G&L Tribute ASAT Special

Swamp Ash body, beautifyl shiny black colour with tortoise pickguard (which I found ugly and could never change because no-one sold ASAT pickguards here). Maple neck, made in Korea. All in all a really beautiful guitar.

The sound is really good, you can get that Clapton woman tone and the fuzzy Hendrix sound by changing the switch and it sounds great clean too. For me the sound was a bit too bright, so I kept the tone knob quite low most og the time. Didn't really suit my music style that well, but it sure did sound great.

Nothing special here.

I've had no problems with it, it feels really sturdy and heavy. Like a tank. I'm pretty sure you could depend on this one.

Haven't dealt with them.

This was my first guitar ever. I bought it used without playing it just because it looked so sexy.
The sound is great, I play mainly (hard and noisy (Cream, Hendrix, Doors etc.) electric blues. This guitar isn't exactly made for that aggressive music but it did it's job well. The cleaner sound is absolutely beautiful.
This would be a keeper, but unfortunately I don't have enough money to keep it. I changed it for a strat, simply because of personal issues, I like to get that attackive sound which I find that a strat does better.
All in all, a great guitar, and I'm sure that one day I'll regret that I didn't keep it. Oh well, I'm sure I'll find a new one then ;)
Because of the value for the price range, I'll give it a 10.

This 2007 Indonesian made guitar features a 3 piece swamp ash body, 2 G&L USA MFD pickups, 250k tone and volume pots with a .047PFu capacitor on the tone and a treble bleed setup on the volume. The finish is a thick, glossy poly that shows the grain beautifully. The bridge on this thing is MASSIVE and just promotes sustain for ages while the pickguard is the most beautifully tortoise shell simulation I've ever seen. The neck is a 25.5" scale maple neck with a rosewood fretboard with a 9" radius and a nice, soft and wide neck. The neck has a satin finish that takes very little getting used to, even if you're used to high-gloss neck finishes. It did come with a gigbag, as well.

This is where the guitar seems very split. I run into a Vox AC-30TB/6 with Greenbacks through a BBE Greenscreamer and an Arion MIJ SAD-1 Delay pedal or into a Line 6 Toneport. The neck pickup and middle position on this thing sound great. It's got tones of sparkle and low end to it without getting mudding or ear piercing, with a roll of the tone knob, it gets a smooth and tame tone very easily. The neck and middle positions can also give a great "SRV"-esque tone with the correct OD settings, but when you switch it into the bridge position, all that great tone just disappears. The bridge position sounds thin and muffled and takes a lot of adjustments to get it to sound good. Considering that I mostly play country influenced rock with a touch of blue in it, this guitar does the trick fairly well with the neck and middle positions, it's very rich and full sounding with a good amount of jangle and sparkle that makes my Strats jealous and makes my Les Paul wish it had never been born. The bridge seems almost useless to me, it took me about 30 minutes with the Line 6 POD Farm on my computer to get a decent sound out of it and I didn't even try with my Vox, I actually get a much fuller and articulate bridge sound out of my Les Paul with the bridge pickup split. The other bad things about this guitar is how noisy it is. One thing can be said about the bridge pickup, though, when you set it up correctly with the right effects and amp settings, it actually gets an absolutely perfect Tele tone, but with just a bit more wood in it. The G&L MFDs are ceramic magnet P-90 inspired pickups that are low impedance, but are designed to have about twice as much output per wind than most pickups and are supposed to be quite because of that; not true. This guitar picks up interference from anything and everything in my apartment. From the dining room, the fluorescent light in the kitchen added a good amount of buzz to the pickups, and my computer in the next room even affected the sound! Once I turned everything off, it seems kind of quiet, but it still buzzed more than any of my other guitars, especially in positions 1 and 3, position 2 is humcancelling. I can't imagine how noisy this guitar will be when I gig it in a club.

Off the shop floor, this thing played and sounded pretty decent, the strings are a bit on the small side, but I'll replace with with .11's or .12's sometime soon. The poly finish is beautifully glossed and contains no flaws and the routing on the body is just perfect and the fretwork is flawless. The only aesthetic issue with the guitar is how prominent the different pieces of ash are on the sides of the guitar, on the top and back, you can barely tell when you're up close, but on the sides it's flagrant, not really a big deal. I was amazed by how well the guitar played and felt in this price range, one of the few guitars I own that I don't plan on doing a full on setup with. The controls are absolutely silent, as well. No crackling or popping, although the nut on the tone pot was loose when I got it, I had to tighten it. This guitar came to me as a "scratch'n'dent" from the shop, so, I'm going to ignore the cracks in the finish for this review. Overall, best guitar under $700 in terms of build and finish.

I know that build wise, this guitar is great for gigging, but with the noisy pickups, I'm not sure I'm going to keep it, at least I won't keep those pickups. The guitar as a whole is solid, and I know it's durable, as I bought one that was dropped. The wood is cracked near the neck pocket under the pickgaurd and the finished cracked in a few spots, but it's still one of the most solid guitars I've felt. The bridge and tuners definitely are top notch parts, but the nut is a cheap plastic one, that I'm sure with crack somewhere down the road, which would prompt me to simply upgrade to bone. Build wise, I'd definitely gig it without a backup, sound wise I wouldn't.

Never dealt with them, but I hear they're good.

In the 11 years I've played, I've acquired a rather eccentric collection of guitars without paying more than a few hundred dollars a peice (Epiphone Strats, Ibanez Lawsuit Copies, Epiphone LP Standards, vintage japanese guitars and a Squier VM Thinline) but customized the hell out of most of them, the ASAT is differant. For the money I spent, I got a guitar that rivals my customized guitars, but lacks any means of truly customizing. I like to tinker with my guitars, and about the only thing I could do to this would be to install the Rio Grande replacement pups in this. The noisy pickups and tone from the bridge pickup do turn me off quite a bit, but I feel that the quality and neck pickup make up for that. This thing is on the heavier side, though, and puts a strain on my should while I'm playing it, but it's a great guitar overall. If you can put the bridge pickup to good use, it'd be the perfect guitar. If it were lost or stolen, I probably wouldn't get another one, though, I'd rather get something with a more appealing bridge pickup tone.

