G&L Legacy Special

New, 2006 model, left handed. 3 single coil sized humbucking rail type pickups with passive bass and treble controls as opposed to tone controls. Maple neck, alder body, locking tuners, trem, med. jumbo frets. ordered with a v-shaped neck back and gun oil tint. Black with matching headstck and tortoise guard. Purty....

I do not really play Strat type guitars a lot because of the noise in single coil pickups. I know there are lots of aftermarket noiseless pickups, but I guess I feel that the problems with Strat buzz should have been cured (by Fender) after 50 years. I'd heard nothing but good things about G+L and figured I'd give on a try. Because I'm left handed, I was taking a chance on ordering one cold. No chance of finding a lefty in any stores near me to try one out. I have to say that I am really pleased with this guitar. Dialing the bass control off gets you a clear Strat type sound, and you can boost the bass for a more rock sound. The bridge pickup is hotter than the other 2 pickups and this is especially useful for more LP style tones in overdriven or distorted situations. Plus, the guitar is extremely quiet. Why didn't Fender think of this? I guess purists may not like the sound of these pickups- they are not as pristine clear as regular Strat pickups, but to me the tradeoff is worth it. No noise.

The guitar was well setup for the .010 strings it was shipped with. I use a .0950 set and had to tweak the action just a little higher to suit my needs. G+L uses nice and stout trem screws and adjusting the trem for the string change was a breeze. The G+L website states that they will be out of their standard curly maple for necks until fall of 2006. I don't know why. My guitar has quartersawn hard rock maple finished with the hand rubbed gun oil tint and it looks great. Controls are solid, graphite nut is well cut and shaped and the trem works beautifully although it does not have quite the range of some similar units. This may be due to my setup changes. Overall though, playability is excellent.

Much more solid feeling than any Fender Strat I have owned, and that includes some Custom Shop models. Locking tuners add mass and I think it makes a difference in the way this guitar sustains- notes, even clean ones, seem to hang a little longer. This is my new "Swiss Army Knife" guitar. Clean funk, neck pickup blues, cluck and quack, and bridge pickup raunch all with one guitar. Brilliant.

Did not deal with the company. I bought the guitar from Guitar Adoptions in Wonder Lake, Ill. Dave is a great guy. Everything was in order and it arrived about 3 weeks early.

I've been playing about 20 years and have owned lots of guitars- too many to be honest. This is a well made, well thought out, useful instrument for the working pro or weekend warrior (like myself). I have owned it for about a month and have not had any second thoughts about buying it. I love the way it feels- ready to roll, rock solid. It's heavier than most Strat type guitars I've owned , but it has a nice cutting midrange that I like. G+L has it together!

made probably late 90s/early 00s. Got it from ebay... four-bolt model. Swamp Ash, translucent blue finish, rosewood fretboard, still with the original pickups, locking tuners and all the other standard features for a Legacy Special.

I've been playing from clean funk to prog metal on this guitar. I use it for recording and play it through either a Mesa Boogie Studio preamp or a Mesa Boogie Quad preamp, which both run through an ADA Ampulator. Due to the humbucking pickups, this guitar has not quite a strat sound, although you can thin out the sound with the bass knob. I've been thinking of replacing the pickups with some nice single coils, but then again, these pickups have a nice sound on their own, not as fat as a full sized humbucker but not as wiry as a single coil. They're brighter than most humbuckers, too. And, for recording, they have the great advantage of being dead quiet. No hum, no nothing. Probably some day I'll get those pickups out and put some Steven Kersting S90s in (skguitar.com), just for the heck of it. As it is now, this guitar is cool for rock rhythm and lead guitar. Especially for leads, since it has really great sustain - more than I would have expected from what is basically a strat construction. Very good sounding guitar, but not a 10.

Got it from ebay, and the setup was not great, but can't blame G&L for this. I'm using 009-042s on this, had to adjust the tremolo, swapped the tuners around for better, more consistent string angle on the nut and had to tighten the tuner screws. Now it stays in tune well - still, divebombs throw it out of whack, but that is to be expected with a vintage tremolo. Actually, the tremolo has a great smooth action, very nice. The neck is great - a very fast playing neck, not too thin, well balanced, great fretwork. A nice neck for shredding :-) I adjusted the pickup heights as well, which made a lot of difference. Now, this is a great playing guitar, but I had to put some work in it, mostly due to maladjustment of the previous owner. As it is now, a solid 9.

I have had this guitar for about 2 years now. No problems with it. Seems solidly made, the neck doesn't bow with the seasons. Never would use any electric guitar for a gig without backup, but this is a reliable guitar, no mistake.

never dealt with them, but the website contains some nice info, including wiring schematics and such.

It's a really good guitar. Not exactly a strat, although it looks like one. It has its own character, and plays VERY well. I think the playability is a little better than the tone, but this is no lightweight in terms of tone neither. Still thinking of a pickup swatch. Maybe I just get another pickguard, so I can pre-wire two sets of pickups and exchange them quickly. It says something about the quality of those pickups that I still haven't replaced them... over and over again I find myself liking them more than you're supposed to like non-sexy, non-vintage-sounding blade humbuckers :-) Other guitars I play are PRS, Framus, Yamaha, Gibson, Seagull and a N.I.C.E. custom. I've been playing for 21 years now. I'd buy a legacy again, if this was lost somehow.

I bought it used from the local G&L Dealer. Recent production Post '99 with a CLF serial number. Done in transparent red with a "4 bolt" neck with rosewood fingerboard. It looks like it hardly ever been touched.

I have 3 G&L's. An old 3 bolt Legacy, ASAT Jr., this Legacy Special and an old Les Paul.
I run a basic stomp box pedal board with 2-OD's, chorus, digital delay and a tuner through a early 80's Rivera Vintage Tube Fender and a JCM 900 Marshall in stereo. This setup gives me everything from Fender Clean, Tweed & Twang all the way to that Marshall on "20". This is the only guitar I own that lets me run the pre-gain at "20" without noise or squeel.
I bought the Legacy Special to get a bigger more ballsy strat sound to fill the gap between my Legacy and Les Paul for doing Clasic Rock Covers. This guitar has definately filled that gap.

I had to spend 6 to 7 days messing with the setup. I can't beleive the guy could stand to play it the way it was. The most trouble I've ever had getting the setup right. It's not that this guitar is poorly made or has any problems, it's more that my old Legacy is absolutely perfect in every sence of the word and this just made it dificult to be satisfied. I just went back a forth comparing one to the other until it was as good.

What can I say, It's a G&L. There is a reason I have dumped my Fenders for G&L's. Yes, even a August'62 Strat I had since the early 70's. G&L'a are the real thing, Leo Fender's wish came true. His Strat design, hand made the way they were ment to be. Just remember to install strap locks, the only thing they forgot.

I never had a reason to deal with any warranty or repair issues.

I started playing again in a 6 piece Clasic Rock/Blues Cover Band 4 years ago after a 25 year lay off. I have a killer Les Paul and the perfect vintage Blues sounding Legacy. I wanted another guitar with a little more punch for that all out "ROCK STRAT" sound. The Legacy Special has filled that requirment in spades.

1998 G&L Legacy Special with a Transparent Red Sunburst over a swamp ash body. Three dual blade G&L pickups that are 99% noisless and very hot. One volume control and two tone controls. Strat type body, with deep contour and the ash makes it a comfortable playing weight. It has a G&L dual fulchem trem and Sperzel Locking Tuners. It came with a Factory G&L HSC.

I really like the sounds the guitar produces. I like it far better than my American Strat. The pickups sound like humbuckers or the 2nd and 3th position sound like a regular Strat. This thing has got some bite, but gets mello and bluesy as well. Just adjust the tone controls and you have all you want. What's not to like with this guitar?

The guitar is beautiful. The Transparent Red Burst finish lets the ash grain show through. Even though I bought this guitar used, it is dead mint. There are no finish flaws and the fit on all parts is perfect. The hardware is high quality. Electronics are quiet. Controls are nice and tight.

Time will tell. This is the second Legacy I've owned. I sold my first plain Legacy to buy this Legacy Special. Everything is solid and I would depend on it to gig with without a backup.

Haven't needed them.

I've been playing for over 45 years. I also own a G&L ASAT Special, a G&L ASAT III, a Fender American Strat and a Gibson Les Paul. I play through a Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue and a Crate GFX 120-T. This guitar has everything I need and then some. I chose this one because of past and current experience with G&L. If it were lost or stolen I would definitly try and find another one (after I got through crying).

1994, American model. Solid body, Clear finish on swamp ash. Locking tuners, dual-fulcrum tremolo and locking sperzel tuners.

I play classic rock and blues, This is my main guitar. Runs through a fender princeton chorus and korg toneworks effects box. very clear, solid tone across the spectrum of sound, and with the dual blade pickups it manages to give the best of both worlds, the cruch of a humbucker, yet with the bass rolled off, in the 2 and 4 positions it will strike the sounds of a tele or strat.

Beautifully done finish that has not marred in 10 years since buying the guitar new. The neck joint is very tight, and despite a couple spills i have never put a ding or crack in the clearcoat..very heavy duty.

As Ive said, the finish is solid. The hardware is still great, with the exception of some rust on the tremolo springs and screws.. but thats due to my acidic sweat, and really not a defect. This guitar can really hold up to whatever punishement you may put it through, and if i was gigging regularly i would depend on it.

never dealt with customer support. lifetime warranty.

I have been playing for 11 years, and when i was 13 i saw this guitar and knew it had to be mine. 8 months of saved paper route money bought it, and to this day i dont regret buying it. They make a very high quality instrument, that you dont see that many players using..so not only do you get hand-crafted excellence, you get something thats a touch different than the norm.

I would definitely buy one of these guitars again, with a carvin being a close second. I can honestly say nothing bad about this instrument.

Its a couple years old i think, its exactly like the Legacy speacial shown on the offical G&L website. its got the gun oil finish on the neck and all (very nice). id say the features are great. locking tuners are very nice.

It has a good sound for a more bluesy or jazzy player, but its playes any thing well in my opinion. but i am a metal player so its not realy for me. id give it a 9 for blues and jazz or rock playing, but for metal ill give it a 6.

Action is very nice. very well put together, no lose ends.

It was droped in the store before i got it, sufferd a minor dent on the bottom. so id say its pretty durable. hasnt broken on me in the 1 1/2 years iv owned it so its pretty reliable.

Havent talked with them, but the guitar came with a letter for leo fender so that was pretty cool.

I would give this guitar a ten over all if i was more into blues or somthing. but im probably going to sell it since im a metal player.

I beleive that this one was made around 2001. It is swamp ash with red translucent finish, rosewood fretboard, dual blade pickups

I waited a few months to review it just to make sure I'm not talking out of my colon. It really is a very versatile guitar. The dual blade in the bridge is capable of producing humbuckeresque tones, although without the mudiness associated with some buckers. I have messed with the tone controls and have found that rolling off the bass producess the trebley strat snap. I really like the middle pcikup alone as it is a great balanced riffy kind of sound. I have DR 11's strung on it (as I am into the power strum ala Pete Townshend) and the swamp ash really growls. I run this s Marshall JCM 900 2x12 Dual Hi Gain. I don't use the hi gain channel, I max out the low gain channel and go for the mild overdrive sound. All in all it is a great sounding/playing guitar and it is in my opinion a high level professional instrument.

