New ASAT Deluxe Tribute Series receives Platinum Award ...

Post by **Craig** » Wed Dec 14, 2011 10:35 pm

New ASAT Deluxe Craved Top Tribute Series receives Platinum Award in Guitar World review in the January 2012 issue.

Guitar World video review of the Tribute ASAT Deluxe Carved Top (click image to play. To return, use brower's back button) :

See the review in the January 2012 issue of

Guitar World.

sam · Post by **sam** » Thu Dec 15, 2011 8:20 am

Thanks Craig, this goes right along with the kudos on the Korina models from the latest Guitar Player, the word is spreading!

Paul does a fantastic job of showing of the sounds of the ASAT Deluxe tribby, share this video with anyone looking at guitars for Christmas presents.

yowhatsshakin · Post by **yowhatsshakin** » Thu Dec 15, 2011 8:37 am

Craig wrote:New ASAT Deluxe Craved Top Tribute Series receives Platinum Award in Guitar World review in the January 2012 issue.

Love your typo in the model name, Craig. Good marketing

Post by **Craig** » Thu Dec 15, 2011 8:48 am

sam wrote:Thanks Craig, this goes right along with the kudos on the Korina models from the latest Guitar Player, the word is spreading!

Paul does a fantastic job of showing of the sounds of the ASAT Deluxe tribby, share this video with anyone looking at guitars for Christmas presents.

Yes, the word does seem to be spreading.

One thing that I find interesting in this review is that he says that with this guitar, G&L is breaking new ground, but
G&L has had the USA ASAT Deluxe models since 1996. The differences being the Tribute has the carved top and
Paul Gagon's new humbuckers (which sound great!).

Good stuff all around.

Post by **Craig** » Thu Dec 15, 2011 8:50 am

yowhatsshakin wrote:
Craig wrote:New ASAT Deluxe Craved Top Tribute Series receives Platinum Award in Guitar World review in the January 2012 issue.
Love your typo in the model name, Craig. Good marketing

Oops

... but I guess I'll just leave as is.

Elemeno P · Post by **Elemeno P** » Thu Dec 15, 2011 9:25 am

Tribby's getting some love....Nice!

louis cyfer · Post by **louis cyfer** » Thu Dec 15, 2011 9:39 am

i just wish they had a better player demoing it. also better tones. both the clean and the overdriven tones were pretty pedestrian imnsho. i am sure it's not the guitar's fault.

BillEvans1956 · Post by **BillEvans1956** » Thu Dec 15, 2011 11:55 am

Why no carved top option in the USA models?

Bill

Post by **Craig** » Thu Dec 15, 2011 1:28 pm

BillEvans1956 wrote:Why no carved top option in the USA models?

Bill

Hi Bill,

I asked Steve about this and here is his reply:

Doing carved top USA instruments is on our CNC programming list for 2012.
At this point we have a few other programming project in front of the carved top,
so there's no release date on any US models, at the moment.

Hope this helps.

Lefty · Post by **Lefty** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 8:46 am

I see there is one of these for sale from Portland Percussion on the bay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-2011-G-L-AS ... 2317a1ef81

If it was left-handed, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

BillEvans1956 · Post by **BillEvans1956** » Sat Dec 17, 2011 1:19 am

Craig wrote:
BillEvans1956 wrote:Why no carved top option in the USA models?

Bill
Hi Bill,

I asked Steve about this and here is his reply:

Doing carved top USA instruments is on our CNC programming list for 2012.
At this point we have a few other programming project in front of the carved top,
so there's no release date on any US models, at the moment.
Hope this helps.

Thanks Craig. Exciting developments for 2012.

Bill

Michael-GnL-Michael · Post by **Michael-GnL-Michael** » Sat Dec 17, 2011 4:00 pm

louis cyfer wrote:i just wish they had a better player demoing it. also better tones. both the clean and the overdriven tones were pretty pedestrian imnsho. i am sure it's not the guitar's fault.

