G&L Tribute Ascari Gts Electric Guitar For Sale (Jan 2023 Update)

I got this new but as a repair, I found a big knot at the 12 fret. and it broke in two. I emailed g&l and they didn't care at all and just blew me off . I have pictures to prove. don't buy from g&l.mccoysguitars

Chose this G&L against the relative Fender as it played and felt better. Fingerboard and bridge were vast improvement over the Fender. I wish I'd chosen the showroom model as the my boxed version needs a set-up.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I bought this guitar on a whim as a cheap and cheerful alternative to more expensive Fender Telecasters. I own a G&L tribute SB-2 bass which I'm very happy with, and the G&L MFD pickups used in the Asat Special were particularly appealing as I'd never owned a guitar with them in before. The guitar itself is made in Indonesia, however it is well built with good quality components (I believe the electronics are the same used in American G&Ls). One thing it was lacking was a good setup – the nut was very high and when I bought it the previous owner had it set up for slide. I had to shim the neck to attain an agreeable action however with the high nut I was unable to get it to play well without string buzz and choking – I initially attributed this to a vintage fingerboard radius however my tech measured it and found it to be a thoroughly modern 12". This made my day as I'd been searching for a Fender with this radius to no avail – I have a Gretsch Corvette with a 12" board and it not only feels great, but I've never had issues with strings fretting out when bending high up the neck. After a professional setup by local guitar wizard Eltham Jones (no fretwork was required but the nut needed dressing, alongside a few tweaks to neck relief and action) the guitar plays very well with great sustain provided by the solid mass of the G&L bridge. There is no choking out when bending strings and the neck itself it very comfortable, with a fairly shallow profile. It has something of a gloss finish on the back which I may try and mattify at some point with wire wool, however it's not sticky and feels fast. The pickups are wonderful – I've backed them off nearly as far as they will go from the strings and then brought the bridge pickup up just enough to balance with the neck pickup. The output even down low is very good and they seem to capture a wide frequency range – this is the first guitar I've owned where using the tone control is not only required, but is rewarding – the tone pot itself in conjunction with these wide range pickups seems to provide a very musical roll off of treble without resulting in any kind of mud/muffled tone when fully rolled off. I'm finding the sweet spot for general playing to be about 30% roll off, where normally I would leave the tone pot entirely alone (on some guitars I remove it completely!). Tonewise, online I have seen comparisions between these pickups and those found in the Jazzmaster. I don't know if there is any truth in this but with the placement of the pickups and general differences between the two guitars, I don't findthem to be tonally similar, to my ears at least. The G&L pickups are very clear, powerful and articulate, with more upper midrange presence than a Jazzmaster (again, IMO). They respond very well to rolling off the volume as well as the tone knob to clean up the sound – even at low volumes they remain clear and full sounding. Despite an abundance of treble on tap the high end is less "icepick" than Fender Strats I've played and less "twangy" than your average Tele. It's got character of it's own which is nice to have in what is ostensibly a Telecaster. I've also discovered a slightly bizarre wiring quirk where if both pickups are on and the tone is entirely rolled off, it sounds as if the guitar has switched out of phase – it sends distortion boxes absolutely wild, and i've never quite heard a sound like it from a guitar. I wonder if this might be a mod from a previous owner or if they all do this – whatever the case, I love it, it seems to flatter my playing and helps me pretend i'm Frank Zappa. Overall, I'd absolutely recommend a G&L Tribute Asat Special to anyone looking for a Telecaster that isn't a Telecaster, on the basis that the parts are good, particularly the wonderful pickups, but it'll probably need a good setup by your local luthier of choice to get the best out of it.ebolamonkey11

Drawn to it by its sheer unconventionalism, the Fallout Tribute is a very decent, different guitar. However, I had very bad luck with the thing, so I'm obviously a little biased. Straight up- those tone controls feel incredibly cheap and loose. As well, I found construction to suffer more than a Squire. The strap button on the bottom looks like someone whacked it with a hammer, so I unscrewed it to find that it was merely drilled…very crooked. Not to mention a few finish issues! This guitar, sadly, wasn't made with the highest amount of TLC. Pickups-wise, this guitar is pretty solid. The middle position has to be my favorite. While the spilttable humbucker mattered little to me, The humbucker itself is A-okay. This is my first time experiencing a P-90, and yes, it is quite powerful. When playing, however, realize you'll be very restricted getting the highest frets- the part of the guitar where the bolt-on is located is chunkier than Superchunk. All in all, I ended up returning it due to the manufacturer defects (it even had a tragically bent allen wrench…dear lord, what was going on?). While it at least looks cool, I didn't like it.Burp

