G&L ASAT Special

22 Frets
2 Hi output single coils
Maple neck
Korean Made
Chrome hardware
Basswood Body
Pearl Pickguard
Tobacco Sunburst

When i first got it the pickups were waaaay too hot for me, luckly they were actually raised too high, so i screwed them down about a half and inch and after that the guitar sounded clean, loud, twangy and bright(on the bridge Pickup) and thick round and bluesy on the neck pickup, and loud as hell.

it has a hum too it, but thats what gives it its raw sound. you can beat the **** out of it and get so many different sounds if you mess with your amp. i play it through a Genz Benz black pearl 30. and i get a clean with a little hair, vintage sound. very very bright

i also play it through a vintage 65 fender bandmaster and i get the sound you hear in the old 45s

first thing i did when i got the guitar, as i do with all of them, is i got it set up. my guitar tech Chad is the best one out there at Chicago Guitar and Amplifier.

so after that the thing never goes out of tune and i never break a string. keep in mind i play 12's. its the most solid guitar i've ever played, i own a rickenbacker 360, a G&L Legacy Tribute, and a danelectro 63. and i have played countless amounts of American made Fender teles and those things suck compared to this.

solid as hell, you could kill someone with it.
heavy
hard
loud

22 Frets
2 Hi output single coils
Maple neck
Korean Made
Chrome hardware
Basswood Body
Pearl Pickguard
Tobacco Sunburst

When i first got it the pickups were waaaay too hot for me, luckly they were actually raised too high, so i screwed them down about a half and inch and after that the guitar sounded clean, loud, twangy and bright(on the bridge Pickup) and thick round and bluesy on the neck pickup, and loud as hell.

it has a hum too it, but thats what gives it its raw sound. you can beat the **** out of it and get so many different sounds if you mess with your amp. i play it through a Genz Benz black pearl 30. and i get a clean with a little hair, vintage sound. very very bright

i also play it through a vintage 65 fender bandmaster and i get the sound you hear in the old 45s

first thing i did when i got the guitar, as i do with all of them, is i got it set up. my guitar tech Chad is the best one out there at Chicago Guitar and Amplifier.

so after that the thing never goes out of tune and i never break a string. keep in mind i play 12's. its the most solid guitar i've ever played, i own a rickenbacker 360, a G&L Legacy Tribute, and a danelectro 63. and i have played countless amounts of American made Fender teles and those things suck compared to this.

solid as hell, you could kill someone with it.
heavy
hard
loud

Black swamp ash body, creme pick guard and pickups, gun oil tinted neck with dark rosewood fretboard, Wide neck (43 mm at nut), medium thick, jumbo frets, 2 large rectangular MFD-pickups (P90 look-a-like), Tele like switches. I believe it's 7 1/2 radius, no signs of fretting out when bending though...so I'm not sure.

Nice tone acoustically compared to my Fender Telecasters, no dead spots even with low action.

I love the large MFD pickups, they are very flexible. The can produce extremely bell clear tones and by working with the tone control you can go to rocky bluestone or to a more jazzier tone. I'm running through a Line6 Flextone or a Lehnert Rambler point-to-point tube amp.

The tone control really works, changes the character of the sound without spoiling the tone. You also can get Gretsch-like tones, with a Bigsby (which I don't have) you could play Setzer...

So it works great for country-twang, but also rock, pop, blues and some jazz. The pickups are not P90 of course, I believe they are far more flexible and also a bit colder sounding, even if you can get a P90-like tone.

The neck is big. A bit wider than normal, medium fat. Reminds me of the Brian May Red Special (had both Guild and Burns).

Iv'e been playing more than 25-years, owned lots of guitars. Currently have some teles, strats and a 335. This one is like a Tele+. Don't expect it to sound exactly like Telecaster, it has it's own voice. But it can be applied for all occasions where a telecaster sound is needed. Compared to my Tele 52' RI this one has a more outpout unplugged and plugged in. You can get the same twang (at least) as the 52' and is more flexible. But the Tele sounds like a tele (good) and the ASAT sounds like an ASAT

Earlier I owned a ASAT Tribute Semi Hollow. I traded that one for something else, but I really missed the sound so I found this one on new on Ebay for a nice price. Compared to the cheaper Tribute this one has a lot more MoJo, the neck is several levels better. The sound is similar though, it's the same pickups.