Sloppy playing for a demo. Even if precise, what he plays would not do any guitar justice. I think he needs to demo in a variety of styles depending on the tone. This approach to a demo used here seems to speak to beginners who are also young kids and it does not matter what he says in words.

NickHorne · Post by **NickHorne** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 9:43 am

Craig wrote:

"I asked Steve about this and here is his reply:

Quote:
Doing carved top USA instruments is on our CNC programming list for 2012.
At this point we have a few other programming project in front of the carved top,
so there's no release date on any US models, at the moment."

A few other programming projects?? Could this possibly, just somehow possibly, mean some chunkier / wider USA neck options? Add a bit more to the back of the 1 11/16 and extra buyers will be knocking the doors down!
And I'd have a few thicker 1 3/4's too.... this player's idea of perfect necks, on the best-ever Fenders.

The sorry alternative, i.e. partscasters, just can't get close to G&L's real deal of materials & experience, just nowhere.

Bit off-topic, I know

Just would massively love for this wish to come true....

glvourot · Post by **glvourot** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 5:48 pm

This is how I was sold on getting an SC-2 ( none to play in person at the time ) Two great demos.
[youtube]6Slz2OHA_Nw[/youtube]
[youtube]ILpncdWNbNw[/youtube]

louis cyfer · Post by **louis cyfer** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 9:35 pm

glvourot wrote:This is how I was sold on getting an SC-2 ( none to play in person at the time ) Two great demos.
[youtube]6Slz2OHA_Nw[/youtube]
[youtube]ILpncdWNbNw[/youtube]

andy's playing annoys me to no end. doesn't cover leads and has the most nervous sounding vibrato i have heard.
joe's demo is great. great playing, covers the subtle control and dynamic range of the guitar, gives you an idea of the "singing" the guitar can do, lets you hear the voice of the guitar. that is a great demo.

Ahryn · Post by **Ahryn** » Tue Dec 20, 2011 1:43 am

great news that the tribute carved top ASAT deluxe is getting some real (published) recognition.

On the SC-2 vids I must say that my opinion is the compete reverse of Louis, but then again lead isn't my focus and the recording techniques seem to be entirely different.

Maybe the modern SC-2 lends itself more to rhythm than lead?

louis cyfer · Post by **louis cyfer** » Tue Dec 20, 2011 2:09 am

Ahryn wrote:great news that the tribute carved top ASAT deluxe is getting some real (published) recognition.

On the SC-2 vids I must say that my opinion is the compete reverse of Louis, but then again lead isn't my focus and the recording techniques seem to be entirely different.

Maybe the modern SC-2 lends itself more to rhythm than lead?

i don't think there is such a thing that a guitar is better suited for rhythm playing or lead playing. that would be a bad guitar. i think guitar players should focus on both rhythm and lead. so should the demos. i never understand why a guitar players chooses to ignore a huge part of playing like leads. or rhythms for that matter. i don't think one can be a complete player without being able to do both well.

Ahryn · Post by **Ahryn** » Tue Dec 20, 2011 2:15 am

Thanks for the knowledge as I have only recently been looking at lead playing as before I had been playing acoustic exclusively in a more folkish style, fun fact the PGS video on the SC-2 is actually the first G&L demo that lead me on the way to purchase one.

louis cyfer · Post by **louis cyfer** » Tue Dec 20, 2011 2:19 am

Ahryn wrote:Thanks for the knowledge as I have only recently been looking at lead playing as before I had been playing acoustic exclusively in a more folkish style, fun fact the PGS video on the SC-2 is actually the first G&L demo that lead me on the way to purchase one.

if you have done mostly rhythm playing, focusing on leads would actually open up your rhythm playing as well. a different skill set that enables you to do different things. same goes the other way around. being well rounded can only benefit you. a lot people like to focus on what they already do and ignore the areas they don't do (well). imnsho, focusing on new challenges, trying to learn the things that are difficult to do will move you forward as a player much faster.

