NGD - Comanche Tribute!

I didn't take too many pics because I was too keen to play it.




Okay, so I've never purchased a guitar online before, and never purchased a guitar that I haven't tried out and played before, so my expectations were that it would look good (since I'd seen the photos at the time I bought it) but perhaps not sound very good.

Pictures don't do this guitar justice. The colors are a lot richer in real life. The neck is so deeply tinted (I like!) it is a rich amber that just looks fantastic. it shows up in the photos as almost anemic compared to how it actually looks.

I plugged it in and played till bed time. I have pretty high expectations when it comes to guitars, as I guess most G&L fans do (given their choice of guitars), but I was leery that this might be all eye-candy, and no mojo. Well, it seems impossible to me, but this guitar's mojo trumps it's looks.
The neck was slick and fast, played like a dream, the sound was bigger than life, and I couldn't find a dead spot though I looked in vain for one. I'm not sure what size strings are on it. - feels like 11s (I normally play 10s with a heavier bottom - like 52s or 54s), but the extra didn't bother me much - and that was the only thing that I could say about it that was even remotely negative.

The past two weeks I have been jumping back and forth between all manners of concerns - what if it isn't packaged sufficiently and it shows up broken? What if it sits in a hot truck in the sun for a week? What if, what if, what if...? When it finally arrived I was prepared to live with whatever disappointment may come - but for me this is one of those once in a lifetime success stories. The guitar exceeded every one of may already unreasonably high expectations. I am so glad I pulled the trigger on this one, as I got myself a gem (It plays and feels better than my USA Legacy!).

I was going to record a video yesterday, but my wife's parents came over for a surprise visit so I never got around to it. I'll try and put something together this weekend - maybe a bit of a "review".

The case, if anyone is interested is a "ChromaCast CC-EHC Electric Guitar Hard Case" - not a high end case, but as you can see, the Comanche fits in it nicely even with the strap pegs. Some of the reviews say that the guitars move around too much, but I haven't experienced that. The case was one of the least expensive (~ $60 USD / $87 CDN). It's the same one dhgleaves suggested in the post where I first mentioned the guitar. Anyone else looking for an inexpensive case for their Legacy or Comanche would do fine by this case, as long as they understand it isn't a "premium" case. The latches are only so-so etc. But if you're like me, and just want to keep the guitar out of harms way when you're not playing it, and want some functional protection when heading out to a gig - this'll do, and you can't beat the price. I'm not affiliated with the product apart from having purchased it - so my endorsement is limited to the fact that it is inexpensive and more importantly "fits" the Comanche. I think anyone looking for a case for their Comanche wants to find someone somewhere say, "Yeah - that fits my Comanche, and it doesn't suck even though it's not overly priced" - so I put that out there as a public service.

Biggest (Pleasant) Surprises?
-How clean/clear it was across the whole tonal range.
-Build quality for an Indonesian Tribute - wasn't expecting the quality I found
-Tone knobs felt soooo solid - just the right weight - noticeably better than my US Legacy.
-GOT on neck aged so much sweeter than the photos can show
-Guitar was still in tune when it arrived
-Setup/Intonation was so close to perfect, I'm not going to bother getting it set up.
- No "unpleasant" surprises

Most Negative Thing:
Here is where I would have told you about some flaw or mar in the finish, or perhaps a poor tuning peg or something. Seriously, there was nothing negative about this guitar. I got more guitar bang for my buck than I've ever got before on any purchase in all my 30 years of playing. Granted I've only gone through maybe 2 dozen guitars in that time - but that's still saying something. The most negative thing about this purchase was the waiting period - which itself wasn't any worse than buying anything else online.

Where does she sit in the stable?
Certainly in the top three. I'm still tripping from what a great find this was, and how this guitar has exceeded my already high expectations. Once the honeymoon is over, I expect this guitar will remain a solid player in my esteem, it may be the most versatile guitar I've every played, so I expect it'll get a lot of rotation, but I have other great guitars too - which I must play often as well, or my wife will tell me I don't "need" them....

Anyway, I don't use this smiley very often, but it does describe how I felt yesterday after playing it:



- cheers

Dan,

BIG congratulations, that is one beautiful guitar. I can imagine the flame being even better in person.

