G&L George Fullerton Signature Model

1997 USA made
22 Frets
Solid Top - Clear Red finish with cream pearloid pickguard
S/S/S pickup configuration
2 piece Swamp Ash body with rosewood fingerboard, small vintage frets with soft V neck
Standard Dual Fulcrum bridge
Stock G&L Alnico V vintage pickups
Volume & 2 standard tone controls (no PTB circuitry on mine)
George Fullerton signature on upper horn & headstock

Classic strat sounds - very sweet. Perhaps slightly brighter than vintage Fender strats, but it's a cut above all my other guitars. Some hum present, but it's quiet compared to many other strats. I play through a Marshall practice amp & Line 6 pod equipment for recording. I have plugged it into a vintage Fender Bassman & it sounded fantastic! Unplugged, it's very resonant. I'd probably prefer mine to have the G&L PTB circuitry instead of standard tone controls, but that's a minor quibble.

Setup was a little low for my taste, but after rasing it, it's great. The build quality it absolute top notch - flawless finish. Tremolo bridge works like a dream compared to my other strats. I simply cannot flaw it's finish at all... quite literally a work of art. The soft V-neck is a real playing treat - my fave so far! The swamp ash grain showing through the clear red finish is simply beautiful.

This guitar would definitely withstand live playing... I'm confident it would achieve anything thrown at it! Built to last... I'm pretty sure it'll be around long after me!

Never had to deal with G&L over any issues so far.

I've only been playing for a few years now... mostly for film soundtrack work. I own a strat, an Epiphone Les Paul, an Epiphone Wilshire reissue, an Ibanez Base & an Ashton acoustic. The G&L Fullerton is the best guitar I've ever played (so far) ...If it were lost or stolen, I'd be watching ebay the rest of my life for it!

It looks like a Deluxe Strat, more or less.

Fantastic. Mine has G&L Vintage Rails and a Little '59 Seymour at the bridge. I just changed things a little and put a Seymour SVR-1 at the neck, which I most strongly recommend for any Strat-like guitar, as the sound is phenomenal to my ear. I dropped a Fender Custom Shop Texas Special in the middle and I kept the Little '59 in place. This may be trying to improve on perfection, but I'm going for it.

Mad looks. Beautiful Blond Swamp Ash. Pepperoni pick guard. Rock Maple White Neck. Plays beyond great.

Brick House

This is a Strat the way it was meant to be. It's so formidble and dependable. I wish it had a Floyd Rose, but my G&L Invader does, so...Get a G&L, see what you are missing.

2004 USA 22 frets with 3 G&L usa wound pickups
swamp ash body maple V neck(the best) came with tweed case.. this guitar is the closest I have gotten to my favorite Fender original 1957 Strat!!!!!!!! I cant afford $10,000 for a 57 strat and the reissues are junk and I have to say this guitar blows away any custom shop guitar Fender makes.....People you need to get off the "OH I have to have a Fender trip and get one of these hand made guitars by G&L!!!!!

sounds awsome the best strat sound you can get!!!!! If your looking for les paul sounds then you got the wrong guitar!!!!! this is a strat and nothing less... In fact i sold my strat I had after I bought this one because there is no comparison!!!!!

came from the factory set up with 10 gage strings and the action was set good for string bending blues !!!!! everything else was great

I;m sure it will last it came with a 10 year warrenty for cryin out loud!!!!!
ask Fender if the will do that!!!!!

never dealt with them but I hear their great!!!!

been playing 28 years and been searching for that primo 57 strat that no one new they had at a garage sale but then I woke up and spent the same amount on Fender strats just to now find my ultimate 57 strat in fact this guitar is made on the same machines that made those pre-cbs strats your darn wright I would buy it again if stolen in fact I will get another one anyway just to spite Fender HA HA

1998 Made in USA G&L George Fullerton strat, 22 frets, rosewood fretboard, ash body, maple neck with a slight V profile, rosewood fretboard, 3 alnico single coil pickups, 5 way selector switch, 3 tone sunburst finish with George Fullerton signature on upper horn and headstock, cream pickup covers & pickguard, G&L dual fulcrum trem. It came with a G&L hardshell case.