Action is whatever you dial in. I strung 11's adjusted the truss rod/saddles, and presto. Special note about the trem unit - really pretty design, polished chrome, does the job. The only, and I mean only thing I don't like about this guitar is the head stock design and logo application. It kind of looks like what you'd find on a toy. I know that Leo needed to come up with a different headstock to keep the CBS Intellectual Property team away, but I'm just not a big fan of it. But in the end, I guess it's the sound that matters.

I can't see any problems here. Everyting looks and feels rock solid.

No problems, so I can't comment

Sound for sound, a really great strat. I think it's a great value.

1996 Model made in USA, Stunning Blueburst Swamp Ash body, great hard rock maple neck, three single coil humbuckers - two dual blade pickups, one powerblade in the bridge. The neck has a satin finish that is easy to play. G&L dual fulcrum bridge, locking sperzel aluminum tuners. Volume & seperate bass and treble roll-off pots(controlling all three pickups) instead of v/t/t of a regular strat. I find it more useful since the swamp ash is so boomy.

Great strat sound - a little bit hotter than a standard legacy or strat. Very clear and lots of low end from the swamp ash body. Very quiet guitar without hum or buzz. I love the clarity of the sound and the ability to roll back the bass a little bit for clean sounds, and the treble for distorted sounds. I will likely try a set of Lace Sensors in this guitar to soften the tone just a hair - but that only my personal taste and no reflection on the quality of the G&L pickups.

Sets up fairly easily - a little easier than a regular strat, though it's accomplished in about the same manner. Pickup height makes a big difference to me so I messed around with them quite a bit before I zeroed in on the right spot. Beautiful wood choices and top-notch finishing - no flaws and a lot of character. Even nicer looking than a Fender Deluxe Strat I had.

Heavy and solid - built to last. Great wide strap buttons that don't cause me to worry about installing straplocks (hate them and the sqeaking) though if I was to play it on stage I would put the locks on anyway. Can't use a trem guitar without a backup of course but the smoother bridge saddles (and the graphite nut) should be much less condusive to breaking strings.

G&L staff I've talked to are easy to reach and are very helpful, never needed any repairs but they did spend time with me when I had questions. They also have a wiring schematics, drawings, tech specs, and a great forum so you should get all the info you ever need online.

It was made in 1997, handcrafted in USA. It has a gorgeous cherryburst finish over swamp ash body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, white three ply pickguard, Sperzel locking tuners, Dual Fulcrum tremolo, 3 dual blades pickup, passive electronics and a nice hard shell case.

I had a Les Paul deluxe and a USA Fender Fat Strat. Well since I got this Legacy Special, I sold them both (I'm not gigging anymore, so no need for backup), this is how good sounds this guitar, I can get it to sound like both these different type of guitar and more. Eveything at 10 for the Les Paul and roll back the bass to 5 or 6 for a Strat single coil sound. Rich, full and bright sounds, name it. Also it is impressive how lound and how much sustain this guitar has unplugged, this is to say that the good base is there to get a more than professional and satisfying sound.
I kept the original pickups, they sound just real fine with my AMP. they are a blast with tube amp, gain/distortion can be control from the guitar very easaly nad that volume knob rolls evenly.
I play mostly classic rock and blues and its the perfect choice for both.
Each of the 5 positions gives a unique sound with dramatic change in the tone which is a plus.

Well i'm playing with this axe since the last 6 years, it has never being touched, still the factory setup. It came with "9" and I did not change the gauge. The action was and still perfect to me, a little bit on the high end, which I like, the playability is excellent. It is a confortable instrument. The craftmanship is excellent, you need to carefully look very closely to attempt to see that the body was made of two pieces, they are so well matched that you could think it is just one piece, I could say the same thing for the neck, yes it has been cut in half for the rod, but almost impossible to tell. The finish is superbe, perfect with no flaw, and hard has a rock. Using the wammy and it stays in tune all the time.
The satin neck finish is like even and gives you that extra speed.

The only drawback ? It should come with locking strap buttons...

Just to say that I would gig with it without backup if it would not because a broken string can happen...I'm playing it since 6 years, and still no dent, no scratch on it.

Not had to deal with them

I'm playing since 25 years, don't gig anymore since the last 5 years. I play with friends and record. I use this guitar with the following setup: Legacy Special to PWO Power Wah (big chrome 25 years old) Morley, to Crate GXT100. With a Boss chorus-2 in the effect loop. Too bad that Wah is not manufactured anymore, it is really something. Also the AMP is not manufactured anymore, I don't know if mine was special, or if it was under-rated (because it's an hybrid), but I would not replace it, I can get that clean Fender type tone on the clean channel, and from creamy bleusy up to Marshall devastating overdrive gain playing just with the volume knob on the guitar on the gain channel. Simple setup but I can get any sound and play anything.

I would be mad loosing that guitar, I would definitely look for another one, with the same finish, it so beautiful.

Funny when I bought it, I was going to the store for a second US Fender Strat with single coil, and to replace the AMP I had with a Marshall head or a H&K, finally after spending 5 hours with the vendor trying different combination, I went out with that Legacy Special (dual blade humbucking) and that Crate GXT100 (Hybrid with Dual valve preamp). Having made that choice the vendor saved me near 2000.00 bucks and I had better instrument and better sound in my hands...

My G&L is a 1999 Legacy Special (in left handed at no extra charge). It has a "premier" clear blue finish on an Ash body, with a 22 fret bolt-on birdseye maple neck and fretboard. It is outfitted with a mirrored pickgaurd sperzel locking tuners and G&L tremolo.

It has three rail style pick-ups controlled via a 5 way selector switch 1 volume and 2 tone knobs.

It came with a hard shell case (also at no extra charge).

I play in a band called Dead II Me. We play somewhat melodic metal. I tune to drop A#,F,A#,D#,G,C. I use D'Addario XL Light top\hvy bottom strings .10 through .52. I play it through a Hughes & Kettner Triamp. My effects include a Rocktron Multivalve and a BBE sonic maximizer. I initially was drawn to G&L because I am a HUGE Alice in Chains fan and G&L being the guitar of choice for Jerry Cantrell I thought what the hell I'll try it out. My brother who is also in my band tried many different guitars. Gibsons, ESPs, Fenders, BC Rich, PRS and many more. The first thing that we noticed was that it was really ballsy but quiet at the same time. He bought one right off the wall that day. I had to order mine. I cannot think of a single thing I don't like about the sound. I realize these guitars are for the most part blues, jazz and country guitars, but I assure you mine sounds awesome for metal. I have a USA Fender Strat and an Ibanez and my G&L sounds better than both of them in pretty much every concievable way. It is by far my favorite guitar.I change the strings on it before every show because I can't bear the thought of using any of my other guitars. The tone knobs can dial in a ton of different tones but I honestly usually just crank-em both all the way up. It isn't loaded with features (no push pull pots or switches) but I really don't use most of that stuff anyway.

When I picked up my guitar for the first time it was tuned to standard tuning with what I believe were the usual .10-.46 strings. I kept it at my house for the first weekend and played it almost constantly. I love the frets and fingerboard I couldn't believe how much easier it was to play than my Fender. I had to have my guitar guy set it up for my tuning but that was to be expected. The finish was flawless, and to this day I still like to look at the birdseye maple neck especially the back of it. The tremolo is super comfortable and easy to palm mute on, however in retrospect I wish I would have opted for the fixed bridge (I don't use the trem) I also swapped out the stock strap buttons for straplocks. Oh yeah, the tuners are awesome. It doesn't look like a "metal" guitar but I think that it is still a good looking guitar and I have the luxury of reflecting the stage lights with the pickgaurd out into the crowd when I want to see whats going on (or blind someone). It's like a damn flashlight! Now G&L claims these guitars are handmade in the USA I can't confirm that, but I have no reason to believe otherwise. Mine is beautiful top notch all the way.

Now this is the reason I'm writing this review. I find it somewhat annoying when someone has a product for less than a month and feels compelled to write a review about it. I have had this guitar for almost 4 years, and I can honestly say I still love it. I've never had a problem with the electronics or the playability. I gig as much as I can (usually two to five times a month). and It has never let me down. Now I am not delicate with this guitar. In fact I beat the shit out of it. I've dropped it, knocked it over, hell I once ripped all the strings off of it at once at the end of a show. The finish will dent a bit if you bang it into something but the color and clear are so thick you can't tell. I do bring a backup but i've played over 20 gigs in 7 months and I've never needed it.

Never needed them.

I've been playing for over ten years I own five guitars, and like I said this one is my favorite. If it were stolen I would buy another one. However I wish that G&L made an S-body guitar without a pickguard. If they did I would buy one right now. If you want to hear or see pictures of my guitar you can go to www.deadiime.com and listen to the audio clips, watch the live video, or check out the pictures. I guarantee I will be using it.

2002 Legacy Special with the HB option - Standard strat configuration electronics with a pick-up splitter. Guitar came stock with two rail type single coils and the Duncan humbucker. Alder body with rosewood neck, the finish is pearloid with a mother of pearl pickgaurd, black pickups and knobs with chrome hardware. Came with the Fulcrom vibrato tailpiece and locking tuners.

Been playing Les Pauls for the past 14 years and will never go back. The electronics on this strat style are capable of Hendrix cleans to Jake E Lee distortion. Crystal clear or monsterous punch without the muddy wash Les Pauls have. But if you want a big rock guitar sound you HAVE to have the humbucker and the rosewood neck.

This guitar is as close to perfect as I have ever played. Truely comfortable, smooth edges on the fingerboard, strings line up perfectly over the pole pieces - 100% handmade attention to detail. Take the virtual factory tour on the G&L website and you will see how these guitars are made. No automation, all handmade tools - very old school.

I beat the hell out of my guitars live but have been holding back a little because this one is still new. Haven't got that first big dent so I'm still a little more cautious with it than the others. But the guitar is solid, everything is nice and tight. You can play aggresively on it but one word of advice; stick a shim under the tailpiece to prevent it from being able to pull back. It's designed to go both ways but heavy hitters will lean on the bridge and move it while they play.

too new to have an issue yet.

I've been playing rock since the mid eighties. Played Les Pauls exclusively live but always borrowed a Stratocaster for clean work in the studio. Have been looking for a guitar that can do both clean and chucky for years now. Played a couple Brian Moore guitars that really sounded nice both ways but the pricing was of the hook. It came down to a G&L or an older Boggie Bodies I was interested in but once I played a Legacy it was no contest.

As most folks know by now, G&Ls are quality instruments, better than Fenders IMO. The special has a couple of distinguishing features. Its tone knobs are bass and treble and it comes with dual blade humbuckers on an ash body. I knock it down a notch for 2 things: I didn't like the blade pickups and the jack seems to short out (though not as badly as the ASAT's jack does).

I got a great deal on it but I was never sold on the blades. I gigged with them for a few months, using the Legacy as a backup to my ASAT semi-hollow. The ASAT just smoked the Legacy. It was a far more articulate, versatile and musical instrument. I decided to change out the blades and dropped in 2 texas specials and a lace sensor red in the bridge. That gave me what I was looking for. I didn't like the texas specials in another strat I had them in, but they sound phenomenal in the legacy. It's probably the wood (ash) and the electronics. What I have now is a very good "fat strat texas special" for about what I would have paid for a fender. Overall, the Legacy is a better instrument, from the woods to the finish to the neck, locking tuners, tremolo and electronics. I'm very happy with this setup. I haven't gigged with it yet to see how it stands up to the ASAT, but I've practiced with the band with it, and it sounded great--I guess I'm just a single coil guy. Though with the lace red humbucker in the bridge it's very versatile for a blues/rock type of style. I plan to replace the saddles with graphtechs, since I seem to pop alot of strings--I tend to be an aggressive player.

