G&L ASAT Bass

Close to the end of the year 2000 I became interested in buying a new bass guitar. It had been a while since I looked at basses but I happened across the G&L website. After one look at the beautiful ASAT Bass, I knew I wanted one. It is the Leo Fender creation which uses the Telecaster style body with the narrow Jazz Bass style neck. After checking many online music stores, I decided to buy mine from Buffalo Brothers. They offered the best price. I paid $895.00 for the guitar which was basically a stock model but I added the matching painted headstock. This extra cost a pricey $100.00.

The ASAT Bass is a stunning visual design. The telecaster style body makes for an awesome looking bass guitar. The design without a horn on top sets it apart from almost every other bass guitar on the market. The ASAT Bass is also blessed with the same electronics package as the G&L L-2000 Bass. This design incorporates two of Leo's super hot MFD bass pick ups. Coupled with active electronics and switches which allow a wide variety of pick up configurations, the ASAT is one of the most versatile sounding basses you can buy. Add the thin, narrow super fast satin neck, and you've got one hot axe!

The ASAT Bass does have a problem though. Many examples suffer from a tendency to be "neck heavy". This means that as you wear the guitar, if you remove your hand, the neck will slide down toward the floor.
This has to do with the absence of the horn on top of the body. Don't fret too much though, because this problem (at least for me) was easily fixed. I simply bought a wide, rough texture leather Levy's strap and problem solved. No more neck dive.

The construction and quality of the ASAT Bass is superior. G&L instruments are hand made in Fullerton, California. Many of the tools used to build G&L guitars are the very same ones used in the Fender Factory in the 1960's. Most enthusiasts believe the average G&L instrument to be equal to or better made then a Fender instrument made in Fender's Custom Shop.
G&L instruments contain many innovations dreamed up by Leo Fender himself such as the bi-cut neck. This Leo patented innovation eliminated the "skunk stripe" found on the back of the neck on most other guitar brands. He sawed the neck in half. routed a channel for the truss rod and glued the two halves back together resulting in a much stronger, more stable, and more beautiful neck.


The ASAT Bass is a winner. It looks great, it plays great, it sounds great, and it is an incredible value for the money. It is also made by Leo Fender.
What else could anyone want?

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

This is a G & L U.S. ASAT Bass all are U.S. to my knowledge. Very good quality violin, better than Fender in my opinion.
Ash body, maple neck, maple fingerboard. The bass weighs its weight! For fragile back it exists in "semi-hollow" with the partially hollowed therefore lighter and therefore body with, I think, a different sound.
G & L bridge massif (the bridges tend to oxidize).
Mechanical aluminum house classic fender type, but better.
Pad 2 Microphones G & L guy.
Active electronics (can be passive), 1 switch selection miros, 1 switch for setting serial / parallel microphones, 1 switch passive / active bass / treble and midrange assets. 1 volume knob, 1 treble knob, 1 knob serious.

UTILIZATION

The handle is very nice, a little thicker than a jazz bass or a not too recent large precision, the patent is fine. Of course all this may differ from one model to another as G & L offers several configuration handle. I had a semi-hollow asat to Rosewood who sound less "flashy" key (the hollow body may also have played on it ...). The handle is long to set (the luthier struggle to adjust, he has to proceed by small buttons on the trussroad)
The weak point is that the low slumps despite tether lower side easel. This is the Telecaster shape that does it, the absence of dorsal horn imbalance instrument (if Leo Fender had put a horn to his P51 is that there was a reason ...). It is not dramatic but it just endolorit my left shoulder when the concert lasts. I would have bought a nice thick strap (it has been 5 years since I say it!). Nevertheless we must admit that this is precisely the form of Asat which first attracted me ...
Regarding the sound, then it's really good. This bass is versatile, it is a kind of jazz-bass/Precision boostable. Whatever happens we always get to juggle electronics for the correct sound worse (in rotten parts) best excellent (in a suitable room). She still bore the mix, which is to my eyes the most important, even degraded sound conditions.

SOUNDS

The possibilities are wide sounds (see above). I never use the knob in series, I find the sound too bold. In general it happens quickly find the sound you want, whether traditional or modern. It is, I think, suitable for most styles. I use it on an Ampeg SVT CL or a Carvin PB300 for rock, blues, funk ... mostly on neck and bridge pickups in assets is net configuration is full, c ' is great!
If you want a sound that is rotten as possible.

OVERALL OPINION

I've had five years. I had U.S. Precision, Precision a vintage american jazz bass, a Leduc U-Bass, a Warwick Thumb ... this is the first review that I can post two decades of practice as to Whenever I resume it gives me bananas. This is an effective low in the direct line of Fender and Musicman, reliable, well finished, versatile, powerful and only low quality with a guitar-shaped Telecaster, Leo Fender's soul hovers over this instrument.
Its price / quality ratio is good and even better in time. G & L guitars are little known in France and that's a shame. This weekend, neglected for six months for other basses, I replayed it with pleasure, it is the most "good" bass I've owned. It fully deserves a good review Audiofanzine.
With the experience I would choose to buy it.

