A First-Rate Stratocaster in All But Name
Written: Jan 22 '07 (Updated Sep 22 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great Strat sounds and quality without the name plate
Cons: Cost. It isn't cheap.
The Bottom Line: The G&L legacy is a high-quality single-coil rock and roll machine that is a worthy addition to any rock or country picker's collection.
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| buffoonery's Full Review: G&L Legacy |
Leo Fender is the godfather of solid body electric guitars. It goes without saying that he almost single-handedly revolutionized the instrument in the early 1950’s when his California-based firm released the Esquire, Telecaster and Stratocaster guitars that (along with a few select Gibsons) would dominate the rock and roll (not too mention country) scene for decades. Leo sold his firm to CBS in the 1960’s (with, many would claim, a deleterious impact on quality) but later resurrected himself by founding G&L guitars, which he helped run until his death in 1991.
Now, I’m not going to recount the Strat story (which has been done on epinions a million times, including by yours truly), so let’s get right to the point: Under review here is what looks, tastes, feels, and sounds like a high-quality garden-variety Fender Stratocaster. Guess what: that’s what the American-made G&L Legacy is a Strat in everything but name. While it ain’t exactly identical to an American Standard or American DeLuxe Strat, the Legacy is a fabulous alternative to those guitars for players willing to pay over a grand for their machine.
The Legacy is a single-cut solid body equipped with three Alnico V single-coil pick-ups. The typically light body (candy apple red here) is alder (swamp ash on premier finishes). The 25.5” bolt-on neck is hard rock maple with a bright-sounding rosewood or maple fingerboard. The cutaway offers excellent accessibility to all 21 medium-jumbo frets. Neck radius is 12” and the neck width at the plastic nut is 1 5/8”. The bridge is a G&L Dual Fulcrum vibrato with chrome-plated brass saddles
As one might expect, the guitar plays and sounds great. The action was low and movement up and down the not-too-narrow neck sleek and fast with no fret buzzing. The pick-ups offer vintage Strat sounds using a five-position selector switch and the one volume and two tone control knobs. You’ll be able to coax the usual wide range of single-coils sounds out of this guitar and they all sound terrific. It’s a wonderful guitar for country, blues, and a wide variety of rock (soft, hard, funk, and in-between, so long as you’re not looking for metal tones). It can be very pristine if you so desire. The guitar is also light enough for comfortable performances and is an ideal practice guitar.
As you can guess, I like this guitar a lot. It screams quality. I can’t attest personally to its durability but I have to believe that it’s going to last forever. You’ll be able to bang the bejeepers out of it when carting it around and it’ll still keep on ticking.
So, the question is, who is this for, and I think the answer is straight-forward: Any professional or serious amateur will be more than pleased with the sound and playability of the Legacy. It can be a gigging or recording guitar for decades. It’s easily as good as any similar-priced Strat. For the price, it’s probably too much guitar for intermediate and below students unless they’re going to grow into a premium-priced instrument.
Final verdict: This is a five-star guitar in its price ranges and delivers value dead center in the middle of the bulls-eye. Give it a very close listen and audition the next time you are looking for a single-coil solid body.
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Recommended:
Yes
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