G&L ASAT Classic

same as everyone else have listed

Sounds excellent! Much better than the Fenders that I've played. Bright and punchy. The stock pickups could be better, but they are still ok. I don't understand why the resell on these guitars are so low! They are just as good and I think better than Any of the modern day Fenders.

Bought the guitar used. Only did some minor adjustments

Very solid guitar. Never have had any problems with it at all. It is also one of the most comfortable guitars I've played. Especially the neck.

Never had to contact G&L

I would definately but this guitar again. No question. I've been playing for about 7 years and I've played my share of high-end guitars. This one has quality written all over it! Do yourself a favor and buy a G&L instead of a Fender. Fender just produces far too many guitars anymore and their quality is not what it use to be. The Assat is excellent!

Mine is a 2000 model, with 22 frets. The body is swamp ash, with clear red finish, white binding on top and pearl pick guard. It has a maple neck, two of the smaller G&L MFD pickups, and traditional tele style bridge.

The sound is great but it is not quite a tele sound. I use it with a Traynor tube amp.

The fit and finish is flawless. I did lower the action a little bit, but only because I like the action to be very low.

It seems to be built tough. I can not answer the questions about playing out, I spend my weekends working on a racecar.

I think the warranty is 10 years. I have not had any problems.

I have been playing for 23 years. I also own 3 Strats '83, '84, and '95, a '95 Telecaster, and a '88 Asat. I hate the neck on this guitar and will never special order another G&L. I let this guitar sit and play all the others becuse of the uncomfortable neck. I wish G&L's resale was better so I could dump this piece of shit without losing my ass. I would buy another one as long as I could play and get the feel of it. G&L has too many neck options and being handmade their never the same. A CNC machine needs to brought in to make the necks, you can pick up three Fenders and they will all feel the same.

I own eight (yes 8) ASAT Classic Signature guitars. I have been aquiring them since 1990. I perform several times a week in church and professionally for many years. I see that there are some very intelligent guitar pickers on this page because they have chosen a very, very high quality guitar. I have played some of the newer models and have been very impressed by these as well. I like the signature guitars because I like knowing that Leo was around when my guitar was manufactured. Features? How about classic tele sound (on steroids) and better than vintage manufacturing? How about the highest quality bridges,pickups, tuners, frets, wood, etc. that I have ever seen on a plank wood guitar. I don't need four pickups, a whammy bar, active electronics and a electromodelling whirleegig...just a great guitar with great tone. This is it boys. THese guitars will go up in value over time, mark my word. I'll be buying one of those semi-hollow jobs some day also.

It only sounds bad, when I'm having a bad night. And it's not the tone that's bad, it's my playing... :) Great for everything except high gain. And as far as I'm concerned if you're using that much gain you need to be doing some more woodshedding and less shredding. This guitar speaks the truth that is coming out of your fingers. If your talent is mediocre, this guitar is not for you. Again most of the people that are buying this guitar are experienced, long-term guitarists. Or they are bright enough to buy a guitar that will last a lifetime, sound better with age and will retain its' value. (If you take care of the thing. I know this guy named Stu Pidasso that likes putting his cigs in the strings on the head stock. He also thinks that it is cool to "toss" the guitar to give it some "charachter." Stu bought a "beeootiful" ASAT Classic with his Dads' money and gave it "some charachter." He moved to Nashville on a whim to "Learn to play the guitar" To bad he left his beaten G&L Classic in a music store so I could see it every time I walk in. I would like to give him a piece of my mind. Oh well.) Moral is....Take care of these darn guitars 'cause there's not that many of them around!

Great workmanship. Especially on the older Signature ASAT Classics manufactured between 1989 and 1991. Some models made in late '92 and 93' aren't so good. It appears that the quality of the newest models are extremely high. However the necks are not made with the same precision and nut fit as the old ones. However, they seem to be great sounding and great players.The detailing on the neck doesn't seem to affect the guitar. I think there is less hand manufacturing on the newer necks.

I have never, ever had a single breakdown with this guitar. What could break down unless Mr. Pidasso (Stu) was the prior owner. I have had to clean the cord input with "Golden Shower". (Or some darn stuff.)

I purchased a "non-commemorative" guitar. (That is a guitar that was made of "Commemorative" parts but without the gold and the rose.) The guitar had screws coming from the saddles that were way too long and were cutting my hands. I sent a letter to G&L and they promptly sent me shorter ones.

