My guitar collection - G&L
With much help from G&L, this is Buffalo Brothers Tim Page’s third Special Edition model of 1999. Inspired by one of Jerry Donahue’s Telecasters, the looks of the ASAT Z-2 are rather spartan with a semi-hollow, tortoise double-bound swamp ash body, Natural finish, and tortoise pickguard. As the model name suggests, it has 2 Z-coils pickups. Not 3, as found on a Comanche and/or ASAT Z-3, addressing a common criticism about these 3 pickup guitars, especially from country-pickers, that the middle pickup is just in the way of the picking hand. Of course it has a Saddle-Lock bridge, which Tim considers to be the best in the business. The guitar still has an ASAT Z-3 wiring harness, although with 3-position pickup selector of course. Its hard-rock maple #2 neck has a satin finish, 7½” rosewood fingerboard, Dunlop (Medium) Jumbo 6100 frets, 1⅝” nut, and chrome Schaller closed tuning machines. The choice of fretwire was mainly dictated by complaints from original Blues Boy owners! To keep costs low, this model comes in the standard thermoplastic G&L case but still with a special Certificate of Authenticity (COA). It is only listed in the Rarebird section on the Guitars by Leo (GbL) website:
ASAT Z-2
The story behind this guitar
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As of late-March 2011, this completed Tim’s fab-four of Special Edition models. It took a lot of patience and a GbL Marketplace ad posted by Jon Chaikin, longtime member of the GbL forum and its second owner to get it. In all likelihood, one can be pretty sure this model will never be reintroduced in this form since G&L lost money on the deal given all trials and tribulations with the tortoise binding for just 10 guitars! Originally, the COA for this guitar was missing. But George Fullerton had advised Tim to make additional ones and have them all signed and dated while leaving the serial numbers blank in case of misprints, errors, etc. While cleaning out his drawers, Tim stumbled over some of the Z-2 “originals” and provided me kindly with a replacement COA. Tim, thanks again for your act of kindness! And George for his foresight! But how about the sound then? My wife says it is louder. I do not know. It sounds extremely balanced and silent to me, i.e. without hum. A great pickin’ guitar with a sound and character entirely its own!
The story behind this guitar
1999
CLF14966 (#8 of 10)
20 DEC 1999
DEC 14 1999
