G&L Guitar Sound Clips

February 16th, 2012

We are just getting started with this blog page, but it will include sound clips of the some of the many guitars that we currently have in stock or have carried at UpFrontGuitars. We’re on a steep learning curve recording-wise, so probably the clips will get better as we go!

ASAT Classic Custom Semi Hollow, Maple Neck – Recorded through Dr Z Remedy Head into pine 1×12 cabinet with G12H30 speaker, Shure SM57 microphone. JHS Charlie Brown Pedal used for overdrive tones. Recorded February 14th, 2012

ASAT Clas Cust SH

Tags: Alder, ASAT, G&L, Legacy, pickups, SC-2, single coil, UpFront Guitars
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G&L Neck Profiles – Suggestions

December 13th, 2011

One of the great benefits of ordering a G&L guitar is the ability to select both the neck profile and the type of frets. Other than going to a small custom builder, this type of option is usually not available in a “production” guitar. While this is not a complete listing of what is available from G&L — you can find that on their website — here is a rundown the types that I have sold and their relative popularity. Unless otherwise stated, width at the nut is 1-5/8″:

#1 – The G&L #1 neck is the standard 12″ radius neck that unless you specify otherwise, comes on every G&L Legacy, ASAT, Comanche or SC-2. The standard frets are the Dunlop 62100 medium jumbo frets. If you don’t know what you want, it’s hard to go wrong with this neck. Measuring .830″ at the first fret and .960″ at the 12th fret, it’s mildly beefy and fits most people well. We’ve also tried this neck with the Dunlop 6230 vintage fret option, but the combination of flat neck with skinny fret makes the frets seem undersized.

#1a – The G&L #1a is a 12″ radius neck that is about the same size as the #1 at the first fret, but only .870″ at the 12th. There is very little taper to the neck, so it feels pretty skinny as you move up the frets. Good for shredders and people who really like to be able to reach around the neck and hammer the notes.

#1b – Probably the second most popular 12″ neck after the #1. The “Heritage C” profile is great for women, people with smaller hands, or folks who like a thinner profile similar to the Fender Mexican and most American models. Feels instantly comfortable and tapers nicely up the frets. Thinner necks do have less mass which can affect sustain, but there are many other factors including variations inthe wood, how tightly the neck fits the neck pocket, etc.

#2a – Up until late 2010, this was G&L’s previously standard neck for the ASAT. Same thickness and 6100 frets as the #1 but with a 7.5″ radius. Feels more narrow and thicker than the #1, but it isn’t. Bending with the jumbo frets is still pretty easy, but it just feels a little awkward. Unless you are a frustrated Rickenbacker player, I don’t really recommend this combination.

#2b – Take the thinner profile (similar to #1b) version of the 7.5″ radius neck and add the 6230 vintage fret option and you get a really nice old-school feeling neck that plays great. The vintage frets are a great match for the tighter radius ‘board, and the “Heritage C” profile is comfortable and fast. This neck is a hard sell because people don’t “think” they will like it. But people who play it love it.

Quartersawn versus Flatsawn Necks – All standard G&L necks are Flatsawn. If you were to take off the neck and look at the end of the neck you would see that the grain of the wood is parallel to the fingerboard. This makes a stable neck, and also they also get more Flatsawn necks per piece of maple stock, which keeps the cost down. Quartersawn necks have the grain perpendicular to the fingerboard, so the wood is much stiffer in the direction that the neck typically bends. But cutting this way yields fewer necks per piece of maple stock, which increases cost. Quartersawn necks are standard on the Rustic and Korina Limited Edition models. Sonically, the stiffer quartersawn neck if felt to be more percussive and with a quicker attack and less note compression than a flatsawn neck. While it’s not practical to A-B two necks on the same guitar, the Rustic and Korina guitars that I have played feel pretty snappy, with good note clarity and sustain. If you live in an area that varies widely in temperature and humidity, a quartersawn neck may require less tweaking.

Tags: ASAT, Comanche, G&L, Legacy, SC-2, UpFront Guitars
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Which Wood to select for your G&L Guitar?