I have played avidly since 1965. I perform several times a week at church and professionally. I own about 14 guitars, 8 of them G&L ASAT classic Signature models. I am on a lifetime quest to accumulate as many as my budget will afford. I believe that this is probably the finest overall guitar ever made for country, blues, classic rock, rockabilly and most other popular music styles. It won't do the "Eddie VH" thing very well,but I don't care. I would put this guitar against most big jazzbo's also. (Try using the neck pickup with the tone control down about two thirds...Sounds darn good to MY ear!) Another thing. Every one of the ASAT Classics I own has it's own unique charachter. My favorite one is not the fanciest one. It is 3 color sunburst with a maple neck. Pretty plain as far as guitars go. But when you get older, what guitars do YOU want in your collection? A bunch of Jacksons or Ibanez's with the "genuine FLOYD ROSE??? Heck no! You're going to want some Gibsons, Martins and some "REAL" Fenders. Here it is boys. (and ladies if there are any out there..:) ) By the way there isn't much better of a combination than an ASAT and a Deluxe Reverb. (Although a JTM 45 reissue sounds great as a "blues dog will hunt" amp.) Vox is cool too. I can't afford the stupidly expesive "boutique" stuff. I guess someday I'll break down and buy a Victoria or something, but till then....remember this.... "FENDER TUBE AMP!)

I own a '97 ASAT Classic. Standard Equipment. Beautiful BlueBurst finish. Solid as a rock, and I don't baby it. Holds tune well even with all the bending I do, and regardless of string gage.

I'm a country guy and it is the best sounding Tele I have. Live and in the Studio. I only wish it had a little more high end on the bridge pick-up. New Fenders don't even com close!! Thru VOX AC-30 and Fender Twin...WOW!!

It looked like a million bucks new out of the case, and still looks great today. I mess with my action a lot so I can't remember what it was like from the factory, doesn't matter much, I change it anyway.

I play live 10 to 12 hours a week (not counting practice and rehursal during the week) and use the ASAT 95% of the time. One of the tuners is getting a little sloppy, but it on the string that I bend the heck out of all night long. Only problem I've had is with the saddles. I was breaking strings on two of them and just flat wore them out. My hand is on the bridge so much, chicken picken, that the acid from my palm ate the saddles up. The finish still looks great I get comments all the time, I guess mine is pretty rare. I often bring a backup, but that is habbit, and usually it my B-bender, and I'm always upset when I pop a string and have to play the Fender. Now that I think about it, I did have the jack replaced when it was about 1 year old. The dealer took care of it.

Warranty is 10 years. Does not include normal wear and tear. Had trouble getting replacement saddles that I had to pay for anyway. The local rep was in the shop I bought it at and I talked to him, he said I was lucky that G&L didn't the whole guitar sent in just for new saddles. I can't do that it's my work horse! The warranty took care of the jack.

I've got 7 or 8 guitars (including 2 fenders) and my G&L is my favorite by far. I play the crap out of it and it's still going strong. Take it from a country guy who gigs every week, this guitar is more Fender than Fender. In fact, my next purchase will be a matching Legacy. Maybe G&L is now, but I wish they'd do a fat tele with a humbucker at the neck, maybe a B-Bender. Now were talking.

Bought used on consignment from Elderly Guitars (what great, helpful, knowledgeable folks!) in Michigan (I forget the website...www.elderlyguitars.com?). Had the original certificate with it, but after much discussion, we could only pin manufacture down to "early 90s."

-22 frets, better than 21, but I would have preferred 24
-typical Tele set up: 2 single-coil pickups (they look like standard G&L's, although one p-up doesn't have a cover and exposes some white cord/string wound around the outside)--p-ups have individually adjustable poles, which is very nice!--volume and tone knobs, 3-way selector, standard "ash-tray" Tele bridge with strings fed through the back of the guitar.
--Bolt-on maple neck (7.5" radius, according to the www.glguitars.com website) and maple fretboard--nicely sanded/smoothed with *no gloss*, which feels wonderful and makes *me* feel like there's something wrong/toy-like with glossed necks. The neck is bolted with only 3 screws, not 4, but probably more than sufficient.
--jumbo (medium?) frets, which are just great
-Transparent finish over tobacco burst (hint of red on the edges might suggest classic to some people), white pickguard...the ultimate in looks, to me, though I care far, far more about tone.
-Looks and sounds like an alder body, which is what I wanted (for jazz warmth), although swamp ash would have been a good warm alternative, I hear.
-came with Sperzel tuners, which are the cat's meow and stay in tune even better than the Sperzels I had installed on my Epi Sheraton II.

Overall, this is one of the best guitars I've ever laid my hands on. I only knock off a point on account of the combination of the frets, bolts on the neck, and the question of the bridge pickup cover, but maybe this was consequence of being used, and thus might differ from a new guitar.)

