NGD ASAT Deluxe

Recently obtained 1997 ASAT Deluxe with a less common and stunning quilt maple top (rather than flame), top binding that complements the color, birds eye maple neck with rosewood fretboard and no fret markers. (A color match headstock would have added even more to its beauty, but no complaints.)

I've seen many, many examples of this model over the years, but never pulled the trigger because I was less interested in a G&L with someone else's pickups. But this one caught my eye and it was reasonably priced (by today's standards, though many were available for less in the past 10-15 years). Now that I've played it some, it has earned a stall in the stable. The Duncan neck pickup has a rich tone that melds bass and treble, can be bluesy, jazzy, or "womanly." The hotter Duncan bridge pickup gives nice crunch. The coil splits give a clearer single-coil tone, and the volume change that results is useful for switching from rhythm to solo or for quiet/loud dynamics. This is more noticeable for overdrive tone.

What sealed the deal was test-driving it at a friend's with his JHS Andy Timmons overdrive and the Abasi Pathos overdrive pedals. These are typically higher gain than I use; however, they allowed the ASAT to emulate Robert Fripp's sustain tones in David Bowie's "Heroes," and overall gave it a sound that made a Les Paul redundant. The Abasi drive in particular has a bass control that is voiced for Tosin Abasi's eight-string guitar, so the pedal delivers more bass clarity than I have ever heard in heavy drive. For example, I played Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" through it, and the first, lowest bass notes of the closing ascending riff came through without a hint of muddiness. We both loved what the ASAT Deluxe could deliver.

As for the looks: Clear Red, or Red? (Some of the finer detail of the quilt is lost in the photo on this site.)

Last edited by tomanche on Wed Apr 26, 2023 11:06 am, edited 1 time in total.

It's Clear Red for sure.

Thanks for posting photos of your beautiful ASAT Deluxe!

WOW!!

Congratulations, that is one beautiful ASAT! Lucky you could test drive and I’ve read lots of positive reviews about that JHS overdrive.
Play loud and often.

Remember, you can never have too many ASAT’s!!

That’s a beauty, congrats Tomanche! Versatile!

Great looking guitar, time to wake up the neighbours !

Thanks, all! Thanks Craig, for correcting the color and beating me to the Registry entry.
I played it yesterday, loudly and proudly, and found additional satisfying tones.

What is better than a great playing/sounding guitar? One that has all that and looks suh-weeeet!

A little part of me dies every time I see a great guitar that I can't have.

Thanks for sharing that!

A great model and a beautiful example. Enjoy and turn it up!