This pretty Z-3 Semi Hollow features the following:
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Natural Satin Finish on Swamp Ash, 7.2 pounds
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G&L #1 Profile Maple Neck
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12" radius with Rosewood fingerboard
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Dunlop 6100 Frets
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Plek® laser-guided fret and nut finishing
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3 G&L Z-Coil MFD noiseless pickups
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Pearl Pickguard
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Drilled and split Schaller tuning keys
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G&L Saddle Lock bridge for outstanding bell-like sustain
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5-way pickup switch for traditional Strat type pickup combinations
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Pull volume for neck+bridge or all three
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Deluxe fitted hard shell Tolex case
We test drove this ASAT Z-3 with a ValveTrain Bennington Reverb 1x12 Combo (a nice hand-wired Blackface inspired amp) and a JHS Charlie Brown distortion pedal.
The G&L Z-Coil pickups are typically associated with the more popular Comanche guitar, but in the ASAT they take on a quite a different character. A chambered body and a totally different bridge design results in a sound that is a little less aggressive than the Comanche, with a sweet top end and a more "stringy" sound. These are dual coil pickups, but the side-by-side arrangement of the coils creates true single coil sound, but with a lot more output and an even, flat response. The Z-Coils have tremendously good balance, and there are no dead spots anywhere in across the tonal spectrum. As a result you do lose a little of that glassy midrange scoop characteristic of a traditional Legacy-type single coil, but the benefits are great sensitivity to playing style and strong dynamics.
Besides being light and comfortable, the Semi-Hollow design imparts a nice leveling effect, tempering any response peaks and smoothing out the sound. Don't worry, there is still plenty and attack left in those Z-coils but the chambered body adds some depth, dimension and gives the player a little more control over the guitar's response. I find the G&L semi-hollows have a little less bass response than their solid body brethren, but with G&L MFD pickups this is rarely a concern.
Working the pickup switch, pull volume, and the tone controls, the Z-3 can elicit twangy country, smooth and articulate clean tones, chicken pickin' and neck tones that can do a nice rendition of an ES-335. The in-between position are strong, clear, and have that wonderful out of phase quack without sounding thin and anemic. If that's your signature sound, I find that the Z-3 does them about the best of any guitar. The Z Coils just LOVE pedals, and the strong output and even response of the MFD pickups creates big, articulate rock tones that seethe with harmonics. Using the Charlie Brown pedal we got nice fat lead and rhythm tones that were crunchy and detailed but never harsh. Again, not as glassy as a traditional single coil, but more substantial and less likely to get lost in the mix. Overall the overdrive tones of the Z-3 are probably more classic rock than pure SRV or Los Lonely Boys
We play a lot of G&L's around here and the the playability of this particular guitar was dynamite. The G&L #1 12" radius neck is a good fit for most players and this one seemed to have an extra helping of pixie dust. The profile felt like is was on the thinner side of the #1 range (no two necks are exactly the same), the action was low but could be played aggressively, and the satin finish neck -- while lacking bling factor -- has a smooth, dry feel that is effortless to get around on. The satin neck combined with great action, and a nice slab of slippery rosewood was just too much to resist, and hard to put down.
I guess you can tell we really like this guitar. You get all the familiar 5-way sounds that you'd expect with this type of guitar, plus the chicken-fried neck+bridge combo just by pulling the volume knob. And you get the noise-free enhanced dynamics of the Z-Coil pickups that just ooze power, detail and clarity. While relatively rare in the world of G&L guitars, the ASAT Z-3 Semi Hollow is absolutely worth a serious look.
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