Description
Widely considered Leo Fender’s finest single-cutaway creation, the ASAT Special has a colorful backstory to match its tone. Launched in 1985 as the G&L Broadcaster, the name was changed after Gretsch (owners of the Broadkaster trademark) objected — echoing a nearly identical dispute Leo faced thirty-five years prior. The replacement name, ASAT, borrows from military terminology for “Anti-Satellite,” and the model has carried it proudly ever since.
This 2021 Fullerton Deluxe edition draws from G&L’s Option Order menu to pair proven finish, pickguard, and fingerboard combinations, all finished with a G&L Clear Tint Satin neck. Every body is rear-contoured for comfort and built from either alder or swamp ash, depending on finish.
- Jet Black over Alder — 3-ply parchment pickguard, maple or Caribbean rosewood fingerboard
- Blueburst over Swamp Ash — 3-ply pearl pickguard, Caribbean rosewood fingerboard
- Purpleburst over Swamp Ash — 3-ply pearl pickguard, maple fingerboard
- Left-Handed 3-Tone Sunburst over Alder — 3-ply parchment pickguard, Caribbean rosewood fingerboard
Under the hood, the ASAT Special runs on jumbo Magnetic Field Design (MFD) single-coil pickups. Their narrow, wide-but-shallow bobbin aperture puts them in the same family as a P-90 or Jazzmaster pickup, but the MFD design adds punch down low and sparkling harmonic detail up top. Pairing the pickups with Leo’s Saddle-Lock bridge — which drives string vibration directly into the body’s end grain — makes for an unusually resonant, alive-feeling instrument capable of everything from twangy country to gritty blues to warm jazz voicings.
G&L instruments are still built by hand in the original Fullerton, California facility on Fender Avenue, a location Leo Fender himself established in 1980 and one that remains the true birthplace of the bolt-on electric guitar.
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