still quite a valley between them and their USA counterparts.

Def. agree on the quality diff. ; it's no surprise the Tributes aren't at 100% compared to a US G&L and I could pick apart a few things on my dad's ASAT Tribute, but at least on his guitar the satin is done well; smooth, actual dulled finish rather than just bare/sealed wood and more like US G&L satin. So the switch was made at some point (or with some models.)