In his continuing quest to improve and refine his brainchild, the solid body electric guitar, the late Leo Fender and his partner George Fullerton founded G&L in 1980. The approach was simple—to continue to design, experiment, and improve upon his already classic designs. This review instrument, the G&L ASAT Bluesboy, is a fitting tribute to its inventor’s vision.
Features
The G&L ASAT Bluesboy, priced at $1,580 as reviewed, is based on Mr. Fender’s first solid body guitar. The entire ASAT series, which includes the Classic and standard models, are said to offer subtle improvements over Leo's original design. The Bluesboy is G & L's first ASAT with the company's patented MFD (Magnetic Field Design) and a humbucker in combination.
The instrument is a standard, single-cutaway design with a maple neck and East Indian rosewood fretboard. It sports a four-bolt neck, a 25.5-inch scale, and the strings anchor through the body. The review sample was finished in a beautiful, three-tone sunburst over two-piece solid alder body. The top is bound with real wood binding. This "bound custom" look, coupled with a tortoise shell, three-ply pick guard, is enough to set any retro guitar nut’s heart-a-poundin.'
The electronics consist of a control-plate-mounted, three-way pickup selector with a master volume and tone control. The heart of the Bluesboy's sound lies in its pickup combination. Combining G&L's ceramic magnet, single-coil MFD bridge pick up with the Seymour Duncan Seth Lover model humbucker offers up a wider palette of sounds.
The other improvements include a six-way, adjustable bridge with individual brass saddles for better tone and sustain, as well as precise intonation. The bridge is the "ashtray" style (minus the cover) with raised sides and back.
In the neck department, the Bluesboy's radius is 7.5 inches, just like a normal ASAT Classic. The sample had a rosewood fretboard, and highly polished jumbo frets are added for improved string bending.
Audition
Strumming this guitar acoustically, as with many solid body guitars, it was difficult to get a handle on its amplified potential. So I plugged into a variety of amps to give this Bluesboy an opportunity to sing. The amps included a 1960 Fender tweed Deluxe, a 1970 50-watt, small box Marshall with a 4x12 cabinet with 25-watt Celestions, and a new Vox AC15 reissue.
First impression—these pickups are incredible! The nicest tonal feature of this instrument is the balance between the pickups; the output levels of the G&L MFD single coil bridge pickup and the Seymour Duncan Seth Lover are very even. This balance allows for seamless transitions from bright, twangy, single-coil sounds to the darker, jazz-approved tone of the neck humbucker.
The bridge pickup was slightly microphonic, especially at higher volumes on the Vox and Marshall. In general, though, I find that the MFD bridge ceramic magnet design delivers a more even tone than many of the alnico-based single coils of yesterday and today.
Unlike the larger, traditional neck of some older ASAT Classics, the neck shape is quite comfortable. It feels thinner (front-to-back) in the first position, gradually flaring out in depth as you move into the higher registers.
Conclusion
Overall, the ASAT Bluesboy's playability and workmanship is top-notch and what one would expect from an instrument of this pedigree and price. Mr. Fender’s genius lay in making solid tools for working players that were simple to operate and sounded great. To that end, G&L gets high marks for its well-implemented take on the humbucker/single coil design.
For more information, contact G & L at 714-897-6766. 818-830-8711
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