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First let me say that I'm high prejudiced in favor of this guitar. I own four other Fender Telecasters but the ASAT Special often draws me in first. I also own two G&L Tribute Basses and a Fender Bass and I can honestly say as a whole the G&L Tribute Series offers exceptional value. Every single one I own is an all star for tone, playability, and value. They give up little or nothing to their US made counterparts.I just purchased my second ASAT (Irish Ale) because week ago I traded my first one for an Epifani bass cabinet I was looking for. That was a blow but I also knew it could be easily replaced and it was in less than 1 week. The new one arrived today.The finish is flawless but I will also offer a caution. Models with a Mahogany body may be a bit on the heavy side and I mean Les Paul type heavy. Mine is a little over 9lbs. That's about a pound more than my last one but not shocking for an all Mahogany body and as a bassist as well I can live with that since my basses weigh about the same. Neotech and Levy's both offer nicely padded 3.5" neoprene straps that act as a weight relief due to their stretch. I use them on all of my basses and my Les Paul and I will use one on my ASAT as well. If that still won't cut it for you weight wise consider one of the models with a Basswood body. They may be a bit lighter.I love Leo's MFD pickups and these are the very same US made pickups used on G&L US models. To me they're 1/3 Tele single coil and 1/3 each P90 and mini-humbucker. Very unique sounding with higher output but they also have an amazingly sweet high end. They're extremely versatile and also hum canceling when both are combined. The neck is a nice full chunkier "C" profile that's very comfortable to play and the fretboard is a 9 1/2" radius in Brazilian Cherry. It's a nice look with the Irish Ale finish.For an import model the hardware is also exceptional. The tuners are smooth and stable, solid electronics with very smooth pots, and the Saddle Lock Bridge is another unique and useful feature. That is also the same bridge used on their US models. For the money I cannot think of any better Tele style guitar to recommend that the G&L ASAT Special or the ASAT Classic and Bluesboy.I've knocked G&L themselves down one star for mfg. support simply because I feel they should do a better job of inspecting their imports when they arrive. Any issues I've had have been minor and quickly resolved but they should have been caught during an inspection. However, I can still recommenced their products regardless.

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I bought this model a few months back and have waited to post a review until I played it a while. I have been playing for 45 yrs and have had a lot of Fender, Gibson, Epi, Alvarez, Takamine, ESP, Schecter, well you name it and I have owned or played most brands out there. Let me just say this guitar is awesome! Fit and finish were spot on, frets nicely finished as well and it plays and sounds far better than any Fender guitar I have every played or owned. I have had over 50 guitars in my years of playing and still have a ton in my collection but I have been playing this one more than any other guitar I have. It has been my go to for the past several months. The pickups are like nothing I have ever heard in any guitar. I am not a pickup snob by any means but I know what I like and these will never be swapped out. More punch than typical P90's or Fender style single coils. Fatter bottom end, more volume and sweeter than my Gibson P90's in a real '56 Gold Top. Awesome pickups for any style and I play everything from Blues to Jazz, rock to hard rock and even some country and metal. I play in several bands and everyone loves the sounds it puts out. Even the die hard Gibson humbucker guys I play with. Well done G&L. Even though Leo Fender did not play the guitar, he sure as hell knows how to make them.

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I have always wanted a Telecaster. The fact this has 2 x MFD pickups in it made me go for the G&L over Fender. The description is about as accurate as you can get! These MFD go from screaming soaring riffs to smooth jazz to twangy honky tonk. The versatility is incredible! I just have it plugged into a small 8 inch Peavy Rage 2 practice amp and it's POWERFUL. Very responsive. Incredible presence. Can't wait to hear it ran thru an Orange Crush 35RT! Absolutely perfect right out of the box. No set up needed at all. It drives like a sports car! So incredibly happy with this purchase and guitar. The Irish Ale is Beautiful in person. Hardware is gorgeous! Immediately plugged it in and played for about 4.5 hours straight and tuned up 3 times. It's just a BEAST. The craftsmanship is comparable to any US Made models. Man there isn't one thing I can even think that's a con about this instrument. All PROS. Out of 5 electric guitars I own now this is my GO TO. I'm over the moon! :)

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Been playing 15 years. Always played around with tele’s at music store. This is by far the best telecaster on the market at this price and it competes with top brands. In my opinion this is the only tele I will buy from now on.