No flaws. Set up fairly well. I had my tech go over it, though. I like G&Ls, own 2, but the ones I've played in the shop where I teach all seem to have quite a bit of fret buzz on the lower strings. That may be because they usually come with 9s. I don't know, but our shop has a great tech and he always improves the set up. In fact, he's had to redo several of the G&Ls for a variety of reasons. That doesn't mean they're bad instruments, but believe it or not, $1,000 won't get you a flawless instrument. But with a little expert care, you can whip it into shape and it will be a very good, professional level axe. Things to watch out for are: buzzing, misaligned necks, bad jacks. These are all fixable problems, but they are frustrating when you shell out a grand.

Very solid.

It's a great guitar. Not perfect, but with some coaxing it has become a very good quality strat-type of guitar. If you like more power-type playing, keep the blades. If you want more of a strat or fat strat sound, change the neck and middle to single coils, or go with a legacy or s-500. I work in a music store and have played many different types of Fender strats, owned a couple too. The G&Ls are significantly better instruments for about the same money.

Mine is a '98 or so. Hand-made in California, blue-burst, swamp ash body, maple neck, maple fingerboard, 22 frets, 3 blade humbuckers (Kent Armstrong?). Passive electronics, Dual Fulcrum tremolo, Sperzel locking tuners, and a niiiiiiiice hard shell case.

Whoa! Sounds really good. You can get the strat quack from the bridge/middle combo, but generally, I use the neck pickup for the growl that reminds me a lot of a Les Paul. It has sustain coming out of its ass, and I'd put it up against an SG or flying V. Probably not at the level of a Les Paul, but it's got a way better high end response and more definition than a Paul. I play a lot of old rock and metal, but also a lot of new stuff too. eg: The Who, Black Sabbath, Rage Against the Machine, Jimi Hendrix, The Ventures, etc. My band plays some country in the bars, but we're mostly a rock/alternative outfit. It handles country very well, but it's not up there with a tele for older country. It would kill a tele for a lot of new country though. I'm running it through a Laney GH100L and 412 cab. On the floor I have my footswitch, a Morley Bad Horsie II, a Boss HM-2 covering my fuzz needs, a Dunlop Rotovibe, and a Visual Sound H20 Chorus/Echo. I can cover every style imaginable with this setup. Seriously.

I bought it used, so......
Oh yeah! The wood is one piece....no shit! One slab of swamp ash. It's one of the nicest guitars I've ever seen.

Absolutely I would depend on it. I've played gigs with it, and it's never let me down. Consistent, reliable, and heavy as a bitch.

10 year warranty..... other than that, I've never dealt with them.

IMO, this guitar is everthing the Fender Strat could and should have been, but I guess it just goes to show that the corporation will always suffer in quality compared to the small company. I'm saving up to buy another one. I can't think of anything better for me. I've played strats, teles, pauls, SGs, Explorers and everything in between, and this one is the one that'll be with me forever.

Purchase s/h in 1998 - I believe it's a 1996 model.

Three bold neck. Cherryburst swamp ash body, scooped and chamfered, white pickguard, maple board.

Sperzel locking tuners, two point floating trem, passive treble & bass tone controls.

Three blade humbuckers - not sure where they are sourced from - I heard they were Kent Armstrongs.

Played through a Rivera 30-12 with a Boss GT3 (programmed for effects only, no preamp).

The Legacy Special is full and rich. Not very Stratty to my ears; almost more like a Les Paul deluxe. Very workmanlike and usable tones, especially with the PTB circuitry. Negligible noise.

Extremely well put together. The trem is superb. I've never broken a string on it and never put it out of tune. The Sperzels are a joy when it comes to changing time. The finish is excellent - love the see through cherryburst over the swamp ash grain.

My only quibble is with the tension in the high E string - I've always found it a little tight compared to the other strings and to other guitars (using 10 - 46s). I have no idea why this should be the case!

A great gigging guitar, built like the proverbial tank, Trustworthy with a capital T. Use under any circumstances.

N/A - no Australian rep.

Been playing for 35 years. Also own an ASAT Classic and a Larrivee OM3R.

This is the 2nd best electric I've ever owned (the ASAT has it by a whisker) and represented fantastic value. It's a great general blues / classic rock axe.

Highly recommended unless you specifically want a Strat soundalike, in which case you'd probably prefer a regular Legacy.

2001 G & L Legacy Special, hand made in California. Strat style guitar, H/H/H G & L dual blade pickups, Volume, bass and treble controls (all control all three pickups), 22 medium frets, alder body, maple neck with rosewood fretboard, vintage white with white pickguard, G&L dual fulcrum tremelo bridge, graphite nut, sperzel lockers, came with an SKB/G&L hardcase.

Suits my playing style perfectly. Mostly play "Classic Rock" and blues. The bass and treble controls make it a lot different from your typical strat. Gives it much more sonic versatility. When I play strats, I tend to crank both tone controls to 10 and leave them there. Can't do that with the G & L, because one knob controls bass and the other controls treble but easy enough to find a suitable setting on both to set and forget if you like however I enjoy adjusting both as I switch between pickups. These are pretty hot pickups too. The bridge is very similar to a Duncan Hotrails, the mid and neck are considerably hotter than a Fender single coil but tame enough to do country twangin' if you so choose.

Only played one gig with it so far, Legacy special, cord, Mesa Boogie DC 5.....that's it. Nothing else. Recieved numerous positive comments about my tone that night, from other than drunken bar sluts. All the band members liked my sound. I know the Boogie was a big part of the tone but this guitar was also a big part of it. Came set up with tens, with the action a little higher than some guys like it but was perfect for me cause the strings are just high enough to allow me to do some slide work without hitting the frets. The resonance of this guitar rivals just about any fixed bridge guitar I've ever played. Even unplugged this thing has great tone. If I play it unplugged while the wife is watching TV she tells me it's too loud....she can't hear the TV over my playing! Never happened when I played Strats or Teles unplugged.

You have to be careful of the bass control when playing on the neck pickup, need to roll that off to about 4-5 to keep it from getting too boomy.....most of the night I left both treble and bass controls in the 4-5 area, worked pretty well. I can get pretty much just about any sound I need out of it to play cover songs. Yes, with my twin a 300 lbs of effects I can cover anyone's sound, but for a plug and play type of rig....this is the ticket.

As for the G&L temelo bridge, the best I've ever played. I whammied this bad boy hard all night and it never went out out tune. In fact I hit it much more than I normally do because with my strats, even the ones with graphite nuts and lockers need some tuning after hitting it real hard. But not the G&L. No BS. It stayed in tune. You can pull it up and down.....no problems.

I haven't touched any adjustments on the guitar. Played it just as it came out of the box. The more I play it, the more I love it. Th fit and finish of the guitar reflects hand made quality. Absolutely perfect. An heirloom quality instrument. I get excited just looking at it. I own many Fender products and love them too but it is obvious that Leo still had some ideas of how to improve his products after he sold the company. I don't understand why these guitars are not more popular. I would reccomend to anyone who is looking for a Strat to go ahead and look there first, then look at a G&L. You'll buy the G&L. The quality of the G&L will hook you immediately. A handmade American guitar for under a thousand bucks? I researched this quite a bit before buying it and found out there are alot of politics behind the relative obscurity of this guitar. But talk with guys who know guitars and they will tell you that G&L are some of the best guitars ever made.

As mentioned before , this is quality, pro level stuff. I 'm sure this guitar will last forever if taken proper care of. Everything seems solid. Never gig without a backup handy, everyone breaks a string from time to time.

It's still new, have not needed them yet, hope I never do. But I'm told their customer support is about as good as it gets.

I bought this guitar from what I believe to be the best music store on the planet. Bang Music in Stafford Va. (www.bangmusicstore.com) for a price that I won't mention here for fear of getting Bang in trouble with G&L!If you live in Va, (or anywhere for that matter) it's worth the trip to Bang for all your music needs.....and no... I don't work for them. Go by and see Ray, Todd or Joe and if they don't have what you need ,they will get it or tell you where you can. These guys are pros who know their products, not like the music superstores where the "guitar experts" were flipping burgers prior to working there.

I do however understand why these superstores don't carry G&L products....because Fender would probably suffer greatly if G&L s were hung next to Fenders. G&L s are far superior to most Fender products. I have been playing for 30+ years and know quality when I see it and can't believe I waited so long to get a G&L. I'm serious, play a G&L. If you want quality and it doesn't matter to you if you don't have a Fender headstock at the end of your neck, you will buy a G&L. Probably the best value out there. It was designed by Leo Fender!!!! I have been a Fender guy most of those 30 years of playing and still love Fender products, but I am now a big time fan of G&L and will be for a long time.....hopefully.

Made in Dec. 2001 in Fullerton California. It has 22 jumbo frets. Strat-style solid Louisiana swamp ash body with a honey finish. Has three knobs, one volume and two tones which work on all pickups. Has a five-way pickup toggle switch controlling three Gotoh single-sized dual blade humbuckers. The circuitry is passive. The neck is made of rock hard maple with a rosewood fretboard. The bridge is a Leo Fender patented dual fulcrum tremolo system. It has Schaller locking tuners and came with all the necessary tools to tinker and tune. It came wrapped in a hardshell G&L case.

It's kind of hard to say as I just got it last month but so far it sounds great. When I first bought it I played it for almost two weeks without plugging it in. The resonance is amazing. It actually, without a word of a lie, tickled my belly when I played it. Since then I play it through a Peavey transtube bandit with a 1-12 extension cab. Haven't used any effects yet. It is really quiet except for the short in my channel footswitch when the lead channel is selected. I took a risk because I had to order it from the factory and wasn't sure how it would play or sound. The store had a G&L Legacy with three single coils that I tried but had no Legacy Special to test out. I've always been a humbuckler player but also enjoy a nice thin clean sound when the song demands it. As mentioned the guitar has two tones, one for treble and one for bass and they both work all pickup settings. With both tones full you get a classic humbucker sound but not too hot or mushy. Roll off on the bass tone and the guitar gives a thin strat-like clean response. Really interesting. What is also interesting is the dramatic changes in tone and sound with each toggle position. Unlike the American Standard Strat I once owned, the sounds are uniquely different in each position. So far have nothing but raves as far as sound goes.

I found the action a little high from the factory but am getting used to it. The guitar came strung with 9's so the higher action gives the strings a real wirey feel. Kinda cool actually. The pickups are adjusted fine. The finish is beautiful. Louisiana swamp ash is real rustic looking. The honey finish really boasts the grain. I was a little concerned with the nut cut though. It has a little chip (about 2mm square) in the side of the rosewood finderboard near the 1st string. The same side of the rosewood fingerboard on first glance looked like it had a migrating hairline split in it. After looking at it for a while it may just be a grain defect in the rosewood. I mentioned it on the warranty when I sent it in and provided a photo of the defect as well. The ten-year warranty should be long enough to sort out the defect versus split dilemna. The rosewood also looked very dry so I might be tempted to wipe it with some Hawes lemon oil or olive oil. Everything else seems to be top notch. The neck is fitted very well and the strings are aligned nicely. Don't get me wrong, this guitar plays very nice but the curious defect in the fingerboard prevents me from giving it a high rating.