There's a lot to love about the Tribute Fallout. Not least is the price, which made it easy for me to pull the trigger and order my first G&L. Right out of the box, I was struck by the solid construction, super-stable and well-made bridge, smooth tuners, comfy neck profile and nicely-rounded fret ends; all much better than I had expected for the "entry-level" price-tag. The sound doesn't disappoint either – this is a lively and resonant guitar that's loud and spanky acoustically and has a tight, focused tone when plugged-in. The humbucker in the bridge position is right on the money; strong and present and the coil-tap works great. I really don't care for the P-90 at the neck, which sounds kinda wooly and vague to my ears, but to be fair this is a matter of personal taste and playing style – for all I know it might be just right for subtle jazz parts or rootsy blues. Aside from the neck pickup, the only real negative comment I have is about the electronics, which are on the flimsy side. The knobs/pots and switch feel wobbly and loose and there may be some kind of grounding problem too. But perhaps these issues are to be expected at this price and would be easy/cheap things to fix.Ronson

Guitar came nicely set up by Andertons QC and almost in tune. Guitar quality seems perfect to me. Medium weight. Looks solid and certainly not flashy. Nice factory strings. Medium jumbo and 12" radius neck make it easy to play. Love the rather thick sound from the P90 and thinner one from the humbucker pickups. Excellent value. Recommended.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I love this ASAT Special. Mahogany body, mape neck with rosewood fingerboard. Picture a Tele that sounds giant and is much more versatile. It's not the US model, but the feel is comfortable and the electronics and hardware are much better than similarly priced guitars. I can actually get a useable range of tones with the controls. They don't have to be wide open to sound good. The only thing that irked me was the pick guard cut around the control plate looks like a kindergartener did it. This wasn't listed as B Stock, so I'm not sure how it passed QA. I'm playing it, not staring at it, so I won't send it back, but I expected a new guitar to look 100%. Would rate looks excellent if not for that.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

When I opened the guitar and took it out the neck felt like a rough baseball bat. I thought, if I were at a store I'd likely not even play it. Keep in mind, I have mostly high end guitars so I am picky.The neck was very rough, the frets were not polished so the strings felt rough sliding on them when you bend them. The back of the neck was not "satin" or stained, it just felt like a piece of wood. The rosewood doesn't appear to be oiled, it looks really dry but I decided to take it home and try it out before just sending it back. The Ash body looked very good though, the workmanship was superb, and the hardware does appear better than even my American Tele, it was just the neck I was concerned about. I compared it to my 2012 American Tele, alder body, maple neck and they had quite a different sound so because of that, it helped me want to keep it more. The bridge output on the this guitar was a bit louder and had more of a twang than my Fender. In my opinion it was my reason for keeping this guitar The neck pickup on my tele is a single coil so really no comparison there, this guitar has a much darker and fuller sound. As others mentioned it maybe is a little too dark and warm, it's almost like they purposely built a low pass filter to make it that warm. You can still hear the individual strings as you play, so it's very articulate but I also own a few Gibsons and other humbucker guitars and they do not sound like them, although it is a very nice mellow and different tone. Now for the good part, after playing it for about 2 days the frets have polished themselves from my playing and the neck is starting to pick up the oils from my hand so they feel more polished. The strings now bend easily without feeling like fingernails on a chalkboard. Plugged into a solid state amp, this is very comparable and probably even better sounding than my American tele. In a tube amp though, the fender at least to my ears sounds better. This guitar PUPs also has less noise.zzzrain

I was hoping for exactly what this guitar delivered sound wise, feel wise, and together with the looks for feeling good about taking the chance on it, this and the Epiphone Broadway have given me the best experience out of the box and down the road, for inexpensive Guitars that allow me to try many different builds and styles of guitars with out going broke. The GB10 Ibanez (econo-concious model) closer to a grand included was also very nice) I would buy this guitar again, and am exceptionally happy with my purchase. I agree with all the great detailed reviews that point out the solid quality, design, and execution of this instrument. I got the clear orange/ with (finished) all maple neck and absolutely love it. I don't think this Guitar is a classic tele in any sense of course, and I wish it and all modern teles (& asats) had a p/u blending/balancing feature. But for a humbucker sound, this guitar feels and sounds like Leo took a second look at his first try at the country tele, and made it new again, his way for blues and rock (even Jazz!) Just my take on it.Some guy

