New guitars - G&L Legacy + Legacy Special + S-500 Deluxe + ASAT Classic Bluesboy Semi-hollow + ASAT Deluxe + ASAT Z-3 Semi-hollow

Over the past few months I've been on a bit of a G&L buying spree (or should I say, "rampage" ?). What's not to like about G&L's... they've got unique tones, great construction, and "modernized vintage" designs (as in, they bear a lot of resemblance to old Fender designs but address some of the Fender design "quirks" that have been around since the 50's). The upside (if you're buying)/downside (if you're selling) of G&L's is that they fly a little below the radar and don't seem to command the same premiums as genuine Fenders. For my recent purposes, though, that's good news. :)

While I've had a handful of G&L's over the years (both ASAT's and Legacy's), it's taken me a while to figure out "what works for me" from a G&L standpoint... I've owned a few that I haven't been able to bond with. This collection, though, represents a great variety of guitars that I have in fact bonded with.


G&L Legacy

This Legacy is probably the most traditional of the bunch... it's got an ash body, bolt-on maple neck with rosewood fretboard, dual-fulcrum vibrato, and three vintage single coil pickups with 5-way switch and G&L's PTB (passive treble/bass) tone circuit. It's finished in a subtle yellow-tint, even though it looks more "natural" in the pictures below.






G&L Legacy Special

The main difference between the Legacy Special and base Legacy is in the pickups... the Legacy Special has three Gotoh dual-blade (noiseless) pickups in it. Otherwise it's similar from a construction standpoint... this particular Legacy Special has an alder body with maple neck/fretboard and is finished in just-plain-black (er, none-more-black?).






G&L S-500 Deluxe

The S-500 Deluxe is probably the "high-end Strat clone" in the G&L lineup... it's got a basswood body with a flamed maple top, maple neck/fretboard, three single coil MFD pickups (which are hotter yet quieter than the vintage single coils in the Legacy), and a push-pull switch for additional pickup combinations. This one is finished in blueburst (yes, it's actually blue!).






G&L ASAT Classic Bluesboy Semi-hollow

Turning to the tele-like designs, the ASAT Bluesboy is similar in construction to the ASAT Classic with a Seymour Duncan Seth Lover humbucker in the neck position. This particular Bluesboy has a semi-hollow ash body finished in tobacco sunburst and baseball bat-ish maple neck/fretboard.






G&L ASAT Deluxe

This is the hot-rodded ASAT... the Deluxe features a mahogany body with flamed maple top, two G&L Alnico humbuckers with 3-way switch + coil-tap switch, and the G&L saddle-lock bridge. This particular Deluxe is finished in cherry sunburst with a maple neck + rosewood fretboard.






G&L ASAT Z-3 Semi-hollow

Finally, the ASAT Z-3 sits squarely in the "can't decide if it's more strat or tele" category... it's got the standard ASAT body shape with saddle-lock bridge, but has three Z-coil noiseless pickups (similar to the Comanche) with a 5-way switch and a push-pull pot for additional pickup combinations. This one is finished in honeyburst with a maple neck/fretboard (check out the figuring on the neck!). Also worthy of note is that it has a semi-hollow body without any F-holes on the top.






Here's a pic of (most of) the new G&L's lined up with my good ol' ASAT Classic & ASAT Special Deluxe:



More to come on the G&L front... in the coming weeks I plan on recording some comparison videos to demonstrate the differences in tones between these models.

--B

New guitar - Schecter USA California Custom Sunset 7-string

Ok, so I even find myself asking, "Why on earth would I buy another 7-string?" Pretty much 99% of what I'm playing these days is 70's classic rock / 90's alternative / modern country... all genres where the 7-string is pretty much taboo. (Heck, if I showed up to a country gig with a 7-string, I'd probably get smacked upside the back of the head with a fiddle.) But, c'mon... just look at this one...





This is a Schecter USA California Custom Sunset model. Unfortunately, Schecter has come to be known for a bunch of low-to-mid-range Korean guitars that seem to proliferate the racks at Guitar Center. What fewer people know (generally speaking, of course) is that Tom Anderson (who has since spun off his own custom shop) worked for Schecter in the early days and that Schecter continues to produce a short supply of custom-shop models in the US to this day.

