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A Brief History Of G & L Guitars
By William McRea
G & L guitars is currently celebrating their 25th anniversary. They are new when considering companies like Epiphone, but that does not mean that their electric guitars are lesser because of it. The company was originally founded by Leo Fender, Dale Hyatt, and George Fullerton.
G & L is a company that has a relatively small number of guitars out in production. They specialize in handmade, custom Guitars that are highly regarded by collectors and more serious players. They are all hand built, which will considerably limit production. Most of their guitars are similar to Fender guitar (the two companies share an owner, after all). G & L took the classic Fender model and made some changes so that it is modernized.
Leo Fender unfortunately passed away in 1991. It was Leo s wish that the company be left in good hands. Phyllis, Leo s wife, worked hard to honor that wish. As a result, she selected BBE Sound to take over the management of the company. Phyllis felt that Chairman John C. McLaren of BBE Sound shared the Fender s vision for the future of the company.
Over the course of the company s inception, they have contributed many innovations to the guitar community. They originally included these features to help them stand apart from their competitors. These include the dual fulcrum vibrato feature with two pivot points, the tilt neck mechanism, and the saddle-lock bridge. Check out G & L s website for more information on the features of their guitars. The company s philosophy is that these unique features are a great selling point.
G & L boasts a long list of artists who play their guitars. These include Art Alexakakis of Everclear, Joey Allen of Warrant, Robert Alter of the Blue House Band, Deano Brown of the Tim McGraw band, Duncan Cameron of Sawyer Brown, Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, Wayne Eagles, a jazz artist, and Peter Frampton. For a complete list of artists you ll want to visit the website.
Guitar models include the ASAT Classic, ASAT Special, ASAT Z-3, F-100, G-200, the Comanche, the Invader, and the Legacy, a series of guitars modeled after the Stratocaster. Each of these guitars has unique features. For explanation on the features and more information on the different models, you ll want to visit the website.
Here is what people have to say about their G & L guitars (Source Harmony Central):
About the G & L ASAT S-3
Great guitar for all styles of playing.
Really sounds good through my Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue. I can t think of any improvements for this guitar. If it were lost or stolen, I would try and find another one, but would have a hard time for sure wired like mine.
Another Player about thee ASAT S-3
I have been playing mostly Fender Tele-type guitars for almost 30 years. There are lots of other Guitars I like to look at, but I exclusively play G&L. Sound and quality of materials are the two greatest features. The pickups are excellent, and while they create the basic Fender sound, they also go way beyond that. If it were lost or stolen I would buy another immediately. Unless you re in a Metallica cover band, this guitar will just about do it all. G&L s are the hidden gem of affordable hand made American Guitars. |