I play many styles of music and this guitar is very versatile. It's best suited for rock, blues, and alternative. I don't think it was really made for metal, but I'm sure you could play metal with it with the right pedal or high gain amp. I'm using it with a 100 watt Mesa Boogie DC-10 and also a little 10 watt Epiphone Galaxie tube 10 combo. The tone is rich and soulful. I love playing bluesy licks on it, and this guitar can really nail Red Hot Chili Peppers punk-funk, classic Clapton, Floyd, or Hendrix too. I've played Fender American Standard strats and even a few of Fender's pricey custom shop offerings, but none of them really spoke to me like this guitar(sounds cheesy but it's the truth). I think I read somewhere that George Fullerton based this signature guitar on his favorite 1957 strat. I'd give this guitar an 11 for sound if I could. This is THE strat for me, and I haven't looked at another strat since I got this one in 98...haven't had to because the tone is THAT GOOD.

The pickups are excellent in this guitar and the 3 tone sunburst is my favorite finish on a strat. There is lovely woodgrain underneathe the burst finish too. The V neck with rosewood fretboard on this guitar was what really set it above and beyond any strat I've ever played. I bought this guitar as a dent and scratch, but hey, it's not the guitar's fault that the guys in the shop weren't smart enough to put it on a good stand. Guitars are meant to be played, and a scratch or 2 gives'em character. I mean look at SRV's strat!

I've had this guitar for over 7 years without ANY problems, and I don't expect that I'll ever have any at this rate. The hardware is a lot heavier than what Fender puts on their guitars. The tuners, although not locking, keep things in tune quite well. I would, and have used it at gigs and it's been 100% reliable, so you could easily go without a backup. I always gig with a few other guitars too.

G&L stands behing what they build. 10 year warranty on G&L guitars & basses.

I've been playing guitar for about 11 or 12 years. I own several other guitars PRS & Gibson, a few guitar amps, bunch of stomp boxes, Guild D30 acoustic & JF30 12 string acoustic, Epiphone DR100 acoustic, active Musicman SUB bass, GK head and GK 4x10, DW drum set w/ Zildjians, Roland Juno 106 synth, Zoom digital recorder & small home studio setup. If this guitar were lost or stolen, I'd have to go right out and buy another one just like it. G&L rocks!

1995 Black George Fullerton signature model. Alder body, maple V-neck w/rosewood board, fulcrum trem (which I just love), 3 standard Alnico V single coils, volume & 2 tones, 5-way switch, & non-locking Sperzels, which I replaced w/locking Sperzels (exact fit). I'm also waiting to have some push-pull pots installed for neck-on (for bridge/neck, or all 3 pups together), and bridge out-of-phase. For what is was designed to be, it is close to perfect. The only reason for the 9 rating is because of the mods that I made, but that's personal. Actually, I'm a little afraid to change anything. Of course I'm saving every little part, just in case.

Wow! I've had this guitar for 2 weeks and I haven't stopped playing it. I'm not a Strat expert, although every guitar that I've owned is a Strat-style, but this guitar simply out-classes every Fender that I've played. The pickups are so sweet. They seem stronger than standard single coils, but they sound very traditional. At the same time, if you hit hard, they respond. I know some people, like Ed Roman, denounce the swimming-pool route method, but that's what makes this guitar special. It just resonates forever. Certain notes even get louder after the attack.
The band that I play this with does country to jazz to hard rock, and many in between. I couldn't have asked for a better fit.

I bought it from a bass-player friend who appreciates fine instruments. He just had too many guitars (for a bass player), but he wanted it to go to a good home. It has been sitting in the case for the most part and was practically brand new (it had its 2nd set of strings on, including the original set). I can even feel the rough fret edges.
However, a few minor flaws. There is a small spike on the body where it meets the neck. I'm not sure if it's excess paint or wood, but it doesn't effect the tone so who cares. Also, the string tree seemed to be misaligned. It pulled the strings down considerably (not a straight path from nut to tuning pegs). Plus it was almost right over the G&L logo. I had an extra Graph Tech tree, so I sanded it down lower than the original, and installed it straight and further back on the headstock. I filled the original hole and it looks pretty good. Lastly, the nut was cut fairly high and I think with little or no angle (the high point should be towards the frets). Plus I use strings gauged 10-52, so a little filing was probably inevitable.

