G&L ASAT Special - American or Tribute?

Well, I, for one, appreciate your effort, boris. Having heard ALL the opinions, the listener can better form his own conclusions.

Thanks for your input.

 

Only Tributes I see here are the MIJ versions. Had one actually...was a 3 piece body and they had placed the third piece right between the two wider wings...it was about as wide as the neck plate so somebody took the time to glue the pieces together very well....they are up to the standards we have come to expect from MIJ guitars...have US pick-ups...but the tiny pots.

 

Just a quick note on the ''Tribute'' specials'' I've heard from G&L forums that the Bridge
on the trib Specials are made of zink, plated in chrome and the US models are Brass, plated in chrome, so there is a differents in that the hardware is much better on the USA models than the trib's when it comes right down to it!

 

I have a used Tribute strat I got from a pawn shop for $175. The frets needed alot of work - leveling, crowning and polishing, along with a set-up and truss rod adjustment (did the work myself). It was pratically unplayable before that, but now it plays like the proverbial buttah, and the tone from the stock pups is excellent. It takes to dirt pedals and OD much better than my '84 - '87 MIJ strat with Fralin Blues pups, which is arguably the better guitar. The tone and palyability just knocks me out and its the one I keep reaching for out of the two.

 

Leo's MFDs pull off a hell of a trick - they put out a lot of signal while retaining all the sweetness and shimmer of a low-ouput vintage-style pup (even when they're too close to the strings). So you run them into a low gain amp setting and they'll be smooth as honey. Run them into a small amp running close to its edge, or a master volume amp with the gain cranked a bit and they will body slam the pre.

It's a thing of great beauty. Leo was a freakin' genius, and he didn't stop thiinking in 1959.

P

 

Yes it is, and I like the the treble and tone controls better than Fender strat controls.

 

Preach it, brothers!

 

I'm a MIA guy all the way, but I did buy an "almost" new Tribute ASAT special a few years ago, and I have tried a couple of USA ASATs since, but they haven't shown me enough to make me want to replace the Tribute. The neck on the Tribute is decent, the sound is right there, and the finish and workmanship is excellent. The better pots and hardware just doesn't justify the higher price to me.
No, it isn't main guitar, but it comes along with me as a backup quite frequently.

 

I am being offered a G&L ASAT butterscotch blond with black pick guard & black P90type pick-ups serial #CL09938, is she US made?

 

My .02...

I have a USA Legacy that I custom ordered. It's a beautifully-made instrument and every detail is perfect. I recently bought an Indonesian Tribute ASAT Thinline. The Legacy lives in its case, as does a Gibson LP. The Tribute is my #1 by a wide margin.
If I put the instruments side by side I can see and feel some differences, but I don't find anything on the Tribute to be hinderance in my playing.

The MFD pickups are completely different than anything I've ever played-they have a huge range of tones and a lot of power. I absolutely love them: I had a Tribute S500 before, replaced it with a Highway One and regretted that move every day. I have come to understand that I prefer the sound of MFD's over just about every other pickup, but that's a matter of personal preference.

Someone posted earlier about differences in pots and caps: My opinion is that the difference between MFD's and most other pickups will greatly overshadow any small differences from the electronics.

One more thing: At one time the country of origin was an important factor in the quality of the instruments. It seems that recently the Indonesian factory is producing very high quality instruments, so be sure your research is current.

 

The only pickups I've ever found that I like as (almost) much as MFDs are TV Jones Classics. I want to put a set in an ASAT Deluxe, level and dress the frets and call it the Cabronita of the Gods.

This one's killin' me....



P

 

The Korean-built Tributes -- my ASAT Classic Semi-Hollow is a 2005 -- are also very well made. I didn't like the pickups (sorry MFD lovers) or the six-hammer ashtray bridge, but I made almost enough $$$ selling those on eBay to pay for their replacements (Biil & Becky MicroCoils and a nice used Gotoh bridge). There's a steady demand for G&L parts out there, and the pickups are the same as the ones on the much pricier US-made G&Ls. Aside from needing its nut cut and fret sprout (caused by the previous owner storing the poor thing under a bed near an old-fashioned cast iron steam radiator) remedied, the guitar is a thing of beauty and exquisitely light. I also like the 9" fretboard radius -- IIRC with the US-made G&Ls your choice is between old-fashioned 7.5" or nearly flat 12".

 

Just ordered a tobacco burst Tribute Special (Mahogany body) from MF for $349..couldn't resist. Had a 3 bolt Special years ago and a Lake Placid Blue Classic with the Leo signature on the bout..2 that I never shoulda got rid of...

 

Old thread. Since my last post, I got the ASAT Deluxe dreamed of above, and my band mate picked up a mahogany S-500. Both new. Both Tributes. Boris and I will just have to disagree. I've owned five American G&Ls. I still have one, an original Junior, not only American, but limited edition, Custom Creations. This Indonesian Tribute needed the fret ends smoothed out a bit and the board edges rolled a bit to feel as good as junior, and now it's right up there. My buddy's S-500 is the same quality. The only other Asian imports I've played that are up to these standards are PRS SEs. These G&L tributes were $400 each, street. Play them yourself before you judge.

P

 

I just the received the exact guitar in the video above last night. I also own an American ASAT Classic, two other S-500 Tributes, and an ASAT Carved Top Deluxe Tribute. Two of the Tributes needed fret work and one did not on my earlier ones. The ASAT I received last night came in set up very nice to my liking, intonation was very good and the frets were perfectly level. Maybe I got lucky. I play my Tributes more than the ASAT Classic. To be fair, it does have a 7 1/2" radius and I prefer the nine and 12" radius on the other guitars.

I am going to sell my ASAT Classic and going to get another G&L MIA used with a different radius. Someone is going to get a deal and will probably be very happy with it. The Tributes might not be everyone's cup of tea, but are very nice guitars for the price especially on sale or used. If you prefer MIA, that's ok with me, and it you like the Tributes, I happen to agree with you. The ASAT Special is on sale now at MF for $349.00 with free shipping by the way.

 

It came in two cardboard boxes. No more nice G&L gig bags.

 

I have a MIK ASAT Tribute Special and to me it sounds over 90% of the USA models. If you can get a maple fingerboard and prefer 9.5" neck radius like me, I prefer the Tribute over the 7.25" classic radius.