This particular axe was built in 1998. It has an ash body finished in transparent red satin and a bolt-on maple neck with 24-fret pao ferro fretboard and medium jumbo frets. Hardware includes a fixed strung-thru bridge and Sperzel locking tuners. Electronics include two direct-mounted humbuckers, 5-way Schaller mega-switch, and volume + tone pots. Compared to the EBMM JP 7-string I've got, I prefer the slightly more "substantial" feel of the Schecter, though I dig the tone of the EBMM a bit more (not sure if it's due to the wood choice - basswood vs. ash - or pickups). Not sure yet if that means I'll be selling one or the other or keeping both... only time will tell...

--B

New guitar - Ibanez 540R-LTD

So looking around the ol' blog, it's probably somewhat obvious that I'm obsessed with PRS and G&L guitars but somewhat less obvious how obsessed I was with Ibanez guitars a few years back. I've owned just short of 50 Ibanez models over the years... mostly a combination of signature models (JPM's, JS's, Jems/UV's, PGM's) and high-end RG's (Prestiges, J-customs). While I certainly dig the vibe of the PRSi and G&L's for the majority of gigging & recording I do, there is nothing quite as "shreddable" as a late 80's/early 90's Ibanez. I recently got the urge to shop for a JS, but after finding a good deal on a super-clean Ibanez 540R-LTD and realizing they were pretty close from a specs standpoint, I decided to pick up the 540R to add to the collection.

The Radius models were basically the pre-cursor to the Satriani signature models, so the basic construction is similar with a contoured basswood body and bolt-on maple neck with 22-fret rosewood fretboard. The key differences between the JS and the 540R: the 540R has the lo-pro edge tremolo, bound fretboard with sharktooth inlays, and an H-S-H pickup configuration with a 5-way switch (vs. the JS's original edge tremolo, small dot inlays, and an H-H pickup configuration with a 3-way switch and push-pull pots). This particular 540R is finished in jewel blue and has been signed on the back of the headstock by Reb Beach (Winger!).

Of course, it was only a matter of time before I started messing with the electronics... I removed the stock humbuckers and replaced them with a Dimarzio Mo' Joe and PAF Joe pair. I also installed a Schaller 5-way mega-switch to essentially take the middle single coil out of the circuit... the 5 combinations are 1) neck humbucker, 2) neck single, 3) neck single + bridge single, 4) bridge single, 5) bridge humbucker. The new pickups + the available switching combinations are now closer to the JS electronics than the original 540R electronics.

Here are a few pics of the recent acquisition... note the great condition for being almost 20 years old...





Next up... given my recent history, it's more likely to be another PRS or G&L than another Ibanez. But in closing I've got to admit that it is kinda fun having a shredder in the house once again!

--B

New guitar - Breedlove Pro C25/CRH acoustic-electric

I tend to play a disproportionate amount of electric guitar than acoustic guitar... not sure if I play less acoustic because I own fewer acoustics or if I own fewer acoustics because I play less acoustic. ( - ponder - ) Nonetheless, I've learned over time that I tend to compose better songs when I write on acoustic and later add in the electric parts to give the song more drive / chunk / oomph / etc.

That said, I still appreciate high-end acoustics and can remember being wowed the first time I picked up a Breedlove at Guitar Center. It was only a matter of time before I looked at the price tag and sat it back town... many of the Breedlove custom shop models were too rich for my tastes. So when Breedlove started to produce the less-expensive-but-USA-made Pro and American series, it caught my attention pretty quickly.

The most recent acoustic acquisition is a Breedlove Pro C25/CRH acoustic-electric. It has a concert-sized cutaway body with cedar top and rosewood back/sides. Trim includes ivoroid body binding with herringbone top purfling, abalone soundhole rosette, subdued pearl dot markers, and black fretboard binding. Finally, it has a built-in L.R. Baggs Element pickup system with soundhole-mounted volume & tone controls.

The best part, of course, is that it has the characteristic "Breedlove sound"... remarkable projection and clarity. Even though the concert-sized body is comparably smaller and cedar is generally warmer in tone, this guitar's tone still fills the room like nothing else. I can't help but think that it would be a great "acoustic soloist" guitar (especially now that I've set it up with super-low action). After 5 minutes of playing this, both of my Guild acoustics sound like they're made out of cardboard. :(

As always, here are a few pictures of the Breedlove in its new home...





Also, somewhat worthy of note, this is the first time I've purchased a "pre-owned" instrument through Musician's Friend. The experience was quite positive... the price (with sale + coupon) was extremely competitive, the shipping was quick, and the guitar arrived in super-clean condition. Based on this experience, at least, I wouldn't hesitate to buy other pre-owned instruments through them in the future.

Alright, that's enough acoustic talk... time to get back to the electrics!

--B