The lower the manufacturing dernire Fender and George Fullerton Lo
Manufactures in the United States.
The pickups, bridge and other signs are G & L
Channel 21 frets (see Opinion Previous)

UTILIZATION

The handle is enjoyable, the ACCS is very easy to acute.
the bass is well balanced, but weighing trs important problem back or refrain lightweight.

SOUNDS

This bass is versatile trs, but sometimes rglages pnibles.
for my part in the active position sound enough dcvant silent, see compltement dirty, therefore I did not play in passive (yet classic Ampeg amplifiers on)

OVERALL OPINION

The opinion was short because the purpose trs silent only to warn prospective buyers that the G & l asat bass it may not be the case of the century, it turns out that my bass had the particularity having an elastic sleeve compltement, which made inrglable, over the handle was a hollow large enough between 9 and 12 boxes.
It seems that L & G (guitars or bass) is not always having to play on quality attendue.Aprs JB Fender, Musicman, Steinberger bass violin,
several meetings confirms my opinion.
One tip: to try the instrument before you buy, if not dcption could be great

By Nour on 27/12/2005 11:32 p.m.
- In what country does she makes? (United States, Japan, Mexico, France ...)
hand, the EUA in the studios of George Fullerton and Leo Fender.

- How many frets, what kind of micro as well as their configuration?
21. two humbuckers fields magntiques signs Leo Fender.

- What type of bridge (Floyd, Wilkinson ...)?
G & L Saddle Lock. it's all 100% home!

- What are the rglages (Volume, Tone slecteur micro ...)?
3 of rglages knobs, one volume, one treble, one serious. plus 3 mini toggle, select microphones, or in parrallre SERIES, pramp on / off and on with high end EQ boost. you get lost a little beginners. to beginners only.

- What type of race?
wood. hum. Maple or Rosewood. Maple in my case. Swamp Ash body. I'm not English.

UTILIZATION

- The handle is it enjoyable?
the handle! it is a highway, it's Paris-Bordeaux in 90 minutes!

- Access in acute (dernires freight) is it easy?
dcoupe Telecaster. other questions? it's super simple to acute accder fact, excessively well thought finally a smart low!

- Ergonomics is it good (in terms of shape, weight ...)?
not only is really a wooden coffee, but also Leo to sit up with. So it's mga heavy. more than a Musicman or a Warwick Thumb. is impressive. the record is the beat of Ovation Magnum II with its double carbon rod in the handle and embellishments in mtal everywhere. but the same when it is not far from the form is excellent, weight and monstrous. but I love.

- Gets it easy to sound good? ...
Raaah. sound. it is not comparable with a Musicman, but since I play on Asat, I use almost no my Stingray. is to say. the sound is HUGE. Rock? Jazz? Reggae? Song? Folk? Metal I do not say, I do not even know what it is. but otherwise it's an incredibly low ranges, trs trs rich and subtle. is impressive. I force myself to use only a few positions, they are so numerous and so we could spend time to make a soundcheck instead of playing

SOUNDS

10/10 everywhere. DSOL m'tendre and may even not say more. just the cost. fingers, at this low is a mdiator rgal. I do not practice the slap, does not play metal, so I do not m'talerai above. for the rest, eyes closed.

OVERALL OPINION

- How long have you use it?
I rve for 15 years. I've had a little over two years.

- What is the particular feature you like best and least?
all, I love everything. absolutely nothing to reproach him, plus I find it beautiful. one day I just fall for the Hollow. just to see. but in addition to that if able. and why not also in fretless. and 5-string. and with the option dcapsuleur.

- Have you tried many other models before acqurir?
Yes. before, during, even more. always for fun. nothing beats a Asat. I would like to have in addition a Ric for his mouth and the trs particular, for a Godin fretless, but for an all-terrain 4-string bass is what I have been a better time and despite all the other low to me passes the hands (JB Fender, Precision, MM, Warwick, Ovation, Ibanez even) though, I thought a small Cort

- How do you report qualitprix?
3000 euro j'achterai even if I could. 4000 for that matter. sailing. this bass is my bass. it is priceless.

- With the exprience, you do again this choice? ...
plutt twice that. I would also want a little sister. but with this kind of opinion is not won to find her sister secondhand
modification 6 July 06 2:00 p.m.
I spare my ASAT, I met a luthier that I expressed my desire for bass idalie: it is now I need to make in my future 80% of low possde CHARACTERISTICS of the AST, so I sell it to fund this new project