my ASAT Classic semi-hollow arrived

[rorschah]

Just snagged it off of ebay for a pretty good price.

It's, in many ways, the weirdest guitar I have. Responds utterly unlike the other guitars I play (mostly: strat, tele, 335 copy).

First of all, the neck is ******* paradise. The main reason I've been so set on ASATs are their maple necks. This plays... bending is like breathing, man. I love those necks. It plays sweeter and silkier than my strat. Doesn't feel like a Tele in action, for some strange reason. Maybe I'm just on crack. Maybe it's the frets.

The responsiveness though is... unique. I'm used to fender single coils, all sorts of humbuckers, and the occasional p90. This thing is *super* responsive to fretting-hand technique. Bends, vibratos, all of it comes across clearer than anything. And, like a lot of folks suggested, it sounds almost harsh played clean, solo, at home, but it sits very nicely in the mix. Sat right on top of the Les P, totally clear.

It seems weirdly tonally unresponsive to picking hand stuff, though. It's very responsive in volume, but not... something else. It feels almost the *opposite* of my tele - where the tele seems to let me zoom between shimmering harmonics, screaming treble, big grunts, and warm, round stuff with various forms of picking, the ASAT Classic evens everything out, and gives everything that warm, big, punchy sound. (The ASAT is very tonally variable through the controls, just not that tonally responsive to right-hand stuff.)

Have I just not learned to play this beast? Is this just the nature of the beast?

-thi

 

[crazy4blues]

Congrats on the ASAT Classic SH. That was my #1 for at least 3 years.

The surprising thing about the G&L MFD pickups is that they are tonally complex and never tinny, but they never sound muddy either.

I'm curious to know what kind of amp you plugged into--that can make a difference, too. I used to play ASAT through a Carr Hammerhead, and you could hear EVERYTHING (i.e., my sloppy fingerings). The pickups were very responsive!

Also, try experimenting with the preamp section of your amp and use the guitar to control your volume. I think that you'll find that the more you play with it, the more tone you're going to find.

Have fun!

 

[rorschah]

Plugged into my two main amps:

60's Ampeg Reverberocket
Silverface (blackfaced) Pro Reverb

-thi

 

[Chicago Slim]

I now have two ASAT Classic's because of the way they sound in a band mix. The volume pot is very linier, and let's you cut way down to a more Fender type sound. When you turn the volume up for a solo, you get a lot of crunch and sutain. It seems more compressed than any other guitar I've owned. If it had numbers, I think I could be going from a setting of 2 or 3, to a max of 10, in a single song.

I play for a recording artist, who requested that I always play an ASAT with a Peavey Transtube (my beater) amp. I have played other combinations i.e. PRS - SAS through a Mesa or Traynor, MIA Strat through a Fender - DRRI and Marshall Blues Breaker pedal. All great sounding combinations, but the G&L and Peavey sound better in a mix.

 

[MichaelK]

Sounds like you really don't like it. I don't blame you; I don't like ASAT Classics much either. I love a nice Tele, tho...

Don't be discouraged. If the guitar plays nicely unplugged and you like the feel of it, a pickup swap could be just the ticket.

 

[rwe333]

Originally posted by MichaelK
Don't be discouraged. If the guitar plays nicely unplugged and you like the feel of it, a pickup swap could be just the ticket.

I'm not very familiar w/ ASATs (I play a Legacy), but if the feel's happening then I agree w/ MK. BTW, Chandler makes the G&L pickguards should you need a new one to accomodate new pickups.

 

[Ryguy]

I've owned three ASAT's (a special, classic, and classic semi). I think what you are not digging are those crazy hi fi pups. As mentioned above, they have a much different taper, and only sound Fenderish to my ears up to 6.5/7 on the volume. I swapped out the pups on the semi and was REALLY happy with the results. Ironically, I sold it because it had a skinny ass neck. But a killer axe, that really gigged well. Good luck!

 

[Tone_Terrific]

I'm looking for an mfd type pup if anyone wants to unload one.

 

[xroads]

I had an ASAT for a while, and sold it because of the skinny neck as well...I really miss it though. The PUs are special: as others have said, you have decent Tele sounds on lower Vol. positions, and sort of a boosted one with all pots open. Very versatile, but certainly not vintage.