Everybody knows about the history and the gentleman involved on this guitar...mine is a 2003 redburst/basswood body/rosewood board I believe it's a 9" radius.It has the "saddlelock" bridge which is working great so far.The big P-90 style single coils are great.I'm really starting to appreciate single coils over humbuckers as there is so much more clarity than a humbucker provides.

I play everything rock/metal/country it works very well for all providing you have the amp/effects. This guitar really shines with a tube amp I use a Hughes&Kettner 2x12 combo with minimal effects.For some reason I really like the middle position over the front pickup only, as it gives you that Hendrix/SRV sound. The pickups are a little noisy but there single coils and I use a gate anyways.

When I got this guitar(used) I bought a new set of D'addario .009-.042 which I have always used and like and the first thing I noticed was a little fretbuzz on the 3rd and 4th fret so a quick check of the neck showed a little backbow so I loosend the truss but still could not get rid of the buzz so I went to the G&L websight and found that in 2003 they switched to .010-.046 so of course the nut was cut too low for 9s so I went to a set of 10s and now the buzz is gone and it plays great.I have actually been able to lower the action.

I have no doubts about this guitar holding up...it's just such a quality build and you can tell just by the feel that it's way better than the stuff Fender is putting out these days.(fretwork/finish)

The only thing I have called G&L about is switching out the rosewood neck for a maple but G&L are VERY protective of there designs and don't sell spares.You can also forget goingto one of the guitar parts companys as nobody makes replacement necks to G&L Spec.

You guys have seen the features all ready so I wont go in depth. basswood body, maple neck, manetic field pickups, gig bag, saddle lock bridge or watever that is. Overall great

For my music style it is great. I played it for over an hour at my local music shop. can go from bright and twangy to dark and fat just by using the controls on the guitar. The pickups have a special desing that give great tone combined with higher output and less windings on the copper coils prividing less hum than other true single coils. I never thought an obese basswood body would have the sound this thing has. I can do reggae to metal with is. It suits my style of reggae, rock, jazzy rock, blues, and metal. Gets an amazing late zeppelin tone. I want to get one of these after I get a new amp. If I do I'll give it a graphite nut and a switch for in series wiring for humbucker tones. It is very bright on the bridge but can darken up nicely on the neck and be suitable for jazzy stuff. I was amazed at how little the pickups hummed. I had to go on a death metal setting to get noticable hum a moderate volume. Sound is better than any traditional tele in my opinion. The bridge and thick body give incredible sustain.

This took me bu surprise. Stock srings were good, action was low, pickup height was perfect, and the intionation was perfect as well. appeared to be an enormous single piece of basswood. The body was especially heavy for basswood but the tone was unbelievable. The finish was totally flawless.

I can not tell as I do not own the guitar but it seemed rock-solid. Overall a fine guitar with an even finer price. I'm sure it would last quite along time with no problems. Other people have said that the tuneing machines weren't very reliable but I did a solid hour of playing without a single slip and I did alot of bending.

No opinion. Haven't dealt with them. I have heard that they are wonderful but I would probably take care of any problems at my local store.

Compared to my laguna guitar and my Ibanez gax with dimarzio pickups this thing is a tone beast. Haven't bought it.....yet. If I owned it and it were stolen I would do all I could to et then try toget a new one if a couldn't get it. I love all of the features. Wish it had a trem but then it wouldn't have the insane sustain. My favorite feature is the magnetic field pickups which in my opinion have unsurpassed tone. For the price you can't beat it. Even american fenders don't compare. I have decided that I will buy it based off of tone, playability, looks, and the reputaton I've heard for G&L guitars. I've only been playing for 2 and a half years but I've played about 200 guitars and I'd say this is the best one.

There's enough about how and what is used to make this particular guitar, so I won't bore you with more of the same. Mine is the solid body Tele style with maple neck in Blue. It's a Tele style, so it's minimalistic, made in Korea.

The guitar has two giant single coil "P-90" type pickups that sound terrific through my Fender Blue's Jr in all positions, Great for that country - rockabilly sound that I play most of the time. Be advised, these are VERY Bright sounding pickups and if you're an "older" player like myself, you'll be using the tone control more than you would on a standard Tele.

Now we get to the heart of the matter. I bought this guitar from Murphy's Music in Huntington on Long Island. Great guys and went wayyy ou of their way for me. The first one I bought wouldn't stay in tune, nt even last through one song during a gig. And before you ask, yes I changed the strings (I use 10's) and stretched them out, and prayed to the guitar gods and all of that. Still no good. So I brought is back to Murphy's, who got right on the blower with G&L in California. Those guyus asked some pertinent questions, and then said they would send me a new one from the factory as soon as they came in from Korea. It seems that this is a popular fiddle out there in the real world. So I waited about three weeks for the new one to come in, and the G&L rep along with the manager from Murphy's was waiting for me when I came in the store. I ploayed it, and it sounded great, and actually felt better than the $1300 dollar ones they had hanging on the wall. OK, when I got it home, and began playing it, same problem. So, taking matters into my own hands, I took the strings off, and put a set of Shaler Machine heads I had laying around in one of my drawers for the last 100 years or so. Eureka!!! problem solved. This thing is now an animal, does not go out of tune no matter what I do to it. The Machine heads from Korea are some type of cheap garbage. So if you get this guitar, which I do highly recommend, change out the machine heads right away for a good set of Shaler/Grover/Sperzel, what ever your heart desires, and you'll have a terrific guitar built like a tank that will feel and play like an instrument worth $1000 bucks more. Even with that problem the rest of the guitar is put together really well, so I gave it a 7 overall.