I play mostly jazz these days, but wanted a rock/blues guitar to salve my "get yer ya-yas out" moments (from Rush to the Stones to whatever...), and to back up my Epi Sheraton II archtop for jazz. (The G&L is considerably lighter, too!) That's why Teles are so damn versatile, and fit the bill nicely.

The rig I tested is as follows:

both this guitar run straight into a Carvin 212 Bel Air amp, and also processed in some combination: Morley Volume-->Nady CL-5000 compressor (channel 1)->Route 66 dist/comp-->Boss G-7 EQ-->{amp, then effects loop]-->Nady CL-5000 (expander/noise gate, channel 2]-->Lexicon MPX-100-->[effects return].

The sound? I love this guitar to death. Had been missing that single-coil sound for most of my guitar playing life (I'd had splittable buckers before, but those were crappy pickups on crappy guitars... :). Sure, single coils are moderately noisier (not in the middle, hum-canceling blend of the two pups), but these are no noisier than most, and don't even pick up steam in front of my computer monitor.

This G&L packs plenty of punch and great twang when you need it, distorts smoothly/well (not exactly a metal guitar, but I have no problem doing my Alex Lifeson knockoff :), and just has a huge "Play me!" vibe from across the room. The bass is happening and surprisingly full for a Tele, but if you really need more, insert a smidgen of EQ tweaks on your amp/pedal, and it'll even do "Back In Black"/"Shook Me All Night Long" with nothing to be ashamed of. Take that, Gibson freaks... :) (Of course, metal heads seeking something black and pointy with hot pickups wired into Marshall stacks should look elsewhere...)

Certainly, this guitar likes to do Rush's "Red Barchetta" or "Limelight," even as a Tele-style beast, and arpeggiates "Distant Early Warning" the way it's supposed to sound (albeit sans whammy). Back off the distortion, and the ASAT Classic grooves mightily while playing Stones, Little Feat, NRBQ, James Gang "Funk #49", or early, un-processed Grateful Dead. Even SRV strat styles like "Couldn't Stand The Weather" are quite attainable on this axe, and the same certainly goes for Yer Traditional Tele-manglers, Steve Cropper and Albert Collins. Even heavily processed, the ASAT Classic doesn't lose much personality and keeps a great tone.

Clean sounds are just great, with great acoustic airiness in the middle position--a touch of chorus (or not), and you're off to the races...I'm not sure you'd need or want a Fishman piezo bridge, but I'd be interested to hear how it turns out on an ASAT Classic. It's also full of warmth and clarity for jazz on the neck pickup. The tone pot will give you plenty of brightness, but I personally tend to roll it fairly far down for smooth warmth.

I'd correct what one person said below--the ASAT Classic will do great for jazz, but it will *not* mimic a 335, let alone non-neckthrough archtops. It can get somewhat "woody" sounding with some EQ tweaking on your amp and/or pedal, but nothing like the real hollow sound on a true archtop. (My Epi Sheraton, on which I just replaced the so-so Epi stock pickups with Seymour Duncan 59s, does that 335 thing far, far better). Still, I suspect Tele jazz players (Ed Bickert and Howard Roberts, to name two) would be satisfied in this department. I know I have had no qualms about taking it to play with my small jazz combo; our alto saxophonist gets a bit jealous when he sees this guitar.

I was A/B'ing the G&L against a Carvin TL60T (Wilkinson trem, S/S/S AP11 pickups, neck-through design), and the G&L won. The Carvin was a fine guitar, a bit more versatile considering the 3 pup setup, sustained a bit longer than the G&L and had perhaps a tad more clarity, but was just harsher and tinnier on the stock pickups which would have needed replacing. See my review on it, if the spirit mo

Setup was great. Required almost no tweaking of intonation, and certainly none on the truss. I tweaked pickup pole pieces a bit, one of which was a tad rusty. But hell, it was used. The action was noticeably moderately higher than the Carvin's (too) way-low setup, but I like that, and it suits any solidbody electric.

Teles are the ultimate plank, intended to outdo nuclear-defying cockroaches. Bolt-on necks are just great in case you have to dismantle it for the airlines' tender mercies. (You want more sustain than the thing's already got? Buy a pedal or a compressor...)
Everything just feels SOLID, G&L is doing some nice work on this...
Could easily handle a beating on a gig without a backup, but rather than tempt fate, get a backup.

Have never dealt with G&L directly. Elderly Guitars had great support over the phone, and as I recall, 2 or 3 days to try out the guitar--as they put it, you'll know within a few hours if you love or hate the guitar in sound or workmanship.

