G+L Tribute series

[jhorne]

I have found that those who are quick to call one out as a brand snob are far more obsessed with brand than most others on this board. It isn't possible for one to even hint that, heavens forbid, one prefers a Gibson Les Paul Standard over one if its many Asian imitators without being called a brand snob. Apparently the same thing happens when you prefer a USA G&L over a Tribute. Worse, if you happen to prefer a Gibson, it is because of marketing hype or the fact that you are blinded by the brand - not the obvious fact that Gibson actually makes some very good guitars! My Advice? Ignore it. You have some great guitars:thu:

I usually do ignore it. Actually I did ignore it in the first place, then someone else pointed out his modis operandi and I made the mistake of replying to that post and here we are...

Excellent post though, I couldn't agree more...

[DaveGrima]

SOme one should do a Tribute vs American vid like that guy did with an Epi LP vs Gibson. I have a Tribute Asat CLassic ANd I think its a great guitar. I havent played enough G & Ls to make a good comparison to USA ones. I used to own a USA Legacy and it was a great guitar too. I think that theres a bigger difference between Mexican Fenders and US fenders than between Tributes and US G & Ls.
I was a little pissed off to hear the guy who ran the shop where I bought the Tribute refer to US G & Ls as the "real" G&Ls. Of couse this was the same douchebag who insisted that I buy a real US G and L pickgaurd from him for $50 because it was "handmade" and superior to cheap foreign made pickgaurds. I laughed in his {censored}in face. I had a local guitar shop make a very nice cream PG for $15. i should go smack him upside the head with it.

[DavidMgT]

SOme one should do a Tribute vs American vid like that guy did with an Epi LP vs Gibson. I have a Tribute Asat CLassic ANd I think its a great guitar. I havent played enough G & Ls to make a good comparison to USA ones. I used to own a USA Legacy and it was a great guitar too. I think that theres a bigger difference between Mexican Fenders and US fenders than between Tributes and US G & Ls. I was a little pissed off to hear the guy who ran the shop where I bought the Tribute refer to US G & Ls as the "real" G&Ls. Of couse this was the same douchebag who insisted that I buy a real US G and L pickgaurd from him for $50 because it was "handmade" and superior to cheap foreign made pickgaurds. I laughed in his {censored}in face. I had a local guitar shop make a very nice cream PG for $15. i should go smack him upside the head with it.

 

 

I disagree. There is a much bigger difference between G&Ls and Tributes than between USA and MIM Fenders. But that is just based on my experience of owning about 10 G&Ls:) it also depends on what Fenders you are looking at. Masterbuilt Fenders are among the best strats and teles you can get.

I have played both side by side and can completely understand why one would call the USA ones "Real G&Ls" - they are better in just about every way a guitar can be better than another guitar.

[smorgdonkey]

It is a huge leap, but like I said, think what you want.

 

 

Well...how about I keep saying that it isn't a big leap and you keep saying that it is.

 

 

...and 'not that expensive' is relative when sometimes a person can get lucky and get a Tribute for $300 or so. Therefor one could theoretically get 3 guitars for a little more than the price of the one that you were talking about.

 

The 'real thing' G&L that I wanted was going to cost $1600+ and I was able to get a new USA Tele and a used G&L Tribute ASAT Classic for the same amount.

[smorgdonkey]

I have played both side by side and can completely understand why one would call the USA ones "Real G&Ls" - they are better in just about every way a guitar can be better than another guitar.

Except of course for the identical pickups that they use and the pots and the body shapes and the neck shapes. Oh yes, and the finishes. The wood I can't comment on but it looks great most of the time. But in just about every way other than those things.

[DaveGrima]

I disagree. There is a much bigger difference between G&Ls and Tributes than between USA and MIM Fenders. But that is just based on my experience of owning about 10 G&Ls:) I have played both side by side and can completely understand why one would call the USA ones "Real G&Ls" - they are better in just about every way a guitar can be better than another guitar.

 

 

Well I guess weve just had very different experiences then. I think my tribute blows away any of the MIM fenders ive played. SO do you think MIM Fenders are better than Tributes? PLease list the ways that the real G & Ls are better than the Fake ones please. What makes em better?

BTW I got my ASAT for $430 new and its {censored}ing FLAWLESS. The USA LEgacy I used to own actually had a slightly warped fretboard. Just saying.

[DavidMgT]

Except of course for the identical pickups that they use and the pots and the body shapes and the neck shapes. Oh yes, and the finishes. The wood I can't comment on but it looks great most of the time. But in just about every way other than those things.

 

I don't know about the same pickups both my G&L Bluesboy and G&l ASAT Deluxe have Seymour Duncans.

Also the bodies are thicker (and made of 2 pieces), the fretwork better. The bridges on the USA have Chrome plated brass saddles, while those on the tributes are die cast. You have more neck shape options (they are not the same), also the necks in question are bi-cut.

They also have little details. For instance my Bluesboy has wood binding and a body contour. I am not saying the Tributes are bad - Ive played a ton of them and liked them all (the new tribute Special Deluxe looks and plays really nicely). I am, however, saying that the G&Ls are significantly better instruments. are they worth the additional cost? It depends on what your fingers and ears tell you mine told me that they definitely are.

[DavidMgT]

Well I guess weve just had very different experiences then. I think my tribute blows away any of the MIM fenders ive played. SO do you think MIM Fenders are better than Tributes? PLease list the ways that the real G & Ls are better than the Fake ones please. What makes em better? BTW I got my ASAT for $430 new and its {censored}ing FLAWLESS. The USA LEgacy I used to own actually had a slightly warped fretboard. Just saying.