As I mentioned, I haven't had this guitar that long. I'm really looking forward to gigging with it next month. The hardware seems solid. The finish is thick! I don't know how many coats but definitely enough. What's with the VANILLA smell? When I first opened the case I smelled vanilla. I think it's the finish. Takes a while to get used to, especially if you have a sensitive honker like mine! The strap buttons seem kinda stubby. Haven't had my strap slip off yet so they seem fine. Given what I've experienced so far I think I could depend on this axe. As for gigging with it without a backup? I think that going to any gig without a backup is risky, I don't care what kind of guitar you're using. Also, I find having a backup perfectly tuned really handy when you break a string on old faithful!

Haven't had to deal with the company yet so can't comment. The warranty is 10 years.

I have been playing for about 25 years I guess. I have owned many, many, many guitars. I still have a cheap Washburn N1 electric for backup. Couple of acoustics. I can honestly say folks that this is the finest guitar I have ever owned. I cannot put this thing down. The only guitar that comes remotely close was an American Standard strat I bought in 1988. I didn't like the single coil bridge pickup so changed it to a Seymour Duncan Hotrail. The strat played fairly well but got tired of the neck shifting all the time. Was a real pain in the butt so finally got rid of it. Believe me, before my purchase I really took a hard and long look at the Fenders. American Series and especially the Hotrodded American series (Double Fat Strat) almost hooked me but I am truly glad I took the risk and ordered the handcrafted G&L rather than the Fender. It was well worth the 7&1/2 week wait. I have looked for 25 years for MY GUITAR and have finally found it. If this guitar were stolen or lost I would buy another Legacy Special in a heartbeat. I am truly amazed at the many different sounds by changing pickup toggle positions and the two tones. The overall tone stays strong when you back off the volume as well, (unlike most other guitars in my past.) I play it all the time without it plugged in. After 25 years, my interest in playing has gained new meaning. The only thing I wish it had come with was a Fender Twin!...working on it.

2k model made in Fullerton,Ca.in the old Fender factory
22 frets, ash body,Hardtail,with the full size humbucker option(Semour Duncan TB4 w/Coil tap),passive treble/bass controls & 5-way,Maple neck w/Rosewood fretboard,BIG silver metalflake w/matching headstock & mirror pickguard,locking Shaller tuners. Came w/case.

I have been playing for 23 years and play all styles from punk to improvisational jam type rock w/blues and metal thrown in. For my main band,I run this thru a Tech 21 XXL,Boss 7-Band EQ(for leads)into a '72 Marshall Super Bass into a 4x12 w/Celestion Vintage 30's.Since this is a 4-input head,sometimes I'll run my modulation effects(old DOD Analog Delay 680,Rocktron Tsunami chorus) into the 2nd channel(that way It's semi-jumpered) and use that channel as my WET volume.
This guitar isn't very noisy in any setting and I have MANY amps.(The afore mentioned Marshall,Sovtek Mig 100 head,Ampeg Reverbrocket Re-issue 2x12(w/EL-34's),Silverface Vibro-Champ,Crate G-40c w/DSP,Park G10R,Randall RG80-112sc combo,Lil'smokey.....)When G&L switched to 4-bolt neck attachment,I almost had a coronary(if it's not broke,DON"T FIX IT!)and I have owned 11 G&L's,(5 F100's,a SC-1,a S-500 early model w/krinkle black picguard and mahogany body,2 one-off prototypes,another Legacy Special,and a Legacy,All 3-bolt.)I was VERY aprehensive about the 4-bolt but I am happy to say my worries were unfounded.This guitar is very loud and and punchy even unplugged and is up to the usually high standards that I have found in their earlier models.This guitar can get ANY sound that I want and then some.The full size humbucker is pretty dark sounding but makes it really easy to get feedback and it's really cool to feel the guitar vibrate against your chest when you get the RIGHT note!It's really nice too that w/the Gotoh blades you get no 60hz hum like w/single coils.

I purchased this guitar used and even then this guitar sounded good.I set it up for D'addario 10's and have had no problems.The finish on this guitar is DEEEEEP,I mean Ranger bass boat/Hot rod deep and smooth as a baby's butt.Typically excellent from G&L.

Man,I've already played Hollywood w/this guitar and I have NO reservations about playing out.The finish makes it hard to ignore and w/the mirror pickguard it's fun to shine the stage lights on hot girls in the audience.The pickguard does scratch easily though.(I see a new one in my future)I replaced the strap buttons w/Shallers cause that's what I have on everything else and I like to use the same strap.It's a G&L so NO WORRIES!!!!!!

G&L rules... even in customer support.

Let's get this out of the way...I've had at Least 20 Fender Guitars(the BEST one was a MIJ Squier if you can belive it) and since I got my first G&L I've never looked back.I'm not into bashing FMIC but... WHAT is this BULLSHIT about paying 2500 bucks for a Relic(I prefer to get mine the old fashioned way,by PLAYING IT!)or ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY...(what a FU#!*%NG JOKE...)Photo-flame KRAP!
It seems to me that Fender is just intrested in the vanity aspect of guitars and not in the actual music/musician aspect of playing anymore.They have been running off of the reputation that Clarence Leo Fender built and have yet to do ANYTHING that comes close since the man and a FEW key employees,(Freddie Tavares,Don Randall,Forrest White) left FMIC.All I can say is that G&L (as a company and a product)runs rings around ANY recent Fender stuff and why would I pay 2500 for a relic when I could pay the same amount and get 2 or 3 G&L's that sound better and are more honest and real?If you are in the market for a fender-type guitar for less than 1000 bucks you are a FOOL if you don't hook up w/G&L. Another thing....Indoor Storm really has a bad case of sour grapes about this company and has fueled the fire about slipping standards and the like.I PERSONALLY know the scoop about their dissatisfaction w/G&L(e-mail me and we'll talk-if you dare) and what can I say but....WHAT A BUNCH OF FUCKING PUSSIES,TAKE YOUR STUPID OVERPRICED INVENTORY AND GO THE FUCK HOME YOU WHINING BITCHES!Now that's over with....I really love this guitar and all that I can say is that it is typically G&L which to me means EXCELLENCE- the most features,tone,feel and vibe for the money.BAR NONE!!!!!!!

Made in 2001 Left Handed.
Power Blade in Bridge position, Standard Blades- Mid and Neck.
Swamp Ash, Maple Neck, Graphite Neck, Perloid Pick Guard..
G&L Bridge Assembly.
Clear Forest Green Finish
Standard G&L Case.
Satin Neck Finish..

I have played for over 30 years all varieties all styles.
This was an act of respect for parents that were passing away and wanted to buy the last Guitar as they did the first, so it has become my memorial.. It is truly eloquent, other than the fact that G&L made the original right handed, Hey ho, and then they placed me at the front of the que to rectify the problem. It is quite simply the finest sounding, and finest playing instrument that I have ever owned and not been penalized for being left handed, something the fools at Fender have never learned, that there is a substantual market out there, for Lefties and yes in Canada as well..

Action lower than a snake crwaling through the grass !!!
Setup from factory to Canada was excellent, I havent touched a thing.
No flaws except a slight green tinge on the Maple Neck near the body joint, but I imagine the Left Handed requirement had them thinking !!!
Or else pulling the're hair out !!!!
Would have been nice to have controls that worked left handed,
0-10 is usually understood as minimum-maximum not the reverse,
Think this one thru turn your guitar upside down and see !!!
Overall absolute value, quality and the chance for the last time,
to stick it to Fender !!!

I use this guitar and play weekly, putting it to the test everytime!!
As for longevity time will tell, either it will quit working or I will !!!!!
Replaced strap buttons with locking Schallers, Hmmmm Maybe they should have them stock, dont you think ???
I always take a backup, being a Southpaw doesnt allow you a lot of options when beggin to borrow a guitar form a local..

I haven't had contact with the company other than sending two faxes, of which I might add never did receive a response. telling them the disapointment with waiting 10 weeks for a lefty model and the dealer receiving a right hander.....dohhhhhhhhh!!

Glad guitar making isnt a medical science, I would hate to loose
my left lung if the right needed removal... Hah !!!!!

My Warranty is 10 years, I have no doubts the guitar will survive it is an excellant piece of workmanship, Thanks G&L

I have been playing off and on for about 30 years now..
I own an 1985 LH Fender Stratocaster,<- Yuck !!!
EMG Pickups. The originals were terrible !!!
LH 64 Gibson Les Paul Junior..
LH Washburn Festival Series.. (5 band EQ) Black, Mother of Pearl Inlays...Very Nice..
LH Martin Dreadnought.
Fender Deluxe 1-12 Plus 90 Watts.
1964 Fender Bandmaster-Cream 2x 12's Electro Voice <- My Baby !!!

Made in 2001 Left Handed.
Power Blade in Bridge position, Standard Blades- Mid and Neck.
Swamp Ash, Maple Neck, Graphite Neck, Perloid Pick Guard..
G&L Bridge Assembly.
Clear Forest Green Finish
Standard G&L Case.
Satin Neck Finish..

I have played for over 30 years all varieties all styles.
This was an act of respect for parents that were passing away and wanted to buy the last Guitar as they did the first, so it has become my memorial.. It is truly eloquent, other than the fact that G&L made the original right handed, Hey ho, and then they placed me at the front of the que to rectify the problem. It is quite simply the finest sounding, and finest playing instrument that I have ever owned and not been penalized for being left handed, something the fools at Fender have never learned, that there is a substantual market out there, for Lefties and yes in Canada as well..

Action lower than a snake crwaling through the grass !!!
Setup from factory to Canada was excellent, I havent touched a thing.
No flaws except a slight green tinge on the Maple Neck near the body joint, but I imagine the Left Handed requirement had them thinking !!!
Or else pulling the're hair out !!!!
Would have been nice to have controls that worked left handed,
0-10 is usually understood as minimum-maximum not the reverse,
Think this one thru turn your guitar upside down and see !!!
Overall absolute value, quality and the chance for the last time,
to stick it to Fender !!!

I use this guitar and play weekly, putting it to the test everytime!!
As for longevity time will tell, either it will quit working or I will !!!!!
Replaced strap buttons with locking Schallers, Hmmmm Maybe they should have them stock, dont you think ???
I always take a backup, being a Southpaw doesnt allow you a lot of options when beggin to borrow a guitar form a local..

I haven't had contact with the company other than sending two faxes, of which I might add never did receive a response. telling them the disapointment with waiting 10 weeks for a lefty model and the dealer receiving a right hander.....dohhhhhhhhh!!

Glad guitar making isnt a medical science, I would hate to loose
my left lung if the right needed removal... Hah !!!!!

My Warranty is 10 years, I have no doubts the guitar will survive it is an excellant piece of workmanship, Thanks G&L

I have been playing off and on for about 30 years now..
I own an 1985 LH Fender Stratocaster,<- Yuck !!!
EMG Pickups. The originals were terrible !!!
LH 64 Gibson Les Paul Junior..
LH Washburn Festival Series.. (5 band EQ) Black, Mother of Pearl Inlays...Very Nice..
LH Martin Dreadnought.
Fender Deluxe 1-12 Plus 90 Watts.
1964 Fender Bandmaster-Cream 2x 12's Electro Voice <- My Baby !!!

1997 American made 22 fret see thru blue real ash bodied strat type guitar with a rosewood neck and a special pearloid pickguard upgrade. 5 way control over the special "blade" pick ups which are unique in their own right. The tone knobs are actually separate bass and treble controls of the overall sound of the guitars output. It's considered a 12 radius neck with jumbo frets with locking sperzel tuners and a graphite nut. It's a very comfortable fast neck for me. Also a patended G&L tremelo and saddles. The stock case is a molded SBK made for G&L with a furry interior and good storage and is lockable. I bought the tweed G&G Case as an upgrade for my baby.