This is a great sounding easy to play instrument that I am already comfortable playing after just two days. My first Tele-type is everything I wanted it to be. I wanted an easy to strum electric semi-hollow to add to my collection of mostly acoustics (Martins, Gibson, Takamine and Fender) and one solid Fender custom shop electric. I mostly play acoustic and I feel my touch is too heavy to sound good just strumming my strat. And unlike my custom shop American fat strat I wanted the humbucker in the neck position instead of the bridge. This new G&L ticks all the boxes and sounds great either strumming or picking notes and intro riffs. I'm not a shredder – just looking to accompany vocals. Very, very satisfied with the bluesboy. Love it, love it, love it. And not at all disappointed it comes from overseas even though I have been a brand snob most of my life. Long story short the bluesboy tribute compares well with all my much more expensive guitars. I will not hesitate to purchase another imported G&L in the future. This new axe sounds very nice through my old-school Fender Twin as one might expect but I think it sounds even better through my Mesa Express 5:25 that I played it through literally all day today.Intro

I bought a used one since no new were in stock. I own 2 USA G&Ls a 2019 Legacy Standard and 2007 ASAT Custom. And have owned about 10 older USAs including a comanche. And this one isent lacking. Great fretwork/ends. Light under 8lbs sounds like i remember my USA Commanche did. Now is the USA pure perfection, yes. Is it worth $1000+ more no. This one feels just like my 2006 ASAT. Satin neck and same 1 5/8 nut profile. Grat color also, love the emerald blue.Matt

I can echo what was said here. I would consider this an under the radar guitar that represents a tremendous value. I guess it isnt popular because it doesnt say 'Fender' or 'Stratocaster' on the headstock..The irony is that it was designed by Leo Fender himself and represents upgrades and improvements over the Strat he designed, Anyway, this thing is a tone machine. More tones than a Strat…and better tones w. more resonance and sustain than the Strats i;ve played. (Squire Standard, Squire ProTone, Strat Clapton. Can control tone on bridge pickup and you just dont get those harsh icepicky tones unless you really want to dial them in. A couple small negatives. The frets on the one I got were not finished/polished. You could actually hear them rub when you bend..and the guitar comes with 10's not 9's. Makes it really hard to bend and i would think would wear out the strings quickly. So unless I got an outlier, be prepared to do < or have done> some fret work. Also the push pull is hard to engage. You gotta put a fingernail underneath the knob and pull up hard to engage…it does seem to become a little looser and easier to engage with some use. Other than that, levels above the Strats I have played in most all ways. Musicians Friend doesnt do setups I dont think…they just ship them out without taking them out of the box they arrived in. (double boxed) Oh, i bought the sonic blue one. To me, it looks like a very pale green..or maybe i have some color blindness. It's a cool retro colour though i thinkNoBadMojo

If you're looking for the Jazzmaster vibe with some modern touches, then this is worth looking at. This has the usual G&L quality fit and finish you would expect from their USA line. Nice neck profile, rolled fretboard edges make it feel worn in already, but comes with modern 55×110 frets which I like. Great sounding pickups too, have that JM chime and jangle with a little more full frequency response from the MFD pickups. They can be really bright if needed, but roll in the tone knob and you get some sweet smooth neck tones. I think the icing on the cake with this thing is the DF trem. It is a very smooth and stable trem that I much prefer to the fender 6 screw on the player series JM or even the traditional JM trem units. If you have never played the G&L DF trem you should really check one out. Overall just a great guitar that gets you into Jazzmaster territory.RickC

Hate to write a negative review and glad others received better instruments than i did. I purchased via SDOTD and the guitar received today 5/13/2021 was bad and returned. Had really great expectations based on reviews. This is aimed at G&L's qc dept. The guitar arrived with 1 inch scratch in the back on the lower horn, dimples in the finish, scratches on the belly cut, areas that were dull from not buffing to a high polish, dents on back of the neck that could be felt and frets that felt like playing strings over sandpaper. Returned back same day. No damage to shipping boxes and purchased new just extremely poor qc. I wasnt expecting this to play like a +1k guitar but this feels like a Rogue guitar. Needs alot of work and setup. No comparison to Squier's in the same price range.B

