G&L ASAT Classic S

Semi-hollow (no f-hole) swamp ash body in classic Tele shape. Honeyburst finish with pearloid pickguard. 12" radius maple neck with gun oil finish, conventional tuners and medium jumbo frets. Comes with G&L Magnetic Field Design pickups: Tele Neck, Strat Middle, and Tele bridge. 5-way selector switch with pull volume knob to allow all pickup combinations. This guitar is 1 of 25 made in April 2007 as part of a 100 piece limited run.

I have played many different guitars and have had a particular affinity for G&L ASATs. The ASAT Classic S is my absolute favorite guitar, and I own two of them. This one is slightly lighter in weight and has a somewhat brighter sound. In either case the semi-hollow design lends fullness to the sound that nicely balances the bright full response of the MFD pickups. Traditional Tele and Strat sounds are easy to get, but with a fatter fuller sound. In comparing the in-between sounds to a Strat, there is more oomph across the tonal range, but with a slight loss of glassiness. It is a great gigging guitar that does not get thin or shrill as the volume goes up. Actually this guitar has been converted to an ASAT SPECIAL S by changing out the top two pickups to the large soapbar pickup used on the ASAT Specials. This gives a slightly leaner sound in the neck position and a fatter sound in the middle. For my money, this is the guitar G&L should have made. I am playing through a Seymour Duncan Convertible 2000 amp using cabinets either with Eminence Redcoat or Hellatone Speakers. My effects are a Fulltone 10th Anniversary Fulldrive, Morley Bad Horsie Wah, and a Sparkle Drive.

Top notch all around. G&L has utilized newer technology in their neck shaping and fretting and it really pays off. The action from the factory was set pretty low for a Fender style neck but is plays great. The is slight buzzing if you really hammer it, but it does not come through the amp. Fit and finish is G&L's specialty and this guitar was pretty much perfect as with most G&L's I have seen. They are even doing a nicer job inside the guitar and varnished in a typed identification tag inside the pickup cavity. Wiring is neat, with traditional cloth insulated wires.

I typically bring one guitar to gigs especially if the venue is tight. I can get any sound I need out of this guitar. Hardware, finish and assembly are first rate, and I have no doubt that I will be playing this guitar for a long time.

I love this guitars and these are what I play...always. I don't really bother trying out much else as they can do it all except shred, which I don't care to do. G&L MFD pickups are very special and they give a tonal flexibility that is hard to find. They have single coil clarity and humbucker output.

Purchased new in the winter of 2005. Semi hollow no f-hole, clear orange over swampash with toroiseshell pickguard. Rosewood fingerboard with medium jumbo frets on a 7.5 radius gun oil tint birds-eye maple neck. Vintage split tuners. Three pickup magnetic field "Nashville" arrangement with 5-way switch and pull volume to engage 1-3 pickup combination. A really beatiful looking guitar. I never thought orange would look good.

Extremely versitile guitar. I'm a G&L fan but they can be bright. The chambered body seems to add some warmth and body over the sold body Classics that I've played. The neck pickup can sound start like or give a good woody tele sound when dialed back a bit. When distorted (I use a Fulltone Full Drive) it really sings and sustains wonderfully. The in-between sounds are a little muted, not as spanky as a traditional strat, but they have more body and hold up against the band. The bridge pickup is strong and beefy without the ice-pick effect some teles have. The tele rhythm 1-3 sound is not as bell like as a true tele, but again the fuller sound carries well. In general a "fat" single coil sounding guitar that gets true tele sounds without being mid-rangey honky like P90's. Works great in a band setting where a traditional Fender can sound thin and scratchy

To me, G&L's do not have the slickest action and like to be set a little high. This is partly due to the 7.5" radius neck. However they are a guitar you can really play hard without buzz or tuning problems. I'm used to it, but people raised on finger pulls and Gibsons will find it to be work. The finish is excellent. I've owned seven G&L's and each one the finish has been flawless. They truly are great lookers. I think they are sometimes indifferently set up and they generally need a little something out of the box. Read more about this is customer support.

It's all good. They are simple guitars with solid hardware, straight-forward construction and simple passive controls. As I said the finshes are georgeous and durable. For most rock, blues, and R&B just about any 3-pickup G&L will get you through a gig with no backup.

OK here is the story. When I got the guitar, it was buzz city. The neck had no relief and could not be adjusted to play properly. This was confirmed by a guitar shop and so I called G&L and they sent UPS to pick up the guitar. Once they had the guitar, they need 3 MONTHS to put a new neck on it! I very patient, but after a while I just called them every few days. They are obviously very busy and the phone mailbox was full many times. Not a good experience, but I could just tell that the service guy was going 50 different directions. They tried, but clearly they are disorganized or short staffed. When I finally got the guiatar back, they forgot to put a string tree on the headstock.

I've been playing thirty years, and with a band of some sorts since 1984. I use mostly a Seymour Duncan Convertible 2000 1x12 combo with 1x12 extension speaker or a '67 Pro Reverb. I use minimal effects: Fulltone Fulldrive Anniversary Edition and a Bad Horsie Wah. Most of my guitars over the past several years have been G&L's and I'm just a fool for the MFD pickups. This guitar has been the best "band" guitar of the lot. It's full and beefy while retaining great single coil harmonic range. Even when gigging outdoors the sound holds up and stays punchy. It will pretty much do everything I need to do from Robben Ford to Chili Peppers. When playing in a small combo or just jamming with my kid the spank of a G&L Z-3 or real Strat is fun. But with the band, the Classic S is my favorite.