Like I said above, this thing is built like a brick wall, you could throw it off the roof and pick it up and play.

These guys know how to treat people. Right away the most important thing was trying to make me happy. And remember folks, this is the alleged cheapo Korean guita, and they still acted as if I was a rock star. I can't say enough good things about G&L and Murphy's Music.

I've been playing for over 30 years, Rockabilly/Country/Classic rock/Jazz/Swing, basically whatever the crowd is paying for. I bought this fiddle as a backup for my custom shop Strat. I've owned a bunch of guitars in my time. Gretsch, Gibson, Fender, Guild. Is this the best guitar I have ever played? No, but it's pretty close for what it is, and for less than 500 bucks you have a great stand alone guitar that I would take on a gig without a backup. I highly recommend it.

This is a folow-up on my 1/17/07 review in regards to my returning my new G&L Tribute Special to the G&L factory for repairs concerning it's neck problem. My Special was delivered back to G&L on 1/23/07. On 1/31/07 Chris called from G&L saying that they had reworked the neck pocket making for a more snug fit plus leveled a few frets and recut the nut. It was ready to return to me set up with 10's and low action.

On 2/5/07 UPS delivered the guitar back here. It had sat outside 4 days in sub freezing temps so I left it in it's gig bag for 2 days while the woods and metals adjusted slowly to room temps. Turn around time was 18 days with 10 of those days in transit.

Finally I got the Special out and looked everything over very closely. I tuned it up and away we played. It seemed and felt perfect. The action was a bit high so I lowered it to my liking plus I adjusted the neck from .012" down to .009" which improved and eased fingering. It was a real mean playing machine now in my books, all of Chris' repair work was done to perfection, making my new Special one of the finest playing guitars I've ever had the chance to play and that covers a lot of territory during my 55+ years of playing. What a world of difference their leveling it's frets made in playing, not that the original frets were very un-even in the first place but this made for ultra ease of fingering perfection. Many thanks !

I'm positive that this gem will be making music long after you and I are out of the picture. From the word go, this guitar seemed well made with very top notch woods and hardware. Just the neck pocket thing was the only draw back I could see but my real main concern was what was G&L going to do about it. They passed this test with flying colors in my humble estimation and appreciation. Chris at G&L's Repair facility in Huntington Beach, Calif. was super to work with. I want to thank him for the tremendous improvement that he made to my guitar. Top notch attitude as well !

For the first time since owning G&L guitars in 1989 have I had to return one of their guitars for warranty work. That pretty much speaks for itself.

I wanted to pass this helpful info on to other owners or wannabees that G&L will stand behind their product. In the past I had asked the Yamaha people to stand behind their warranty as my brand new top of the line Mike Stern 1511 tele arrived with it's neck screws stripped out from the factory. I was disappointed on their indifferent attitude ! You can read that review in the Yamaha MS 1511 section. This case has a 100 % different ending and I'm pleased to say thanks to G&L for helping me out.

Mine is Black with a maple neck. This color combo for some reason comes with a red tortiose shell pickgaurd, which to me looks a little funky, kinda bluesey I suppose, but I really like black with white so ordered a white pearlescent pickguard which was easy to replace and now it is a very stylish axe. One of the features that drew me to this guitar is the bridge which is called the "saddle lock bridge". It is a heavey hunk of chrome, and after the intonation is set there is a screw which goes in laterally and locks all the individual saddles (which are thick chunky peices of chrome as well) together in a solid mass. Much better design than the standard Tele design. When I first picked up one of these guitars at the shop and played it unplugged I was amazed at how well the string vibration is transfered to the body, which is itself a nice heavy hunk of wood which makes for lotsa sustain. The high output single coils take a little getting used to, for my ears they are very high pitched and require backing off the tone knob, but once you get the thing figured out it's got great tone and lot's of single coil power. The neck is solid and the tuners are a nice high ratio and stay in tune well, even though this guitar goes from the nice warm house out to the cold garage for band practice and then back in the house. The fit and finnish of this Korean made but American designed guitar is absolutely in the same league as the Fenders and G&Ls that cost twice as much. NO mex fender comes even close. I have owned many guitars in my 48 years and no other guitar comes close for value. My one gripe is that it came with the action set pretty high and uneven, but I fixed that myself very easily, it even comes with the tools to do it! It comes with a very nice gig bag, but I don't believe in gig bags and bought an aftermarket Fender style tweed case. I am giving it a 10 because it plays, feels, looks and sounds like a guitar that costs over twice as much, just an outstanding value.

The American made high output single coils have a very bright output, I had to back of the tone knob to not break windows, but the tone knob works well and is easy to get great tone. I saw alot of other reviews that mention problems with the pots, but both the volume and tone knobs on mine seam to work great.

The action is great once I lowered it myself. No string buzz anywhere on the neck. This guitar has better fit and finnish than the American Standard Strat that I bought in the mid 90's, and way nicer tuners.

Though I've only had this guitar two months at this point, judging by the fit and finnish and the obvious quality of all the hardware I would have to say this guitar seams very reliable.

Haven't called them.

I've been playing along time and this is one of the nicer guitars I've had, right up there with my '73 Les Paul Standard and my mid 90's Strat. Because of the value, I would buy another in a heartbeat. This brings up one of my pet peeves. Why have guitar prices skyrocketed so high in the past 10 years so much faster than everything else? You could buy a Les Paul Studio with a hard case for 500 bucks in like '95, now they are trying to sell korean guitars with crappy tone for 500 bucks. With the Tribute series of guitars you get American quality (though made in Korea)and American sound for the same or less price as the competition. I am very impressed with these guitars.