Fantastic maple neck, to bold single coils, made right here in Fullerton CA whats not to love.

Great twang, for blues, rock and country. But beware the hum. I got mine serviced with new 500k pots and additional grounding to clean up the background noise (only noticeable when you are really pushing it).

I love the action on this thing. Low and fast. Playing this makes my other guitars (G&L Legacy, Les PAul Copy) seem like a chore

This is my number one guitar. I did lose the screw on the output jack but thats the service techs fault not G&Ls

Never had to call

Fantastic guitar. Compared with my Legacy this thing is hands down the winner. Beautiful tone, great playability, and beatiful clear coat finish and pearloid pickuard

2 x G&L fullerton P90 pickups (beautiful!!!), Tele body with a hard tail. Maple neck and fret board, 3 way pickup switch, tone and volume knob (standard tele set up), mine is the blue sunburst, its an 06 issue.

Has all the features you would exect on a tele bu the P90's make this more than just a tele!!!!

Personally i fell in love with teles ages ago, i spent a long imte searching for the right one. My guitar teacher had a tribute serise G&L asat special which i used to play back in my bheap guitar days and i liked it alot. I loved the look/sound/feel/image of a telecaster. I of course played many teles in cluding mexicans, japs, american, i liked some of them but was still left wanting more. Of course custom shop fenders are beautiful and made that way but in between playing one i tried an american G&L asat special and fell in love. The neck is beautiful, one of the best mapes i have ever used seriously. None of the fenders exceot their custom shop stood up to the quality of the G&L americans.

The P90's add a bit more mids/bass to the well known and renoun tele sound. A bit more grunt but without loosing that twang/high pitched quality. I can still get beautiful twang sounds out of it as well as bluesy to rock sounds. The P90's make pub rock sound more full and almost pete townsendy (known for p90's).

It runs very quiet, of course this guitar is a light bodied tele so it cant ahndel high gain distortion that well and its not ment for that purpose. For rock/county/blues and a great all round pub rock and rock guitar i would highly recomend a G&L asat special because its the most grunty/rocky tele out on the market in my view.

I had to fiddle with the action when i got the guitar because it wasnt set up to my liking but apart from that its great. It was all to do with how i played and what i liked rather than the guitar being badly set up. The finish and build quality is great. The neck is smooth and fluent but it is not a slippery and twangy as some maple necks can be but i like that. The colour is amazing and looks beautiful. The case that came with it is great as well. I wish that is had a tremolo or bigsby option like the jap fender tele but apart from that no issues.

Its a tele, a solid peice of wood attached to a neck. I can see myself playing this guitar for years to come. The design and look is timeless and they are buil to last. And there is nothing like a few chips/scratherrs/battle scars to add character to the girl.

I have fallen in love with G&L, leo fender took his timeless guitars from fender and made them new and upgraded them so that a new generation and player could be happy. G&L price for quality on all of their guitars out does fender by a huge margin. Fenders only have the same quality of my G&L on their Custom Shop expensive Guitars. Looking at $5000AU compared to $3500 and i still would rather a G&L anydays.

Buy G&L true FENDER KILLERS!!!!

Two P-90 type Field Magnetic Hand wound and dipped Single Coil fat P/UPS. Birds Eye Maple with gun oil finish. Swamp ash body in red and black burst. 3 way tone switch. 3 tone pearl pick guard. sperzel tuners. all 100% USA Fullerton CALIFORNIA BABY! A Ripper!

USA Made Fullerton California . ASAT SPECIAL USA MODEL with coa Mrs Fender signed. Swamp Ash Body with beautiful swirling/worming in the wood front and back. red & black burst w- red as the primary color. Comes with the P-90 Field Magnetic Single Coil Pickups. G & L still hand winds their own p/ups and dips them in wax as well like the old days ! They sound wonderful and have a very round and special tone to them.
I have been a Les Paul and PRS for a long long time!. This is my first Telecaster.Vintage look with Gun oil tinted Birds Eye Maple Neck and Pearl pick guard upgrades. Vintage Fret wire with crowning. Initially the sound of the p/ups were the head turner here. THen I saw the guitar close up and noticed it is a first rate piece. Great for recording cutting to resonant rhythm and super tubey lead tones can be easily achieved with the right gear at hand! An excellent choice and change of pace from my mahognay-ebony-maple topped guitars at 10 to 13 pds a piece ! Light weight and super fast neck!

