ASAT Classic Bluesboy Tribute - Bridge + nut

[NeilW]

I'm hoping for some advice... I have just bought a secondhand ASAT (from a retail shop). On initial playing I've found the high e string to be a bit awkward, and it feels close to the edge of the fretboard. It feels a bit "in the way" and I inadvertently mute it when playing some open chords, and have trouble fretting it properly with barre chords.

Apart from not being used to the fretboard radius, my pudgy fingers and poor technique... taking a close look at the guitar the bridge is a bit wonky (it is not in line with the scratchplate, and comparing it to the top frets seems to deviate 1-2mm from being parallel across the width of the strings). The pickup cavity is also visible by the top of the bridge. And the nut is very slightly off-centre.

Am I best just returning the guitar? Or would a luthier replacing the nut and doing a general set-up resolve any issues? (Is a slightly wonky bridge a big problem, or easily fixed?)






Thank you for any help!

[yowhatsshakin]

I'm hoping for some advice... I have just bought a secondhand ASAT (from a retail shop). On initial playing I've found the high e string to be a bit awkward, and it feels close to the edge of the fretboard. It feels a bit "in the way" and I inadvertently mute it when playing some open chords, and have trouble fretting it properly with barre chords.

Apart from not being used to the fretboard radius, my pudgy fingers and poor technique... taking a close look at the guitar the bridge is a bit wonky (it is not in line with the scratchplate, and comparing it to the top frets seems to deviate 1-2mm from being parallel across the width of the strings). The pickup cavity is also visible by the top of the bridge. And the nut is very slightly off-centre.

Am I best just returning the guitar? Or would a luthier replacing the nut and doing a general set-up resolve any issues? (Is a slightly wonky bridge a big problem, or easily fixed?)






Thank you for any help!

Hey Neil,

From your pictures it is not clear to me there is a problem. The nut looks nicely slotted and I would not judge any of the strings to be too close to the edge. Nor does the bridge seem out of whack although seeing the gap on the side is indeed a bit sloppy. And i judge that owning many ASAT guitars with such a bridge. But of course, if all these things ares an annoyance to you then it needs to be addressed. In this case I would recommend you finding a guitar more "sympatico" to you.

- Jos
P.S. Is this a US built guitar or an import Tribute Series?
P.P.S. I added the ".jpg" extension to you pics in this response so they show up for others and fixed the aspect ratios.

[Craig]

I agree with Jos' assessment of the nut and setup of your Tribute ASAT Classic Bluesboy.
The bridge and pickguard alignment is typical for the made in Indonesia G&L Tribute Series ASAT Classic models.

Here are the specifications for your Tribute ASAT Classic Bluesboy:

Tribute ASAT Classic Bluesboy

Finishes
· Lake Placid Blue, Tortoise pickguard, tinted gloss neck, Rosewood fingerboard
· 3-Tone Sunburst, Tortoise pickguard, clear satin neck, Rosewood fingerboard
Body wood Basswood (solid finishes), Swamp Ash (translucent & burst finishes)
Neck wood Hard Rock Maple
Neck dimensions 1 5⁄8” width at nut, 9” radius
Pickups
· Neck: G&L AS4255C humbucker with nickel cover
· Bridge: G&L Magnetic Field Design single-coil
Controls 3-way pickup selector, volume, tone
Bridge Traditional boxed steel bridge with six brass saddles

Hope this helps.

[NeilW]

Thank you both for your replies, they're very helpful.

I've adjusted the saddles slightly and spent a bit more time with the guitar. It feels a lot better - I struggled to put it down and it sounds great. (Maybe it was all in my hands/head.) I'll see how things go with it over the next few days.