I love this ASAT Special. Mahogany body, mape neck with rosewood fingerboard. Picture a Tele that sounds giant and is much more versatile. It's not the US model, but the feel is comfortable and the electronics and hardware are much better than similarly priced guitars. I can actually get a useable range of tones with the controls. They don't have to be wide open to sound good. The only thing that irked me was the pick guard cut around the control plate looks like a kindergartener did it. This wasn't listed as B Stock, so I'm not sure how it passed QA. I'm playing it, not staring at it, so I won't send it back, but I expected a new guitar to look 100%. Would rate looks excellent if not for that.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I picked up the Irish Ale model on the stupid deal of the day last Thanksgiving. After getting it and seeing the quality, I'd have gladly twice as much. It's just beautiful, solid, and plays very nice. The neck humbucker is warm and rich. The bridge HB screams on leads when overdriven. When you tap them for single coil, you can get good crisp sparkly tones too, though the volume drop naturally is noticeable. I just have a pedal boost setting for playing it in single coil mode that brings the volume up to the HB level. The guitar intonated exceptionally well right out of the box and playability is top notch. It has the best bridge design I have ever seen or played on a solid bridge guitar. They hit a home-run on that. It's a great upgrade platform too, since the body, neck and bridge are made so well. I'd put the stock Gagon designed pickups right on par with Gibson OEM humbuckers, but they are not as good as Lollar's or Fralin's. The tuning machine heads are very usable, but an upgrade to Schallers, Grovers, or Gotohs makes sense if you play a lot. It does not have a bone nut, but the tone and intonation on mine is so good, I'll probably just leave the stock nut in.Birddog

It's rare to find low-cost gear that meets high-level expectations, but this guitar has thus far done just that. I purchased this thinking I would almost certainly have to put a fair amount of work and parts into it just to make it playable; off the bat, I assumed the pots and wiring would have to be replaced, the bridge would likely be of poor quality, the setup would be unusable, and the tuners/nut would have problems. For the vast majority of these, the opposite has been true. The pots and electronics (switch, jack) are incredibly solid, quiet, and smooth. The bridge is solid, no rattles, and intonates very close to perfect. The setup out of the box was dead on; shocking, for a guitar made overseas and at this price range. The one area where the jury is still out is the tuners and nut. There are a few occasional tuning stability issues, especially on the higher strings. This is likely due to a bad nut, so I've ordered a Tusq replacement to see if that helps. The tuners also seem to have a little more throw than I'm used to, and aren't as precise as I'd like. That said, they're still fine and I'm not going to hesitate to gig with this guitar. The look of the guitar in person is, in my opinion, nicer than what you see here. I think it's a beautiful guitar, if not a little plain. The neck is a glossy yellow, which some folks might not like, but I don't care what it looks like. The profile is a bit chunkier than the previous Telecasters I've owned; most comparable to the Baja series, though a bit smaller than their V-shaped cuts. Just a solid feeling neck. Lastly, the sound. This is where this guitar shines. These are some of the best vintage-sounding P90's I've used, and I've played more than I care to remember, many from expensive boutique winders that we're all familiar with. This is not a guitar for clean, crystal clear tones. It's overdriving my amps right away, in a very good way. All in all, a great axe at a surprisingly low cost. G&L did right.Good Eye, Brian

The G&L Tribute ASAT Deluxe Carved Top in Trans Black is brilliant, in looks and how it plays and sounds, with the brilliant single / double coil switching adding to the sound(s). One point I'll make is that this guitar is not just plain black, but as the wood grain shows; which I think makes look better; more distinct.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I picked up the Irish Ale model on the stupid deal of the day last Thanksgiving. After getting it and seeing the quality, I'd have gladly twice as much. It's just beautiful, solid, and plays very nice. The neck humbucker is warm and rich. The bridge HB screams on leads when overdriven. When you tap them for single coil, you can get good crisp sparkly tones too, though the volume drop naturally is noticeable. I just have a pedal boost setting for playing it in single coil mode that brings the volume up to the HB level. The guitar intonated exceptionally well right out of the box and playability is top notch. It has the best bridge design I have ever seen or played on a solid bridge guitar. They hit a home-run on that. It's a great upgrade platform too, since the body, neck and bridge are made so well. I'd put the stock Gagon designed pickups right on par with Gibson OEM humbuckers, but they are not as good as Lollar's or Fralin's. The tuning machine heads are very usable, but an upgrade to Schallers, Grovers, or Gotohs makes sense if you play a lot. It does not have a bone nut, but the tone and intonation on mine is so good, I'll probably just leave the stock nut in.Birddog

