G&L ASAT Classic Bluesboy

Swamp ash solidbody
Hard rock maple neck
Ebony fretboard
22 jumbo frets
Schaller tuners
25-1/2" scale
1-5/8" nut width
2-1/4" neck width at heel
12" radius
Traditional boxed steel bridge with brass saddles
3-way blade-style pickup selector
Duncan SH55N Seth Lover humbucker neck pickup
G&L MFD (Magnetic Field Design) single-coil bridge pickup
Deluxe Fitted Tolex case

UTILIZATION

I play in a modern indie/pop/rock band that tours a fair amount. We have an odd sound. Think coldplay meets the beach boys meets pop punk. Anyway, we are gearing up for a spring summer tour and I realized the two guitars I usually bring on tour with this band have been sold. Oops! Generally I like to bring one Les Paul and a Tele style guitar. I have les pauls till the cows come home but recently I've been selling off all my teles.

I went to the ole guitar shop thinking I was going to get a Fender of some sort, totally forgetting about G&L altogether. It wasn't until a sales rep put this guitar in my hands that I remembered "oh yeah G&L makes teles too."

This is a great feeling guitar. The best part about it really, is that it doesn't have any of that heavy finishing that most Fenders do. You can actually feel the wood in your hands. The hardware on these is great. In fact, there's really nothing to complain about in terms of build quality. I love the neck radius which is compound I believe. Finish is awesome. Tuners are wonderful. These are just some well crafted instruments.

SOUNDS

I am not usually a big fan of teles with a humbucker in the neck position. It just seems backwards to me since I usually use that neck pickup for clean sounds and a humbucker does not always lend itself well to that. But let me tell you, whatever humbucker they have in here sounds great for cleans and lead passages alike. It's not super hot but it does have a little grit behind it. It reminds me somewhat of a Classic 57 with a bit more sweetness on top. Someone told me it was a duncan seth lover. I can believe that. Be aware, the bridge pickup is not your typical tele sound. It sounds great but it isn't your typical nashville twang maker. It's kind of its own thing. Very compressed sounding at times. I am not a traditionalist about my teles so it's not a big deal for me.

OVERALL OPINION

Not only is this a great looking guitar, but it is a great feeling instrument. To me, that is what matters most. Fortunately it sounds good too. I never thought I would end up buying such an unorthodox design. Especially not a guitar that was probably meant for blues and not pop rock stuff that I play. But for cleans and light overdrive it really gets the job done. I will be playing it through a matchless chieftain most of the time. Seems like a good match if it doesn't get too trebley. These are a killer value. Try one out. See if you don't come home with it.

Made in Fullerton, USA. G & L is the latest brand created by Leo Fender and George Fullerton.

The +:
- The original pickups are very very good!
- Swamp ash body and maple neck
-The typical plate Telecaster bridge pickup is higher at the edges (as the original Telecaster).
-The bridges are made of brass and the advantage of individuals.

The -:
-I will make the condo tone is really cheap ("made in china"). The pots are CTS so it's fine but when we know that these pots are no longer manufactured in the U.S. for some time ... (we recognize the "china" models with their golden axis, the U.S. has an aluminum shaft)
-The body is in two parts.

UTILIZATION

The handle is very nice, fairly flat (radius 12) with very little varnished and access to proper treble. Note that the nut is bone. In short, very pleasant to touch.

The only drawback is that you feel the frets when sliding up and down. They do not exceed, on the contrary we feel the depression (I'm used to the Gibson Les Paul Std where you do not feel at all the frets ...).

Quite retuning and G string that began to curl after some time ... Surely the climatic differences in this period and routing conditions (MMC cards in the U.S. and shipped by air). After re-setting the guitar starts to sound perfectly, so all is well in the end.

SOUNDS

With its neck pickup Seymour Duncan Seth Lover (very close Classic'57 Gibson) is easily obtained clean blues sound (cleaner than Classic'57). The bridge pickup (Leo Fender special manufacturing) is a marvel of this type of guitar. We feel this famous effect "twang", especially when you attack a little. The combination of humbucker and single coil is magical!
I use it on a tube amp Mesa Boogie Express 5:50

OVERALL OPINION

I use recently. But I have tried a few models Fender Telecaster before finally wear my choice of G & L.

I like the typical sound Telecaster. See even more pronounced as the Fender models. Even the head is pretty!

The way to the top quality / price of a Fender (cheaper than the best features and concurrency).

I remake that choice without hesitation!