How much confusion is created if rather different models carry the same name? Quite a bit. This is the short-lived ASAT Classic Custom G&L offered between 1996 and 1997. And very much unlike the ASAT Classic Custom released in 2002. In effect, this is just another ASAT Classic but with some cool features for the body which were previously unavailable. This is the first ASAT model with a belly contour, aka “belly cut”, “rib cut”, or rear (body) contour, which later became a standard option. In addition it has faux top binding, where a thin strip of the body is taped off before finish is applied. When the tape is peeled away, the original wood shows after which the lacquer is applied. This is especially effective when a body is capped with a different wood which is the case here. The alder body has a nice swamp ash top finished in Three-tone Sunburst. As was customary in those days for instruments with top binding, the color at the edge of the top is continued on both edge and back which for Three-tone Sunburst results in an opaque black finish. It further has 2 ASAT Classic Magnetic Field Design (MFD) pickups, white pearloid pickguard, ASAT Classic 6-saddle bridge, volume control, tone control, and 3-position pickup selector. The hard-rock maple neck has a maple fingerboard with 7½” radius, Dunlop (Medium) Jumbo 6100 frets, 1⅝” nut width, and G&L branded Schaller closed tuning machines. This model was produced in low numbers; at the time of writing only 34 are listed in the Guitars by Leo (GbL) Registry with the differences in the serial number format indicative of the change from being stamped on the neck plate starting with “G” to water slide decals on the headstock starting with “CL”, and “CLF” shortly thereafter, which took place around that era. Fellow GbL member John Taylor relayed me Dave McLaren’s answers to some of his questions on this model. Around the time these instruments were built, a lot of the ash boards coming in were a little heavier than usual. This especially posed problems for G&L basses. Hence they experimented with bass bodies with an ash top, basswood or alder (see this L-1500 Custom) back, and wood binding, so the high demand for ash with transparent finishes could be satisfied. As evidenced by this model, the ASAT Classic was subjected to similar experiments with the same basswood w/ash top or alder w/ash top combinations. Although the former is lighter, the latter is more conventional and produces, as Dave says in his response, “a reasonable weight”. In the end it turned out to be a moot point since most consumers were willing to live with a heavier body and lighter ash boards came in again. There is no webpage that I could otherwise find on this model. I can only refer you to this thread on the GbL site where Ken Crombie’s Clear Red ASAT Classic Custom is shown.