I just bought my new G&L Tribute ASAT Special tele last December 26, 2006. It is a natural finish with maple fingerboard, typical G&L S/S soapbar pickups are quiet as is all switching, hardtail bridge, stock tuners that run smooth and hold, G&L gig bag, etc. It is a Korean made G&L with the new headstock decal but it looks like a USA G&L. Well finished and well fretted. No qualms at all. Keep reading below.

I play this thru my Peavey or Flextone 2x12 amps-amps and guitar compliment each other-I play old country, rock-n-roll and rock-a-billy-Good full sound but not too tele

I noticed this guitar was setting up different but I didn't pinpoint the problem until after the 48 hours return period was over at Nitro-Tone Music. The neck rides on a high spot in the neck pocket and this lets the neck wobble or teeter, pulling the tuning and intonation out while playing. You can see the gap under the bass strings close when you tug lightly on the neck. The gap is not as bad under the treble strings. I emailed G&L in Calif, send them a close-up pic of the neck pocket. An hour later, the factory was on the tele telling me to send the guitar back to G&L Repairs in Huntington Beach, Calf. The guitar was sent today via UPS ground, so we'll see how he factory reacts to my problem. The party on the other end of the line hinted they will replace it ???

So now comes the acid test as to what G&L will do in may case. I think the guitar body needs routing or planing in the neck pocket area, this might let the neck set flat. Maybe the neck would ride too deep in the pocket ??? I'll be happy to see the same guitar come back in a nice playable condition. Anything beyond that will be greatly appreciated and G&L will have a life time happy customer. I like my neck straight (.007) with the action just high enough so it won't fret it. I pick light using a Fender light pick and use 09-42 strings so I can set the action really low.

I will let you know how G&L handles my problem. If the initial contact was any indication, I see no problems at all. The guitar will either be fixed or replaced. It'll take 2 weeks for the guitar to get there and back plus the in-shop time, so I look for it back in 3-4 weeks or around Feb 10-15, 2007. I'll give a more complete report whenever it gets back.

I've been playing for 55 years and I own nothing but G&L guitars, in fact I own 5 Tributes and 1 USA Legacy. I've never had an occasion to contact G&L and I've been playing G&Ls since 1988. This will be very interesting to see what happens on this so stay tuned and I will report back. I feel either the factory or dealer should have caught this problem but sometimes things happen ??

G&L Tribute ASAT Special Premium with Maple neck and finger board and natural finish Swamp Ash body and tortoise shell pick guard (swapped for black at the first oportunity). 2 MFD soap bar style passive pickups, 3 way selector, 22 frets. Everything you need, nothing you don't.

I play everything from SRV through AC/DC, Satriani, Dream Theatre. Pretty much anything that doesn't involve guitars that look like an implement of medieval torture. Played through a VOX AC30, the ASAT is pure perfection and gives up some top notch blues tones without effort. It sounds great distorted too, even into Mesa Boogie high-gain territory. The responsiveness of the pickups is quite astounding, I swear you can hear your own fingerprints. It can be quite bright but the tone knob works well to take the edge off even the most brittle of amps. Roll the tone all the way back, flick it to the neck pickup and your well into Jazz territory. The unfinished neck is great to play, much nicer than the painted neck of my Gibson. It's not overly noisy for a single coil guitar either. The ASAT Special is probably one of the best and most versatile guitars I've had the pleasure of playing.

I've owned a G&L ASAT Special and a G&L Legacy and the build quality is always second to none. I looked at MIA Fender's but G&L's are just plain better in my opinion.

Built like a tank, it will stand up to live work as well as and probably better than anything else out there. The strap buttons are big enough, they work fine but if you are a really energetic performer, strap locks would be a good idea (they are anyway). The finish on the body is tough and durable but the neck is unfinished which makes it nice to play but can be nicked if you are rough with it. It's a trade off though and one I'd take anyday.

Never had to talk to them.

I've been playing for nearly 20 years and I own a Gibson Nighthawk and an Ibanez RG1570 as well as the ASAT. Right now the ASAT is still my favourite even though the Ibanez is my newest toy. It will do just about anything you care to ask it to from pristine cleans through hard rock and all the ay to all but the heaviest of metal tones. Tune down to drop D and it sounds fantastic. I like that it is really simple, 2 pickups, 3 way switch, 1 volume, 1 tone, you just plug it in and it sounds great. I was going to buy a Gretsch Duo Jet but this just hit all the right buttons. If it got lost I'd replace it in a heart beat. I think G&L got it absolutely right with the ASAT Special, I can't think of any way to improve it.

Brown/black sunburst Tele-style with tortoiseshell pickguard. Basswood body with maple neck and fretboard. Two single-coils wound at the G&L factory in CA, 3-way switch, volume and tone controls (pots upgraded by previous owner -- though other reviews note them as a weakness), hardtail bridge. Electronics made in USA, the rest made in Korea.

I don't get the Les Paul comparison. Perhaps one with P-90s, but the humbucker crunch is one thing this one does not do. And why should it? The Gibson sound is overdone anyway. This guitar has the characteristics of the nicest Fenders you've ever played all in one. Maybe it's the basswood, but this reminds me more of a strat than a Paul.

There are definitely Tele qualities, especially when you're playing on the 1st-3rd strings in the bridge position. The crazy thing is that while it's very bright on those strings, you move to the 4th-6th (still in bridge position), and it gets very warm and full -- like many guitars in the middle or neck positions. What people say about the tone and volume controls are true -- they are very functional and you can get all kinds of sounds out of this thing using them. The neck position is very warm as well, and doesn't overload the lows. Roll back the tone and it gets really smooth. The highs are subdued, but it doesn't deaden the tone like so many other guitars.

I play post-punk/indie. Again, this isn't a guitar for metal or palm-muting crunch sounds, but I don't play any of that stuff anyway. I play through a Peavey VTM120 head (dropped to 60 watts by removing 2 output tubes) with an Avatar 2x12 cab. No effects, just amp overdrive & the knobs on the guitar.