It's rare to find low-cost gear that meets high-level expectations, but this guitar has thus far done just that. I purchased this thinking I would almost certainly have to put a fair amount of work and parts into it just to make it playable; off the bat, I assumed the pots and wiring would have to be replaced, the bridge would likely be of poor quality, the setup would be unusable, and the tuners/nut would have problems. For the vast majority of these, the opposite has been true. The pots and electronics (switch, jack) are incredibly solid, quiet, and smooth. The bridge is solid, no rattles, and intonates very close to perfect. The setup out of the box was dead on; shocking, for a guitar made overseas and at this price range. The one area where the jury is still out is the tuners and nut. There are a few occasional tuning stability issues, especially on the higher strings. This is likely due to a bad nut, so I've ordered a Tusq replacement to see if that helps. The tuners also seem to have a little more throw than I'm used to, and aren't as precise as I'd like. That said, they're still fine and I'm not going to hesitate to gig with this guitar. The look of the guitar in person is, in my opinion, nicer than what you see here. I think it's a beautiful guitar, if not a little plain. The neck is a glossy yellow, which some folks might not like, but I don't care what it looks like. The profile is a bit chunkier than the previous Telecasters I've owned; most comparable to the Baja series, though a bit smaller than their V-shaped cuts. Just a solid feeling neck. Lastly, the sound. This is where this guitar shines. These are some of the best vintage-sounding P90's I've used, and I've played more than I care to remember, many from expensive boutique winders that we're all familiar with. This is not a guitar for clean, crystal clear tones. It's overdriving my amps right away, in a very good way. All in all, a great axe at a surprisingly low cost. G&L did right.Good Eye, Brian

The G&L Tribute ASAT Deluxe Carved Top in Trans Black is brilliant, in looks and how it plays and sounds, with the brilliant single / double coil switching adding to the sound(s). One point I'll make is that this guitar is not just plain black, but as the wood grain shows; which I think makes look better; more distinct.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Guitar sounds great and build quality as good if not better than any other, this is the second G&L I have bought from andertons and have a third on orderReviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Most import guitar makers save money by using cheap pot metal and pick ups. However, the G&L Tribute series instruments use the made in USA pickups and cast bridges. The body and neck are flawless and the quality is equal to their US counterparts if not better. I own an S500 as well as an ASAT Deluxe and am extremely happy with both. Get these while you can at these prices. Thanks G&L.sh-guitarworks

Got the tobacco finish and it looks great. Great hardware, I really like both pickups – good 'honk' from the bridge, and very warm tones from the neck. I love the middle position – nasal clean – also. This guitar is all about "clean" sounds, it just doesn't do distortion well. Clean rock, country, surf, R&B, Chicago blues, Stones – sounds top notch, especially for the finger-picker. I had to set it up to a bit – mild neck adjustment, lowered the strings and intonated. Very easy set up. The hardward is very nice. The tuners are solid, and I love the "ash tray" string-through bridge. It is hard to see from the pic, but it is the same "side walled" bridge used on the US ASAT. And again, I really like the pickups for clean playing – including chick'n pick'n. My only complaint is the metal plate has a scratch below the tone knob. However, everything else looks so good – the swamp ash with the tobacco finish looks outstanding – I simply was not willing to send it back. Also, the pick guard is sort of boring so I may replace it some day. I might also upgrade the P/U switch because I see the US version uses a better switch. I bought it when they were running a special on purchases four ninetynine or more, so I feel I got a very good deal on a very nice guitar. I give it four stars because of the scratch and the slightly lower-grade pick guard and PU switch. Also, it doesn't come with a case or even a gig bag. Bottom line: If you want a nice Tele but don't want to spend a grand+, go for it.Mr. Highpants

A lot of times I do not know how seriously to take some reviews because players are at different levels of expertise, commitment, musical challenges, talent and experience. A newbie may think that a certain low-end guitar is amazing whereas the experienced pro will be more critical. That being said, I am not a newbie. I have been playing, practicing, recording, teaching, etc for over 40 years and have owned all of the big name guitars. I play jazz, old blues, (Fats Waller, Gershwin, St Louis & Delta types), and classical music, all on my electrics. I have recently purchased the G&L Tribute ASAT Classic T-style, Candy Red and have added it to my collection. I had been thinking Am Std Tele and friends of mine who are pure Tele players recommended the G&L ASAT. Here is my take on this instrument. 1. Construction — as good as my Am Std Strat, my other Tele and Les Paul. 2. Electronics — Excellent. The electronics "feel" solid. The pots, cable jack and pups are above average in stability and definition of tone. 3. Tone — The tonal qualities are as good as any of my American Fenders and not only better than my LP, but more tonal variation. 3. Playability — Exceeded all of my expectations. Plays as well as all of my expensive, ( >USD 1000.00) guitars. 4. Looks — I bought it because it is red, I like red. 5. Upon arrival — Some people expect their guitars to arrive after 3-4 days brutal freight, temperature changes on wood and strings that are not broken in and play like it just came back from the luthier. This is very unrealistic. These are instruments mad from natural product, not telephones. I take all of my new guitars straight to my luthier for a complete going over and assessment. I have never heard of a guitar arriving in perfect condition. Therefore, I can say that this instrument arrived on time and in as good of condition as all other guitars that I have ordered over the Internet or purchased off the rack.GM