November 21st, 2011

As one of the few mainstream manufacturers of electric guitars that works to a custom-order format, a G&L custom order customer has several decisions to make. One of these is which wood to use for the body.

The general rule for G&L guitars is that Alder is used for Standard Colors (solid colors, 2 and 3 color Sunburst, Tobacco and Cherry Burst) and Swamp Ash for Premium Finishes (translucent finishes and most bursts). But, Swamp Ash is also available as an option for the Standard Colors too. How much does the wood matter, and is one wood better for certain types of guitars?

Alder – Alder is a traditional tone wood for solid body guitars, and has been used for decades by Fender and others. Alder is dense, has a nice grain, and is reasonably light. If you are concerned about weight, Alder is consistently lighter than Swamp Ash. Tone is often associated with weight with the generalization that lighter is better. There are many factors that affect guitar tone, and unless weight is the primary consideration, don’t obsess about it too much.

Tonally, Alder is punchy, tight, with a solid midrange and a bright high end. Alder works very well with Legacy guitars, and it’s characteristics gives the lower output Legacy pickups some good punch. It’s a great combination, and the best choice for those looking for the classic Fullerton sound. For pickups with a lot of output and midrange — such as the Z-Coils used on the Comanche and Z-3 — Alder can be a little too zippy, giving the Z-Coils a very fast attack and somewhat hard midrange.

Swamp Ash – Swamp Ash has a striking, deep grained appearance and looks great with translucent and clear finishes. A nice translucent finish on Swamp Ash can be just as interesting as flamed maple, and less expensive. Swamp Ash has some fine tonal properties too, with a lighter midrange and a sweeter top end than Alder. Consequently, Swamp Ash works well with pickups that have a lot of midrange and top end. It’s a great match for the large MFD’s used on the ASAT Special, Z-Coils, and S-500 pickups. Swamp Ash is a more delicate sounding wood, and in my opinion the only wood to use with Z-Coils.

Legacy guitars can sound good with Swamp Ash — and look awesome – although the sound is somewhat lighter in body than with Alder. The high end is rounder and smoother, but the reduced midrange can have a thinning effect on the bridge pickup. If you like to install hotter bridge pickups in your Legacy guitars, Swamp Ash works very well.

The ASAT Classic pickups seem to work well with either wood, which is a testament to the flexibility and musicality of these pickups. So if less weight is a consideration, go with Alder. Occasionally a Swamp Ash ASAT will hit 9 pounds, which can get fatiguing during a three hour gig. Another fix is to go Semi-Hollow, which takes a little punch out of the guitar, but makes them about a pound lighter and is sonically very balanced.

Conclusions – This is obviously a very subjective topic, but after ordering and playing dozens of G&L’s certain patterns do emerge. So if forced to grossly generalize, my recommendations on the most common G&L models would be:

Legacy – Alder is first choice. Swamp Ash is nice with a hotter bridge pickup (Semi-Hollow really sucks the bottom out, not my pick)
Legacy HB – Alder or Swamp Ash (The humbucker balances out great with Swamp Ash, and is my pick)
ASAT Classic – Alder, Swamp Ash or Semi Hollow. Alder for more punch, Swamp for sweeter top end, Semi-Hollow for overall balance.
ASAT Classic Custom – Alder, Swamp Ash or Semi Hollow. Ditto.
ASAT Classic Alnico – Classic low output pickups work best with Alder which provided fuller midrange and snappy low end.
ASAT Special – Swamp Ash or Semi Hollow.
ASAT Bluesboy – Adler to maximize twang, Swamp Ash for a cleaner, leaner humbucker sound
Comanche or Z-3 – Swamp Ash (consider Semi-Hollow on the Z-3)
S-500 – Swamp Ash or Deluxe with Maple Top. Alder is winds up hard sounding and dark
SC-2 – Alder is punchy, Swamp Ash is a bit more lush. Vibrato option really makes the guitar lively.
Legacy 2HB – OK, not a common guitar at all, but really sounds good in Swamp Ash, which lightens up the Humbuckers

Tags: Alder, ASAT, Comanche, G&L, Legacy, Swamp Ash
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