 

 

I prefer the Tributes over the MIM Fenders by a long shot. The Tributes have to be among the best guitars you can get in their price range.

[jhorne]

Well...how about I keep saying that it isn't a big leap and you keep saying that it is. ...and 'not that expensive' is relative when sometimes a person can get lucky and get a Tribute for $300 or so. Therefor one could theoretically get 3 guitars for a little more than the price of the one that you were talking about. The 'real thing' G&L that I wanted was going to cost $1600+ and I was able to get a new USA Tele and a used G&L Tribute ASAT Classic for the same amount.

Of course, you are right. Post #18 in this thread proves beyond any reasonable doubt that I "don't know anything when it comes to guitars".

Sorry I questioned your infallible logic on that one.

[DaleH]

I just got a tribute s500 and figured I'd recommend them to EVERYONEEE, played it side by side American Fenders and when set up properly they play much better than the American Standards and almost as good as an Eric Johnson signature I tried out.

Where is the picture?

[mistersully]

mistersully, coming from you I know it is an honest question, not some veiled attempt to condemn me as a "brand snob". The pickups in a USA bluesboy and a tribute are not the same. The G&L has a Seymour Duncan Seth Lover and a G&L MFD in the bridge. So along with the pickups, and possibly the electronics, It may also be the fact that the body of the Tribute guitar was significantly thinner that my G&L. Aside from the sound, the G&L also feels better. They PLEK their frets, and use wood binding on many of their guitars. Do not get me wrong. The Tributes are very good guitars. The Tribute Bluesboy is all the guitar I could ever need. The G&Ls are just a few steps up in sound, feel and build quality. Or it could be, as others who have chimed in may think, that I am blinded by the G&L brand and am therefore tone deaf to any tonal qualities in a sub $700 guitar

 

 

 

cool... i didn't realise that about the bluesboys

 

my tributes are asat classic and legacy premium... the thing that attracted me to the guitars is their sound... these models use the same pickups as their usa offerings as far as i know

 

my legacy is a HEAVY sucker... heaviest strat style guitar i've ever played... when i bought it, it was the last g&l in the shop... they were changing over to become a fender dealership and were getting rid of all their g&ls... both usa and tributes.... i played a lot of strats that day... usa and mexican fenders mainly... i kept comeing back to the tribute.... i don't know if the extra body weight was a big factor but it just spoke to me tone-wise... as a bonus i got it for half the retail price... but i honestly preferred it's tone to the fenders

 

having said that... if things like changing the electronics will get my guitars sounding significantly better... i'll be all over it like a rash... i've been thinking about getting new nuts for both guitars

 

threads like this get crazy quickly.... i'd expect the usa models to be a step up... i may well own one down the track

[DavidMgT]

cool... i didn't realise that about the bluesboys my tributes are asat classic and legacy premium... the thing that attracted me to the guitars is their sound... these models use the same pickups as their usa offerings as far as i know my legacy is a HEAVY sucker... heaviest strat style guitar i've ever played... when i bought it, it was the last g&l in the shop... they were changing over to become a fender dealership and were getting rid of all their g&ls... both usa and tributes.... i played a lot of strats that day... usa and mexican fenders mainly... i kept comeing back to the tribute.... i don't know if the extra body weight was a big factor but it just spoke to me tone-wise... as a bonus i got it for half the retail price... but i honestly preferred it's tone to the fenders having said that... if things like changing the electronics will get my guitars sounding significantly better... i'll be all over it like a rash... i've been thinking about getting new nuts for both guitars threads like this get crazy quickly.... i'd expect the usa models to be a step up... i may well own one down the track

 

 

The USA ones are indeed outstanding, but that doesn't make the Tribute models bad by any means. I recently played a Tribute ASAT Special Deluxe with a carved top that came very close to my USA G&Ls. I was blown away by the sound and quality. For about $700 it is hard to beat:thu:

[metallica_00]

I still have never played a Tribute. I don't think I'd ever buy one, but I'm curious to see how they compare. On paper they seem much better specified than your basic Mexican Fenders.

 

The whole "gear snob" thing is really lame. It gets tossed at people who buy expensive guitars, but in fact players on both sides of the spectrum (ie cheap buyers and expensive buyers) exhibit snob behavior - being ultra defensive and believing their equipment and equipment evaluating process is superior. Not to deny that snobbery exists, but as long as you're buying stuff based on you ears and not some belief system, it's cool with me. Hey, my ears often hear the expensive stuff sounds better - should that really be surprising? It's not some conspiracy.

[smorgdonkey]

I still have never played a Tribute. I don't think I'd ever buy one, but I'm curious to see how they compare. On paper they seem much better specified than your basic Mexican Fenders.

 

I got my Tribute ASAT Classic via eBay 3 and a half years ago for $305. I would guess that it was 1 or 2 years old at the time because it wasn't advertised as new from a dealer.

 

I changed the pickups in mine not because the USA pickups in it were bad but they were a little hot for what I wanted of the guitar. To me, the fret work matters very little as one fret dress makes it a non-factor although I've never had any work done to mine.

 

How they compare in person is amazing to me (and I am speaking of the older Korean ones because those are the ones that I am familiar with). The one that I have is a basswood body and some don't like that. The hard maple neck is fantastic as is the rosewood board. The shortcomings are a cheap(ish) switch and jack.