G&L ASAT Classic S Clear Orange Swamp Ash

Here's an eye catching ASAT Classic S for you: We love the transparent finishes at G&L, and this Clear Orange Swamp Ash body with wood binding hits the spot. Combined with the enhanced dynamics of the G&L MFD pickups and the added flexibility of a middle pickup, and you've got a veritable Swiss army knife of rock, country and most things in between.

This custom USA ASAT Classic S features the following specs and upgrades:

• Clear Orange finish on Swamp Ash, 7.4 pounds
• Scraped wood binding
• Rear body contour
• Original Leo Spec. 1.625" body depth
• Vintage tint satin finish maple neck
• Modern Classic neck profile, 9.5" radius, 1-11/16" nut width
• Maple fingerboard
• Medium jumbo frets
• G&L split and drilled tuners
• 3-Ply tortoise shell pickguard
• G&L MFD ASAT “ashtray” bridge pickup assembly
• G&L MFD S-500 middle pickup, reverse wound
• G&L MFD neck pickup
• Black pickup covers
• Volume and tone controls
• 5-way pickup switch with pull volume control
• Plek® laser guided fret finishing
• Deluxe tolex hardshell case
• Made in Fullerton, CA

The G&L ASAT Classic S is G&L's interpretation of the "Nashville" style Telecaster that is popular with many session musicians. By adding the middle Stratocaster® -- but in this case S-500 -- pickup this type of guitar is capable of the classic Tele sound plus the funky middle and "out of phase" tones typically available only with the Strat. This particular example weighs less than seven and a half pounds and we like how swamp ash pairs with the punchy MFD pickups for a sweet detailed top end and restrained midrange.

The G&L ASAT Classic MFD pickups take the best of the Tele tones: Round and warm or bright and twangy, and fills them out with greater clarity, dynamics, and output. The neck pickup has the bell-like tones of the original Telecaster, but with less compression and spongy feel. Bright without being edgy and with a rich full bass, it's captures the essence of Fender's original design but makes it vastly more usable. Although not as glassy and scooped as a Strat, the ASAT neck pickup can handle lead work quite nicely, and it's strong output and lower noise works well with distortion and boost pedals.

The bridge pickup assembly combines plenty of rich twangy goodness, but with more body, midrange, and no icy top end. It too drives pedals really well, with lots of output and harmonic complexity. Big rock tones are no problem with this guitar, and it's got humbucker-like output with superior clarity and detail. It's a great pickup for lead guitar work, and with your favorite stomp box you go can go from Bad Company to Brad Paisley in an instant.

The addition of the S-500 middle pickup adds the slightly metallic, grainy blues tones you'd expect from this position, but with that extra MFD midrange presence and dynamic range. With its 5-way switch, the in-between positions on Classic S have some spunky out-of-phase cluck, but are a little fuller and more punchy than the typical Strat. Lastly, the pull-volume control lets you access the traditional neck+bridge combination for a total of 7 possible pickup combinations.

This guitar comes with G&L's standard neck profile, the Modern Classic. Slimmer like the old "Slim C" the Modern Classic has a 9.5" radius and a 1-11/16" nut width. The string spacing is the same as their 1-5/8" Classic C necks, and the extra width is there to help prevent string fall off. Players who like an American Fender® neck will take to the Modern Classic. Overall playability is top notch, and the Plek finished frets are smooth and consistent from top to bottom.

While vintage tone is often be revered as sonically superior, in reality the demands of live playing and modern tastes have changed the requirements. In all styles of music guitar tones are "heavier" than in the past, and most country bands today are grinding out tones that would make Hank Williams roll over in his grave. The G&L ASAT Classic S provides traditional vintage flavors but with the output, clarity and punch that makes it great for both recording and live performances (And you can plug your ASAT and your Les Paul in the same amp and not have to redo all your settings). With its highly flexible morph of Tele/Strat sounds, and the ability to put out some serious crunch, the ASAT Classic S is the perfect go-to guitar for a wide variety of playing situations.

We are an authorized G&L Premier dealer located in Bellingham, Massachusetts, and this is a new guitar with all tags, tools, paperwork and certificates. We have over 40 G&L’s in stock at all times, and please feel free to browse our other listings, or contact us for information on a custom order.