G&L Guitars

[Bjbny]

I started playing a couple of year ago and have been strictly playing acoustic, but I am thinking about getting my first electric so I went to a small local guitar shop. I was thinking about a Fender Telecaster. My local guitar shop didn’t carry Fender, but tried to sell me on G&L Guitars as “better than”most of the Fender line and much better bang for the buck. I had never heard of G&L guitars, but he told me about the Leo Fender legacy.

Are G&L guitars similar in quality to a comparable Fender? I would prefer to buy from this local shop, but am a little leery about buying a brand that I haven’t heard of.

[Chickee]

Which G&L series are you looking at? Just like Fender, G&L manufactures many different price point guitars. American made being the most expensive, and the outsourced lines less so. G&L is a quality brand with a large following. If you liked what you played, have no fear, they are a reputable company with a very good reputation in the industry as well as being loved by hobbyists too. George Fullerton’s and Leo Fender’s last hurrah.

[ChrisN]

Their "Tribute" series is Indonesian/Asian and arguably lesser-spec than the USA series. I have both and find no fault with either - both well turned out guitars that play well. The Tributes have more of a "D" neck (rather than "C"), which I find is common to the Asian guitars generally, but that's hardly even a gripe. I think you'd be happy. That said, however, if you buy bolt-on (fender type neck), aftermarket necks won't fit. You're probably aways away from neck swapping, but if you buy USA, the price will be a factor in your decision, so the limitation on neck swapping could be a down-the-road issue - get the Tribute for now.

[guitararmy]

Depending on your budget, the imported Tribute series from G and L might be worth a try. MusiciansFriend frequently has them as the Stupid Deal of the Day, especially the tele versions...

The Fender Baja tele and the Classic Vibe tele also get good reviews among inexpensive tele's.

[Merak]

I was told at my local shop the G&L use the same hardware on both hi and lo end products.

[printer2]

I had a Tribute, nothing wrong with them. In this day and age CNC takes a lot of the guesswork out of manufacturing. G&L is not as household a name as Fender but they are good guitars. Also the Tribute is better than any Squire.

[Livingston]

G&L Tribute guitars are very nice quality guitars. They play nice, they sound great and they last. For someone getting into electric guitar, what more could you ask for?

Is G&L better than Fender? I'll say no. Both brands make great guitars at several price points. Both brands have a pretty loyal following because they sound like how the loyal end user thinks they should sound.

I have a couple of G&L's that I really love and I have a couple of Fenders that I really love. One thing I will say that I like about Fender (vs. G&L) is that it is a little easier to find a variety of replacement necks for Fender guitars.

Good luck in your search and I hope you find something that sounds good to your ears and feels good in your hands.

[perttime]

G&L has been around a while. Just like Fender and others, they make guitars at many different price points.

Bottom line: if you find a G&L that you like, don't hesitate to buy.

[roylor4]

Originally Posted by printer2

I had a Tribute, nothing wrong with them. In this day and age CNC takes a lot of the guesswork out of manufacturing. G&L is not as household a name as Fender but they are good guitars. Also the Tribute is better than any Squire.

Well, I partially disagree. I have both a G&L Tribute Bluesboy and a Squier '72 Thinline Tele. They both have different strengths but I have gravitated more towards the Squier since I acquired it.

The G&L has more robust hardware (bridge, saddles, tuners) and a great feeling satin neck. It's main weakness - the HB pickup at the neck is very dark and muddy with no clarity. The G&L also loses tons of gain when you roll back the treble knob.

The Squier has a gloss neck and fretboard (I didn't like this at first but have adapted). This particular model Squier also has thin-ish frets which I do not care for - I strongly prefer medium jumbos. It's strength? The pickups. These are the same p'ups as used in the MIM Thinline and they are nothing short of awesome. Very high definition with the clarity of SC's and the punch of P-90's. The pickups also maintain their gain when you roll off the trebles. I can nail high-gain Santana tones with the Squier but not the G&L.

If I had to do it over again I would probably get the G&L ASAT rather than the Bluesboy.

The neck radius and feel of both guitars is quite different.

I also own a G&L Tribute Ascari with P-90's and it's build quality exceeds both of the guitars above. So, it depends on which model you get and preferences tonally. In the hardware department, the Tributes are quite a bit nicer than the Squiers (IMO).

[seannx]

Love my G&L ASAT Classic USA Butterscotch Blonde. I got it used at a local store, in mint condition for $1,100. Sounds and plays great, and was a better value for hardware and pickup configuration then the Fenders available at another local store.

[Larry Mal]

I've owned a few G&Ls, but I've never owned an Indonesian made Tribute model.

But the American made ones are fantastic instruments, without question. Are they "better" than Fenders? Hard to say what "better" means to you, but they are very well built guitars with a great deal of care put into them, fantastic playability, great sound and designs, and top shelf hardware.

I won't say they are "better", but I will say that they are certainly worth taking into consideration, no doubt.

[aknow]

I've owned several of the G & L's. The American mfg. ASAT Classics or ASAT Plus, which were manufactured in the early to mid 90's are Excellent.
I'm sure the recent imports are quality instruments too.

[DebbieE]

I've had a lot of G&L guitars and most before they even started making the tribute line. I did get one tribute asat and was not impressed with it. However the USA made g&l's are as good as the fender american made guitars, maybe not the real high priced custom shop Fenders but the fender american standard line. But really you should try both and see what you like.

Debbie

[tammuz7000]

I have a USA legacy and a USA Asat. I love them and agree with the shop owner.
I play the legacy most and it is like a strat and the asat is like a tele but different pickups.

Try one with the large mfd pickups in an asat special. G&L is the company Leo fixed all his problems or things he disliked with his fender designs. I would stick with the USA just because the necks and frets are a better.

Tom

[frankmcr]

I think most players would agree that Fender and G&L are pretty much of equal quality at any given price point.