Bought used, but only needed a little adjustment.

The strap buttons were stripped out when I bought it, but that can happen to any guitar. This thing is heavy and solid. I plan to keep it for many years, and expect it to hold up. If I could only have one of the guitars I've owned, past and present , it would be this one.

That said, I wouldn't gig without a backup no matter how great the guitar. Strings break.

Not applicable.

I've been playing for 17 years. I have owned a Gibson, 2 Fenders, and 2 Ibanezes -- none of them compare to this one. It sounds great, feels solid, and plays beautifully. Some people don't care much for the looks -- esp. the pickups, but I think they make it stand out -- it's a nice middle ground between unique and classic, I think.

I have known several people who replace their Fenders with G&Ls and never go back. I can now see why. If this were stolen I would definitely replace it. I will probably track down another one anyway.

2005. This is pretty much a classic tele setup w/ some big, honkin' single coils instead of Fender style one. They look sort of like super P-90's but tonewise they have less bite but are fatter and smoother.

The stock pots are utter crap and are really scratchy even brand new. My tone knob stopped working all together after a couple weeks. Plan to replace them if you pick one of them up.

I play this mostly through my silverface Fender Champ. W/ the neck pickup on, this thing sounds like gold--thick but still brite, mellow but not muddy--very responsive to playing. You can just feel how that pickup connects your fingers right to the power tubes.

The middle selection gives that articulate, funky out-of-phase tone and the bridge has a cool skronky bite to it. For my money, I keep it on the neck 90% of the time.

Mostly I play this clean at home for practice and the clarity of tone is wonderful of that. Occassionally, I bring it to band practice where I plug it into a pair of cranked Bassman 100's (loud as God) and it easily competes w/ my SG in terms of raining doom and blistering metal w/ sustain for again. Surprisingly brutal considering what most people use tele-styles for. I do have some trouble w/ feedback because the pickups are so loud though.

The one fault I can see is these pickups like to pick out the noise of every electric light and motor in the joint which can be a hell of a problem in a studio.

Factory setup was really nice. I ended up putting some thirteens on it and adjusting the truss because I play detuned to B. The finish is beautiful w/ nary a flaw to be seen. A couple of the frets are seperated from the fingerboard by the thickness of a sheet of paper which does not affect playability whatsoever. They don't stick out the side and rub against your hands.

The nut is plastic fantastic so it'll need replacing along w/ the stock pots as I mentioned earlier.

I'd gig w/ it no problem. The thing seems solid except for those damn pots but even then I think it could easily function as a workhorse.

This is a great guitar. Blows away even American made Fenders aside from the stupid pots which I can't seem to stop mentioning. But don't go thinking this is just a tele-clone. It has a really unique voice of it's own.

Bought it brand new from BobbyB in oklahoma City. Great dealer, fair, responsive, prices are good. I paid $399.00 for mine with a REALLY nice G&L gig bag.
Tele - style body, made of ash (?) with a clear coat, tortoise pickguard. Two silly looking big plastic covered US made pickups that look like p90s. REALLY nice, solid bridge, very stable, comfortable to rest your hand on. Good tuners, nice neck and frets (but more on that later).

I play a variety of music, but mostly Classic Rock, Blues and Surf / Instrumental. In fact, I bought the G&L to get some different sounds like Link Wray, Roy Buchanan, Danny Gatton, etc. The neck pickup is perhaps the best sounding neck pickup Ive ever heard, and I've heard thousands. Deep, full, rich, very musical. The in between position give me the same sound as the neck, but with a little more treble. My disappointment lies with the bridge pickup. Sounds good, but is nowhere near the volume of the neck pickup. Both pickups are adjusted exactly the same, so I dont understand why the bridge is weaker than the neck. But the neck pickup is so good that I'll just use it all of the time. On the other hand, Ive gotten alot of compliments on the tone of the guitar already! Even though these are single - coil pickups, they do not generate as much hum as I had expected, even when I have higher gain set on my amp. If the bridge pickup was louder, the sound score would easily be a ten out of ten.

Great setup except that the frets came with very fine marks on them and it'll take awhile for them to play out. They almost feel like stainless steel frets. Just disappointingly scratchy. The neck is great, stable, nice feel. Feels like any good Fender neck. If the frets had been better polished at the factory, the A,F&F would be a ten out of ten. No buzzes, guitar was shipped with .009s, but I immediately switched to .010s. The next day I had to make an adjustment to the neck relief. No biggie, as the neck came right back to where it needed to be. No buzzes, no dead spots. I should also mention that the satin finish on the neck is a pleasure to play. On the other hand, the rosewood fingerboard needed and still needs oiling, as it's as dry as a

Ive only had the guitar for two weeks, but I can tell that the guitar will withstand regular playing. Heavy, solid, stable, like any good Tele. I replaced the strap buttons with Straplocks, for obvious reasons. I will be gigging with it, using it and my Fender Deluxe Player's Stratocaster (a terrific guitar!) as my two main guitars thru my trusty Marshall JTM 30W. Both guitars and the tone of the Marshall bring me to complete nirvana regularly. The Marshall seems to really love single coil pickups.

BobbyB is the best. He cares about you after the sale, so I cant ask for more than that. I have no reason to contact G&L, escept maybe to ask them about my pickup situation. Warranty is for two years, which is adequate for me and a $400.00 guitar that will be used every day!

Im 52, been playing since I was 10. Ive seen and owned lots of great guitars, lots of trainwrecks, some keepers. I think that sooner or later, I'll resolve the issue with my bridge pickup, and if so, the guitar will be a keeper. I think this guitar is a little better built than your average Fender Mexi Tele, and the pickups on the G&L are really FAR superior to the Mexi Tele from Fender. Oh, one more thing - I really dont like the shape of that headstock! Couldnt George or Leo have come up with a prettier design? In any even, the $399.00 I paid for it new, places it squarely in competition with Epis, Fenders and others. But the American - made pickups and quality finish and hardware make it a better buy IMHO. If it were stolen or lost, yeah, I think I'd buy it again, as every guitar has certain endearing qualities and drawbacks. This guitar has a lot going for it and stacks up well against much more expensive guitars.