Glad the online purchase experience worked well. I have had great success with similar purchases, but a lot of the success is based on G&L guitars being such good quality. That is US and import as well.

As a Z coil fan, you will find the tonal options will be surprising. As you have seen the cleans are sweet but when driven they have there own magic. The combinations can put you in any mood you want.

TGIF you have a new guitar to break in this weekend!

Happy New Guitar day Dan! I know what you mean by photos... They never seem to do these beauties justice! I've been very happy with my Tribute models - I have a ASAT Special Deluxe and JB-2. The build quality is outstanding on these. One thing I have notice on the Tribute S types is they seem heavier than the USA built versions. What's your impression of the weight?

Once the honeymoon is over, I expect this guitar will remain a solid player in my esteem, it may be the most versatile guitar I've every played, so I expect it'll get a lot of rotation, but I have other great guitars too - which I must play often as well, or my wife will tell me I don't "need" them....

Yep, that's why I keep a strict rotation. No idle guitars collecting dust in my home...

Again congratulations and enjoy!

Cheers, Dan

Weight wise - I haven't put it on a scale but it feels somewhere around 8 1/2 or 9 lbs maybe? I am pretty sure the body is mahogany - it feels (this is from memory mind you) heavier than my Legacy.

Weight wise - I haven't put it on a scale but it feels somewhere around 8 1/2 or 9 lbs maybe? I am pretty sure the body is mahogany - it feels (this is from memory mind you) heavier than my Legacy.

Yours should have a Swamp Ash body, see: History of the Tribute Comanche?.

Congrats on your new G&L.
When you get a chance, please add it our G&L Registry.

Weight wise - I haven't put it on a scale but it feels somewhere around 8 1/2 or 9 lbs maybe? I am pretty sure the body is mahogany - it feels (this is from memory mind you) heavier than my Legacy.

Yours should have a Swamp Ash body, see: History of the Tribute Comanche?.

Congrats on your new G&L.
When you get a chance, please add it our G&L Registry.

Craig - thanks for the link - I guess the back is swamp ash then - though because of the finish it sure looks like mahogany. I plan to add it to the registry either tonight or this weekend.

On another note, it doesn't seem to line up with the neck specs you mention in the linked post - at least not for the year represented by the serial number. If I read this right, it dates back to May of 2008 (c.f. SN 080526371). Please crrect me if I am reading that wrong.

If It is a 2008, then the vintage tint maple fretboard seen in the photo below, is kinda special (Yay!).

It's taken me a long time to accept the finish as an amber burst - since it doesn't look very amber-like - and rather looks like a 3-Tone Sunburst that stopped at two tones. Either way, it looks boss in person, and I like the finish whatever it is called.

My guitar:


Craig - what are your thoughts on the neck variant? I am hoping I have the only maple fretboard vintage tint gloss neck from 2008 - but it's more likely your info (from the linked post) is incomplete? Let me know.

Weight wise - I haven't put it on a scale but it feels somewhere around 8 1/2 or 9 lbs maybe? I am pretty sure the body is mahogany - it feels (this is from memory mind you) heavier than my Legacy.

Yours should have a Swamp Ash body, see: History of the Tribute Comanche?.

Congrats on your new G&L.
When you get a chance, please add it our G&L Registry.

Craig - thanks for the link - I guess the back is swamp ash then - though because of the finish it sure looks like mahogany. I plan to add it to the registry either tonight or this weekend.

On another note, it doesn't seem to line up with the neck specs you mention in the linked post - at least not for the year represented by the serial number. If I read this right, it dates back to May of 2008 (c.f. SN 080526371). Please crrect me if I am reading that wrong.

If It is a 2008, then the vintage tint maple fretboard seen in the photo below, is kinda special (Yay!).

It's taken me a long time to accept the finish as an amber burst - since it doesn't look very amber-like - and rather looks like a 3-Tone Sunburst that stopped at two tones. Either way, it looks boss in person, and I like the finish whatever it is called.

My guitar:


Craig - what are your thoughts on the neck variant? I am hoping I have the only maple fretboard vintage tint gloss neck from 2008 - but it's more likely your info (from the linked post) is incomplete? Let me know.