This guitar sounds like a strat is supposed to sound like. Its separate bass and treble type controls give you all the control you could possibly need. The G&L Black Blade pickups with a metal stripe on each half of it is built like a humbucker for super silence out of what looks to be a single coil.

The guitar was set up ok from the factory but if you brought it to a guy who knows how to set them up....it will be your best friend. From day one, i still love to just look at it sometimes. I didnt even notice till the day after I got it that they didn't send it to me with the pearloid pickguard installed. Thats how cool it looks even with the plain jane pick guard. The wood is ash and really pretty with that see thru blue over it. The neck on this guitar is built for years and years of solid play. The fretwire seems to be a little better than the other guys use too. I understand that two of the big guns on the internet have recently discontinued G&L because of certain shortcuts they've been taking in construction. But as far as mine goes I got a good one and is in like new conditon like the day i bought it. But fit and finish could be an issue on G&L's but i have no evidence of it first hand. I'm going to give it an 8 here because of those two big guns of the Internets decision to quit on G&L's. My own opinion and personal experience would give it a 10. I also had a regular legacy that was totally beautiful. So who knows where this company is heading. I just hope they don't do anything to embarrass the fine Leo Fender name.

This guitar is built to be an expensive classic someday down the road. I think it will withstand live playing. My regular Legacy was my stage guitar. Now I don't do the stage so its untested there. The hardware seems durable but I always use clear nailpolish on all spots where there is skin and sweat contact as to protect the metal. The strap holders that come stock were very good and would be hard to lose the guitar off of them. I use the schaller strap locks so they were changed reluctantly. The finish is beautiful and I keep it like that,being careful not to bump or bruise it on anything and always wear guitar friendly clothes while playing. How can any finish stand up to a big belt buckle?? Im not willing to find out. I buy new G&L's and wait till they're built just for that reason...no marks!!

My G&L Legacy Special has a 10 year warranty. In the second year of ownership my middle pick up went bad. I sent them the pick up and they sent me a new one right away. I didnt get the run around. I got treated well. The labor I paid for myself,but it was my choice to do that. So really I can't complain in that dept.

Ive been playing over 30 years. Ive owned several guitars over the years.Never seeming to be happy with what i owned and always looking for that certain guitar to keep for the rest of my life.
My son jokes at how long ive kept this guitar comparing it to dogs age years.4 years here is like 10,Cause if it dont have the sound, I dont want it.My previous G&L was black and for that reason alone is why I sold it.Too hard to keep looking good and too easily scratched.
I love this guitar I only wish I went for the Honey or Ash because even totally sweated on they still hardly show it at all,I do love the see thru blue tho it really looks sweet.These can probably be compared to a Custom Shop Strat in the thirteen hundred dollar range. If you can get a legacy,legacy special or S-500 you will have a guitar that will serve you well for the years to come.I know I have no plans of ever getting rid of this one.The one for the rest of my life?? I think so.Strats are my cup of tea and this is the best out of the 5 Ive had over my years of playing.This one I have no doubt would withstand whatever night to night gigs a musician has lined up.
I would love to add an ASAT Classic to my gear but this Legacy Special will always be my favorite guitar so far in life. A combination of good looks,great sound and playability and bendability make it really hard to beat with whats out there for less than a thousand dollars.Ive proudly owned G&L guitars for 7 years now and have no complaints only words of praise. Enuff said.

This was made in 1996. All the other details are outlined in the other reviews. I like the pickups, the bridge and the locking tuners.

I love this guitar. It's got an interesting sound. It's really full sounding. I run it through a bunch of effects into a Twin. It's really full, but you can roll off the bass and get more air. Plus, the volume knob has a cap on it, so you can roll back the gain on the guitar itself and not mess up your tone. It recorded terrific.

The guitar was set up well, i switched it to 10s with a minumum of tweaking. I blocked off the bridge because in my opinion if the arm only goes down the guitar will stay in tune better. I also like it better because if you break a string during a show, you won't go all out of tune.

This guitar has been abused live. I play original rock and roll (www.mudcatjones.com) and in all our shows this thing gets worked and driven. I love it. I've torn the finish up, cause I've thrown this guitar arond. I did buy straplocks.

they sent me a new trem arm after I bent the old one and all they asked was "how?"

I love this guitar. It was terrific in the studio and it's terrific live. I use it as a change of pace from my strat cause it has a fuller, humbucking sound. I'm a happy cat.

I just bought this guitar in late August 2000 and it came factory direct about 1 1/2 months later. It's made in the US (as all G&L's are). It has 22 frets and the body is made of heavy ash(I believe northern ash) as the guitar seems to weight considerably more than some swamp ash strats I've played. The controls are the standard G&L PTB (Passive Treble/Bass) in the a standard S/S/S configuration. Well I guess it would be H/H/H since the pickups are dual blade humbuckers. The pickups I believe are made by Gotoh and there is a power humbucker in the bridge position. The neck is made of hard rock maple with rosewood (mine came with very slight birdseyes) and the body is ash. The strat style guitar has a transparent blueburst finish and the bridge is just the standard dual fulcrum one made by G&L. Tuners are Schaller Locking and the fretwire used was Jumbo. Standard Strat scale 25.5 inches and it came with a SKB made G&L hard case.

Sound is fairly bright with alot of sustain. Suits my style as the pickups are very versetile. It seems that my guitar seems to be out of the norm because the guitar is fairly noisy. I believe it's a bad soldering to the bridge so I'll correct that and see if that solves the problem.

Setup came perfect and in tune. Pickups were noisy as said before. The blueburst seemed to have more blackening around the edges than on most other G&L's I've seen. 2 piece ask is very well matched but not bookmatched. The grain of the rosewood though has something left to be desired as the grain is not straight. The bass tone knob was slightly crooked. The pickup routing in the body is horrid, G&L has begun routing their bodies like the Fender American Standard Strats from 92-98'. I'm not sure if it detracts tonally from the guitar but this suprised me. Satin finished neck is very easy to play.

Seems to be built like a rock (with the exception of the swimming pool route). Hardware seems very stable although fretwire seems to be a bit soft. After about 5 hours of playing it, there was a discernable difference in the areas of the neck I did play on versus the parts that I didn't.

Never dealt with them. 10 year warranty though.

Well other than the grain in the rosewood and the body routing the G&L is a pretty good bang for the buck. The finishes are pretty expensive though going up as high as 125 for a metal flake finish I believe. Better than most Fenders I've played with the exception of the Japanese ones, this guitar is slightly better but the Japanese Reissues must be the best bang for the buck I've ever seen for an import. USA made quality. I'd just wish they'd go back to the standard way of routing it, I believe that's the way "Leo" would have liked it. I would not buy this guitar again because of the routing, I'd probably invest in a used PRS or a Dean Icon.

I think was made in 1.999 but i'm not sure. Made in USA. It has 22 fret, a 2 piece ash body, maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard. H-H-H pickup configuration. The pickups are made by G&L and i think are one of the best stock pickups i've heard (PowerBlade pickups). The bridge is dual fulcrum patented by G&L. The stability and reliability is very fine. It has Sperzel locking tuners and comes with a mellow transparent finish. The finish is very well, amazing. The configuration seems very classical but the sound that offers is impressive.

How does it sounds? i must say that the sound it offers is very, very well. I tried and American Deluxe Fender Strat and i think this guitar beats the fender absolutely. Yo can obtain strat classic sounds and very modern and rocks sounds simoultaneously. Playing with the control tones of the guitar and with the equalizer bands of the amp you will keep an impressive variety of sounds, all with a very high quality. I play every kind of music styles and this guitar suites very well all of them. Of course, if you like very hard sounds this is not your guitar, but it can offer hard roack sounds. The clean sound are simply one of the best i've heard. The stability of the Dual Fulcrum bridge is amazing, you can do any kind movements with the tremolo and the guitars keeps in tune. I've no doubt, the puntuation in sound is 10.

The set-up of the guitar is amazing. The finish and the general adjustment of the instrument is absolutely well.

I bought it a few months ago and, at the time, i can't say how is the reliability of the guitar, but it seems like a rock.

No opinion

I've playing guitar during 6 years. I've played Ibanez signature models, PRS, Jackson, Fender and all of them are great guitars in their style, but i think G&L guitars are one step behind. When Leo Fender created G&L, he created a top guitar manufacturer. Very well made instruments and electronicaly very advanced. If you are looking for a versatile instrument with a very high quality, top finish and very goog price/quality relation, i recomend this guitar, no doubt.

This '99 model has an ash strat-style body and a bird's eye maple neck with a rosewood fretboard and 22 jumbo frets. 3 single-coil size blade humbuckers, locking tuners, and Graphtec nut and string tree. I'm giving this category a 10, because the guitar has more stock features than one would expect from a strat-style guitar. Additionally, I like the floating tremolo setup and the cool little socket that the tremolo arm fits into without requiring threads.

This guitar is capable of producing a wide variety of sounds with its blade pickups. The sustain is great, probably due to the quality of the materials. The pickups are, of course, noise-free in all settings. I play the typical blues-rock stuff- a lot of Hendrix and SRV styles, and the derivatives of those styles, ie: Chili Peppers (Frusciante) and Kenny Wayne. I play through a '65 Twin Reverb re-issue with the mid turned down. For effects I use a Tube Screamer and a Dunlop Wah. This guitar works great for all of those styles with my setup, but I think I like the sound of single coils better. The humbuckers are very fat and "clucky" sounding with higher output, and they can cause the bass to sound muddier at high volumes with no distortion. I probably don't have the most smooth and gentle playing style, doing lots of string rakes and that sort of thing. The pickups really fatten up the sound of the muted strings, and at times it can be a bit overpowering. You can get closer to the single coil sound by rolling off the bass tone, but the humbuckers will never sound as glassy as the alnico magnet pickups. For that reason, I am having the regular Legacy pickups installed. Overall, this is still the best sounding guitar I have ever owned (and i've had a few.) If you like the humbucker sound, you'll probably dig on this model.

As far as I can tell, the guitar is nearly flawless. The guitar shop I buy from sets up all of their instruments prior to sale, so I can't fairly judge the factory setup. I had mine set up with relatively high action with 11's tuned to E flat. It stays in tune remarkably well, even with a lot of crazy Hendrix-type wammy action, and the strings have never buzzed or choked in the high register. G&L is renowned for their factory finishes, and this guitar exemplifies that fact (Mine is red with a see-through finish.) It looks like a work of art when compared with that other company. Other details show great care in construction; there is zero space between the neck and the neck pocket, and you can BARELY see the seam where the neck was glued back together after inserting the truss rod. Very nice.

Because of all the aforementioned, I think this is a very solid instrument. It will handle live playing just fine and I would use it without a backup. The finish is thick and glossy, and will probably take years to wear through. I'm going to have to ding the rating a little because one of the knobs on the locking tuners came apart shortly after I bought the guitar. In a live situation, this shouldn't be too much of a problem because you can always wind it like a standard tuner. I also had a problem breaking a lot of high E and B strings at the saddles. I corrected that problem by installing Graphtec string saver saddles. They sound fine and I only have to replace the strings when they go dead- never broken one.

