My guitar collection - G&L
Much is unknown about the all mahogany guitars built in 2004-2005, including this ASAT HB with less than 35 produced. Sure, this model has a solid Honduran mahogany body and neck, all in a Caramel finish, 12” ebony fingerboard, a G&L CLF-100 Vintage Style Alnico V pickup in the neck, and a G&L AW4370B Alnico humbucker in the bridge position combined with rear-loaded volume control, tone control, and 3-position pickup selector. On the 2010 price list, G&L offered the foreign manufactured Tribute ASAT HB, but it easy to spot the main difference: the Tribby also sports a neck bucker. And that’s about where all the discoverable info stops. In all likelihood, when you search for this model online, you either end up on this page or the Tribby! Given the time period in which this model was produced, is this “inverted” Bluesboy an attempt to create a potential 25th Anniversary model? Both have an all mahogany body and neck and a special color as a finish. Or was it a modified ASAT ‘Super’ with which it shares its body, neck, and fingerboard material? Or was this model just used to test the newly developed, proprietary AW4370B humbucker? After all, before July 2015 the ASAT HB and Legacy HB Mahogany from the same series were the only US made guitars sporting this pickup by default whereas Seymour Duncan humbuckers were used for most other US models (but check out this G&L humbucker equipped 4-bolt ASAT Deluxe). Otherwise they are used on the aforementioned Tribute ASAT HB but also the Tribute Legacy HB. All just conjectures. But does any of this hold water?
ASAT HB
The story behind this guitar
Year:
Serial number:
Neck date:
Body date:
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If you collect a particular model, you are always on the look-out for some rarities or an interesting specimen. No difference for me when it concerns ASAT models. I remember that in early-2005, Buffalo Brothers had a couple of ASAT HB’s listed on their website and hence I was aware of the existence of this model. But as stated above, it is really hard to find any info so many years later. Nevertheless, in June 2010, one appeared on eBay with no reserve and a low starting price and I was able to secure it. First off, it comes in a beautiful brown tolex case; same as used for the ASAT Trinity Special Edition. When first plugged in, I was pleasantly surprised. The Vintage Style Alnico V CLF-100 is the same pickup as used in the George Fullerton Signature model (as well as the Legacy) and sounds incredibly sweet in a mahogany body. Beautiful mellow tones were coming out of my amp, while still retaining high frequency bite, and I did not switch pickups for at least an hour. The humbucker has the well known fatness but since it is in the bridge position, plenty of top-end is left. The pickups are very well balanced. Compared to any of my Bluesboys, as well has the 25th Anniversary model, this guitar has a little more aggression to it. I am not sure why they stopped producing it because I love the HB.
The story behind this guitar
2004
CLF10144
none, marked ‘ASAT HB’, ‘Caramel’
DEC(?) 06 2004 (month hard to read due to shim in pocket)
