Choosing between Ascari, Fiorano, or ASAT Deluxe

Hey guys, this is my first post here, looking for some opinions

In a few weeks time my local shop will be receiving a red ASAT Deluxe Tribute, a black Ascari GTS, and a black Fiorano GTS (all Tributes obviously). Whereupon I will arrive at the shop, play around on all three, and buy one.

I'm a long-time bass player and acoustic guitar player who is buying his first electric guitar. I've had a soft spot for G&Ls ever since I bought my L-2000 a few years ago.

So: What I *wanted* was the Trans-Black ASAT Deluxe Tribute, as you can see above, the only ASAT they can get me is the red one.

What can anyone tell me of their impression of the Ascari vs the ASAT Deluxe? At the moment it mainly feels like I'm making the choice between those two, although the Fiorano looks damn nice too.

I'm new to the electric guitar world so I'm trying to get a feel for what I want.

Things I know:

- I think in pictures the black looks a lot cooler than the red.
- I'm definitely after versatility, which is why the coil-tapping these guitars offer seems like a great idea.
- It'll take me a while to learn to be gentle with the light guage of guitar strings after years of bass strings and 12-string acoustics

So who has an opinion on 'ASAT Deluxe vs Ascari GTS' they'd like to share with me?

....Whereupon I will arrive at the shop, play around on all three, and buy one.

I'm sorry I can't offer you a comparison, as I've only played an ASAT Deluxe (USA), but I really love that guitar. It is pretty versatile. I think your quote above is your answer; play all three. One may jump out at you most. How your first guitar feels is more important than how it looks.

Did you make your selection yet? Offhand, I'd say you'd notice the longer scale length of the ASAT and the snappier feel. And the ASAT's fretboard is narrower, by a little. I see that both have 12" radius boards. Both guitars have Paul Gagon-designed pickups, and I think you can get the skinny on most of them in the Knowledge Base under

Decoding the various G&L Alnico Humbucker pickups

and

List of pickups used in G&L guitars


Keep us posted. I love my Ascari with P90s.

The Ascari is completely different in feel than any other G&L, due to the short scale length. It's the most "Gibson-esque" G&L. Comparing those guitars is like comparing a Les Paul to a Tele.

I ought to have replied to this thread ages ago.

I am now the very happy owner of Trans-Red ASAT Deluxe Tribute.

The shop got all three models in -- the Fiorano, the Ascari, and the ASAT deluxe, and let me play on all three to my hearts content.

To my absolute surprise -- since it had been my favourite all along, I almost immediately ruled out the Ascari. I quickly realized I had had the colours all wrong. I thought I wanted the black but the black one takes on the hue of whatever room it's in, and thanks to the paint in the shop it kinda took on a drab blueish-green. It ended up being the *least* distinctive of the three models.

The Fiorano, on the other hand, looked pretty good, but it felt and sounded *spectacular*. I'm new to electric guitars (bass and acoustic are my instruments), but I have never felt a neck as flat and fast as that. Also, it felt so insanely light in my hands it was hard to believe.

In the end, though, it was the ASAT that I took home. I think it was because the more traditional neck shape felt closer to my current instruments, and it looks and sounds beautiful. To be honest, I also really wanted some of the G&L signature look that both the Ascari and the Fiorano don't have -- the bridge and the headstock are identical to my L-2000, so it looks more like a family

All three were amazing instruments. But damn, that Fiorano was still an amazing piece of work.