smurph1 · Post by **smurph1** » Tue Dec 20, 2011 2:36 pm

that's a great sounding guitar..Just wish I could play like that..LOL

louis cyfer · Post by **louis cyfer** » Tue Dec 20, 2011 7:48 pm

smurph1 wrote:that's a great sounding guitar..Just wish I could play like that..LOL

don't set your sights so low.

sam · Post by **sam** » Tue Dec 20, 2011 8:46 pm

Well, let's get back to the original intent of this post and a new found insight.

While passing through an airport today (how many miles now?

) I picked up a Guitar World to see what all the press was about the ASAT Deluxe tribby and found it to be an article of well deserved praise of Paul Gagnon.

Aside from reference to various G&L players i found a few quotes to be very telling:

"The guitar's humbuckers were designed by G&L's resident electronics guru Paul Gagnon, who has years of experience creating amplifiers, preamps, tone circuits and pickups for Fender's and Jackson's high-profile artists, Gagnon designed the Deluxe's humbuckers with equal focus on the humbucking and tapped single-coil tones." "Thanks in no small part to Gagnon's pickup design, the ASAT Deluxe is a capable and expressive tool for anything outside of purist jazz tones." "The neck humbucker is an entirely different animal, remaining round and sweet in humucking and tapped modes, and notably producing loads of rich vintage P.A.F. tone".

As a guy who owns a 1998 US ASAT Deluxe and swapped p-ups for an Air Norton and a Evolution (which produce killer tones) I am very interested in these new p-ups. Hey Paul, will these be put on US ASAT Deluxe models and when will they be available for purchase online?

Getting beyond opinions of youtube Platinum reviews, anyone own one, what do ya think? And, cheers to Paul!!

Cannon01 · Post by **Cannon01** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 4:15 pm

Quick question on the coil tap. In the middle position with the tap engaged, which pickup is actually being used?

yowhatsshakin · Post by **yowhatsshakin** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 4:48 pm

Cannon01 wrote:Quick question on the coil tap. In the middle position with the tap engaged, which pickup is actually being used?

I believe in that case you'll combine the coil closest to the bridge from the bridge bucker compined with the coil closest to the neck from the neck bucker (the coils to which the screws sticking out the covers belong). Or stated otherwise, you'll combine the 'single coil' configurations for both pups.

Hope this helps,

- Jos

Cannon01 · Post by **Cannon01** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 6:18 pm

Thanks it does. Confirms what I thought as well. I have a trans black on order, but there is a 2 month wait now, probably somewhat a result of the reviews. I'll pass along my humble and inexperienced thoughts when it gets here.

Let it snow in the meantime!

JagInTheBag · Post by **JagInTheBag** » Fri Jan 13, 2012 12:09 am

Craig wrote:New ASAT Deluxe Craved Top Tribute Series receives Platinum Award in Guitar World review in the January 2012 issue.

Guitar World video review of the Tribute ASAT Deluxe Carved Top (click image to play. To return, use brower's back button) :

See the review in the January 2012 issue of Guitar World.

This demo is what sent me directly to my local G&L dealer to buy a trans red. So SWEET! Keep the Mahogany/Maple carve tops coming! ~Patrick

JagInTheBag · Post by **JagInTheBag** » Fri Jan 13, 2012 12:13 am

Cannon01 wrote:Thanks it does. Confirms what I thought as well. I have a trans black on order, but there is a 2 month wait now, probably somewhat a result of the reviews. I'll pass along my humble and inexperienced thoughts when it gets here.

Let it snow in the meantime!

There is one hanging on the wall of my local music store...they ship. PM me if you'd like some (near) instant gratification.

