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.
I am thinking of getting an ASAT Classic (maybe an old used one) and using it as a guinea pig platform to test out a bunch of after market telecaster pick ups. Would the ASAT Classic be a guitar that is good for this purpose? I figure it it may be a nicer option instead of getting a partscaster type of guitar.
I was thinking of trying a bunch of Jason Lollar pickups as a starter. Would the ASAT Classic be compatible or do I have to change the electronics? I know nothing about guitar electronics so pardon my newbie style question.
The Asat Classic will most likely be a way better guitar to play than a Partscaster.
Also, in Tele terms, its pickups will be pretty damn good too.
Problem:
To change the Tele's back (bridge) pickup, you have to remove, and subsequently refit, the whole bridge. You are unscrewing and re-screwing into wood, and there will be a limited number of times you can do this without chewing out the screw threads in the wood unless you are already well skilled in this sort of work. When you hit this point, a luthier can save your guitar, but it will cost you.
The Asat is a real quality piece of work. It will not obscure your pickup choices with structural dullness or any such side-issues; it's a properly professional guitar.
The Partscaster is comparatively unpredictable, but also cheaper (and therefore more expendable? But we shouldn't be starting out by thinking of instruments like this...)
There is your dilemma!
Why not gather opinion on pickups, whilst trying lots of guitars? The one that "wants to follow you home" is extremely likely to be the one (or at least the kind) that will benefit your musical progress the best for the foreseeable future.
To some extent, a lot (but not all) of guitarists become their own technician in a few ways, you find helpful things as life goes on! But don't be too hung on the fine nuances of pickup voicing ahead of finding a nice relationship with a guitar, and then spending lots of time together!
Telecaster-type circuitry is pretty simple. You can learn a lot online, and you can't do anything too wrong unless you're playing around with the soldering at the pickup itself (don't).
But do become a good solderer if you want to work on your axes' circuitry. Not hard to learn this either.
Best wishes,
Nick
There is another problem with using the ASAT Classic to test pickups, and that is the wiring. Leo played around with the wiring, so that it is not "normal" tele wiring. Putting another PUP in there might not give you a good result for testing.
Boogie Bill wrote:Yeah, and the other problem is that the MFDs pickups in the ASAT Classic are too good to swap out!! Nothing like them!
Bill
True.
I was thinking of owning 2 ASATS. One that is stock with the MFD pick ups and another one with another set of pick ups. As a result, it would be like having 2 different telecasters.
NickHorne wrote: To change the Tele's back (bridge) pickup, you have to remove, and subsequently refit, the whole bridge. You are unscrewing and re-screwing into wood, and there will be a limited number of times you can do this without chewing out the screw threads in the wood unless you are already well skilled in this sort of work. When you hit this point, a luthier can save your guitar, but it will cost you.
I'm just about at this point with one of my ASATs. I hoping I can just get some bigger screws
rpt wrote:Duncan Jerry Donahues have proven the favorite.
One of my favourite too. That and Bill Lawrences Keystones and Micro-coils. Anything else I've tried has been more of a downgrade on the standard ASAT pickups. I've never tried Lollars, they're too expensive.
I'm sure I remember reading something by Dan Erlewine about when he had to move a tele bridge that had never been on quite straight; he drilled out the screw holes (with a very precisely chosen drill bit, I'm sure, and an exactly vertical drill press) and then glued in hardwood dowels to fit, which he then re-drilled for new screw holes.
So it can be done OK, it just needs wisdom and care and the right tools to do it right.
But not a weekend Dremel job, no way.
Now, two Asats sounds wonderful (of course it does...) but I must say I agree with everything that's been written in this thread about alternative pups, and the original Classics. I remain blown away by how very good they are for everything I can ever think of using a Tele for.
