(Answer contributed January 17, 2003, by: Dave McLaren)
What we've got here is not the same as the Tribute Series in Japan. That line has Gotoh bridges on the guitars (except a limited edition they did with gold USA DF trem etc.) but USA bridges on the basses. All Japan Tributes have Fullerton-made pickups.
This line, Tribute by G&L, is made in Korea instead of Japan, because Japan has become too expensive and the best Korean manufacturing matches the Japanese nowadays. In total, this line is better than the Japan Tribute instrument by quite a lot. We have the hands-down best factory in Korea doing the work for us, and we really put them through hell to get the Tribute line.
Two years went into making these things right, and not just another import line. These had to be guitars our own people, guys who make them here, would play, and more important, be proud of. Our guys are tough critics, but in the end, we've got excellent instruments for the money.
Models:
ASAT Classic, ASAT Special, S-500, Legacy, L-2500, L-2000, SB-2.
Pickups:
Fullerton-made real deal MFD, except Legacy with Alnico as usual.
Bridges:
Dual Fulcrum and Saddle Lock, made under license by the best quality hardware manufacturer in Asia. They make hardware for many well-known USA makers, and used on their USA made models. All have die-cast saddles, instead of the machined billet brass. The exception is the Tribute ASAT Classic, which does have 6 brass barrel shape saddles, modeled after the real G&L ASAT Classic bridge, not some off the shelf import bridge. The hardware is of incredible quality. No effect on USA models, this is strictly Tribute, one reason the Tribute name is cast or stamped on them rather than G&L.
Electronics:
None of those cheezy dime size pots here. Replicas of CTS pots, right down to the 1 meg reverse taper pots we needed for the bass knob on the PTB. We had these custom made for us, including the different shaft sizes for our basses. Same with the mini-toggle switches. This electronic pieces took forever to come through with, and a major quantity commitment on our part to have them custom made. Active basses have preamps that are made in Korea to our spec. None of these parts are used on USA models, we will use the same suppliers as usual.
Colors and trim:
All models have three levels - Standard, Plus and Premium
Standard has basswood bodies and solid finish choice of Candy Apple Red, Blue Violet Metallic or Black. Standard guitars have 3-ply white pickguards.
Plus has basswood bodies and burst finish choices of 3-Tone Sunburst with Tortoise Shell pickguard, Blueburst or Redburst with Pearl pickguard.
Premium has Swamp Ash bodies (3 piece) in Natural Gloss with Tortoise Shell pickguard, Amber (like Honey) or Cherryburst with Pearl pickguard.
Necks:
S-500 and Legacy have 1 5/8" width and 12" radius.
ASAT Classic and ASAT Special have 1 5/8" and 9" radius.
L-2000 is 1 3/4" with 12" radius
L-2500 is 1 3/4" with 12" radius
SB-2 1 1/2" with 12" radius
Choice of maple or rosewood fingerboard on all models. These necks feel great, with a very well done satin finish.
In the US:
They will be here, setup at the G&L factory by the same guys and shipped in a nice padded gig back embroidered with the G&L logo. We'll sell these gig bags separately, too.
How the line may evolve:
There won't be custom options, so let's get that right out in the open. This is not a G&L substitute for half the price (though Tribute MSRPs are about half of G&L MSRPS), and besides, any factory in their right mind wouldn't run themselves like Fender Avenue. We're just a little warped here, and have the flexibility of hand-made production to allow such variation.
Tribute may do other G&L models, though probably nothing semi-hollow. It may be tapped to do things outside our normal scope, but within the Korean factory's current capabilites. They've shown me some interesting options, and when I go to Korea again in a few weeks, I'll take some time to explore this more.
For now, however, we have to focus on getting the quality we need, every day. I think we've successfully pushed these people to be better than they've ever been, and we need to keep them at the top of their game. Looking toward the other designs we could do is fun, but we need to keep the focus on quality at all times.
I know there will be some grumbling, and I totally understand that. We grappled with it too, but we believe it was a necessary step to become a stronger guitar company in the market. But most importantly, when you guys try these Tributes, I know many of you will wind up with some alongside your G&Ls.
[Note: There have been a few changes regarding the location of the factories used and the models available. See:
Why the change in manufacturing location for the Tributes?.]