Cannon01 · Post by **Cannon01** » Fri Jan 13, 2012 5:52 pm

Thanks for the heads up but I have a trade against the guitar that is on order. Plus my local shop, Guitar Gallery of New England, is great to deal with and has always been fair to me with my trades, so I want to stay there and support the local shop.

johnnyqb · Post by **johnnyqb** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 9:11 pm

I just received my ASAT Deluxe Carved Top from the brown truck today, and I truly could not be more pleased with this guitar, on first impressions. The most overwhelming thought after spending a couple of hours with it is that it does not seem like a Tribute. It is just too nice! The carved top seems a perfect shape to me, and the way this guitar fits against the body, between the carved top and the tummy cut, could not be better. The ergonomics of this guitar are outstanding. The saddle lock bridge is the best, IMO, and the base of my picking hand along the pinky can rest down in the recess area, creating a hand-base of great comfort. There are indeed no sharp edges distracting one from his play.

The pickups sound very sweet so far. Of course, it is a bit of a surprise playing humbuckers if you are used--as am I--to playing nothing but single coils. But they sound very, very good to me, and of course really shine much more naturally with gain than do single coils. The coil tap thing to give you single coil tones seems very solidly done mechanically (there is nothing "cheap" feeling about this guitar). The single coil sounds are a great option to have here, giving a huge boost in versatility with this axe. The volume does cut about 10-15% with the single coil tap activated. This is really not a problem, though, and probably just has something to do with the nature of this kind of effect.

This guitar is beautiful looking and sounding, and much more impressive so far than the other Tributes I have played.

Post by **Craig** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 10:22 pm

johnnyqb wrote:I just received my ASAT Deluxe Carved Top from the brown truck today, and I truly could not be more pleased with this guitar, on first impressions. The most overwhelming thought after spending a couple of hours with it is that it does not seem like a Tribute. It is just too nice! The carved top seems a perfect shape to me, and the way this guitar fits against the body, between the carved top and the tummy cut, could not be better. The ergonomics of this guitar are outstanding. The saddle lock bridge is the best, IMO, and the base of my picking hand along the pinky can rest down in the recess area, creating a hand-base of great comfort. There are indeed no sharp edges distracting one from his play.

The pickups sound very sweet so far. Of course, it is a bit of a surprise playing humbuckers if you are used--as am I--to playing nothing but single coils. But they sound very, very good to me, and of course really shine much more naturally with gain than do single coils. The coil tap thing to give you single coil tones seems very solidly done mechanically (there is nothing "cheap" feeling about this guitar). The single coil sounds are a great option to have here, giving a huge boost in versatility with this axe. The volume does cut about 10-15% with the single coil tap activated. This is really not a problem, though, and probably just has something to do with the nature of this kind of effect.

This guitar is beautiful looking and sounding, and much more impressive so far than the other Tributes I have played.

I forwarded your post to Dave McLaren. It should make his day (or evening).

Thanks for posting your first impressions!

johnnyqb · Post by **johnnyqb** » Sat Mar 03, 2012 10:11 am

My pleaseure! I also love how this Carved Top ASAT Deluxe has the hard-snap in input/output jack that better secures the cord than the normal ASAT design.

jwebsmall · Post by **jwebsmall** » Tue Mar 06, 2012 12:31 pm

I just spotted the G&L ASAT Deluxe Tribute on Musiciansfriend web site at a very good price!

JustRooster · Post by **JustRooster** » Mon Dec 24, 2012 10:51 am

Love my Carved Top!

