G&L vs. Fender

[MortyMoose]

Hey All-I have an 04 American Deluxe Tele that I love and I am looking to add another guitar that is going to help significantly diversify my sound. I've played new versions of both the American Deluxe Strat and an American Deluxe HSS Strat. I do like them both and like what the S-1 switching offers. There is no place anywhere near me that I can try out a G&L. I'd love to hear opinions on the G&L Legacy (standard and HB), S-500, and the Comanche. After reading the reviews on Harmony Central the G&L's have my interest, but I'd have to buy without playing first... If I go the G&L route, Tribute or USA made???

I play through a modest pedal system and a Fender 65 DRRI. The band I am in plays everything from country to metal, but mostly popular covers from the 50's through today. I'll be playing most of the lead and of course some rhythm.

Thanks-MortyMoose

 

[Donnie55]

Great guitars.......plain and simple.

 

[MortyMoose]

Nice quote/signature Donnie55... LOL

 

[Donnie55]

 

[TyPierce]

Hey Morty! G&Ls are great guitars, and their Tribute series are one of the best deals going. I had a Tribute Legacy for quite a while and really dug it. G&L fixed the my two big gripes about Strats - the floppy vibrato arm and the oddball volume/tone controls. On a G&L, the vibrato arm has a set screw and collet so you can either leave it loose and floppy, or add some resistance so it stays where you put it. The controls are Volume - Treble - Bass, which I felt really opened up the guitar's possibilities.

The Tributes are great guitars and use G&L's USA-made pickups. I feel they're a much better deal than Fender's MIM Standards - at least as far as the Strats go - and you should be able to grab a used one for around $350 or less.

I've also played a USA Legacy and really liked it. You can sometimes find a deal on the USA G&Ls, and they're worth it, too.

 

[sa paine]

I would give G&L's a big thumbs up as well. I was just at a guitar store and saw two of them. One was an ASAT Classic, 3tsb and Malpe neck. It's a lefty so I couldn't bring it home, nice tight neck fit and looked very sweet. The other was a LEGACY in Purple with maple neck. Two great USA guitars and priced very reasonably. I have a CS strat and I still want to add a Legacy, I really like the feel of the G&L trem. I've had a few ASATs and they are great.

 

[happydensity]

US if you can afford it. Good deals can be had used and they are in another class than the tributes

 

[roscoe10]

US if you can afford it. Good deals can be had used and they are in another class than the tributes

US Legacys can be had pretty cheap -- try Gbase if you can't find one locally.

 

[roscoe10]

US if you can afford it. Good deals can be had used and they are in another class than the tributes

US Legacys can be had pretty cheap -- try Gbase if you can't find one locally.

 

[cedric]

I've owned a Tribute Legacy HB for a few years and it's my number one guitar. I bought it online having never played one before and I was blown away. It is leaps and bounds ahead of any Mexican Fender I've ever played in terms of construction and feel and tone. It is on par with most American Fenders, but there are a few design aspects I like better on the Tribute: the tremolo arm system is much better (as TyPierce described), the control configuration (vol, treble cut, bass cut) is more useful, and the there is also a mini-switch to split the bridge humbucker. With a coil-split switch, I see no reason not to get the HB model.

If you are willing to spend the extra money (which I assume you are if you are looking at MIA Fenders) go for a USA G&L. The pickups are the same (which speaks well for the Tribute series!) but you will get better finish options and they hold their resale value better. The ones with a gun oil finish on the neck are especially nice to play.

 

[nvilletele]

I was not impressed much by the Tribute series teles I have tried. But the US G&L are good products, for sure. Lovely necks.

 

[Octave Doctor]

I liked most of the Tribute series guitars I've played.

About a week after I got my MIM Tele, I found a used Tribute Tele in one of the local stores. It played a lot better than the MIM, but they wanted $300.00 for it.

I figured I could do a lot of tweaking for $200.00.

 

[Stuco]

Get a used US model.

 

[truckerrik]

I've had my 95 ASAT since new and love it. It is a different sound than my Tele due to the pickups and the build quality is superior. My brother just bought a new Comanche and it is his new go-to guitar. Very versatile tone wise. I've not played any Tributes but have heard good things about them, I can vouch for the USA built.

 

[PaulBrennan]

I've had a Legacy Special and an Asat Classic over the years (US made). The build quality is superb. The neck on the L/S is very nice with a nice comfortable 12" radius. The necks on all their Asats are 7.5" radius which I find impossible to play.

