G&L Tribute S-500 Standard

I went in a mom and pop store looking for a strat to use in my studio. They happened to carry G&L instead of Fender. Personally I'm not a big fan of what Fender has been doing lately. I feel like the quality isn't quite up to the price in most cases. Unfortunaly most of the G&L's they had were out of my price range. I wasn't looking to drop a ton on a studio guitar. However the staff turned me on to the tribute line. The first thing I thought when I picked up this guitar was "Indonesia?" It feels like an American made instrument all around. I was really surprised when I learned they used the same pickups as the California made line.

UTILIZATION

The tuners on these are great. The vibe is strat through and through. I think these feel more like a strat than a real strat if that's even possibly. The neck is by far my favorite thing about this guitar. So smooth and the shape is perfect. The switch has no noise and the pots seem solid. The feel is really that of a $1000 plus guitar. Finish is really nice too. I was never a fan of how strats felt until I got my hands on this one. It just has a very familiar touch in your hands. Maybe it's just me. Oh, and the bridge is great too. Actually I'm a big fan of their design over the normal trems you see on these. Much more solid.

SOUNDS

In my studio I play this through a variety of amps. Axe-fx ultra, Orange AD30, Vox AC30, Mesa amps, JCM800, Fender Super Reverb, Tophat Supreme 16, Splawn....the list goes on. I have a lot of amps and this guitar sounds great through most of them. It's not your typical strat sound though. It kind of has its own thing going on. A little more hifi than vintage sounding I think. I don't mind this because in the mix everything sounds hifi anyway so this is a great studio guitar for me. I use it mostly on ballads and slower stuff like that. I don't think I'll ever change the pickups. They fit this axe well.

OVERALL OPINION

I got this thing for something like $450 out the door which I thought was a steal. I think these are worth twice that probably. If you want a classic strat then you might look elsewhere because the sound of these is more modern I think. The feel is spot on though. Very old friend-like. I call it my fender killer. Honestly it would rival and American strat out there. Just a sick piece of guitar.

Level features I will not dwell, everything has been said earlier.

UTILIZATION

The handle is very nice. This is not a highway but it is still thinner than Fender sleeves and a slightly larger (modern). Varnish that is satin was a perfect glide. The frets are wide enough, all notes sound good.

Access to acute is pretty good as a strat what!

However ergonomics level, one thing bothers me a bit. The body is not the same size as the fender. Indeed, it has a wide biggest corp / big / and whose contours are less rounded. It loses a little femininity What this Fender with these rounded pretty even this is not too obvious pus.

Without plugging his level, the guitar is amazing: I may be lucky but the guitar sounds wonderful vacuum with a powerful sound and a bump in the magnificent mediums, it promises.

SOUNDS

Not playing metal it is suitable for all styles I play. I play on an alpha AER on which I plug a 21 amp simulator Tech Blonde and a Xotic bb + and ELH memory boy delay. I have a great sound m ^ me if configue seems atypical.

To return to the guitar plugged obtained immediately the sound we want a stratum: slamming and dented in the medium with excellent precision bass strings. But that the S500 is better than the strat is that there was this knob all the way down which adds grain. It's amazing, we find ourselves in the bottom pussant to have a round of Gibson Lespaul, bold, hot and very powerful. It can even jazz without lowering the tone knob.

The pickups have a high level of output, powerful is saturated very quickly on a tube amp.
I said that every position of microphones is very interesting and playable. In comparison I have a Fender with EMG DG plate 20 and handle well the only middle and bridge positions are interesting.

We can have the vintage sound by lowering the button "fat" until almost Gibson by keeping background.

Note that the sound is still less than vintage Fender.

OVERALL OPINION

In summary we have:

+ A raport quality / price monstrous
+ Good violin
+ Pickups a very high range
+ I have not spoken but the vibrato is excellent (ca holds extremely well agreement)

- The form that is not exactly the same as Fender and I find much less comfortable to wear and see.
- I really have no more to say except that this guitar and amazing given the price.

See previous opinion.

UTILIZATION

The handle is a real treat. I do not know if we can do much better with the quality of play is both well designed so that it slips over the handle, but also to be well in hand. Agreements and transitions between them are a real pleasure. The note for note, hmmmmm! Mine is handled mapple (I never really tried before except on a musicman II sword of a friend is far beyond my expectations after a few weeks of use. The only small point of detail c ' is at the top of the handle (near the body) I find that fixing the handle is a bit too big but you get used quickly and now it is no longer a worry. What if we remain in the high no problem .