I've been playing just about 15 years now, much more seriously in the last four, because of getting into jazz. I honestly fail to see why people insist on paying for the Fender name and/or that of their favorite stars (based on old history, not the identical replication of models!), when G&L appears to be making virtually the same guitars with nicer workmanship, and far more dependability, especially in the tone department. Were this guitar lost or stolen, I presume I'd be in a nice hospital room with rubber walls and hopefully catatonic, because the alternative is the Big House and 25 years to life on account of the thief. Like I said, the Carvin TL60T is a fine guitar, but this particular G&L took the trophy when it came not just to price, but sound.

White-ish alder body maple neck tele-style beauty. Silky to the touch but not so much like a credit card as Les Pauls.
22 frets, although only about 20 can be reached easily enough.
Just a volume and tone control (which works) but then what more do you need? You buy this type of guitar for the tone - so why do you want to change it?

I don't really stretch the guitar as I play mostly blues & jazzy stuff. If you want to go more extreme you will need a stomp box. It has a somewhat bright sound (as expected), but also has a very rich rounded sound with both pickups on.
That indefinable but instantly recognisable tele sound is what I was after, and that's exactly what you get with this guitar.
I went to Manny's, NYC, to buy a Fender Tele and the salesman went along with me until I made my choice (an American Tele) then he said "before you go, try one of these G&L guitars". The ASAT Classic sounded more Fender than a Fender. As soon as I picked it up I knew it was a 'real' guitar compared to the poor setup and rough edges of the Fender. I was sold. I had heard very little about G&L but I didn't care - I was the one who was going to play it.
Now I recommend them to everybody - and my next guitar will probably be another G&L.

No need to get it home and send it out again for set up. It's had perfect intonation since the day I bought it.
Action is perfect compromise of playability and easy fingering and with no flaws whatsoever.

Although not subject to the rigours of regular live dates, it is clear the guitar is no wuss. It's kept in a busy room full of office equipment and other guitars and things and there is not a scratch after 18 months.
It's probably the only guitar most people would need on a date - just remember to buy it a pint!

No dealings with aftermarket service.

Playing guitar and bass for about 25 years off and on. Now I'm using a Fender Hotrod Deluxe which is ace for the tele sound.
Also using a Gibson Les Paul occasionally (but it doesn't get much of a look-in).
If I ever lost this guitar I would buy another - no question. The way it fits neatly into my hands and always sounds as if it's ready for business. It's difficult to put down.
If there was one thing that I occasionally miss is a little more sustain - but that's what strats are for, isn't it?

Very blue; very glossy, very beautiful wood grain. Tele-style, but trust me brothers and sisters, this is no tele. Two pick-ups, two knobs, but unlike most guitars, the tone knob really works.

Now dig this: I play folk music on electric guitar. No, really. And this guitar sounds beautiful. Full and rich and clear on the neck pick up, a little twangy on the bridge pick up. The guitar is more versatile than I am, because as I've mentioned above, the tone control really works. I use it with a Fender Princeton Chorus and an Electar 10 (with a Jensen CR8 speaker!).

I bought this for a low price at a local shop that doesn't put any effort into prep work or set-up. Anyway, I spent about a year very frustrated with this guitar, but then I let Tracy Longo at Guitar Tech Corner in Ventura, CA set it up, and WHOA NELLY! Once it was set up properly, the guitar melded with my hands and heart. I'm not a very good guitarist, but this guitar satisfies what I thought was a mythical quest: it makes me play better!

Very solid. Very tight. Inspires trust.

No experience, but the "guitars by leo" web site is pretty cool.

I've been playing for about 17 years, and as I've done well in business, I've owned a plethora of guitars and amps over the years. This one has made it into the pantheon of keepers with my 79 strat and my Martin and Gibson acoustics. Just bought a Heritage 150; my seventh Les Paul style guitar, and realized I should have ordered a G&L ASAT Junior. Maybe I still will. G&L guitars are not just a fantastic value, they're fantastic guitars.

USA Made. 24 fets. Solid ash body, string through design. Standard Tele controls, master volume, master tone, 3-way blade switch. Neck single pick-up, bridge single pick-up. Maple neck, rosewood fretboard, 7.25 radius. Very high gloss "blonde" transparent finish...exceptional looker! Tele-style bridge with six adjustable saddles, chrome tray. Hard shell case included. I needed a reliable back-up; so I traded 3 decent imports for this one...but don't be mistaken, I still made out here :)

I play exclusively blues and classic rock, sounds great through a Laney LC-50 tube using Tech-21 Comptortion and Voodoo Labs analog chorus. Does have the ole' single coil hum; but what are you gonna do? Extremely clear/ will shatter glass and cut through the mix without a doubt but this can be controlled with a little tweeking of the tone knob on the comptortion pedal. If you want a rock solid guitar with versatility yet predictability...this is the one.