OK, I have a little bit of a problem with this area. As I mentioned earlier, I am replacing the humbuckers with single coil pickups. I ordered a complete pickguard and pickup set that was supposed to arrive within a week. That was over 2 months ago. The shop called G&L after 1 month to see what the delay was, and it was never sent. The rep assured the shop that it would be sent out immediately. Well, it finally got there a month later, and the pickguard was the wrong color. We'll see how long the new pickguard takes to come in... Maybe the rep just spends too much time on the end of a bong, I don't know. The dealer assures me that this is an unusual occurance for this company, but, as my only experience dealing with G&L, I'll give them a 2.

I've been playing for 13 years, and have owned a fair amount of equipment in search of "my" tone and style. This is far and away the nicest guitar I have owned, including several Fenders (Strats and Teles) and Gibsons. Because of the pickup thing, I might have done better with a Legacy, but I really liked the finish and feel of this particular guitar. I had it in my mind that noise-free operation and versatility of the humbuckers would be cool, but when it comes down to it, single coils are far better for my taste. This would be a great setup if you play through a Marshall or something else with distortion a lot, because single coils are noisy. If you know you want a Legacy or a Legacy Special type guitar, I would say pick the one with the feel and finish you like- the one that just feels right- regardless of the model. Changing pickups is relatively cheap, and you could easily put locking tuners and a graphite nut on a legacy, essentially making it the same guitar. These guitars are hand built, so each one sort of has its own personality. Go with what you like. If anything ever happened to this guitar, I would go through my 5 stages of grief and then replace it with a Legacy or a Special with a similar feel. Maybe someday I'll get another one with an alder body and maple board just for something a little different. But I don't think I could ever go back to playing Fenders, at least the newer ones. My good experiences with this guitar far outweigh the bad ones, so I'll give it a 9.

Purchased new (list $1350, paid $900)
1999 strat style with hard rock maple neck and fretboard , jumbo frets, schaller locking tuners, dual fulcrum tremelo, graphite nut, chrome hw, 3 high output humbucking pickups, HSC

The locking tuners, single wide humbuckers, and exceptional feel really set this axe apart from other strat style guitars (including most Strats!)

I play mostly blues & rock. The range of sound that comes from this guitar is incredible. The sustain is far better than any Fender that I've owned - probably due to the heavy swamp ash body. (I like heavy guitars.) The humbuckers give some extra punch over the standard strat style guitars but still don't drive like the dual HBs on my Les Paul Custom (what does though?).

This guitar through my '65 Vibrolux Reverb sith a Dyna Comp sounds absolutely awesome for playing blues!

I've played a Les Paul Custom and Amer Std Tele for years and this thing feels and plays better than either of those two. This guitar exceeded my expectations in terms of playability.

I'm still on the fence personally in terms of vibrato, but the G&L Dual Fulkcrum unit seems solid and the combination of the locking tuners and graphite nut seem to work well - it stays in tune after hours of playing.

Overall the guitar was setup fine. I was somewhat dissapointed that G&L doesn't use a four bolt neck with the angle adjustment any longer (3 bolt is now std) but so far I haven't had to make any adjustments.

In really dry weather, the fret ends can be felt a bit along the neck. This is something I've seen on a few G&Ls. There is a 10 year warranty however, so I'll probably get them filed down this winter.

The finish is suberb - The transluscent honey finish is sweet! The woodgrain really shows through, even on the sides of the body (you dont see that on Fenders any more)

I'd prefer back loaded (i.e. no pickguard) controls but they want this thing to look like a strat. The plastic knobs seem a bit cheesy and were a little crooked when it was new.

The maple neck has a smooth satin finish similar to newer fenders, which lends itself to really well to fast playing and has not needed seasonal truss adjustments (unlike my Tele).

I've owned this guitar for less than a year and have not played out with it so it's a bit ealy to tell. The finish and fit is solid however, and I have no doubt that it will stand up to the rigors of hard use.

I haven't dealt with them at all yet.

Overall, I'd recommend this guitar to anyone who likes Strats. The quality is obvious as soon as you look at it and play it. It makes American Standard Fenders seem cheap by comparison. If you want a comparable Fender spend three times as much and order one from their Custom Shop!

My G&L was made in 2000, in the US of course. It has 22 frets, the top is laminated, and there 3 switches - 2 for tone, and 1 for volume. it has a 5 way selector.3 hot rails Seymor Duncan's humbuckers. The neck is from maple and so is the fretboard,the colour is sunburst, and the body style is that of a strat, there is a G&L tremolo which is great, Sperzel Tuner (locking of course), not a fat but not a thin neck. comes with a hardshell G&L case.

I play everything since I'm still learning but most of them all metal. Although the guitar looks like it isn't suitable for this field, and can get a lot harder the your usuall metal guitars (jackson/gibson/ibanez), and it also as clean and versatille as an american standard strat (maybe more). I'm using a Marshall G30RCD and no effects for now. It is noisy on heavy distortion like all guitars. it has a full sound that in clean is very bright but can be very heavy.it is the most versatile axe I've ever heard. Like it all.

this guitar like fenders is most comfortable, and everything was very well adjusted.didn't contain any flaws. very good.

This guitar is very reliable,everything look like it will last.like al g&l this will last for eternity. strap buttons solid (heard this is rare LOL). I can depend on it more than every guitar I played. I would use it with out a backup at a gig.

played a year and two months, owned another cheap electric. I will castrate every fuckin' sonofabich that will lay his hands on this git. I love everything especially the humbucks. wish it had a cool look like bc rich or jackson's though. I compared it to gibson lp sg strats, and ibies rg and s series.

This is a Strat-style guitar. It has three G&L blade-style humbuckers, a maple neck w/ rosewood fingerboard, nice medium nickel(?) frets, and a G&L vibrato (which is semi-floating like a Floyd) with Schaller locking tuners.

This is a great ax for alot of styles. I play everything from contemporary Christian praise/worship, to blues, to classic rock, to musicals, and a lot in between.
I replaced the bridge pickup with a Dimarzio Fast Track2, to beef it up a little more to my liking. I usually run it through an Ampeg VL-503, with very few effects (sometimes a Wah, and a chorus but not often) Coupled with the 3 channels of the 503, I can get most any sound that I want.

The action was set great out of the box. I have not messed with it since I got it. The finish is gorgeous--blueburst. I put a white pearloid pickguard on it which really brings out the finish even more.
G&L's worksmanship has been great! I also own an older Invader which I love too. The construction and playability has been excellent through and through.

This guitar is probably the best all-around guitar I own. Have loved it since I took it out of the box!

Haven't need much so far. The dealer I frequent (not the place I actually bought it from) is also a G&L dealer and has been great with the servicing (new pickguard, and Dimarzio).

Beautiful instrument. It is a shame more players don't pick up on how great G&L instruments are. Oh well, the more for us :)

I bought this guitar used for about $600 from a little store w/case. I never checked to see how old it is, but considering how relitively new the model is, I figured it couldn't be that old. It has a solid ash body with a rosewood fretboard, G+L tremolo, dual blade pickups, passive bass and treble cut controls, volume, Sperzel locking tuners, graphite nut, and the classic natural to red then black burst. The combination of these made for one very versatile and playable guitar. The first time I played it , I absolutely loved the neck. It wasn't until I got it home and played it through a real tube amp that I discovered how great the pickups truly are. Here is my one complaint - the tremolo. On my '91 Strat, the arm is perfect. It is easily accessible, stays in place, and I can perform the slightest tremolo effect to full dives very easily without interfering the controls or strings. And it stays pefectly in tune, stock! As for the G+L, the tremolo arm is too close to the guitar. If I am not careful, the arm will hit the selector switch and/or the tone controls when I am either swinging the arm up to use it or back down out of the way. I also have problems with my hand hitting the strings, killing the beautiful sustain that comes from this miraculous guitar and not having the room to dive like on my strat. The other problem is the individual piece that the arm goes into will come loose causing the arm to wiggle back and forth before giving me that slight tremolo effect and causing it to not be tight in its responsiveness. For those of you who do not know what I am refering to, Leo redisigned the bridge when he started up G+L along with George Fullerton. Among the innovations was the idea to have a seperate piece for the arm to fit into that bolts into the bridge. Very good idea incase the arm ever broke, you wouldn't have to replace the whole bridge, just that one piece. Although I'd like to see anyone break one of these, the arms are thick. I had thought of crazy gluing the threads for the tremolo once the bolt is tightened and in a good spot that I can still acces the allen head screw for adjusting how tight I want the arm to be (another very good idea). For the strat, I bought a spring to insert in the bridge and crazy glued it in there so when I screw the arm into place, it will get to a spot where I can move anywhere I want to instead of just dangling there. I glued it so the spring wouldn't fall out as the others did. I think they are $3 a piece for these little screws that I bought from a lacal Fender dealer. What I really need help in figuring out is how to get the arm further away from the guitar without affecting the action, intonation, etc. of the bridge. Any help would be appreciated.

The sound is astounding. I play original, progressive, blues, funk, and the occasional aggressive stuff. This guitar fits the bill. The pickups are stratlike but with much more oomph. The versatility comes into play when messing with the treble and bass cut controls. It allows thick sounds that really blaze without being muddy and also gives crisp, cutting attacks without being too thin and tinty. The volume control works exactly the way it should. It backs off evenly down the numbers and doesn't detract from the incredible tone. This guitar allows the player to control more right from the guitar instead of having to walk over to amp to fiddle with it or mess with stomp boxes too much. As for amps, I own a new Fender hot rod deville 4x10 and a 1970 Marshall head 100 watt going trough an Eden, 540 watt 4x10 bass cab. It really pushes air! I have the G+L, a '91 strat, a '94 Gibson Lucille (basically a 355 but modified to B.B's likings-incredible guitar), and a crappy Squire that has been modified to accept, 2 EMG humbuckers, a single coil in the middle, a midrange cut and a mid range boost, wish I got the treble boost instead of the mid cut. As for effects, I have an MXR distortion plus, A 70's MXR phaser, a 70's Electro Harmonix envelope filter, an ancient Morley volume pedal, Vox wah-wah, Big Muff fuzz distortion box, Boss overdrive SD-1, Danelectro analog delay, newer Univibe w/foot controller (a must!) and I think that's it. I may have missed a thing or two but you get the idea.

Buying this guitar used, I am assuming it's still the way it was setup from the factory which is wonderful. The action, fit and finish are exquisite. This is a true bang for the buck guitar. The ash body gives it a certain ring and sustain that could not be acheived if it were not for the ash. Again if it were not for the tremolo arm being the way it is, I would give it a 10.

10, 10, 10 - Period!

Well G+L does not have an email address or an 800 # that I have found, even after rummaging through their site a few times. The only numbers I did see were a fax # and another # that would be one hell of a charge from Connecticut. The reason I needed to get in contact with them is because the neck pickup died. The closest dealer, which is approx. 45 min. away, has been a real hassle considering I asked for a new pickup 3 weeks ago and still no real results. Only "Call back agin in a little while, maybe it will be in.">:-(

I'm running out of time since I'm still on the clock, so I'll make this short. I LOVE MY G+L!!!

1997 Legacy Special.. Strat body, includes 3 Minihumbucking pickups , Locking Sperzel tuners which are wonderful, special G&L Saddle , Beautiful Honeyburst finish. 1 Volume, 1 Bass cut for all pickups and 1 treble cut for all pickups. I believe its an ash body but Im really not sure about this. Rosewood neck. the neck is a strat size neck I believe. has a 3 bolt neck instead of the standard fender 4 bolt. graphite nut, and all that other stuff...