This is a strange question. How does anyone really know the future.
However, the first guitarist that I showed this guitar to simply said, "Quality". I agree. This is my main guitar for everything. All the others are backups.

In my 25-plus years of playing, I have never been so excited about a guitar. For many years I have put together my own guitars (mostly Warmoth) because I would always customize a stock guitar. But I don't consider this to be a production guitar. It's truly something special. All the changes that I have or will make on this one will not effect its appearance. And I will NEVER change the pickups. They're perfect.

TRADED MY 56 CLOSET CLASSIC GUITAR FOR THIS MODEL. V-NECK IS AWESOME. FINEST PLAYING & FINEST BUILT STRAT I HAVE EVER PLAYED. THIS GUITAR BLOWS AWAY CUSTOM SHOP I TRADED.

I PLAY CLASSIC ROCK & COUNTRY FITS BOTH. I USE A FENDER VIBRO KING & DR Z. MAX 38 SENIOR. I USE BOSS COMPRESSOR-SUSTAINER, HOT CAKE, KLON CENTAUR, BOSS DIGITAL DELAY, & BOSS SUPER CHORUS. THIS GUITAR RINGS,BEST SOUNDING STRAT I EVER PLAYED(TO EACH HIS OWN)SWAMP ASH WOOD MAKES BIG DIFFERENCE. SUPRISINGLY QUIET. I LOVE THIS GUITAR.

I STILL GIVE A 10 EVEN THOUGH GUITAR WAS SHIPPED W/9'S. GUITAR HAS NO BUZZ, NO DEFECTS @ ALL. I GOT A GOOD ONE. FINISH IS SEE THRU BUTTERSCOTCH. W/BIRDS EYE MAPLE NECK. NO DEFECTS IN THIS PAINT JOB.

BUILT LIKE A TANK**STAYS IN TUNE** NOT LIKE MY OLD FENDER. THIS IS MY MAIN GUITAR.

DEALT W/G&L COUPLE OF TIMES, VERY FRIENDLY. 10 YEAR WARRANTY GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME

I HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOR A WHILE & I OWN 2 LES PAUL'S G&L ASAT CLASSIC GIBSON SG. & EPIPHONE ACOUSTIC. THIS IS BY FAR MY FAVORITE PIECE, NOT TO PUT OTHERS DOWN. THIS IS JUST MY FAVORITE, IF IT WERE STOLEN I WOULD BE SICK & GO PURCHASE ANOTHER.

Serial Number GF0198
Has everything an old strat has so that's good enough for me!
Nice V neck and a great bridge. The headstock is beautiful as are the quality Sperzel tuners.

I traded a Fender Start Plus for this G&L. I did a acoustic comparison between the two instruments and the G&L was so much more alive compared to the Strat Plus, the Fender felt like a cheap copy! The G&L is so loud acoustically which I think is the most important test for a guitar, if it sounds good unplugged then your on a winner! Pickups can always be changed later but the wood is the most crucial aspect to a guitar. The pickups are good for vintage style tones, they're not designed for heavy metal etc... This guitar sounds best through amps such as old Fenders, Voxes, Marshall's etc...

I did get it set up properly after I bought it because it was set up for 9's and I play with 10's. It was set up better than your average USA Fender out of the factory!

I don't play in a band so I don't know how it will withstand live playing. The finish is superb and the neck has a great feel to it, very strong. The bridge is so much much better than a new Fender style strat, much smoother and built very tough!