Action was relatively low and im going a touch lower . The vintage frets might require you to tweak the truss rod some but the factory setup is impressive right out of the box. I give this area a B+.Evrything else is tight and taught on the guitar . Sperzel tuning peg.upgrade. Nice finish with 0% flaws ! P/ups are dialed in just right from the factory or you can adjust the individual pole pieces under each relative string for it has an allen key inclusive for this procedure. Awesome !

So far no problems. Light weight in my hands. Seems really well built and meant to last. Ill be keeping this guitar probably for ever like my 71 Les paul and my 2001 PRS SInglecut Flametop Birds. I dont buy a lot of axes but when it happens its usually for keeps. I have three very distinct sounding guitars for live performance and studio to get the job done and some !

no opinion

Overall Id say the guitar if your looking for a single coil type with the ability to bite when needed or clean up and go twangline is the right choice. Nice crisp clean tones to dirty and punchy rhythm lines to singing and soaring lead play its all there for you. Not your typical fare with many single coil type git'z. I had bought the G & L Stratocaster USA model which was also nice. I found that being a Les Paul guy my whole life the Tele fit my hands better . The pickup positioning and especially the volume and tone knob placement and the fact there is no middle p/up for me to scrape my pick on and just the fact I didnt keep hitting the tone switch and kicking the guitar out of neck positiuon and into wither the middle p/yup or bridge p/up/ Seems a lot of Les Paul guys and similar have this issue with many strats because of the p/up switch and p/up placement. I love this guitar >!

It has the Sperzel tuners and 3 bolt neck with a pearl scratchplate and swirly blue paint finish - groovy baby! I think it's a 1993 model. Has those nice big single coil pick-ups. Nice old style frets I guess - not too chunky. Rosewood fretboard as a prefer. The neck is the typical Fenderish shape - I love the V contour on the Jerry Donahue Teles but this is quite comfortable and the flat finish slips smoothly across your hand. It has all the features I need so it gets a 10.

Sounds very big and bright - sometimes I think it has a Gretsch kind of sound where you can overdrive the amp alot but retain that clarity and depth - love it! I play lots of classic rock covers - Who, Beatles, Stones, Easybeats, etc. I use a Marshall JCM2000 40W 1x12 combo that just sings with this guitar driven anything over 5. I know it has a nice clean sound but I'm not really using it right now. I've recently started using a Boss DD3 with a short delay time which combined with this guitar gives a great, sooped up old style rockabilly effect.

I bought it used and the setup was fine, but I went to 10-52 gauge strings so it needed a little filing and neck adjustment. It's so light and just sits perfectly on your hip and in your hands. Yep, the pick-ups are noisy - especially with higher gain and volume. Who notices in a crowded bar at 10pm?

I think it's very simply and solidly constructed and I can't see any issues. It has a couple of sizeable chips in the unusual finish - a deep, electric, swirly blue which I wasn't sure about at first but it looks fantastic in photos. It was stolen at one point so I'd guess it got damaged then. Stays in tune really well. The vol-tone posts are an unusual (smaller) size so getting knobs to fit is a hassle.

No experience with this.

I've been playing since 1979. I also have a Hamer Special which is an equally great guitar - a bit more of the fat rock punch. If it was stolen I'd probably try something different - there are so many nice guitars! I love its sound, feel, looks, dependability and price, which was a total bargain for a guitar this good. I looked at Fender Teles and was playing a borrowed Jap Jerry Donahue, which is another fantastic guitar, at the time. The G&L was a bit unique and better value than a Fender. Probably lends itself better to overdriven rock sounds - a bit more versatile.

Solid 2-piece alder body, bi-cut 2-piece combo maple neck/fretboard, G&L saddle lock bridge, two MFD single coil pickups with adjustable pole pieces, master volume & tone, 3-way pickup selector, 3-ply pickguard, 1 5/8-inch neck width at nut.