Premium swamp ash finish, cherry burst, white pearl pickguard, maple neck with rosewood fretboard, 12 inch radius, tremolo, 5-way switch with mini-togglo for neck and bridge (positions 1 and 5) and all three (positions 2 and 4), no case in Canada, actually nothing but the guitar, period! Comes with genuine G&L pickups, excellent feature (PRS are you listening?) Well made in Korea.

It sounds like a 3 single coil double-cutaway that normally sells for 1.5 to twice the price.

excellent One issue; the neck was a little off line. Adjusted and retightened and no problem. Really nice finish, seems rather durable.

seems pretty tough

played through a Dr Z Maz 18 junior it sounds exactly like you'd expect it to. Excellent value

PREMIUM version, 2004 Korean, Cherryburst body with Pearl pickguard, Rosewood neck. Telecaster style. This combination of colours may be too traditional for some, but it makes it a real Tribute guitar. I am just glad that this model has a dark neck, I somehow feel more confident with it.

2 large single-coil pick-ups, passive. 3-way selector, volume and tone knobs. Fixed stop.

Acessories: tunning tools and short cable. No gigbag (bought in Croatia), no strap. I expected a gigbag...

My style varies from british indie-pop to heavy grunge of Alice In Chains. This baby can do it all! OK, I don't tune it to D so it hasn't got that sub-roar, but the bite and range of the pick-ups is very usefull. I don't bother thinking about humbuckes. Clean, it is a thing of beauty, anything can be done with it.

Finish is some of the best I have sean in guitars, it really screams VALUE, all parts fit and sit perfectly, pickguard is really spot-on, chrome parts are chrome :-).

BUT, as someone mentioned before, there is one characteristic flaw : Volume control. I was so excited with this guitar that I haven't checked theat basic thing in the shop. Stupid me. In fact, maybe I heard it, but all cheap guitars I had in my hands, had that volume-knob-noise, so maybe I disgarded it as normal...Anyway, you can hear a glitch when making a turn in three places. For now. And it goes up and down a little when turning. Tone control is fine. I am thinking about going back to the shop, but this is Croatia, I would probably have to wait a month for it to be fixed with spare parts arriving from USA... Maybe I will change it myself like the previous reviewer. I don't mangle the volume knob that much anyway...

This is very convincing piece of axe. Heavy enough, sturdy, with fixed Saddle-Lock bridge, it can go the distance. Just those Volume/Tone controls, although they look good, leave a suspition after this introductory noise I hear.

Strap buttons look solid.

I have it for a week, so I cannot really give my opinion, but it feels like a tank.

Croatia, distributor from another country, not much to say here...

I am a periodic and sporadic player, who finally got his act together in making some credible piece of music. Guitar is just one of the instruments I use, but the only one I can play somewhat well. Others are virtual (PC). My previous guitar was a '79 custom made Strat copy, with two soapbars. When I heard this guitar I threw the old one in the trash. Thats how good it is (or how bad the previous had been).

I got so much inspiration from this guitar, that I just cannot stop playing it. For the price, I expected to get a gigbag, but then again, I can do without it. Volume knob makes noise, I am used to it. I tried a few Ibanezes in the shop, and the feeling of value just cannot be compared. Maybe the PRS SE soapbar comes close in the price/performance, but I think this baby has more range.

Great one!

2004 Korean made with USA parts
22 frets
Solid body with dark amber-red-black three tone sunburst
Three position selector, volume and tone
Two S/S G&L Magnetic Field Design pickups
Passive electronics
Maple neck and fretboard, Alder body
Satin finish
Telecaster body style
G&L Saddle Lock Bridge
G&L tuners: 12:1 ratio, sealed lubrication, adjustable knob tension
Neck 7.5" radius, 1 5/8th inches wide at the nut.
Includes high quality gig bag with backpack straps, a chain hanger and two front music book sized pockets.

I have owned a Fender Mexican telecaster for ten years, and decided I needed an upgrade. I read quite a few good reviews for this guitar and after playing one at the music store, I was more than convinced that this guitar fit me. I play original songs in the spirit of sonic youth, the pixies, archers of loaf, etc. and I have always prefered the sound and look of a telecaster over strats and other double cut away guitars.

I play through a '68 Reissue Fender Twin-Reverb and use a Fulltone 2003 Fulldrive 2 overdrive pedal for distortion.

Playing clean through the amp between 3 and 4, in the bridge position, the guitar sparkles with the tone knob all the way up. Easing the tone knob back, it loses the treble without sacrificing tone.

In the middle position, the guitar sings to you, bringing a wide range of sound. I've actually had to change the tone settings on the amp dramatically compared to the way they were with my telecaster. With the tone knob all the way up, you get the wholesome sound of the neck pickup intertwined with the jangly twang of the bridge. Easing the tone knob back, you can find the guitar morph into something completely different. At about 40% on, I get a sweet, thick tone which sounds almost as though its being filtered through a wah pedal. When you pull the tone all the way down to 0%, I am reminded of a jazz box sound, but didn't notice it until I found myself subconciously playing through some jazz scales and thinking how nice it sounded.

In the neck position, the tone naturally becomes much fuller. The guitar still retains a bright sound, but the bass added a lot of character overall. I found that this was where I liked to crank up the distortion and get sweet feedback and sustain. Again, turning the tone knob gives you a huge range of sound.

What I have found is that owning this guitar is more like owning several guitars. The variety of tones you get out of it are outstanding.

I have no dislikes or reservations about the sound this guitar makes.

