My New G&L S500 Strat ...

[roger bayliss]

I am so glad it has turned out right for you Dave and I hope you get the all the sounds you need from it.
Me and Roger Busby are delighted with our S500... just a little different to a normal strat but the tone controls work well to shape the sounds... much better then a normal strat tone pot !

Perhaps a sound file ?

Here is the Owners manual

http://www.glguitars.com/faq/glmanual.pdf

also

http://www.guitarsbyleo.com/GALLERY2/main.php?g2_itemId=97

[dave robinson]

Thanks Roger, can't stop playing it, such a great set of tones to play with. I'll do a sound file or two when I get my head round it, also i'll do soome with the Fiorano, two entirely different instruments - I love 'em !

[roger bayliss]

Thomman had a ASAT with ash body for about £290 last night was seriously considering.... GAS !

[dave robinson]

NO MORE !

[dave robinson]

Had a long session in the studio today playing the S-500 and working out how to use the tone controls to get the Shads sounds. By backing off the tone controls, the early sound is achievable and by bringing them in again, the later sound comes to light. It's a very versatile guitar thanks to that tone circuit and the toggle switch that allows extra pickup configurations.

[roger bayliss]

It will be great playing live Dave.... if you think your sound is a bit thin or a bit to much low end .... the controls are right at hand to correct it as you perform. The tone control circuit should be easy enough to implement on a strat as well.

I find the treble and bass controls do interact as well changing the frequencies together and as you experiment you will find the sounds are all there.. Leo Fender what a genius. The PUs have a bit more output too than a strat which is usful for overdrive type of sounds like blues and vintage rock.

Wonder why they did not implement the tone controls on the ASAT models ?

[dave robinson]

Those tone controls are not on the Fiorano either, although it doesn't detract from what's available, but that tone circuit should be a part of all Strats'.
I have already figured it out and found it very useful, why it hasn't been taken up by Fender God only knows.

[roger bayliss]

Apparently the Fender TBX circuit is similar someone said but I have no experience of it. All I know is it is a Low pass and High pass filter design in the G&L which is similar to the Low / High pass filters used in EQ for studio.

[dave robinson]

Apparently the Fender TBX circuit is similar someone said but I have no experience of it. All I know is it is a Low pass and High pass filter design in the G&L which is similar to the Low / High pass filters used in EQ for studio.

I had a Clapton Strat on approval for a few days back in the nineties and that had the TBX, but it wasn't the same as the G&L at all, it was active and I found it was difficult to 'tame'. In comparison S-500 is so easy to use and it took me all of half an hour to figure out where the settings for the vintage Strat sound were. I tested it in my studio in gigging conditions (high volume) and the way I got the vintage tones were by backing off all the bass and some of the treble, I was pleasantly surprised with what was available. With the two outside pickups there was a good hint of Telecaster or Gretsch in there depending on where the tone controls were set. This will end up being my gigging guitar when I only want to take one guitar with me.

[roger bayliss]

I checked out the The TBX and the No Load Tone circuits by Fender and neither of them are like the G&L PTB design in operation. The TBX functions mainly as an ordinary tone for half of it's turn then the other half it is designed to boost output and bass so nothing like the PTB circuit and would not suit a Shads tone in my view whereas the PTB is more in keeping with the Shads sound ie bass cut and treble cut as done in the studio.