This guitar is made for all styles of music, but after comparing it to an american standard telecaster I do have to say that no matter how much I tried, I could not make it sound as bright and punchy as a telecaster. But other than that I am betting it could compete with any other guitar on the market. The pickups are humbucking and have the brightness of a strat, and the bottom end of a gibson SG, with virtually no noise. the bass and treble cut knobs are great because they allow you to basically change the tone of the guitar completely. you can make it sound like a wah in the up or down position, you can make it sound nasal, or really fat, using the neck pickup Blues tones on my Marshall VS30R with sound heavenly using the neck position. for rock just use the bridge pickup , stop playing, and u wont notice u'r using distortion. its THAT quiet.

Action is just right on this guitar, all my friends tell me that each time they play it.. they cant believe how playable it is. I couldnt find any paint flaws, despite looking deliberately for some. Dont use the whammy because despite the locking tuners, it will go out of tune. If you want a whammy you should have bought a floyd rose guitar.

Im sure it will withstand anything. it sure has withstood countless trips to friends and being hit on just about everything.. the paintjob just wont scratch! (knock on wood) it still looks like new after 2 years. there are no strap locks, although I guess I can put some on . Its damned heavy though, its heavier than your usual strat.

no connection with G&L as of yet, hope I never have to get in touch with them.

Its great! I couldnt imagine a better guitar. Having played Gibsons, strats and telecasters since I bought it , I still think its the best. Get it for well below its list price though, and you will be satisfied beyond belief. The value for money here is simply unbelievable.

Made in (probably) 1996 on Fender Ave. in Fullerton, California, USA. Semi-handmade strat-style guitar made by Leo Fender's last company, using the methods and machinery he'd formulated in the 50's and 60's.
Features: 3 Strat-sized dual blade humbuckers (passive), 5-way switch selector switch, 2-point floating fulcrum bridge (up & down vibrato), graphite nut, Sperzel locking tuners, master volume, passive treble cut knob, passive bass cut knob. Transparent Blueburst over 2-piece parallel-grain ash body, pearloid pickguard, maple neck/fretboard, 22 medium-jumbo frets, 25.5" scale, black abalone dot markers. Included SKB molded hardshell case. It had everything I wanted except a mini-toggle to switch in the outer two pickups to get the 1-3 and 1-2-3 pickup combinations. I had this added by my local guitar tech. The G&L S-500 comes standard with this mini-toggle, so all G&L strat-type bodies are already routed for it. It was a quick, simple job.

I've been a fan of G&L guitars for about a year, and more specifically a big fan of their various ASATs since March 1998 (see my rave for the ASAT Classic Thinline). I actually bought this more as an office guitar, because I wanted something with a humbucker sound, but didn't want to spend the money for their Les Paul inspired ASAT Deluxe. I bought this mail order based on my knowledge of G&Ls and how I liked its sound when the seller played it over the phone for me.
Well, it's never become my "workplace guitar." I like it too much. It's become my undisputed #1 guitar. I play it all the time. It's the first one I reach for.
I know these reviews are generally filled with hyperpole, but I can't help it -- this is the most versatile electric guitar I personally know of -- that sounds excellent at all its settings.
First of all, the dual blade humbuckers impart a fat sweetness to the sound. Played clean with just the neck pickup, you can get a very authentic jazzy sound. I think you would get less of one with an alder body and rosewood board, but the ash body/maple board combo is just magic. Good bright midrange, good pick attack, and full but clear bottom. The tonal focus is excellent -- something often lacking on humucker-equipped 25.5" scale guitars. Played dirty, it has all kinds of slam and is easily capable of overdriving any amp I've tried.
What's really cool is that if you want a more single-coil sonic profile, all you have to do is turn down the passive bass cut knob to about 5, and there it is! To get Strat quack, use the #2 and #4 pickup selector positions and roll the bass off (on the guitar) to 5 or 6. For a fuller sound, turn the bass up.
At the bridge, you can get either a humbucker or single coil sound simply by manipulating the bass cut. And unlike a typical Strat, you can cut the treble at the bridge pickup if you want to use that position to play the amp's distortion curve.
I'm at a loss for words to describe how good and versatile this guitar sounds. I think it rivals most Gibson ES-335s for sheer tone quality. The wood is so resonant that this guitar sounds like a semihollow. Unlike an ES-335, however, it's compact, light, contoured, and comfortably balanced like a Strat. It can also sound like a very good Strat. I consider this the ultimate workingman's guitar for its noise-free operation, comfort, ruggedness, and range of sounds to cover 'most any pop/rock song.

Good setup. I raised the pickups closer to the strings. G&L's grain matching is excellent. If you didn't know where to look, you'd swear they're making everything with single-piece ash bodies. Actually, they're well-matched 2-piece. The Blueburst is a gorgeous finish -- blue-black at the edges, bursting to a royal transparent blue in the middle, revealing very even, parallel straight grain swamp ash.
Frets are perfectly crowned, intonated, and finished and polished at the edges. Once I set up intonation at the 12th fret, I found via my Boss TU12H tuner that the fret intonation was spot-on for all strings right out to the 22nd fret!
All switches and pots are top notch. If you are a Fender fan, you are doing yourself a disservice not to check out G&Ls. Their build quality rivals Custom Shop, yet they are little more than a USA Standard Fender. Used ones in near-new condition cost about as much as a Japanese Fender, and are far, far better in every way.

This is a pro-quality guitar, no question. One of the things I like about G&Ls in addition to their wonderful tone woods, is that Leo's last hardware designs have a broader range of operation and are more durable. The vibrato tail on this is simple, durable, and holds its tune. The bi-cut neck is stable and doesn't warp. Strap buttons are wide and have felt washers to prevent them from marring the fine wood finishes. G&L's satin neck finish is a sensual experience. It feels like a well-broken-in neck, right out of the box.
I'd probably never gig without a backup, because strings break and springs can jump out of whammy tailpieces, but other than that I would trust this guitar implicityly.

I have another G&L repaired under warranty, and they were prompt and thorough. Furthermore, when I was converting my ASAT Classic Semihollow into a 3-pickup version, I called G&L; they put me through to a guitar tech who explained which way my pickup was wound so I would order the correctly wound pickup for a perfect match and lower noise levels.

I've been a musician for 37 years, playing piano, drums, vibraphone, mandolin, harmonica, and some bass. I've played guitar for not quite 2 years. In that time, I've owned a Peavey Predator, Epiphone Les Paul, G&L Legacy, Gibson ES-335 Studio, G&L ASAT Special, Gibson custom shop Epiphone Special, G&L ASAT Classic Semihollow, G&L ASAT III, Hamer Eclipse 12-string, and this. This is my favorite, followed by the ASAT Classic Semihollow. I'll stack it up against anything. At $575 it was a no-brainer.

Hello there. I bought my Legacy Special three years ago, in april 1995. It had been in the shop since christmas 1994, it's an October 1994 model. I think it wasn't sold because the Dutch importer (a real bastard in my opinion) sold it for 2600 guilders, that was about 1600 dollars back then. But hey, I *wanted* this guitar, I knew it when I held it the first time. It's made in the Fullerton shop in the US (of course). It has a strat-styel solid swamp ash body finished in 'blue swirl': a mix of blue and black metallic finishes in a watery swirly kinda edible way, really pretty and it looks sexy under stage lights. On it there are three passive dual rails humbucker made by the tech wizards of G&L. The bridge pickup is wound a bit more than the others for more punch. Three pots affecting all the pickups at once: volume, high and low cut (I'll explain!!). Standard 5-way selector. The trem, a G&L design, is mounted not on a knife edge but running smoothly on two screws which are set in a special metal base screwed deep into the guitar's body. on the other side of the strings there's a graphite nut, some kind of plastic string tree for the top two strings and Schaller locking tuners. 6 Of them. ;-) Under the strings we find the neck: hard rock maple, with a quite dark and dense rosewood fingerboard, 22 very fat frets. The neck is chunky, with a slight V and a fery flat medium-wide fingerboard. The satin finish on the back is amazingly smooth and comfortable to the touch - the hand just slides across it like it's supposed to. With the guitar came a very sturdy SKB-style case. This one has seen a lot of action and the only thing left to behold are scratches - but not a dent. Very, very sturdy stuff. I fitted the guitar with strap locks (of course). Also it was delivered with 009's and I immediately put 010's on it. I would have liked to see a strap in the case too. But 9 out of 10 isn't bad, it it?

I play mostly classic Hard Rock (Zeppelin, Purple, Dio, Van Halen, Rush), but I also do Jazz (Metheney), metal (Maiden, Metallica, more bands that start with 'M') and pop (Janet Jackson, EWF, -don't laugh- Bee Gees). I thought I needed five guitars: '54 strat, ES335, '68 Les Paul Special, Ibanez RG and a BC Rich Ironbird finished in purple plactic.(I'll explain!!).
But I don't need five guitars now. I need two: The Legacy Special and a Gibson ES335. That's because this baby can almost do it all. This versatility comes from the funky wood and ditto electronics. The wood gives the guitar a solid base: unplugged it sounds very loud, warm and has tons of sustain. That's a good basis to build a better electric sound on - if you don't have the raw sound, forget it altogether.
The electronics are kinda peculiar. It has these three knobs - one for level, one high and one bass. They affect all three pickups at the same time. It's not an active circuit - it's all passive making it very reliable and very, very quiet. This is also because these are the best pots I've ever seen: they're HUGE! Quietness also comes from these yummy pickups: dual blade designs which retain twang and clarity but have more body and oomph than single coils. The bridge pickup is wound more than the other two - giving it more thump, NOT more volume. I have rewired the position switch. I like the Tele Special sound so swapped the neck and middle pickup. Now I get neck and bridge combined in position 2 - giving me a full-range quack with amazing body and clarity at the same time.
The result is a brilliantl and very versatile sound. For clean sounds I use the middle pickup or the special bridge/neck option. THe sounds are very warm and full-bodied - I think this swamp ash body has seen ages and ages of water before becoming a guitar. For that crunch I can use all the positions. Want Ritchie Blackmore? He's under position 1 with the bass rolled off half. Want the Allmans? Use the neck and cut the bass with a quarter. For metal, the Legacy Special's bridge pickup really cuts it in a big way. Plug it in a shredding distortion box and you can blow out candles with your powerchords - it delivered these ultra fat snarls that we all love so much (don't we?). For lead, you don't need a sustainer. This axe has tons of it. Because of the bridge pickup's enormous clarity you can rip out Satriani Signature Harmonics very easily.
So it's all in there: for a 54 Fender you only have to roll off the bass a little and you get that Treble Spanker Quack (R). The neck and my own special rewired bridge/neck combination allow for a very fat Les Paul sound (also thanks to the nice chunky neck for that one) and in a metal environment this axe can shred just like an Ibanez.
In just won't do two things: 1. the Gibson ES335, so I'll have to buy one of those. Then again, you wouldn't expect THAT from a strat-style guitar, would you? 2. The BC Rich Ironbird finished in purple. I used this guitar (my first one ever) to whack a drunk fan off stage once. The purple plastic finish didn't show the blood and was very easy to clean. I won't do this with my G&L - no way, so I'll have to buy myself a new BC Rich Ironbird finished in purple. But I'm considering another option: I could buy myself a 2x4 - it can NEVER play or sound worse than a BC Rich Ironbird.
Soundwise, my G&L doesn't just cover all styles I want, except that hollow-bodied jazz thing. It's excellent - a lot of guitarists ask me what that clever-sounding plank is (G&L anre very little known in here in The Netherlands). Brill.

