(SOLD) G&L ASAT III Black Bowling Ball 1996
G&L ASAT III, bowling ball finish, made in USA 1996. G&L was started in the 80s by Leo Fender and longtime collaborator George Fullerton; their designs were Leo's final offerings to the world and are among his finest work. The ASAT III was a short-lived model, although G&L have done a bunch of almost-the-same takes on the ASAT since. The bones are Tele-flavoured: hard-tail bridge on a solid alder body, paired with a modern-shaped slim C neck capped with a tasty rosewood board with tall frets and a 12" radius. The obvious point of difference is the Strat-style 3-pickup setup, with the standard 5-way switching for all those fun in-between tones. The pickups are a bit angrier and more forward than a standard Strat single coil, which paired with the hardtail bridge, makes for a blistering attack and a very assertive edge when you dig in hard. It's a great guitar if you're using a mountain of effects, as the clarity and punch shine through even you're messiest soup of fuzz, delay and phaser. Now, that finish: it's a factory-original non-catalog option, but I don't know what it's officially called. The second best option we came up with was 'smudged silver Sharpie surprise', but I feel black bowling ball is more fitting for a class act like this. It'll look awesome on stage, you know it's true.
Model: G&L ASAT III
Made: Fullerton USA, neck date 1996 (serial G047407)
Finish: silver swirl over black, gloss poly
Body: alder (not verified)
Weight: 3.665kg
Neck: maple, rosewood board, 12" radius, 25.5" scale, modern C profile
Mods: none
Pickups: G&L 'Nearfield' single coil x3, Strat-style switching
Case: G&L ABS hard case
Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has some minor dimples on the end and bottom edge, as well as a plugged screw hole on the back near the low E tuner. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor dimples and rub wear on the back only. The back has a dent near the neck plate and in the elbow area, as well as a few scuffs around the body, most notable in the middle and on the top horn. The sides have some dimples on the top horn and a pair of chips near the jack. The front has a decent chip on the edge in the elbow area, as well as a dent up from the middle pickup, some corrosion around the screws and some standard play wear on the guard and horn. It's hard to see marks on this finish, so I may have missed a couple of minor blemishes. Overall: good condition (7/10)
Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electrics tested and working properly. The frets have some normal wear but there's heaps of height left, 7/10 for fret life left. Wearing fresh 10/52 Moonshiner strings.