However, I really don't like the G&L pickups. They use ceramic magnets and there's a harshness and emptiness about the sound that really annoys you after a while. It takes a few gigs to realise this. They're hot pickups so I'd say the raised volume compared to alnico pickups fools the ear into believing the quality is there - it's not. I ended up replacing the pickups on all my G&Ls.

I suppose the Tributes are better than other makes in that price range.

 

[Chuck F.]

I had a USA ASAT classic, loved it, except the fret work I thought was poor...the guitar had sharp edges. Everything else about the guitar was very good, and I regret selling it. I also had a Tribute legacy. Gorgeous body...but the neck felt stiff and again, sharp frets. And even though the pickups on the Tribute legacy are the American G&L alnicos, I didn't care for them. I did like the PTB system though. But like many....while I was still in the honeymoon stage with the ASAT, I admitedly made foolish statements like, "It blows away any Fender I've played."

For me, I've tried to like G&L better than Fender. I heard others say what I am about to say before...and I agree. G&L guitars almost feel too "solid" or "stiff"....so to speak. By contrast, my Fenders feel like a nice pair of broken in jeans.

G&L's are nice guitars. I just like the feel of my Fenders better. Just my very humble opinion. And one other thing I've thought about, if G&L was really better than Fender like so many claim, why don't we see more big time players who have the money to play pretty much any brand they want playing G&L's instead of Fender?

Just to clarify, I am NOT bashing G&L...again...I think they are very nice guitars.

 

[SouthpawGuy]

I've had a Legacy Special and an Asat Classic over the years (US made). The build quality is superb. The neck on the L/S is very nice with a nice comfortable 12" radius. The necks on all their Asats are 7.5" radius which I find impossible to play.

However, I really don't like the G&L pickups. They use ceramic magnets and there's a harshness and emptiness about the sound that really annoys you after a while. It takes a few gigs to realise this. They're hot pickups so I'd say the raised volume compared to alnico pickups fools the ear into believing the quality is there - it's not. I ended up replacing the pickups on all my G&Ls.

I suppose the Tributes are better than other makes in that price range.

Not so I'm afraid, I have several ASATs, seven, and most are 12" radius. The default size is 7.5" but a lot of dealers order them in 12". I notice you are in Ireland like myself, perhaps the UK /Ireland distributor stocks mostly 7.5" models ? ( I'm presuming that you got yours in Europe ?). As I'm left handed I got all of mine via the US.

As for the pickups well each to his own, I'm a long time Fender player with half a dozen Strats and one Tele, half of the Strats had the pickups changed as soon as I bought them, and the Tele has a set of pickups ready to go into it.

Between all of my G&Ls - five Legacys, two S500s and seven ASATs every one of them is stock and I have no plans to change pickups in any of them.

 

[PaulBrennan]

Hi SouthpawGuy, I'm delighted to hear you can get Asats with a 12" neck radius. I wasn't aware of this and it certainly does not say so on the G&L website. If this is true then I would not hesitate to get another Asat.

 

[Codinho]

I had a USA ASAT classic, loved it, except the fret work I thought was poor...the guitar had sharp edges. Everything else about the guitar was very good, and I regret selling it. I also had a Tribute legacy. Gorgeous body...but the neck felt stiff and again, sharp frets. And even though the pickups on the Tribute legacy are the American G&L alnicos, I didn't care for them. I did like the PTB system though. But like many....while I was still in the honeymoon stage with the ASAT, I admitedly made foolish statements like, "It blows away any Fender I've played."

For me, I've tried to like G&L better than Fender. I heard others say what I am about to say before...and I agree. G&L guitars almost feel too "solid" or "stiff"....so to speak. By contrast, my Fenders feel like a nice pair of broken in jeans.

G&L's are nice guitars. I just like the feel of my Fenders better. Just my very humble opinion. And one other thing I've thought about, if G&L was really better than Fender like so many claim, why don't we see more big time players who have the money to play pretty much any brand they want playing G&L's instead of Fender?

Just to clarify, I am NOT bashing G&L...again...I think they are very nice guitars.

I think you nailed it. I've always thought of G&L's as better Fenders. I like their sparkley sound, but everytime I've played one, it felt stiff and unfriendly. Fenders always feel fantastic in my hands.

 

[SouthpawGuy]

Hi SouthpawGuy, I'm delighted to hear you can get Asats with a 12" neck radius. I wasn't aware of this and it certainly does not say so on the G&L website. If this is true then I would not hesitate to get another Asat.

Check out Wolfe guitars, one of the bigger G&L dealers, quite a lot of his stock uses the 12" radius board. I bought my Bluesboy semi hollow from him, it has the 12" radius and a very chunky birds eye neck.

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