This guitar has the 7.25 radius so it also has the ole' arc to the saddles which can take some getting used to, but otherwise the set-up out of the box was right on. The pick-ups have individually adjustable poles, which is an awesome plus which lifts this guitars' versatility above all others in the Tele-style. Good thinkin' Leo :) Neck pocket is as tight as can be, finished detail is immaculate...but you will pay for that.

Absolutely rock solid. Could beat the bass player in the head most of the night without concern for damage. I would use this as a primary without concern if I ever lost my current primary which is a Ric 650......also, I suppose you could beat the drummer too without much concern for the finish.

Great web site which addresses most imaginable concerns; including how to beat bass players/drummers in the head "properly" so as not to void the warranty.

I've been playing over 20 years. Currently use Rickenbacker 650 series guitar, Yamaha dg-100 solid state amp, Laney LC-50 tube amp, Tech-21 CompTortion pedal, VooDoo Labs Analog Chorus pedal. The G&L is comparable to the Rickenbacker in quality. Far better than any Fender; even better than Fender Custom Shop guitars but for about 1/2 the cost. Immaculate finish; extreme quality controls. If this guitar were stolen; I would beat the bass player/ Drummer in the head for not watching the stage while I was away getting another beer.

basic tele set up. love the tone control. great tuners i belive the body is alder. the fretborad is maple. came with a hard case. it came with stock pu's. i changed the bridge pick up with a s.duncan little 59. it sounds great. the features are basic but thats the great thing about this set up. vol, tone, 3 ways pu selector.

i play all types of music. but one thing for sure is i like chunk . so this is why i replaced the bridge pu with a s. duncan little 59. now i have a whole range of full chunky to crisp bright sound from this pu set up. dont get me wrong the stock pu's are great but i felt i needed a little more bulk. i am running it thru a marshall jcm 800 and a rp6 floor processor. over all this guitar sounds really great..

this guitar shines in this area. came set up great and in tune. now i have tweaked the action on this from really low to pretty high. i finaly got the action right for me and havent moved it since. the one thing i love is the intonation. it rarely goes out of tune and is in tune all the way up and down the neck.

this guitar is a rock ..i think it will out live me. i have had no problems playing this guitar live. and since im lazy i dont like backups. just more stuff to worrie about after the show.

havent had a chance to deal with them. no reason, thats a good thing. reflects well on the product.

i have been playing about 12 years. i have owned other quility guitars. including a prs, and steinburger among other "names" over all of the guitars i have owned this one has the best intonation. its a great guitar

I have an early nineties asat that i just love! the one piece hard rock maple and fingerboard perfectly fits my hand, and those jumbo frets are great for a positive feel. The pickups are great! you can adjust them precisely, so no matter what weird strings you use, you can get a nice, even response. the schaller tuners and bridge are terrific: the guitar never goes out of tune! however, i am planning on replaceing the steel saddles with brass ones, for tonal reasons. controls? this thing is a tele! master tone, volume, and pickup selector. the pots are great, nice and smooth, and the volume pot doesn't cut off high end as you turn down. the finish is "old school" laquer, which preserves tone over the years, and is easier to repair. the finish is perfect. simply stunning! and the neck joint is the best i've ever seen on a production guitar. no, i take that back. on ANY guitar. Exquisite! a work of art!

My favorite guitarists are john frusciante, syd barret and steve cropper. i can get all of their tones, or at least as close as mortals ever will. running this thing though my plethora of effects, which include a voodoo lab chorus, route 66 overdrive/ compressor, old ? wah, some type of big muff and my new baby, an ibanex ad-9, to my music man hd-130 head and 1x15 or 4x12 cab, i can get thick and searing, or sweet and subtle. manipulating the tone and volume controls only enhances this magnificent beast!

i got it used, but the action was perfect, not too low, but not too high, the neck was straight and true, the finish was smooth, and neck joint was tight. frets are smooth and perfect. woods are top quality, as are all the plastic and chrome parts. the pickups are better than anything i've ever come across. think an old tele with a lipstick/ strat neck pickup hybrid, but with more output. these are extrodinarily dymnamic, though, unlike many other high output pickups.

it's as steady as they come. a tele was the most durable guitar in the world for 40 years.then old leo (bless his soul) outdid himself tenfold...

fast, polite and fair. 10 year warranty.

i'm a composer, actually. 4 years of theory 9 on piano. i've never taken guitar lessons. however, i'm sure i can outplay someone out there... ok maybe not.