G&L Tribute ASAT Special

Bought new in Novemebr 2004. This is a Korean made ASAT (more on that later). It is an ASAT Special Premium in Cherryburst
over Swamp Ash with Pearl pickguard

PICKUPS: 2 large rectangluar Fullerton-made G&L Magnetic Field Design high output single coil pickups
BODY WOOD Swamp Ash
NECK WOOD Hard Rock Maple with Maple fingerboard
NECK RADIUS 9" (228.6mm)
NECK WIDTH AT NUT 1 5/8" (41.3mm)
TUNING KEYS 18:1 ratio, sealed-back
BRIDGE G&L designed Saddle Lock with nickel plated die-cast saddles
CONTROLS 3 position pickup selector, volume, tone
OTHER G&L Deluxe Gig Bag included in USA (Outside USA please contact your G&L distributor for availability)

These are Fullerton, CA made pickups. Same as the ones that come on the US made Classic ASAT. They are single coil. The neck pickup can be very jazzy and has a lot of depth and spunk at the same time. Bridge pickup is a "chicken pickin" as you could ever want. Not brittle but bright and funky. Very nice range for two single coils. Very tele in the bridge with that Knoffleresque strat spank in the neck.

Okay, this is why I decided to actually do this review. I played a couple of US made ASATs and liked them a lot, but just never made the move to buy one. I am more of a humbucking guy and have a few high-end mahogany/maple top dual humbucking guitars.

One day I see this "Tribute" ASAT in a shop and asked what it was. When I was told it was the Korean version, I didn't pay much attention as the last Asian copies I have played some years ago lacked quality and feel. The shop manager asked me to play both the US made ASAT and Korean ASAT side by side. I took the challenge and just could not believe the Tribute was a Korean made guitar. This does not particularly come easy to say, but I could hear, feel, see absolutely no difference between the US made ASAT and the Korean made ASAT. Both had the same Fullerton, CA made pickups and same woods except the US had an ebony fretboard and the Korean had a maple fretboard.

I never imagined in my lifetime I would see a Korean guitar arrive with such quality control on fit and finish and materials. Wood looks great, finish is immaculate, frets are smooth and dressed perfectly, fretboard is smooth, and tone is exactly the same as the US version because they both use the US made pickups.

If you are looking for a US made G&L ASAT because you just have to have one, then nothing else will satisfy you and you should get the USA made one. However, if you want an ASAT because you want what an ASAT offers in configuration and tone, and you have no personal compelling basis to buy only US made, then you absolutely have to give the Tribute ASAT a look. I paid $429 including shipping, which is less than half of the price of the Classic ASAT.

I really am just floored by the quality control of this Tribute ASAT. At that price, it is as close to a steal as you can get in a new, high quality electric guitar.

Very solid feel. No loose wires or hardware. Time will tell.

Don't know.

One of the best "values" in any guitar I have ever purchased. Surprising quality, plays great, sounds great. Just a real nice guitar for a great price. I really cannot imagine any way one could not be satisfied with this guitar. Very glad I decided to give it a go.

2003 ASAT Tribute, Sunburst Finish, made in Korea, with USA pick-ups. Guitar is rock solid, two pick-ups, volume, tone and selector switch. Maple neck with rosewood finger board. Standard tuners that stay in tune. Neck feels great, large frets (jumbo) easy to play. Came with high quality gig bag, allen wrenches, guitar cord and warrenty. The ASAT Tribute has a stop tail piece, and all chrome hardware.

The ASAT sounds excellent for just about all styles of music. I play orginals and covers. You can roll off the tone on the front pick-up and get a nice full Jazz or Blues tone. The pick-ups are very articulate and you can really get a lot out of them. I not a hot "Tele" player but the guitar would work for someone who plays like that. I run the guitar through a Fender Princton Chorus 210. Excellent tone, very defined and not muddy at all. The pick-ups are fantastic.

The guitar played easy right out of the box. No set up needed. I changed the orginal strings to DR 10s, which is my string of choice . Everything was just right, intonation was spot on, string height was just right. No flaws, the most high quality guitar I have purchased to date! I took the guitar out of the box, tuned it up and began playing. Amazing! Action, fit an finish I have to rate 10. Really high quality instrument.

The guitar is basic, two pick-ups, selector switch, volume and tone control. Non-locking tuners that stay in tune, stop tail piece. The ASAT is a tank. Very reliable. Finish is high quality and strap buttons solid. Hardware is all chrome. Switches and pots, which can be an issue with Korean made guitars, are really quiet and high quality.

I haven't delt with the company. With a guitar of this high quality there is little need to call the them.

I've been playing off and on since 1972. I own a Martin Acoustic, Les Paul and Epiphone Dot, all these guitars play through my Fender Princeton with 210s. No effects. I wanted to by a Fender Made in Mexico Tele, but saw this guitar on sale and bought for aroung the same price. This guitar is way better in fit, finish and tone than the Fender. Leo Fender designed this guitar and the pick-ups and called it a G&L Broadcaster, he changed the name to ASAT. All the G&L Guitars are hand made in the US. The Tributes are made in Korea using CNC technology and USA pick-ups. I was really suprised at the quality and tone. I'd buy this guitar again if lost or stolen. Check this guitar out G&L did a fine job at a reasonable price. The G&L Tribute series really represents fantastic value.