When I first saw the Legacy Special in the store I was mesmerized by the looks of that thing. It was really, really beautiful to look at in this pearly blue swirly finish. I examined it - no flaws, no scratches , even the screws looked pristine. The frets were finished perfectly, completely smooth. The paintwork was so smooth and rock-hard. The fact that I couldn't see the wood of the body didn't matter, the knock-knock-what's-there test was good enough for me. The neck was visible however, and it's made of a beautiful piece of hard rock maple. Brilliant.
When I picked it up, I immediately noticed the comfort of the guitar. The neck had this really slick feel, the frets were so smooth, the action set perfectly low - but not too low.
Plugging it in I noticed that the pickups all sounded like they were exactly the same volume. The bridge, having less bottom end, was of course louder, but it SEEMED like they were all perfectly alike.
Another thing was that the guitar stayed perfectly in tune. I hadn't been tuned at all since it came from the factory (like I said the dealer's a bastard - it was dusty too!) and all strings were about one and a half note low. I tuned it up and it just stayed there! All up the neck, tuning remained spotless.
Well, it must have been pretty impressive to immediately get me to render six years savings for a piece of wood with a cord. I was - I did.

I fitted the guitar with strap locks immediately. Even then, I've dropped it a few times and it won't budge. A friend once leaned it on the side of a table. When he walked away, the guitar started to slide to the side and before I could scream "WatchWhatYou'reDoingYouMedievalPeasant" the guitar toppled and fell to the floor. It landed 'softly' on my floor controller - you know, the sturdy cast-iron things. But the finish and wood are so tough it hardly left a dent - a few scratches just remain. Oh and don't worry - that 'friend' of mine now drives a white Honda with the word 'Assh*le' scratched on both sides. Revenge is sweet.
After this amusing interlude I just want to say that this guitar is built to last. The wood is very tough, very solid and stable. I never get intonation problems or neck instability, not even when I walk from the concrete - dry - cold dressing room to the hot - humid stage. That's kinda amazing. Since I sold my BC Rich Ironbird to a travelling timber merchant I go onstage without backup. I think I will contimue to do that for a long, long time.

Emmmm... Ive never had to deal with these guys. Yet.

I've been playing since I was 14, and I've played a lot of guitars that belonged to friends. Compared to other stratlike guitars I think it kicks ass. The only two things I've played and I thought were better were a fance PRS and a vintage '61 strat.
Before the G&L I owned the much-loathed purple BC Rich Ironbird, so any step would be a step up. Hell, even if I'd have decided to start playing on a microwave oven instead of a guitar it would have sounded better than a purple BC Rich Ironbird.
But this guitar kicks ass. It has become my best friend over these years. If I'd ever have to choose between my G&L Legacy Special or my girlfriend, I'd be playing guitar in my bedroom again, alone. No offense, Christie! ;-)
I used to play it through a 1985 Peavey Bandit, soundedn quite nice. I now have a more extensive rig: Digitech GFX-1 TwinTube into Digitech DSP256XL, that into an Inkel MA420 2x100W PA power amp (gotta get a real guitar amp for that one) and I use two of those clever compact Hughes And Kettner Attax 112Pro 1x12 100W Thiele cabs.
I love it. Maybe you could tell, reading the ratings, but I think this guitar is an absolute winner, considering it should cost you no more than 1000 US dollars nowadays.

1998 American-made, 22 frets, rosewood fretboard, 2-piece ash body, 3 rail-type pickups (bridge with slighlty more punch), Strat-style body - transparent honey finish, G&L proprietary tremolo bridge, Schaller(?) locking tuners, case included.

I play orig/cover rock/roots/blues/alternative music through a Boss GX-700 effects processor into a Mesa Mark IV with a 2x12 half-back cabinet. This guitar can cover any of the styles I play and I assume even more - it's very versatile! The Legacy has a very bright and cutting sound through my rig - though not unpleasant. Compared to my '78 Strat with a Hot Rails/bridge and Vintage Rails/neck & middle, the G&L's bridge PU does not have the same punch. The G&L's middle and neck PU's however, are a bit hotter and somewhat darker sounding. No noise whatsoever from any of the G&L's pickups. The wiring scheme (master volume, master tone, master bass) is very cool! You can get a bunch more tones out of it than the typical Strat wiring allows.

The setup was very good right out of the box, though a tad higher action would be my personal choice. Generally, G&L's attention to detail is astonishing! I only have a few small gripes. The rosewood fretboard was fairly dry which made the guitar somewhat difficult to play at first. I attributed this to the fact that I've been playing a Tung oiled maple fretboard for years and the difference in feel was considerable! I treated the fretboard with lemon oil and improved the playability a bunch! The other thing is that the pieces of ashe used for the body were not "premium grade". There were several flaws or small discolorations that could be seen beneath the honey clearcoat. I think if you pay $100 more for an upgraded transparent finish, you ought to get somewhat better quality wood too!

G&L's are built like a brick shit house! They are gonna last!

10 year limited warranty - never dealt with the factory directly, though. I hear they're customer support is excellent.

I've been playing for 25 years. I bought this guitar to replace my old '78 Strat because of some long-standing intonation problems. Unfortunately, comparing them side-to-side, the Fender wins hands down in tone and playability. I'm gonna try to fix the intonation on the Strat and I'm returning the G&L. But understand that my old Fender was made back in the days before they (Fender) completely cheesed out on quality. In order to get a NEW Fender Strat that's as good as the G&L Legacy Special, you'd have to get a Custom Shop model and spend twice the cash! Had I not already owned a pretty great Strat type guitar, I'd keep the G&L in a heartbeat. I highly recommend G&L and will definitely buy another guitar from them - probably an ASAT!

1998 USA Made Strat style with two dual blade and one blade humbucker in the bridge. Two piece Ash body, Birdseye maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard. The finish is excellent with a tobacco burst color. The neck is a satin finish. G&L Vibrato, Locking tuners, graphite nut. 22 medium jumbo frets. comes with hardshell case. I had the fingerboard tinted darker which added roughly $30.00. to price.

I got the guitar yesterday. I am playing through a small practice amp right now, a Peavey Audition 110. This guitar sounds great. I played all night long. I play blues, rock, some metal, and southern rock. I can get all the sounds I want from a Stratty Quack in the notch positions to a full rich Humbucker sound when in the bridge. The pickups on this guitar sound clean & crisp on a clean amp setting and distort even better on the dirty channels.

The set-up was changed from 9's to 10's so I can't comment on the factory setup. The pickups were set up perfect for my taste. Other people that have commented on this guitar say you can't see the seem in the neck or the body, but I can. But that doesn't meen anything. Even the most expensive guitars have seems, it's hard to hide especially when you have a clear finish. However, you do need to look rather closely. When I first got it I thought there was a scratch below the painted surface on the back above the cover plate. So, I showed to my friends one of which works in a quality music store and they all said it was a vein in the grain. Ugly vein. But , again you can only see it close up and it is on the back and can only be seen at certain angles. Otherwise the fit and finish was good. You have to remember that this is a hand made guitar.

Haven't had it long enough to comment. However, I did own a Legacy and had no problems with that one. I don't gig, but if I did I would always have a back-up.

Haven't needed them.

It is an all around great guitar.

1998 Strat Style with rail pickups. Ash Body. Maple Neck Rosewood Fingerboard. 22 Frets. All USA made. 1 Volume, 2 Tone, ( Bass & Treble) Locking Sperzel Tuners, Graphite Nut. Trem is a G&L design. Medium Jumbo Frets. Comes with hard shell case.

I haven't plugged it in yet. Just got it. Acoustic sound is very resonant.

I had the guitar set up with 10's from the place of purchase. I also had the neck tinted darker. It looks great. The only flaw would be a scratch below the paint surface on the back above the plate. You can only notice it from an angle. This doesn't really bother me since this guitar is a player.

I have owned a G&L before. These are the best made strat style guitar for under 1,000.00. They are also better than any Fender Strat custom shop or not. The guitar is very solid. Don't gig so don't need a backup. But if I did, I would by another G&L for a backup.

Haven't had to deal with them.

I have been playing on and off for roughly 10 years. These are great guitars built by the comapny that started it all in the 50's. If you don't know what I am talking about, go to www.glguitars.com

My Legacy Special is a Strat-type instrument with a swamp ash body, birdseye maple neck, rosewood slab fingerboard (medium frets). The pickups are G&L, double blade humbuckers in single coil size. It has a graphite nut, Sperzel locking tuners and a G&L tremolo bridge. I don't know the neck radius but it feels a lot like the neck of a 66 Strat I once owned. A little heftier. A little better, actually.

I play this instrument daily -- usually unplugged. Once a week I get together with my buddies and plug in to 65 Deluxe Reverb. We play roots rock, hard country, blues, pop...anything but jazz.
Unplugged -- Acoustically, this guitar is loud and has excellent sustain. The ash is heavy if you're used to alder or (God forbid) basswood, but if you haven't played a solid ash Strat you should give it a try -- it delivers a punchier and more direct sonic wallop than alder and sustains very well. 10's are highly recommended. 11's if you can hang.
Plugged -- When I bought this guitar I thought I was gonna pull the G&L pickups and install Lindy Fralins. I haven't been able to bring myself to do that just yet, because these G&L ralils sound pretty good. At lower levels they deliver a pretty convincing classic sound -- glassy enough for all but the most dedicated vintage purist with a good Strat quack in positions 2 and 4. Push them a little harder and my old Deluxe just falls in love with this guitar. The extra beef in the mids makes the tubes glow with a sense of satisfaction. Dynamics are very nice, overdrive at higher settings is absolutely delicious. Of course you can get most of this with true single coils, but it just isn't as smooth and easy. And though they sound like single coils, they're not, of course. I can't say I miss th noise.
The tone controls are among the most useful I've found in a passive system. The volume pot delivers full tone at very low setting and rises smoothly and slowly to the top.
One complaint -- the bridge pickup is a bit bright alone. It sounds great in position 2 though.

This is a pretty heavily figured swamp ash body with a honey sunburst finish. I assume it's two piece, but I haven't been able to find the joint. I've looked for flaws and can't fine them. You can't get a piece of notebook paper between the neck and the body. The satin finish on the neck feels great to me, though gloss would show off the birdseye maple better. The action was a bit low for my tastes, but needed to be adjusted for my upgrade to 10's anyway, so.... If you long for custom-shop quality but don't have the bucks, here it is.

I've only owned this G&L for a few months so I can't comment definitively. It appears to be built like a truck, however, and this is my second G&L. I've abused my ASAT III for years without problems.

This Legacy Special is pretty new, but I've owned an ASAT III for years and I've never needed to call G&L.

I've been playing for 30 years. I've owned vintage Gibsons, Fenders and Ricks. I now own a Taylor and Takamine acoustic and 4 electrics -- 2 G&Ls, a Hamer and a Yamaha.
If I lost this guitar, I'd replace it immediately. It's my #1 electric. I love the tone and playability, the overally quality. I'm not crazy about the weight, but it's worth it.
It would be nice if this instrument -- with the graphite nut and the locking tuners -- were available in a variety of pickup choices. It would also be nice if the G&L vibrato fit a standard Strat rout -- they could give Wilkinson a run for their money.
This is a remarkable instrument for the money -- if you pay much more than 60% of retail for a G&L you haven't done your homework, and at that kind of discount it's like getting a custom shop guitar at Japanese prices. If you can live without your hero's guitar's logo on the headstock, G&L is a great choice.