I checked the internet archives and found that both maple and rosewood fretboards were offered in 2008.
Here's the photo from the archives:



So, yeah I will need to fill in this missing info in that post.

I checked the internet archives and found that both maple and rosewood fretboards were offered in 2008.
Here's the photo from the archives:



So, yeah I will need to fill in this missing info in that post.

Well this is how we find these things out.

I'm a little sad that my guitar isn't especially special, but I'll get over it.

that is a sweet looking guitar. enjoy!
all good things about a comanche aside,
what really sets it apart is what it does through a high quality amp at band/performance volume/drive levels.
that's what keeps me coming back for more. it simply sounds better and outperforms every thing else I've got.

Well I played out this weekend and I can say (with a raised eyebrow and a wink) that I've never had a guitar cut through the mix as easily as this Comanche. What a tone machine! If I loved the way this looked on eBay, was pleased to see it looked better at home, and loved the way it sounded in my basement - I can say that the whole thing was another level of awesome this weekend playing with the band. I will NEVER regret this purchase.

On another note: it *really* likes my (Bill Machrone modded) Fender Blues Jr . I've got the full BillM array of mods (though I have a larger transformer than BillM suggests) - and I tossed in a (Patriot) Texas Heat speaker, to really open up the sound - but man-o-man! when the tubes were hot, she broke so sweetly, what a voice. I know there was another thread asking about how well the Comanche plays with various boutique amps, but I can say this - It sounds awesome through my modded Blues Jr (at a third the cost no less).

Yar! that's what i thought he'd say

Neato !!

So, I guess you aren't going to move forward with the pick guard swap on your Legacy?

So, I guess you aren't going to move forward with the pick guard swap on your Legacy?

Correct.

It would have been fun from a tinkerer's point of view - but it felt like a compromise. I really wanted a Comanche, but I couldn't afford one without saving up for a long time, and the used market up where I am hasn't seen a Comanche since I became interested in G&L guitars several years back.
That meant the only way I was likely to see one was if I bought one. The rest is history. I still think it would have been a easy, straight forward mod, but now that I have the Comanche, and she is out-performing even my most wild expectations - I have no more pressing desire to the "what if" scenario.

Next up in my desire list is an ASAT Z3. Another guitar that hasn't shown up in our local used market since I've been a fan. That'll have to wait a year or so at least.

Oh man I've been on the hunt for one of those, congrats the pickup, this is a very very nice example.

Oh man I've been on the hunt for one of those, congrats the pickup, this is a very very nice example.

As soon as I saw it, I wanted it, and I knew that if I didn't get it, I'd regret it.

Dan, I am so glad to hear you are loving the Comanche! That was a great score. May it bring you years of playing pleasure! Clear and cutting---yes! Powerful and dirty---yes! Takes effects well---yes! Versatile---holy cow, yes!

I've toyed with the idea of buying a Tribute Comanche, especially with the flame maple top, mainly to have a "simpler" version of my Comanche VI. But I am guitar heavy now and certainly don't need it. Cheers!

Dan, I am so glad to hear you are loving the Comanche! That was a great score. May it bring you years of playing pleasure! Clear and cutting---yes! Powerful and dirty---yes! Takes effects well---yes! Versatile---holy cow, yes!

I've toyed with the idea of buying a Tribute Comanche, especially with the flame maple top, mainly to have a "simpler" version of my Comanche VI. But I am guitar heavy now and certainly don't need it. Cheers!

Maybe you should sell me your Comanche VI...LOL!!

Tom

I am so impressed with this Tribute, I wonder how it compares to an American model? It plays and sounds great, and I have found nothing lacking in workmanship/quality. It plays (and looks) better than my American Legacy. I think I have found my "forever" guitar.

I am so impressed with this Tribute, I wonder how it compares to an American model? It plays and sounds great, and I have found nothing lacking in workmanship/quality. It plays (and looks) better than my American Legacy. I think I have found my "forever" guitar.

Congratulations Dan. Those are hard to come by.

Maybe you should sell me your Comanche VI...LOL!!
Tom

ROFL. That, my friend, is not happening while I am alive and can play. But stay tuned for other developments...