Never dealt with G&L but the ten year warranty is reassuring.

it is exactly like a 1954 strat so it is very plain not alot of features

this is the best sounding guitar i have ever played. ive been in blues
bands punk bands and the guitar was perfect. weather you want to play fast punk like the casulties or slow blues like roy buccanan this is the guitar.

this guitar was setup out of the factory with pure perfection. the only draw back to this guitar is that it has a floating bridge witch means it has to be set up alot and if it isnt set up it wont stay in tune

i have slamed my guitar on the ground at a show and all that had to be done is it had to be set up. pluse it is leo tested witch means the put the guitar between two concrete slabs and stand on it. the guitars alwas with stand the test.i put a cigaret out on the guitar at a show once and nothing happend to the finsh do i have to say anything else. i am so confident with this guitar i will play every show with it for the rest of my life.

there is a life time warenty on the neck so if it ever warps you can give the guitar back and the will fix it for free. the company is one of the nicest companys i ever delt with

ive been playing for 11 years and ive owend les pauls and every thing in beetween. if it were stolen i would find who did it and kill them

Your basic strat, nice maple boarded V neck with a great satin finish, vintage frets and G&L's vintage alnico pickups. Vintage strat tone controls.

Pretty good but not in the same class as the Fender Custom shop 10/56. All positions are a little lacking in punch power and spectral range. I play through all vintage Fender amps, my fav being a '65 Deluxe Reverb, the guitar sounds good but my CS makes it sound like a toy.

beautiful guitar, awesome sunburst finish, great looking wood.

seems bomb proof

never dealt with them

This is a really nice strat "for the money". But as far as being a top notch strat is has a ways to go.

:I've had this guitar for almost 2 years. I bought it new.
Serial number is in the high 600's.

The features of this guitar don't vary too much. Mine's pretty
similar to the others mentioned. Of note:

Sperzel locking tuners: I love em. They grip the strings
tight. Never have to worry about slipping out of tune.

V-backed neck, with rosewood fretboard: I'd never played this
shape of neck before. It feels strange at first, but then your
thumb starts to like it. Now the traditional round-backed neck
feels a little unsupportive. Rosewood fretboard is just
beautiful.

Vintage-style tweed case: Very nice. Flaming orange interior
(easy to find loose picks in the dark!)

Thin frets: Last guitar I had had jumbo frets. The smaller
frets on the G&L make it easy to get around.

Bridge: Nobody's mentioned the bridge yet! The bridge was one
of the main reasons I bought this guitar instead of an older
original Strat reissue. It's rock solid. Held onto the body
with two heavy-duty screws (as opposed to 6 small ones on old
strats). Very adjustable.

I play blues and rock thru a Super Reverb (probably 1964). I
tend to hang out in two places most of the time: around the
12th fret, soloing in E or G; and 1st position, playing various
12-bar patterns on the lower 4 strings. I use 4/5ths of the
5-position pickup switch almost equally (I tend to avoid the
too-thin sound of mid+treb).

I just love how this guitar sounds.

I've built an effects board with tuner, wah, delay, overdrive,
chorus, and volume. But since getting this guitar and amp
combination, I often plug into the effects board only long
enough to tune up. The sound straight from guitar to amp is
WAY cleaner/crisper/livelier/etc/etc.

Nothing to add to the praise heaped on by previous reviewers.
I chose a blue burst finish with black pick guard (white edge
stripe), black pickups, and rosewood fretboards. I get lots of
Wow's on the guitar's looks.

One complaint: The case touches the high-e string's tuning
peg. I always have to re-tune that string after transporting
the guitar.

Built like a tank. But not as heavy.

I'd buy it again it a second. Wouldn't change a thing (except
that case-tuning problem) :).

This is a mid 1990s - probably first six months of production judging from the serial number.
Made in USA on Fender Avenue in Fullerton, California. George Fullerton was a long time confidant and colleague of Leo Fender. My understanding is that this guitar was supposed to be an homage to the 1957 Fender Stratocaster but with Mr. Fullerton's 1954 pickup design.
The finish is solid black. The body wood is Alder. The neck is solid maple.
Someone wrote on here earlier how these have the best necks. HE'S RIGHT. Mine has a fat V neck, which I believe only come on earlier production Fullerton models.
These guitars have one feature not advertised by G&L: MOJO and a lot of it.
The case with this one is the standard SKB G&L case. They now come with very find tweed cases. Me, I prefer the standard SKB G&L case as it does not say, "Steal me."
By the way, the weight is kind of on the light side.

I would compare this guitar to a 1956 Fender Stratocaster in terms of the sound stylings you can get from it.

Action, fit and finish are the best. G&L, because of it being Mr. Fender's company, apparently has access to some outstanding woods you can't get elswhere. The necks are fantastic.