I just took delivery of one of these, in Butterscotch, and I have to say I love it! I consider any tele to be a niche guitar and this is no exception. It is built and set up to produce a specific sound. Still, the tone knob does in fact produce a range of alternative sound (darker, naturally)which is more than I can say of some of my other guitars. More importantly, the pickups are absolutely fantastic, at least when played through my Blues Jr. III. I was worried, some say the factory pups are too hot for a tele, that the guitar as equipped is soul less. Not to me me, these things ring out more clearly, with more punch than anything else I own. They respond well to attack, and do so consistently across the range. We'll have to see how they break in but at this point they are great, better than my Texas Specials and my ProBuckers. In addition, like the tone knob, the pup selector switch produces a nice array of very nicely balanced sound. Not startling, not unrelated but a nice progression. As for fit and finish, this Indonesian guitar shows well. That said, it is, to me, a small step down from my MIM Strat and my Korean guitars. In fact, it is that same small step down from my Indonesian Epi Les Paul Standard Pro. Small things, e.g., an itty bitty tiny tiny bit of exposed neck glue and the not perfectly glossed bottom edge grain of the maple fret board, the plastic knob on the pup selector. Small things that no one but one of us will ever notice. Of course, this cost a couple of hundred less than the Epi. Mine came out of the box set up and ready to play. YMMV. The Butterscotch photographs a bit brighter and more consistent than it really is, at least mine is a bit more 'natural' than I expected. In addition, the grain shows a soft maple painted looking 'gray' instead of a more traditional reddish brown stained grain. I do a lot of woodworking and know maple quite well. This guitar carries an excellent treatment of a classic maple look, but you have to like maple and the grays they can produce, and like it buried under a mile of soft gloss. I like, again, YMMV. Hope this helps.myatuck

Drawn to it by its sheer unconventionalism, the Fallout Tribute is a very decent, different guitar. However, I had very bad luck with the thing, so I'm obviously a little biased. Straight up- those tone controls feel incredibly cheap and loose. As well, I found construction to suffer more than a Squire. The strap button on the bottom looks like someone whacked it with a hammer, so I unscrewed it to find that it was merely drilled…very crooked. Not to mention a few finish issues! This guitar, sadly, wasn't made with the highest amount of TLC. Pickups-wise, this guitar is pretty solid. The middle position has to be my favorite. While the spilttable humbucker mattered little to me, The humbucker itself is A-okay. This is my first time experiencing a P-90, and yes, it is quite powerful. When playing, however, realize you'll be very restricted getting the highest frets- the part of the guitar where the bolt-on is located is chunkier than Superchunk. All in all, I ended up returning it due to the manufacturer defects (it even had a tragically bent allen wrench…dear lord, what was going on?). While it at least looks cool, I didn't like it.Burp

There's a lot to love about the Tribute Fallout. Not least is the price, which made it easy for me to pull the trigger and order my first G&L. Right out of the box, I was struck by the solid construction, super-stable and well-made bridge, smooth tuners, comfy neck profile and nicely-rounded fret ends; all much better than I had expected for the "entry-level" price-tag. The sound doesn't disappoint either – this is a lively and resonant guitar that's loud and spanky acoustically and has a tight, focused tone when plugged-in. The humbucker in the bridge position is right on the money; strong and present and the coil-tap works great. I really don't care for the P-90 at the neck, which sounds kinda wooly and vague to my ears, but to be fair this is a matter of personal taste and playing style – for all I know it might be just right for subtle jazz parts or rootsy blues. Aside from the neck pickup, the only real negative comment I have is about the electronics, which are on the flimsy side. The knobs/pots and switch feel wobbly and loose and there may be some kind of grounding problem too. But perhaps these issues are to be expected at this price and would be easy/cheap things to fix.Ronson

