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G&L > Idea and Design Gallery > G&L Custom Shop ASAT HH RMC Purpleburst Spalted Maple on Okoume, AAA roasted neck
G&L Custom Shop ASAT HH RMC Purpleburst Spalted Maple on Okoume, AAA roasted neck
Fresh from the G&L Custom Shop is this striking ASAT HH RMC in Purple Burst. With its highly figured spalted maple top and roasted flame maple neck this guitar sonically and visually makes an impact. This one-off beauty is ready to churn snappy and harmonically rich rock tones while looking like nothing else.
This G&L Custom Shop Creation features:
Two-piece Okoume body with spalted maple top, 7.2 pounds
Purple Burst thin urethane finish
Scraped wood binding
AAA flame quartersawn roasted maple neck
Modern Classic profile, 9.5” radius, 1-11/16 nut width
.820 depth 1st fret, .870” at the 12th
Jescar medium jumbo frets
G&L direct mount zebra neck pickup ~7K resistance
G&L direct mount zebra bridge pickup ~8.6K resistance
Volume and tone controls
Pull-tone pickup split
Split and drilled G&L tuners
Plek fret finishing
Custom Shop deluxe case
G&L's Custom Shop is where imaginations are allowed to run wild, and this guitar is no exception. Topping it off -- literally -- is the zig-zaggy spalted top. Spalting is a process in which woods attacked by fungi take on unusual grain patterns and colorings; which do wonderful and unpredictable things when finished. Framed by the scraped wood binding it makes quite a statement. For the back, Okoume is an African hardwood that is visually and tonally similar to mahogany, but tends to be lighter in weight. Like Mahogany, Okoume provides ample midrange support and fundamental note emphasis.
Roasted necks have become popular of late, and while they look cool, the roasting process also adds a little extra hardness and stiffness to the neck. Combined with a quartersawn cut of flame maple, and you have a very stable and responsive neck with plenty of attack and snap. As with any Custom Shop guitar the fretwork glistens, and the Modern Classic profile blends G&L's slim profile with a 1-11/16" nut for for a speedy-but-tradtional feel.
To show off as much of the top as possible and keep the look clean, the Custom Shop went with direct mount humbuckers with no pickup rings. While these pickups are not particularly high output, the combination of direct mounting, stiff quartersawn neck, Maple top and Okoume body makes for a very responsive guitar with a lot of attack and presence. Picking response is practically telepathic and tones are tight and defined. If you lean towards clean tones, this does not make for the most nuanced and instrument (although splitting the pickups softens the response). However, stick this guitar in front of your favorite pedal or high gain amplifier and you'll be treated to tight, complex rock crunch bristling with overtones and sustain. It's dense, satisfying hard rock fun that is well balanced, and without any irksome midrange bump or treble spikes. You can pile on all the gain you want, but it never loses composure or turns to mush. It's a Franken-Strat in an ASAT body.
In terms of cosmetics, there is no reason not to lust after this guitar. But from a standpoint of construction and woods, it leans heavily towards higher gain tones. Once we had that figured out, it's a hard guitar to put down. And if that is your swim lane, you will be handsomely rewarded both visually and sonically.
Thank you! ...for voting us GOLD Winners in the Quest for the Best 2024! Come in for a free Quest magazine with all the area's best!