The guitars that came out of CLF Research (Clarence Leo Fender Research, which supplied guitars exclusively to the original Music Man) and G&L are Leo Fender's companies after selling to CBS then leaving his consulting position there. The guitars made by these companies generally are among the most durable and reliable ever made. My G&L Fullerton appears to be no exception.

The warranty is 10 years to the original owner. I've never dealt with customer support.

I'm 36. I've been playing around 30 years.
If you want a current production Strat-type guitar, then I suggest you try the George Fullerton Signature Model. I played this guitar at the shop. Then, I played about 10 others. A friend was with me and she said the first guitar sounded way better than the others. I picked the Fullerton up again. My mindset must have been wrong on the first play because without any coaxing the guitar gave a beautiful sound (without being Strat-twangy as my friend said). A lot of people might read this and say that I'm not being critical. Well, this is not a PRS. It's not a Parker. It's not a Les Paul. As I wrote earlier, this model was supposedly intended to be a 1957 Stratocaster style with the 1954 pickup design of Mr. Fullerton. To me, it has the Mojo of a pre 1957 Fender Stratocaster (and I'm not talking reissues). For that vibe, this guitar is it but it is not a reissue. It has many of Mr. Fender's and G&L's innovations that have come into existence in the last 20 years. The most important being the necks. The reviews of this model made earlier than my review are good critiques. I don't agree with some of the points but they are reliable critiques. I don't agree with one reviewer who replaced the bridge pickup. Other than that, I'd just be nitpicking.

All strats to a large degree have the same features, this is because they are all base on the originals made by Leo Fender and George Fullerton in the 50's and 60's. Consequently, most "strat style" guitars have in common: 1 volume and 2 tone controls, 250K pots, 3 pickup design w/ 5-way switching, phase cancelling in positions 2 and 4, flatmount bridge with adjustable saddles and a screw in tremolo lever, screw in 4-bolt neck... It would just so happen that the two men who came up with the original Strat design would be the only ones brave enough to attempt to improve it. What was remarkable about Leo Fender was that he was never fully satisfied with any of his designs. He could be quoted as saying that he could never understand why so many people obsessed over buying vintage Fender guitars (58 strats). In his opinion, his newest guitars represented the product of many years of improvements. The Fullerton guitar has many features that make it superior to other "strats." 1) The neck is sealed with penatrating oils but not finished. This often leads to warping, but G&L uses methods to prevent this and have managed to overcome the problem. The feel of an unfinished neck offers advantages because it is less sticky and allows your hands to move more freely across the neck. 2) G&L uses a completely redesigned and superior bridge which is heavier, smoother. It allows the pitch to be accurately raised and lowered. The tuning stability is good. 3) G&L uses a synthetic nut material similar to bone and they file the slots to be very tight with 10 gauge strings. (I use 11's though and had to have the slots widened.) This increases the transfer of sound from the strings to the wood. 4) A very tight neck and body joint gives a very good transfer of sound vibrations ind leads to better tone and sustain. 5) The pick-up have a very warm but not bassy tone and sound very good clean and overdriven. Due to their full frequency range, they give a very dramatic tonal change in the 2 and 4 positions. 6) The quality of the finish is exceptional. The guitar looks as if it is incased in glass.

The guitar's sound is exactly what people mean when they talk about the "strat" sound. All five selector settings give a different but very usable sound. The neck pickup has the deepest response and the middle pickup is similar in tone but with a slightly higher range of frequency response. Particularly beautiful tones are produced using these pickups together. The bridge pickup has a lot of presence. Other reviewers have remared that the bridge picup is too high to be usable which is true if you always play clean and/or you always play by yourself (i.e. no bass, no drums, no 2nd guitar). In a band setting, the pickup has a much better place. The guitar will cut through and sound very clear and very tonal and will remain clear with increased overdrive or distortion. I bought the guitar to play music in the styles of SRV, Eric Johnson, and Jimi Hendrix. it is best suited for Eric Johnsons style. SRV and Hendrix tones are better achieved using overwound pickups.