Guitar came nicely set up by Andertons QC and almost in tune. Guitar quality seems perfect to me. Medium weight. Looks solid and certainly not flashy. Nice factory strings. Medium jumbo and 12" radius neck make it easy to play. Love the rather thick sound from the P90 and thinner one from the humbucker pickups. Excellent value. Recommended.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Looked great out of the box. The finish and lines were spot on. It did however require quite a bit of setup to get it playable. The truss was so far out it took 2 days of adjustments to get the neck straight. Once that was dialed in, I for the bridge height and intonation set and it now plays beautifully. The pickups are a bit different and immediately I thought I'd be dropping in some DiMarzios, but after jamming through a practice session with the band, it really cut through well and I think I'll be keeping it stock. The guitar looks great and plays great. I am planning on replacing the push/pull knob and input jack as they seem cheap and I don't trust them. All in all, if you have the know how to setup a guitar, then this is an extremely great value and plays nice. It's a good gig guitar.Smokinguitars

This G&L GTS Ascari is a very decent guitar. Got it last night. And 30 minutes later jamming with it and the guys. Black finish is no flaws beautiful. Weighed in at 8 lbs. 5 oz., a nice sustaining surprise! Pickups are good and strong, lead pu is 13 ohms neck pu is 8.3 ohms in HB mode. Coil split is very cool and better twang than previous reviewers say. Gets you into any turf you want. TonePro's TP and bridge are an added plus, tuners work smooth and well. G&L logo, fingerboard, and headstock crown pearl inlay's are nicely done. Carved maple top and all counter sunk controls are done well and very cool. Body and neck cream binding adds to the beauty. Full size volume pot. Setup was done perfect from the factory. This axe doesn't need much other than a good player. Everything electronically is staying where it is. I've been playing a long time and have owned most of them all at some point or other. Gotta say I've spent more than double and got less from bigger names. Action is great and the neck feels super fast and comfortable. Its well balanced. Its a hybrid of sorts, a cross between LP and Strat land with LP scale and set neck, Strat body with the single coil tap. Gives you both in sounds and then some. Its a really beautiful guitar. If you can play you'll like the Ascari GTS.Pap

Great guitar, pleasantly surprised at how nice it is! The Ascari GTS is worth the asking price, but if you get it on sale it is a steal! Great fit an finish, nice set-up out of the box, great tones with the stock pickups. If you are looking at Epiphone Les Pauls with bound necks, give this guitar a try…..Don't get me wrong I have Epi's as well, but the Ascari just feels better, and the fit and finish is nicer to boot! I have purchased other guitars on "Deal of the Day", like ESP LTDs, and was very disappointed when I opened the box. With the G&L Ascari I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived, and could not believe the quality for the price! IMHO this is the best and most underrated "cheap" guitar in the market. Plays like a high end guitar, in fact better than some that I own!Laredo

Beautiful guitar that I've bought as a treat after practicing on my acoustic for the past year. Build quality is superb with a great range of tones available. A definite keeper that I'll enjoy for years to come.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I've had this guitar for about a week now. Still have not gigged with it yet. The frets were quite rugged and had deep leveling marks – felt like bending a string over sandpaper. On the upside the frets were level. Here are the things I needed to do to get the quitar gig worthy: Frets polished, neck relief adjusted, intonation adjusted. Also needed to place some copper shielding on the back of the pickguard – the pickups were pretty noisy and there was a static problem with the P/G – why guitar manufacturers or P/G sources don't simply do the shielding is silliness. I will probably replace the Tortoise P/G anyway as it actually detracts from the beautiful wood coloring and grain. Problem is not many sources for G&L P/G. I was very, very pleased with the somewhat odd choice of wood for this guitar as it has a beautiful resonance that the pickups transmit to the amp. The PTB controls make a lot of sense and should be an option on Strats – in fact I'm considering making this mod to my 70's Strat. I also have to say the Bridge is about the best I have played and equal if not better than a Wilkinson. Stays in tune and great for me since I love floating tremelos. Might need a hipshot to keep everything in tune during bends. In all now that I've done set up and fret dressing and shielding the guitar will be a great player with smooth action and great tone.Drew

