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G and L Guitars GuidesG and L Guitars was founded by Leo Fender, the inventor of the electric guitar, and by George Fullerton, the inventor of the Stratocaster. You may recognize the name Fender, it's used by one of the largest guitar manufacturers in the world. That's no coincidence, as Mr. Leo started the company bearing his name then sold it to CBS in the 1970s. 
Mr. Leo has since past away but his G and L guitar company (actually written G&L), lives on today producing super-high quality made in America electrics. The used market offers the best avenue to USA models, while new G&L buyers will want to explore the offerings from their Tribute series, which are made to high standards overseas using Made In Usa pickups and other parts--all for HUGE discounts. 
The guitar pictured on this page is a G&L ASAT Special made of Swamp Ash with a 1950's V-neck.If you're into playing quality music and aren't concerned with a) Name Brands b) Model Envy c) bells & whistles, then you'll appreciate quality playability and tone associated with the great deals you'll be getting. 
The guitar here retails brand-new for around $1000 plus tax, but was recently sold used on Ebay for $575, including hard case and very little wear on the frets and finish. The price was a little high for this website, but for Made-in-USA cache and quality, it's practically a steal! Yeah, there was a bit of rash on the plastic pick guard, but these are cheap replacements if that bothers you. The main thing is, the neck was straight, the chrome was NOT pitted and the pots weren't scratchy. The premium Swamp Ash wood used for the body is equisite and had barely a couple of small dings. The neck was a true V, featuring Hard Rock Maple with quite a few "bird's eye" figuring in the wood. The two single coil pickups look like Gibson P-90s, but they're not. They are way better, in our opinion! Remarkable in their bite and clarity, these pups cut through the loudest of rock drummers we played with and gave us the bite needed to carry the tone through the sonic malange. 
Pickups are accessed through a three-position toggle switch with top-hat switch cover. Simple Volume and Tone knobs fill out the control panel. Note the four-bolt neck plate, another high-quality bonus. Try to stay away from the 3-bolt necks, which means the guitar is older. Some players have reported problems with 3-bolt necks. However, prices are usually much lower on these models so it may be worth it. Summary For Made-in-USA quality and cache, the price for this G&L ASAT was absolutely out of this world, as I'm sure anyone will agree. But only in the used market could we possibly have maneuvered this deal. But then again, you take huge risks when buying used over the Internet. A better bet would be to get a Tribute Series by G&L, which are made overseas using USA parts and are sold new for 50% to 67% off of G and L Guitars USA models. After playing a Tribute ASAT semi-hollow, I wouldn't even consider buying a USA model. The Tribute cost way less and you get way more style and features for the money. Return from G and L Guitars to the CheapGuitarZine homepage  and reviews. |
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