The G&L MFD (magnetic field design) single coil pickups simply blow you away, with plenty of output and a wide variety of both clean adn dirty tones. Once I picked up this guitar, my American standard was history and went on the block the next day. This is definitely Leo Fender's new-and-improved Tele, no doubt. It's a little lighter than the Tele (about a 1/2 pound) but has 100-pounds more sound, with a full-range body that the Tele has never had since 1952. You want classic Tele twang, just select the bridge pickup and it's all yours for the taking. The ASAT MFDs supply a fuller sound on the neck and both positions, which are sounds the Tele simply can't deliver. I also have a 65 SG Special with P-90 soapbars and a 94 Hamer Les Paul Special with Duncan humbuckers, both of which have the balls of a 400-lb gorilla. This ASAT has the balls of a 375-lb gorilla, whereas the Tele has no balls, a castrated gorilla so to speak.

Once again, the G&L ASAT Special is "Fender done right." The fit and finish is considerably more precise than the Tele...neck pocket is a better match, pickup installation looks like someone from Cal Poly put them in, fretwork is the best on any guitar I've own (perfect install with no sharp edge) and the quality of the maple neck is first class, with flame and grains, complemented by a smooth satin finish that's easy to play. The action on the ASAT is also superior to my old American Tele.

This guitar is simplicity itself, with nothing to screw up, so a backup would not be necessary, just some extra strings and a second patch cord. I bought my 94 ASAT Special used in 2006 and it looks as if it was never played...absolutely pristine, so the black chrome finish on the metal and the black paint seem like they are holding up just fine. Neck is straight as a arrow. Man, this is a beautiful guitar.

I have four other G&L basses and customer support is one of this company's trademarks. Every time I call them, I get a warm hello and anything else that I need.

I've been playing professionally for 42 years, have a half dozen G&L, MusicMan and Fender basses, plus a 65 Gibson SG Special and a 94 Hamer (Les Paul) Special. This ASAT was the perfect bolt-on neck guitar to complete my stable and will proably get the most play, as the others are baseball card collectables that I play only a few times per year. The minute I got this G&L ASAT, that Fender USA Tele was history. Sure, a G&L ASAT costs a bunch new, but if you can score a clean one on the bay at half the price, go for it. I'm never selling this one and will let my kids fight over it when I'm gone, it's that good.

Two large G&L magnetic field design pickups, 7.5 radius G&L number 2 maple neck w/rosewood fretboard, Swamp ash w/tobacco burst finish. 3 way selector and volume tone knobs. Vintage sperzel non locking tuners. Very basic setup that works flawlessly.

When I first played this guitar I thought that only the clean rythym sounds would be usefull. Very clear solid punchy sound with my Boogie nomad set to the clean channel. Very high output but not to brash even with the bridge pickup by itself. It was a nice refreshing change from my LP that I had been using alot for Classic Rock and blues. In time I discovered that this was also a screamin guitar for the high overdrive channel. In short I fell in love with the sound of this guitar. I was enjoying the articulation of the bridge pickup at high gain settings for leads. A very tight sound rich with harmonics. I tend to use alot of suttle and not so suttle picking techniques to get different sounds out of a guitar and this guitar brought most of them out far more than most other guitars I had played in the last 25 years of serious playing. I found myself being more expressive than ever. Put it on the neck pickup and you have a great bluesy sound that you can be a bit more aggressive with.The Asat does not sound like a strat or a Paul or anything else, but that is what makes it so nice. Take it for what it is and play it accordingly. I have no problem with just palying this guitar all night even when Strats and Pauls are available, and they are.

I bought this guitar used set up with 10's but I prefer 9's. I usually bring my guitars to a local guitar builder for set up, but I just changed the strings lowered the action a bit and I was ready to go. I happen to be one who loves the 7.5 radius necks so this one was just so nice to play. I would say for me it rivals my Les Paul for playability. I like the way the telecasters are set up for volume control and pickup selectors. Close enough, but not in the way like a strat. I also am a little more comfortable with out a middle pickup to slam my pick against. Tobaco burst finish is flawless and beautiful. Lots of grain showing through. Maple neck is smooth and silky.