This a 2003, Korean made Tribute by G&L ASAT Special. Three-tone sunburst finish on a basswood body w/ tortise pickguard, string-through saddle-lock bridge w/ nickel plated die-cast saddles, and 22 fret hardrock maple on maple neck with 9" radius, 1 5/8" nut, medium-jumbo frets and Shaller style 18:1 non-locking tuners. The pickups are made in the USA by G&L. They are the soapbar style Magnetic Field Design high output single coils found on G&L ASATs, the volume and tone control pots are Korean made, based on CTS 250k design, the 3-way selector switch is also Korean made. The pots and switch are manufactured to G&L specs. Included in the purchase price is a very high quality G&L gigbag.

The combination of basswood body, all maple neck and MFD soapbar pickups deliver a full pallette of tones and lots of sustain. The neck pickup can be dialed in for a warm, jazz tone or it can deliver a ballsy blues. The bridge can deliver a good country twang and it's great for rock leads. I think the mid position is the best for Muddy Waters type blues. The bridge pup puts a raw bite to the tone, but the neck pup makes it sound full. My amplifiers are a Fender Blues Jr and a Marshall DSL 401. These pickups can really push both amps and yet can be cleaned up for some nice jazz playing. Good distortion on the Marshall with lots of clarity to each note, the bass is full, midrange is very strong and the highs stay clear (a cross between a Gibson Les Paul and a Telecaster). The BJr and the ASAT are a great match. The ASAT cleans up very nicely on the BJr but has enough out-put to push the Jr into a warm growl for blues playing. This guitar can deliver a lot.

Fit and finish were excellent, no flaws in the finish and the neck joint was nice and tight. Fret work is well done, level and the fret ends were filed and smooth. My only complaint is cosmetic, the maple neck is so white that it has kind of a "glow in the dark" look, but it's more of a distraction than anything else and I know that it reduces costs by not staining the neck. I was very impressed by the set-up of this guitar. The action was low with no fret buzz and the intonation was dead on. This guitar plays easily and the neck has a nice feel.

The body is made up of three pieces of basswood and is a comfortable weight. On top the wood is very clear without a distinct grain pattern. The back is not as clear as the top, and it shows some of the off-color, greenish mineralization that can be found in basswood. It's apparent that an effort was made to put this to the back and it doesn't have an effect on the guitars tone or detract from it's appearance. The tuners and bridge are well made, nickel plated and have a quality look and feel. The pickups are quiet for single coils, have individually adjustable pole pieces and are of the highest quality.

Unfortunately, both the tone and volume pots began to fail within a few weeks of purchase. When cleaning and lubing with Deoxit and Cailube didn't solve the problem, they were replaced with US made CTS pots. I did the replacement myself. (see customer support) When I opened up the control cavity, I was quite impressed with how neat the wiring was and the quality of soldering and assembly. The cavity itself was well finished and clean of sawdust and debri. Judging from the loose carbon particles I blew out of the pots and the way the pots scratched and skipped, the folks at G&L determined that some type of impact had caused the damage. They acknowledged that there is some risk of having this happen when shipping guitars in a gigbag, but felt that the manufacturing and material quality of the pots shouldn't be a cause of failure. The guitar gets a 10, the original pots get a 0, and the replacement pots get a 10. My final rating is............

The basswood body could be somewhat soft, but the finish is good and a few dents and dings give a guitar character. I would have no concerns with this guitar for gigging.

The Tributes come with a 2 year warranty. When the pots failed within a few weeks, I was really bummed. I had some CTS pots on hand and decided to just replace them myself instead of sending the guitar back and having to wait several days to get it fixed. It took me 20 minutes and I was up and running and the guitar played great. I let G&L know about my disappointment with the pots and the next thing I knew, I was in contact with Dave McLaren and he personally handled my problem. He was concerned, apologetic, offered no excuses and sent me 2 pairs of CTS pots for my troubles. He also assured me that the warranty would continue to cover any problems that might arise and followed up just to make sure everything worked out OK. This is customer service at it's finest! I couldn't ask for a better experience and I applaud Dave McLaren and G&L for their first-class support.

I have been playing guitar for fun and enjoyment for almost 40 years. I have a G&L Comanche and have wanted an ASAT for many years, but just couldn't justify spending the money to buy one. I also own a Fender '57 AVRI Stratocaster and a Hamer Echotone.

The Tribute ASAT Special looked like a good way to finally get an ASAT at an affordable price. I am pleased with this guitar, it plays as nicely as any guitar I've ever played over the years and it sounds great. The Tribute by G&L line is not a compromise second tier offering. G&L has done a good job with their Korean manufacturer in making an affordable instrument that has the feel and sound of the US made models. What the Tributes don't offer are a lot of options and the eye catching woods and finishes found on the US built G&L line.

I am very impressed with the way G&L handled the problem that developed with the pots and I particularly want to say "Thank You" to Dave McLaren for taking the time to make sure that I was taken care of properly.