The guitar is extremely well made. I took only slight exception to a couple of the frets which had a paper thin separation from the fretboard around the 9th through 13th frets on the top side of the guitar.

The previous owner of this guitar played 10s, which I also play, so the guitar was set up very well for this. The distance at the 8th fret is .07 and I only receive a little fret buzz on the 19th fret of the first string. I will try to work this out eventually, but I'd rather not sacrifice any playability for buzz way up on one of the meedly-meedlies.

The pickups sound amazing and don't need to be reposition.

The previous owner seemed to play it a good bit and there was the natural scratching on the pick guard and a wee bit of discoloration on the bridge saddles, but those are the only cosmetic flaws.

This guitar's contruction is phenomenal and I think it will withstand almost anything I can throw at it within reason. The finish is beautiful and looks like glassy water on a calm lake. (A brown sunburst lake, but a lake none-the-less.) The strap buttons seem to be embedded with a rivet gun. They are not going anywhere.

Not going to speculate and hope I never need to find out.

I have been playing about 15 years. I own a '58 Ephiphone Flying V Korina reissue, the aforementioned 10 year old Fender Mexican telecaster, an Ephiphone accoustic guitar, and an old Alvarez Voyager type guitar I kept for sentimental value.

I would buy another G&L if this one were ever stolen or lost. Without a doubt.

The only thing I wish this guitar had was a rosewood neck, and black pickups rather than white.

2005, Tribute ASAT Special Premium. Specs are the same as all the others.

Side-by-side comparison with American Deluxe Tele revealed a sweeter yet brighter sound than the tele (which this guitar was supposed to be similar to). Test was conducted with a Peavey Delta Blues 210 (EL-84 tubes) and a REAL 1968 Silverface Fender Deluxe Reverb Amp (6v6 rectified). Through both amps this guitar shines and had all the vibe and chime expected of a tele style guitar. During this test the Tele sounded nasally whereas the ASAT was more vocal. Neck position is thick bassy but NOT muddy. In fact the neck is more usable than most neck postions on many guitars i have or have played. The MIDDLE position is where this guitar SHINES. Sounds like two guitars playing in unison. Bridge is a more badass biting sound...more grind and grit than the tele. The tone knob, like all G&L guitars since i've been playing them (1983) is USABLE! You can gently roll the highs out without it getting muddy, or completely compress the tone by rolling it way back and pushing a vintage tube amp into TONE HEAVEN! Overall, this guitar in any type of amp will do WAY more than expected from any tele type guitar.

The factory set up was "ok". I play 10's it was set for 9's and i'm working on the action now. I'm picky and want close action and setting it at .007 rather than .010, I still find now excess buzz and I believe the neck to be very capable of handling my pickiness. The frets were dressed and buried as good as I've ever seen on any american fender. The guitar was VERY VERY WELL MADE and has a beautiful finish. I would say that it compares to the absolute best that the american fender or G&L factory could produce. The chrome is crystal clear, free of flaws and evidently is a nickel chrome. looks soft and sleek. The pearly pickgard makes it stand out, and the 3-tone sunburst finish is flawless, deep, shiny and as near to perfection as i've seen. I purchased this guitar off ebay and it was advertised as new and obviosly it was new because it didn't even have a fingerprint on it. The electronics have proven to be very nice, american pickups. No noise, very limited hum for single coils and the output is almost 3-4 points higher than the american deluxe tele. These are HOT pickups yet do NOT get harsh! the saddles, bridge and tuners are seaminly top-notch as well. In the first two days of owning this, I played the heck out of it with minimal tuning deficiency...this i can attribute to not streching the new strings as much as I normall do so I trust the tuners are going to be very solid.

I can tell if a guitar is going to be gigworthy within a couple hours...because for all practical purpose, i will "beat it up" sufficiently within 2 hours to approximate 6 hours of gigging. This guitar is SOLID. the ONLY reason i'd have a back up is because if i broke a string, i like to have a spare guitar...also, if I need humbuckers, i have to have one for that as well. I never venture on stage with less than 3 guitars....well this guitar now will be my main guitar. i've owned several G&L's and this is the first korean made. I find no difference worthy of the price difference. This is EVERY BIT the quality of the american model G&L ASAT and Even though my bud has the american deluxe tele, I honestly think this is a much better guitar.

??? never can tell with G&L whether they will talk or not...we'll see.....probably never have to talk to them.

I love this guitar. Sometimes people will tell you AMERICAN is the way to go. I've owned some korean/chinese/mexican garbage and some great guitars. I've owned some AMERICAN garbage as well. BUT, although this is a korean model, I would challenge anyone to put it to the test of comparing to the american deluxe tele and see for themselves. The major cosmetic difference from the American ASAT to the Korean ASAT is the neck;american is tinted with gun oil and the korean is not. Otherwise i really think they are an incredibly comparable option...also consider the PRICE! MF sells this guitar new for 489.00 with bag. You can find them on ebay at a bargain like I did very often. SO....overall...you're hungry for a tele/asat sound but can't afford the american model, you've even looked at the highway1 tele....I REALY think you need to look at one of these.

I forgot to mention this in my previous review. During shipment, UPS must have set something heavy on my guitar's neck causing it to dip on the treble side of the fingerboard and neck, from the 10th fret down to almost the neck pocket. The bass side of the neck was still set at .007 at the 8th fret like Dave Peers at Rocketeria Music, Rockville, MD., had set it before shipping it. Apparently the neck's truss rod only goes from the nut down to the 8th fret as it was impossible to raise the dip out by adjusting the truss rod. It took three attempts of loosening the strings completely and pressing the neck flat against a hard suface, then tightening the truss rod slowly hoping the neck would straighen out. Each time I reset the neck over a period of a month, it never budged from where it had been set previously which tells me the necks onG&L guitars must be pretty stable.