The ASAT Classic S is G&Ls take on the Nashville Telecaster.
This is 2005 Special Build (2nd Run) and one of 35 made in Blonde finish.
It is chambered with MFD single coils in the neck and bridge and a reverse wound S-500 pickup in the middle. Between the 5 selector switch and push/pull expander knob this guitar is capable of seven pickup configurations including all three together. It comes with a six barrel standard box style Tele bridge, Schaller tuners, and a molded case.

I play mostly blues and rock often in open tuning through a 1962 Magnatone built amp which has tons of headroom and gorgeous vibrato. This ASAT can sound like an amped up Strat or give some nice Tele tones although not quite as twangy. It can also hit a wide array of tones in between. The ceramic pickups give a somewhat darker tone that the standard Tele pickups and have a much broader frequency response particularly in the midrange. This ain't a shredder's delight but can pretty much handle most musical styles with ease.

Just gorgeous. Very nice setup from the factory. The factory installed strings are 10s which I replaced with a heavier guage but this is just personal taste. The finish was flawless. About my only complaint is one of the tuners has a bit of play in it. I am planning to change the bridge to a 3 barrel styke but again, this is personal preference and based on my decades of playing Telecasters.

I have not had this guitar long enough to judge it's reliability over a period of time. These guitars are essentially handbuilt much like a Fender custom shop model and appear solid. Leo and George reproduced some of the machines they used in the 1950s to make the world's most famous guitars. I will have no problem using it without a backup.

Have not had it long enough. But we actually called G&L from the store and were able to get information on the special build.

I have been playing over 40 years and have pretty much relied on the same guitar for my number 1 - my 50s Tele. I found no other guitar in the price range that I liked better than the G&L including current and recent run Fenders. If this guitar was stolen or destroyed I would try and seek out another one. If I could not find one I would still go with a G&L.

(April 2003) One of fifty special edition models made in this finish.

BODY WOOD: Swamp Ash, Semi-Hollow (extremely LIGHTWEIGHT!!!!!)
BODY FINISH: Honeyburst
NECK WOOD: Bird's Eye Maple
NECK FINISH: Hand-rubbed Gun-oil Tint with Polished Gloss finish
CONTROLS: 5-way pickup selector, push/pull volume, tone
NECK PICKUP: Standard ASAT Classic
MIDDLE PICKUP: S-500 Middle pickup
BRIDGE PICKUP: ASAT Classic
NECK WIDTH: 1 5/8? Width at Nut
NECK RADIUS: 7 1/2?
FRETWIRE: Medium Jumbo 6100
TUNERS: Schaller

I enjoy playing mostly classic rock and play through a Crate GFX-212. This guitar simply rocks out almost all by itself. I can get anywhere from a bright twangy sound when playing clean, to a decent fuzzy crunch when dialing up distortion. You cannot get an "extreme metal" sound. The single coil pickups hum just a tiny bit.

I purchased it on Ebay in the summer of 2005. The guitar was two years old when I received it. The finish on the guitar is flawless and there was not a scratch/ding on it anywhere. The only complaint (not a big deal) is the bridge buzzes alittle while you play it unplugged; however, you cannot hear the buzzing once you play thru an amp. The setup was just how I like it.

This guitar stays in tune no matter what. I do not gig but would not be afraid to use it without a backup. It's withstood several long jam sessions without a second thought.

This guitar is very light in weight and hangs from a strap effortlessly. Therapeutic for anyone with a bad back.

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I've been playing for 27 years. I've owned an Gison Les Paul Classic (sold it due to finally getting tired of back pain), Gibson ES-135, and several accoustics. This guitar is now my favorite and I would be extremely upset if it was lost or stolen. I love it and would try to replace it

Tele style guitar 3 single coil pickups-middle is reversed. 5 way strat style pickup selector.
Pull volume control allow more pickup configs such as bridge and neck, or all 3 pickups together.
Swamp ash chambered body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard. Classic tele style bridge.
Limited edition, only 25 made of this config.

This is the best sounding Tele/Strat style guitar I have ever played. Lower output than my Fender strat, but much better tone. I think the chambered body really helps give it some nice resonance. I use a variety of amps, but my main rig is a THD Univalve thru an Avatar special 2x12. I own many guitars and this one really has a tone that cannot be beat.
Some of the people I jam with have said it sounds brighter than my Strat, but in a much smoother way. Not as harsh. Just a nice full sound that really fits into the mix well.

Everything came in top shape. Great finish, neck is smooth and fast, hardware seems very solid. Nice hardshell case. The tweaker in me will probably try adjusting the pickups, but the guitar sounds great the way it is.

It seems very solid. I would trust it competely without a backup.

10 year warranty. Have not dealt with G&L.

I've been playing for about 17 years. I feel this is the best guitar I have ever played.
I'd love to try a Suhr or an Anderson, because I hear great things about them, but I really love this guitar.
One of my reasons for buying this guitar was for the studio. I read an article in TapeOp magazine that said G&L's make great studio guitars because of the eveness of the tone.
They can sound really big, without actually being really loud. After spending some time with this guitar, I find this to be true, not only on recordings, but live as well. Just a great full sound.