JagInTheBag · Post by **JagInTheBag** » Thu Dec 27, 2012 6:14 pm

It is a tasty treat indeed. The only guitar in my stable I like playing more is the '65 Fender Jaguar. The Saddle Lock is best stop tail out there, both for playing comfort and resonant tone. I rarely have to tune it. The carved top is beyond comfortable. I sold my WR Z-3 Tribute because this thing felt so good in my hands by comparison. Can we get a Z-3 Carved top please?

pgcomputerguy · Post by **pgcomputerguy** » Fri Apr 12, 2013 3:47 pm

I just received my new ASAT Deluxe. Wasted no time in the unboxing and firing it up! Sounds great!
I got the red model and 'tis beautiful!

tfarney · Post by **tfarney** » Sat Aug 10, 2013 7:24 am

Well, I'm late to this party, but I got a black ASAT Deluxe Tribute about a month ago. It's an odd story - I'd had a Gretsch with TV Jones "filtertrons" in it for about 6 months, couldn't get comfortable with the size and neck geometry of that instrument but loved the sound of filtertrons, so I decided to make myself a Cabronita. Given that my #1, and the guitar I'm most comfortable with, is an original ASAT Junior, the Deluxe seemed like the right platform.

It didn't need pickups; the humbuckers that came in it were fine, PAF-sounding pups that split to single coil very well. But I changed them out anyway, for a pair of GFS Retrotron Memphis. The Retrotrons don't sound exactly like the TV jones, but they have that 'tron sparkle and chime floating above a fat 'bucker midrange. Very nice. The volume cut when splitting the coils is huge, though. Bigger than it was with the original pups, and enough to send you directly to the volume control. Still, these pickups sound fabulous in this gutiar and they'll stay there for awhile. I've gigged it a couple of times and it is great for anything requiring a road trip from sparkly jangle to hard crunchy drive. Serious gain? The original buckers would probably be better, but that's not my thing.

That's really about all I've had to do to it. I shimmed the neck, Did a set up. Almost everything else is, a bit shockingly, up to G&L USA quality, as far as I can tell, and i've owned 5 of them including two limited editions. Fit, finish, hardware and electronics...I really haven't found a flaw beyond the need for a shim. The one thing that distinguishes this from my CC ASAT Junior is at the edges. The Junior's fretboard is slightly rolled and the fret ends are not rounded but smoothed off. The Deluxe Tribute has sharper edges on both the wood and the frets. Nothing wrong, mind you, the wood is well-finished and the frets are perfectly beveled, it just doesn't have that hand-finished feel. And that's fine; I have the files to finish it.

This is an insanely good guitar for the money. The quality gap between it and my CC Junior is not significant.

So I have my Cabronita Deluxe. With a carved, flame maple top, rear routed controls, the best stop tail in the business and a neck that feels almost exactly like my Junior (which feels like home). A Mexican Cabronita runs $600 or so. I've got <$450 and a couple of hours work in this one. Are all the Tributes this good? I may have to collect them!

Tim

yowhatsshakin · Post by **yowhatsshakin** » Sat Aug 10, 2013 8:26 am

Tim,

FYI, G&L has build a single 'Cabronita' so far which you can find as the second entry on this Prototypes page on the G&L web site.

Here's a close-up:

Hope this helps,

- Jos

tfarney · Post by **tfarney** » Sat Aug 10, 2013 9:08 am

Very nice. But I remain gas-free as I'm very happy with my home-grown "Cab." Do you know what kind of "filtertrons" they used on the prototype?

Tim

yowhatsshakin · Post by **yowhatsshakin** » Sat Aug 10, 2013 11:45 am

tfarney wrote:Very nice. But I remain gas-free as I'm very happy with my home-grown "Cab." Do you know what kind of "filtertrons" they used on the prototype?

Tim

- Jos

tfarney · Post by **tfarney** » Sat Aug 10, 2013 12:48 pm

The very best.

Tim

JagInTheBag · Post by **JagInTheBag** » Thu Aug 29, 2013 11:07 am

Looks like a direct fit for the hydrid MFD/P90 route they've been using as of late...

Nnanji · Post by **Nnanji** » Tue Feb 04, 2014 4:54 pm

I couldn't pass up that MF deal. Everyone says great things about the Tribute ASAT Deluxe. It is the gloss black rather than the flamed maple but build quality is so great on these guitars. I didn't need another guitar and I had just bought that Legacy but...

I just couldn't pass that ASAT up!