These G&L guitars are so solidly built. The quality for the price is unmatched. These are far supperior to the not so real fender production guitars. The bridge is outstanding with very little incidence of string brakes even though I tend to brake strings often.
I used to change strings before every gig to minimize this, but don't worry so much with this one. My only complaint is that it is a little tough to get the srings through the bridge. I have developed a lttle trick but it could be a little difficlult with the bad stage lighting you often get. It tunes easily and keeps it's tune very well despite my somewhat agressive attack. Tune it once play it all night with no problems, a rock solid gigging guitar to be sure

Have no Idea

I have been playing for over 25 years and just decided to pick this up for something different. I had heard some about G&L quality, but had not had a good chance to try them. Now I am a huge G&L fan. I have since purchased a G&L legacy HB and now only bring these two to gigs. I feel I can cover a lot of different styles with the Asat and it is just a joy to play. The ultimate question realy is: is it fun to play. If your a metal head probably not, everything else.... with out a doubt yes.

'90 or '91 G&L ASAT (aka ASAT Special now). Made in the USA, 22 fret model with G&L's big single-coil MFD soapbar-style pickups. Maple varnished neck, Black Alder body, black string-through saddle-lok bridge, black metal pickguard with black G&L non-locking tuners. Neck radius 7 1/2" (190.5mm), width at nut 1 5/8" (41.3mm). Leo Fender signature in top corner of headstock. One tone & volume control, individual adjustable poles on pickups, 3 way switch. Full marks here: everything works, and works well!

I sometimes wish the switch were further back, as I occasionally touch it with my hand when strumming (never changed the position though), but I guess it stops me hitting the tone and volume pots. It would be nice if all of them could be moved back! Even so, it's standard layout for most Teles...

Ultimate Tele. Kind of like a really good '52 Tele, bit with more presence. Pickups are very powerful: bridge you can get your twang, or really push it for rock styles. The neck is very musical also... sounds slightly chorusy on clean sounds. Roll back on the tone to get nice blues & jazz tones that you won't beat with single-coils. Mid-position gives you a pleasant, subtle, strat-like quack that is very useable too.

Pickups are quieter than standard single coil - you always get a little hum with SC P/Us, but I was pleased that these appeared to be not so.

This guitar is definitely fuller than a normal Tele, but I think that is simply as the bass frequencies are more prominent, so the sound is more balanced by default. It's less 'ice-pick in ear' trebly. If, however, you do want that sound, just roll off the bass on your amp, or alter the height of the individual poles on the pickups.

If I went out and didn't know what I was going to be playing, i'd pick up this guitar. To be honest, it's first in my rack anyway, and whilst I might take something with humbuckers for jazz, ASATs and Telecasters are the best working-man's guitar you'll get, and the most versatile. Can turn it to anything you want, and you'll get an excellent sound out of it that no one would turn their nose up at!

Picked it up 2nd hand, so don't know about the factory setup. I always get my tech to set up my guitars how I like anyway... it was fine when I got it though.

Build quality is extremely high all-round.

I've used it live quite a bit, and it will take some abuse. Stays in tune extremely well. Strap buttons are better than standard. I've heard some concerns that G&L finishes chip easily, and whilst mine came (2nd hand) with a chip, i've not chipped or scratched it since i've had it, and it's had a few bumps.

I would gig without a backup. The string-through saddle-lok bridge makes it less likely i'd break strings, and I don't have a heavy hand anyway. Only have a couple of scratches in the pots - it's pushing 13 years old, and that will happen to anything. Can be got rid of by cleaning it out.

Never needed to call them.

I've been playing 9 years now, and have tried the budget choices (avoid them!), ES-335s, American Strats & Teles, Les Pauls (my other electric is a Les Paul), and i'm very happy with my ASAT. It can keep its own with the very best of guitars, and in most cases will be better than a good percentage of the electric guitars out there. Certainly it's much better than any of the modern Fender stuff.

I run it through an Orange AD30 valve amp - the two go extremely well together as it does with my effects pedal board. If it were nicked, i'd be very unhappy, and would definitely try to find another one 2nd hand. Money is tight for me, so I don't know if I would be able to get one new. I definitely wouldn't get a new Fender, even the American models. I might get a MIJ Tele, but i'd have to get the pickups rewound by Lindy Fralin... and the action on the ASAT is definitely better. Otherwise, i'd consider decent British makers like Gordon Smith, who do Tele-style guitars.

Anything else to share... yes, I believe that... "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." God bless!