So after having spent a couple of weeks with this guitar, I will give a little more objective review of this guitar. I still give it 5 stars. The fit and finish playability, fretwork, neck pocket, etc. are really much better than the price point would suggest. The finish is absolutely beautiful. And the pickups are absolute heaven. I was thinking about swapping them until I actually plugged it in and played it. They really are very good. I can get everything from country, jazz, early rock, classic rock, and metal out of this axe. And the pickups really do sound good both clean and with obscene amounts gain/distortion thrown at them. I play with a noise gate so noise is not as much of a concern as it would be otherwise. That being said, they are pretty quiet. Even under my neon bar lights in my rehearsal room. Even under gain. My only quip is that it does slip out of tune, but only with a LOT of trem use. Nothing like my Big Apple Strat did without lockers, and not even close to my other American Strats, and Mexican Strat. So like everything else I have with a non locking trem, I am installing locking tuners. Aside from that, I have no complaints. I will even go one step further, this guitar is actually a refined version of what us Strat guys are used to. Better vibrato, better pickups, flatter radius. If you are thinking of going with an "S" type guitar, and want some of the classic features, but with some improvments, I would strongly suggest you try out a G&L. Leo just improved what most of us think he got right the first time. Really.guitar74

Just got this on a whim when it showed in my email up as the SDOTD. I already have a 1990 American-built legacy, but I loved the look of this one. Fit-and-finish are first rate. It came out of the box ready-to-play. Factory strings weren't even bad. Intonation was almost spot-on, so I threw it in a gig bag and took it to a gig literally an hour after receiving it. I was only going to "try" it, but I ended up playing it all night. Neck feel is great. Sound is great. This one's a keeper. As a previous reviewer noted, the strings DON'T align properly with the pole pieces on the bridge pickup. I was disappointed to see that, but it's not a deal breaker for me. I can swap out the pickguard and move things around a bit (I usually do that anyway). That being said, there was no noticeable effect on the sound. String output is even from string to string, so I might not even bother. Compared to my American legacy, this one is heavier and actually has a nicer feel to it. The sound is different, but just as good. The one is "chimier", whereas the American one is "plinkier" (probably because that one has a maple neck). This one has a little more meat to the sound. At SDOTD pricing, this was a no-brainer. This is my 7th strat, and I think it's as good as any of 'em.Carl

Ordered the Olympic White with Ebony fret board for the aesthetics. Guitar came in with some brown fret board, it was nice but not the chosen ebony fret board the photograph showed. That was the reason for ordering this guitar. Musician's Friend ultimately accepted it as a return but not before two reps gave me a real hard time, they were rather rude about the whole thing. Guitar was pictured looking whiter than it was, and arrived with no tremolo bar. MF helped in the end but Customer service needs a bit of sprucing up. This is a good guitar, really good. Make sure to research the color schemes thoroughly.The Wolf

Great guitar,Why? innovative, great neck, tuners are very good, electronics are solid, looks greqt good detail to paint job, and sounds good, plays great no set up necessary. Great and unique strat from LeoStratband

I've had some experience with these Indonesian crafted guitars in the past and I've always been pleasantly surprised by their quality. The Doheny Tribute is no exception. Very well put together. The neck and fretwork all very nice. Sure, with these mass produced guitars a few QA issues might slip by but mine didn't have any issues. The nut was prefect, electronics all functioning properly. As with any new guitar, you really need to have it professionally set up. They will clean out the grooves of the nut too, ensuring smooth operation. And with any classic style guitar like these some groove lube at the nut works wonders for tuning stability. The official G&L vibrato paired with the official MFD pickups makes upgrading this classic axe very easy. I replaced the stock tuners with Hipshot non staggered open gear locking tuners, added a Tusq string tree, Dunlop Dual Design Straploks (had to use a screw I customized, the stock peg holes on the Doheny are rather large). Full step bends and whammy action are no problem, stays in tune great. Also added chrome dome knobs and got a SKB hardshell case (advertised for Jazzmasters, they fit the Doheny like a glove of course). That's it. Tons of value buying this Tribute because it didn't cost much extra to get it up to where I like it. With the PTB system G&L are known for the tones that can be dialed in here are impressive. The pickups are very nice and will give you what you want plus more. Awesome guitar, I like it better than the Jazzmaster. The tremolo on the Doheny works much better for my tastes. Love the maple neck with the black blocks, always a favorite combo of mine. The selector switch moved up top, Les Paul style, fantastic. The neck was instantly comfortable as well, smooth, thin, fast. The 25 1/2" inch scale paired with the 9 1/2" radius feels just right, love it. A+ Winner, Keeper, great job G&L!Spooky 'Verb

Rusty strings. Hollow space under scratch plate makes sound when strumming cords. Good pups. Good fretting but not entirely suitable shape of neck and body for me.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.