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G&L Custom Shop Invader XL Sapphire Marble
This stunning Custom Shop Invader XL from the 2019 NAMM show features:
- Swamp Ash body with Sapphire Marble finish, 7.8 pounds
- G&L Modern Classic neck, 1-11/16" wide at the nut, 9.5" radius
- Clear satin maple neck with Ebony Fingerboard
- Floyd Rose USA Vibrato with locking nut
- G&L Split and Drilled tuners
- (1) G&L AS4255C neck pickup
- (1) G&L AS4368C bridge pickup
- 5-way pickup switch
- push-pull tone to split both pickup coils
- Volume and Tone controls
- Includes G&L Custom Shop hardshell case
Test Gear: Little Walter 50 with Mojotone 4x10 (Jensen P10R/C10Q) cabinet
The Invader XL is an interesting blend of both Fender and Gibson design qualities: The ebony neck and humbucking pickups are pure Kalamazoo, while the bolt on neck, longer scale and Swamp Ash body bring the Fullerton flair. The result is an interesting blend of tones that combine power, attack and clarity. Combined with the Floyd Rose locking tremolo system this Custom Shop G&L is ready to dive into the deep end of any rig.
The shape and feel of this guitar will be instantly familiar to any Legacy or Strat? player. The Modern Classic neck profile is similar to their old "Slim C" but with a standard 9.5" radius and a 1-11/16" nut width. The string spacing is the same as their 1-5/8" necks, and the extra width is there to help prevent string fall off. While often guitars of this ilk with have a flatter fretboard radius, the sleek Modern Classic feels right at home with fast riffs and chugging chords. The Ebony fretboard makes for a speedy surface that bends with very low effort, and also provides a snappy percussive attack. And the extra attention of the Custom Shop shows itself off in the excellent fret finish and overall setup
The name of the G&L pickups are also a description of how they are built. The AS4255C neck pickup has an Alnico magnet, is wound with 42 gauge wire for 5500 turns, and is chrome covered. Measuring in at 8.2K, it's slots into the range of slightly hotter PAF-inspired pickups. We like the solid attack of the 4255C, and it never feels mushy or flabby, even on the wound strings. It also turns down very well, and rolling off the volume a tad sweetens up the tone and lessens the midrange emphasis. If there were numbers on the chrome knobs we'd say the sweet spot is around "8". We also like how the chrome covers slightly mellows the G&L humbuckers, resulting in "refined" tones that were clear but never rough around the edges.
In the bridge we have the AW4368C, wound with 43 gauge wire for 6800 turns. This one measures around 13.5k resistance which puts it under the Seymour JB range, and it's also wound differently than it's open coil brother the AW4470. We lean towards the covered AW4368C for its more restrained midrange kick, and treble response that is clear but not icy or metallic. It's got plenty of oomph to drive pedals and gain channels, but its evenly balanced response provides for a linear "crunch" that is tight, defined, and devoid of spiky or harsh peaks. Like the neck pickup, it also turns down well, revealing additional layers of detail and nuance. While you can pull the tone control to split both pickups, we liked to just roll down the humbuckers for a slightly leaner, less mid-forward tone.
The Floyd Rose vibrato and locking nut do exactly what they are supposed to: Produce dramatic swoops and wails while staying completely in tune. It's quite a massive piece of gear -- and maybe not as chimey as the G&L Dual Fulcrum bridge -- but it's fully adjustable and does things standard bridges can't. Even if you don't have a penchant for dive-bomb dramatics, it has the added benefits of extreme stability even with constant use.
The G&L Custom Shop allows for more "coloring outside the lines" in terms of finishes and options, while also providing an extra measure of attention to detail and material selection. This Custom Shop Invader has plenty of hard-rock bonafides, while also being able to competently dial back for pop and rock tones that are perfectly legit. More than a one trick pony, the Invader will ace any band assignments that requires a wide range of musical styles and effortless playing feel.