guitar.com
guitar.com
letstalkguild.com
this is a great read. what an accomplished man.I got to meet Ed Sebest when I visited the factory a couple of times. Here's an interview with him about Leo.
The last days of Leo Fender
Leo Fender is perhaps the most important figure in the history of the electric guitar, and this is the story of the final days of an icon.
Different rather than better. But I will say that the G&Ls were more versatile due to the pickups and VTB controls.
The first G&L Strat-style model wasn't available until early 1982. The second followed in late 1983. They aren't terribly expensive. You can still find them for under $1K if you look hard enough.
This is correct. G&L still manufactures guitars and basses in Fullerton (thankfully).
reverb.com
Relatively rare and you can read the story about it HERE. The one on Reverb is super clean with all the candy and is collector grade, but the price is still steep even for that condition. Other than the name on the headstock, it's no different than any G&L ASAT with a maple body made from 1986-90.
Thanks, GG -- really good write up you did on this guitar. Interestingly it appears that it was sold by McCord's Music in Texas. If I remember my Fender history, McCord's has a long history with Fender products.
I'd like to know GG's response to this question as well. Also, I noticed it has a bullet truss rod -- how did that work out on this model?
Yes, it works very well as long as it's used correctly. It's nothing like the "dreaded" Fender 3-bolt neck and is a different design. However, George Fullerton himself instructed users not to overtighten the 3 neck plate mounting screws. They simply need to be snug. Unfortunately, I lot of owners cranked them super tight and that would cause the butt end of the neck to bow and create a "ski jump" that you'll sometimes hear about. I've heard of more than a few dealers who won't take trades on old G&Ls if they have the ski jump.