Very well set up by the factory to be palyed as delivered. As stated, people who use larger string gauges will have problems because the strings will be pinched in the nut and will not tune smoothly. The finish is as good as they come. Beatiful sunburst with attractively grained ash. The pieces are all joined very tightly (tuners to neck, neck to body, bridge to body) giving good tone and sustain.

These guitars will prove to be more durable than the vintage Fenders. The finishes will not chip off like you see they always do with vintage strats. The quality of Hardware is first rate. No other company uses such a heavy bridge.

I had the guitar order direct from the factory by a local music store that had just decided to stop carrying G&L instruments. I received it locked in the case (keys inside) and nobody could open for me. This alone is rediculous because even a fender case key should be ale to open it. I had to pry the locks open and they're still broken today. I don't understand why they would have locked the keys in the case and sent it to me like that.

I use this guitar with an elaborate system including a Twin Reverb, Marshall Plexi, Fulltone: FD2, '69, Deja2, Clyde, Lexicon PCM 91, TC2290 Delay, TC1210 Chorus, and a stereo power amp with two cabinets. The guitar provides a perfect base tone upon which the rest of the equipment can shape a very wide range of sounds. The guitar is in no way restricting and I am never left unsatisfied with its performance.

I have two three bolt Fullertons. One has a traditional cut maple neck with fretboard, the other has the "v" cut with rosewood. One is Ash and the other is Alder. THey are both excellent guitars. The neck on the Alder (rosewood) plays and feels like silk. This is my favorite guitar of all time, and I have left it completely stock. The trem is awesome and easily adjusted.

I play blues, rock. This is pure vintage strat, no fuss, no mess. Flip the bridge pickup only for the sweet sparkle, hit the front two for the strat sound. Definitely not the Les Paul humbucker warthog, pure, clean, crystaline.

Finish and setup is flawless. I lowered the action on one of the two.

Are you kidding? Have you ever looked at one of these things. I'd have to drag it around town behind my harley just to make it look like it's been played!

n/a

Love it. Also have a Steinberger and a Les Paul Studio.
The Alder Fullerton is my favorite

I still don`t think there is a guitar that warrants a 10 rating but this guitar comes close. The George Fullerton is wired in classic Strat fashion with tone control on the neck and middle pickups. The bridge pickup is direct drive. Schaller manufactures the tuners for G&L and I find the work fine except for the high E tends to be a pain to wind around the stem(slips easily). The neck is the reason I purchased this guitar, THIS NECK IS THE BEST THERE IS.

The Bridge pickup is too bright for my style or any style. After playing this guitar for 2 months I installed a red lace sensor in the bridge position which gives me a fat sound out of this extremly bright guitar. I am using a fender hot rod deluxe to drive this guitars tone with excellent results. The G&L single coil pickups pick produce a great deal of string pull because of thier very powerful magnets(Don`t adjust them too close to the strings. The G&L vintage pickup has tons of gain and fantastic tone in the neck position. I`ve been a Gibson man for 25 years so this sound is a transition for me. The notch position has a nice spanky tone.

The Finish on this guitar is a very well done SunBurst will no flaws that I see. The Neck has a worn satin finish that gives you a fast feel.The wammy bar is way better than a Fender. I found the nut too high for my liking, Minor filing job fixes this. The action from the factory is too high but the nice little allen key set you get from G&L that comes with the guitar fixes this with no trouble. Overall the finish is diffently the strong point.

I`ve owned the guitar for only 4 months. Talk to me in 10 years. Personally I think guitar can be dropped while on stage and be no worse for wear. Very solid. I would like to see some rocker try to smash one of this babies, I would be tough. The neck is sawed in half and glued together with the grain in opposing directions. If this neck warps I`m starting accordian lessons.

10 year warranty is great as long as G&L doesn`t go bankrupt.

I also own a 1972 Gibson SG2, I`ve been playing through Gibson P90`s for 25 years. I always said I would never own a Strat, but this guitar is not a strat its a G&L . It tougher, better built, better bridge, with a neck that is outstanding. If you play Hard Rock like I do just slap a Semour Duncan double blade in this baby and this guitar will kick ass with any Strat on the planet. If your a country or blues player this guitar probably needs no modification. Just plug and play baby.