Description: Up for sale, a 1986 G&L ASAT in excellent, 100% original condition and perfect working order with virtually NO COSMETIC WEAR. An early example of the ASAT model, this guitar features a solid maple body with a rosewood fretboard, flame figuring present on both the top and back, framed by the three-tone Sunburst finish.An interesting anomaly in G&L's early history, the maple-bodied ASATs are a particularly rare and short-lived breed, coming on the heels of G&L's Broadcaster model which had an exceedingly short production run. As such, this early ASAT features a body most likely crafted from the left over maple stock from the Broadcaster run! Snappier than an ash or alder-bodied ASAT, this maple-bodied instrument is both collectable and sonically pleasing, with a smooth top-end snap.As the third instrument company founded by Leo Fender, G&L's instruments benefit from Leo's decades of experience at Music Man and (of course) Fender. Produced at the same Fullerton, CA factory as the early Music Man guitars, this ASAT is the culmination of years of electric guitar innovation and design. The direct descendant of the Telecaster, the ASAT boasts the familiar trappings associated with that instrument, but with an updated feature set. Weighing in at 8lbs 9oz, this guitar has a smooth treble response, spanky midrange, and punchy low end that translates well through the pickups. Sporting the Leo Fender-designed MFD "Magnetic Field Design" ceramic magnet pickups, this ASAT delivers a wider frequency response when plugged into an amplifier compared to a traditional Tele-style pickup, with a grunt in the lower midrange that can only be described as "tough" sounding, in a very good way. The all maple construction results in an instrument that has a big, round acoustic voice with ample top end cut and presence. This guitar plays very well with low action and solid intonation.ASAT is a military abbreviation for "anti-satellite," and the name was suggested by author Richard Smith after he read an article about the Air Force's ASAT missile. Both Leo Fender and G&L co-founder Dale Hyatt reportedly liked the image of a guitar shooting down things in space, and hence the name "stuck".The maple neck has a slender C shape with slight shoulders and an effortless feel, measuring .792" deep at the 1st fret and .901" at the 12th. The original 22 medium jumbo Jescar nickel-silver frets are in fantastic shape. The truss rod is responsive in both directions, the neck is straight, and the guitar plays cleanly in all registers with no buzzing or dead spots. The scale is 25 1/2“ long and the bone nut measures 1 5/8" in width. On the headstock, the G&L ASAT logo is intact and clean, along with the "by Leo Fender" text only seen on the earliest ASATs. The original black Schaller-made tuning machines turn smoothly and hold pitch well.Electronically, everything functions as it should, with the MFD pickups wired to a three-way pickup selector and Master Volume and Tone knobs. The neck profile is very clean, with light figuring in the profile, and the three-bolt neck plate still retains its original gold foil sticker.The original molded plastic G&L hardshell case is included.
Price: 1800 USD
Location: Corryton, Tennessee
End Time: 2024-12-06T05:36:26.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Brand: G&L
Type: Electric Guitar
Body Material: Maple
Model Year: 1986
Body Type: Solid
Performance Level: Professional
Body Color: Sunburst
String Configuration: 6 String
Fretboard Material: Rosewood
Model: G&L ASAT
Neck Material: Maple
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