I found this very feature impressive as I felt that this neck was shot and would never be true. Wrong so far ! It really took some abuse from me in getting it set straight but it has held now for a month and it plays great with ease. I set my necks at .007" at the 8th fret with first and last fret fretted and I watch them very closely over time and after the last setting, this neck has remained true. Even the tuning stays perfect. I really feel that another neck would've never taken what I put this neck thru. So thanks G&L for making a guitar that is not only pretty and with a great sound, it also can be adjusted over and over again and still be playable. Had this guitar been shipped in a hard case, this probably would've never happened either. It was shipped in their nice G&L gig bag, which is well padded and heavy duty and this must have helped somewhat, plus the dealer had it well packed.

During all of this, I was in contact with the dealer, Dave Peers and never had to contact G&L factory at all. So the bottom line, I'm happy with my cheapie Korean ASAT, feeling that it took a beating and still kept ticking. I wanted to pass this on.

So I felt this little saga of mine was worth sharing with new buyers. I feel that we have a great product in these G&L guitars, not only the USA models but also the Korean imports. Another guitar would not have taken what I put this one thru.

Try one, you might like it !!!!!!

Like my previous review states, these tanks are the best bang for the buck today. I kept this guitar and sold my top of the line made in Japan Yamaha 1511 Mike Stern model, which was a dud in my opinion. It would've never taken the abuse that I had to put this guitar thru. You might read my review on that guitar, it is pretty interesting. After my going thru both ordeals, I'm sold on G&L's and not sold on Yahamas.

My new ASAT Special tele was made in Korea in January 2005, it has a heavy slab (no reliefs) swamp ash body with the nicest 9" radius unfinished maple neck I've ever played. Not too thin, not too thick, just right to fit my large hands very well. The two G & L soapbar single coil style pickups sound great, pure raw tele which is what I want. A new set of custom pickups couldn't sound any better. I sold my Yamaha 1511 Mike Stern tele and kept my ASAT Special Tribute in it's place, sounds goofy but real true ! A generous slab of rosewood fretboard makes for great fingering. Stock made in Taiwan tuners run true, easy and free. It came with a dandy G&L gigbag but it is now kept in a hardshell case where all guitars belong. This is one of my fav axes.

I play early country, rock-n-roll and rock-a-billy thru my Fender or Peavey 2x12 amps and the amps and ASAT really compliment themselves. I use only the amps built-in vibrato, tremolo or reverb for effects, no f/x pedals. I can pick out anything from boogie woogies, country to spirituals and they all sound terrific. Bright with body, articlate well balanced tones are abound. For the money, these guitars cannot be beat. It is stone quiet when switching. No dislikes at all.

The guitar was set up by Dave Peers at Rocketeria Music in Rockville, MD and it was set up great. Low action, straight neck (.007") relief. Pickups were right on. The body work from the factory was perfect, no flaws at all. Everything was put together right, a great tribute to G&L for their perfection in giving us pickers a great bargain priced guitar with loads of top notch materials including woods, hardware, etc.

This guitar, only 5 months old will be playing long after this. It'll be around next century. Yes, I'd gig it with no back-up...I have that much faith in it.

G&L set these guitars up at their California factory and then their dealers recheck things so it should be right which it was. I've had G&L guitars since 1989 and they are well built. Never had any problems with them. I own a 2004 G&L Legacy USA strat and a 2005 G&L Tribute Invader (mahogany body) with twin Humbuckers, both give me terrific service and reliablility. If I had any problems, it'll go back to the factory for their expertise. Thanks G&L.

I've been playing since the late 40's and have played many brands of guitars. I'd definitely buy another if mine ended up missing. For the price, G&L Tributes cannot be equaled in my humble opinion. They look, play and sound like a $3,000 custom shop guitar. It is perfect from the factory.

Features: see other posts for construction etc. Mine is a beautiful wine sunburst - it looks like a $1000 guitar. The P90s (or whatever they are called) are fantastic. The Bridge is VERY solid. I did have to replace the volume and tone controls - so I'll deduct 1 point. other than that it's perfect

This is the first guitar that I've ever really taken advantage of the tone knob (i usually turn it all the way up and forget about it). The tone is thicker than a single coil - and more precise than a humbucker. I'm sold on G&Ls. The next guitar I buy will also be a G&L.

Had to replace volume and tone controls - other than that - it's great

Again - an extremely solid guitar - It always stays in tune. With the exception of the vol. and tone pot - it's perfect.

The music store i bought it from offerred to replace the pots for free - I opted for some higher end Switchcraft - .

I've been playing guitar for 20 years. This is BY FAR the best value in a guitar I've ever had. I have to say it is also one of the best guitars I've ever had. - I might prefer a 76 les Paul Deluxe I once had - but this is a close second.

Buy one today - the pickups are the same one's they use on the higher-end guitars. It sounds beautiful.

I compared to US Asat's, fender teles, a Gretch. The one I bought sounded best out of them all. BTW - It made the American Fender Tele sound like a toy. No comparison.

2003 Korean made, swamp ash body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, clear finish, 2 G&L single coils, Telecaster style body, 9" radius. Gig bag with G&L logo was included.

The Blues is my main style of play and the sound that can be achieved from this guitar works very well. I play through a Fender Pro Junior and do not use any effects. The pickups are great, with no noise, and the twang that you get from the bridge is very distinct.

Right out of the box the guitar was basically ready to go, no fret buzzing, nicks or loose controls. I did change the height of two pole pieces on the bridge pickup but that is purely personal preference. The neck and fret quality is better than any other guitar I have owned including two Gibsons.

I do not play in a band but I'm sure that this guitar could withstand the rigors of live playing.

I have been playing 5 years after a long layoff. I also own a Guild Bluesbird, Gibson Blues Hawk, Ibanez Artstar 120, Gibson Blues King, Martin 0015, and several Carvins. I think that the quality of this guitar is superior to Fenders at twice the price.

I would buy this guitar again if it were stolen.

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.