Whats the holy grail of G&L guitars

isnt it great that Leo and George did it all again and blessed us with this great collection of guitars, thank you Leo and thank you George, god bless you both.
Thanks for posting this topic again guys, great information for those of us that still have their Learners plates on,,lol.., I will say again, what a fantastic site this is,,
take care all
G

One of the things that's especially cool about this site (and one of things that keeps me coming back) is how much history is represented among the members.

Cheers,
A

Let me contribute 4 lists with my top 5 entries in each of them (although not too specific in cases). Most of these guitars are discussed above so in that sense nothing new gets added. But thematically there is quite a difference as well as in money and effort involved. So here goes:

"Everyday Rarities" (pre-BBE):

1. Broadcaster
2. ASAT III, either S-500 or Skyhawk pups
3. G-200
4. hog S-500 or even rarer maple S-500.
5. SC-1

Numbers 1, 2, and 5 all have a maple body making them sound exceptional. The G-200 is the best sounding double humbucker guitar nobody knows about.

"Everyday Rarities" (BBE):

1. Z-2
2. ASAT '50
3. 20th Anniversary
4. Trinity
5. ASAT JD-5

Three out of the 5 are due to the efforts of Mr Tim Page. Honorable mention: the ASAT Super.

"Artist guitars"

1. Any of John Jorgensen G&L's, e.g. his Z-coil prototype.
2. Any of Will Ray's ASAT's, e.g. his non-flake turquoise ASAT with the Hipshot on it.
3. Any of Jake Cinningers S-500 and Comanche guitars
4. Any of Guitar Shorty's guitars (there is currently one on eBay which allegedly belonged to him).
5. Some Nashville gun slingers' ASAT they wouldn't play on stage but use in the studio. There are plenty of musicians over there for whom their trusty G&L ASAT or SC-2 is their guilty pleasure nobody knows about.

Remember that the most popular, collectible models nowadays are those that were played by the music heroes in the '60s. So maybe it can happen with G&L too ... OK, clearly I'm dreaming now ...

"For collectors (No! Don't touch it! You can hear the sustain go on and on ...)"

1. "The Rembrandt"
2. Any of the 3 "Buck Owens" ASAT Classics.
3. Any of the 7 Lacewood Leo Fender Commemorative ASAT Classics.
4. Any of the 15 or so October 1991 double- and triple-bound ASAT Classics.
5. Any of the instruments previously owned by George Fullerton (see his "Guitar Legends" book); many have gold hardware.

Finding one of these is extremely hard. Maybe I should say "was extremely hard" in my case, but still. Here honorable mention goes to the X-body Interceptor specifically with Cavalier pups. Like Ken, I have never played one, but they sure are hard to find. Second honorable mention goes to some notable test mules/prototypes; a couple are features in the gallery (S-300, T-400).

- Jos

There are more than some great, rare G&L's out there. No doubt. However, "Holy Grail" implies great, but never found. Ever. Whether it actually sounds good, I still choose the HG-1. No one here has one and there is not one example, other than a marketing photo.

That is a true Holy Grail...


Cheers,

Will

There are more than some great, rare G&L's out there. No doubt. However, "Holy Grail" implies great, but never found. Ever. Whether it actually sounds good, I still choose the HG-1. No one here has one and there is not one example, other than a marketing photo.

That is a true Holy Grail...


Cheers,

Will

Agreed. "Holy Grail" is a Gibson Moderne -- rumored, but never confirmed to exist, with various pretenders having been "discovered" from time to time.

My thoughts about this.

The original post questioned what was the most sought after pre bbe G&L. I don't think there is one. Leo made some pretty cool guitars during that eleven years and every G&l nut has a favorite. We are not all going for the same guitars.

Then the topic was G&l's holy grail and what it was. If we define holy grail as most dictionary's do then I would agree with the comparison to the Gibson Moderne.

Y2kc

Here's one I took a while back, all of which would be in the running for The Holy Grail of G&L Guitars.
At the time the photo was taken, these amazing guitars were part of Mr. Dale Hyatts' collection.

Left
The original G&L Asat Signature signed by Leo Fender

Center left
G&L Broadcaster BC00002

Center right
G&L Asat Lacewood Commemorative S/N 001

Right
The G&L "Buck Owens" Asat Classic

Here's my reenactment of Larry's picture. Note that the Broadcaster with ebony board is not part of the Dale Hyatt Collection, it my BC00197 instead,and hence it is the "wrong-way around" in both pics:



But 3 out of 4 ain't bad! Even better than that Meatloaf song ...

- Jos

The rest of the story!!!! -- Darwin

L-to-R (with links to other posts for more pictures of these guitars)
1988 ASAT "The Rembrandt"
1985 Broadcaster
1991 Lacewood ASAT Commemorative Edition #1
1991 ASAT Classic "Buck Owens"

- Jos