In terms of usability, I find the guitar very light and very pleasant. The weight is evenly distributed. No surprise it is a stratum.

'A blank' the guitar sounds great (it's always a sign), plugged in, it can not be disappointed. I have not noticed any noise, but the sound comes out ... I come here.

SOUNDS

As mentioned earlier, is a stratum with three simple: it's clean to crunch its field. But saturation level is not bad but it is not made for that. And that's what I like, a guitar fairly typical. "Stratiennes uses" is exactly that! And it does it perfectly.
Again I will repeat myself but theluke is absolutely right, I reached 100% of its opinion.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for several weeks now. I did not achieve this level of quality with this guitar. Nothing but good, the violin, the varnish (mine is a shade of dark blue !!!!!! beautiful!) Vibrato with which one can play in two senses, lifts (to let you know I just retuned yet it is not due to play on it, pull the vibrato and carry!). The pickups are quite up to par.
At this price it's a real case is amazing that g & l is not better known! Scratch that I know has played a lease that barely knew and did not know that Leo Fender was originally (with George Fullerton). This level of quality, such a price, there's no doubt, go for it!
(The problem is that you have a big stroke of luck to fall on ...)

Guitar made in Korea, hardware and pickups in the U.S..
22 frets, 3 single G & L US
vibrato full dual G & L
1 volume, 2 tone, 5 position switch more mini toggle for engaging the neck and bridge pickups together.
handle mapple

UTILIZATION

The handle is simply fabulous. I had a bunch of good guitars (strats, Les Paul and others) and that it is largely the comparison. The frets are perfectly fit and comfort is total.
No problem with Access in acute correct weight balance and good standing as sitting.

SOUNDS

The sound is crystal clear to the crunch slammin like SRV. on the other hand, no place for aggressive saturation. It is truly right in the single coil.
So, to blues and rock, stratiennes uses.
the neck pickup is warm and idalie slamming and lights with an amp, it was quick to take to Steve Ray and Jimmy. Taking only APRS, hey, there's fingers ...
So a typical instrument for which the flexibility is not the word-matre. But, hey, it's a choice. I also possde Lag Roxanne Bedarieux made in this pair and allows me to scan large.
10, therefore, despite the versatility, but must also have a guitar of characters, and you strive to do everything, many are in that medium.

Last day of 15/05/2005:

I changed the micro acute for a Di Marzio Malmsteen (on the advice of a fellow owner of a music store), and frankly, it gives the guitar the only small thing that, according to my needs, he lacked : saturation in finer grain and a little more harmonic. Dnaturer all without the appearance of the beautiful.

Even happier then, but .... that the output level of the microphones of origin is lev! A ct Di Marzio seems almost loan. I'm really laying APRS glimpse of the new microphone.

I now have a pannel sounds really broad, and always the comfort of playing I can not let go, to my NWPD Lag I find now "rigid", while I swore more by it.

OVERALL OPINION

Despite (prjug origin Coren, the violin is really beautiful. Frne The body in the marshes, with a translucent varnish sunburst leaving the most beautiful effect apparatre wood grain and the handle and Saddle in the key are REALLY beautiful.

I had several strats (USD), a Japanese Squier, jou some Mexican, and the report of this qualitprix Tribute S500 is simply stunning. For ceusses who seek a stratum and that would not be obsessed with the Fender logo on their scratching, I can only recommend the test store. And I would be tonn they arrtent their choice on the stratum, had gard the quality of this guitar considering its price.

In my opinion, an extraordinary affair. Besides, I can not imagine what the US versions may have more, so the quality is great.

I would do without hsitation the same choice. And the worshipers of Lo, MR Start, they wonder what is meant by the initials G & L.

Last update 11/05/06:

few frisouilles Aiges appears on the strings to box 15. I do not know if this is a questionable aging wood or just a matter of rglage. That said, my Lag, older, has not moved one iota in the same conditions of use.
In addition, I glimpse much later (shame) that troisime knob is not a tone, but can play the output gain. At bottom, big win, ideal for cruncher, the lower its more lightweight. Good, because prcisment the rduction gain by lowering the volume knob was causing a big loss of treble, making the sound too dull. When you are c.., It is c.. At the same time, I never quite understood what was the use of the Tone knobs on a skyscraper. Must be my ct Cro Magnon.