GEAR REVIEW - G&L TRIBUTE FALLOUT GUITAR!
I have always had a thing for guitars that carry the DNA of Leo Fender. Most people know me as a Tele player, but I am pretty comfortable on any Fender-ish design. Of course, that means I also dig G&L guitars in a big way. The newest instrument in my working collection is a new G&L Tribute Series Fallout in fabulous Fullerton Red that I am really having a blast with. The Fallout is pretty much a modern retelling of an early 80s G&L SC-2, an axe that was popular in it’s day with forward-thinking players like Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh from the band Devo and others. Rather than reissue the SC-2, G&L has turned it into the flat-out rock apparatus that is the Fallout. Fans of straight up, kick ass guitars will find much to like in this one.
The Fallout features an ultra-comfortable and light SC-style body and loads it with a P90 pickup in the neck position and a humbucker in the bridge slot. The pickups sound great and give instant access to the two basic guitar tones that we all need to live. One volume, one tone, and a three-way switch complete the electronics. Nice and simple. The neck is a 25.5-inch scale number with a nice C-ish carve and medium-jumbo frets. All the aspects of the guitar work together well, and it is the kind of instrument that instantly becomes your new best friend. The Fallout is a tremendous choice for anyone playing blues, blues/rock, garage, indie, or anything besides shred, as it doesn’t really have the features that shredders typically go in for. For the rest of us, however, the Fallout is a really good idea and I have found it to be an inspiring guitar to have around. It’s super light, sounds better than it should for what it costs ($399 street), and looks cool doing it. I think it has a kind of 1960s Japanese guitar sort of vibe, but with modern tones and playability. There is an American-made version of the Fallout available, but I wonder how much better it is in the big picture than the imported Tribute model. For me, the Tribute Fallout hits it out of the park in terms of sound, quality, bang for the buck, and just plain fun. If you are looking for something different that still packs a familiar punch, you could do a lot worse than taking a Tribute Fallout for a test drive.
Here are a couple videos I have done with the Fallout, as well as the spec sheet on it. Anyone else becoming a fan of these things? I think I want another one…That’s just the sickness talking.
- CONSTRUCTION: bolt-on
- SCALE: 25 1/2"
- PICKUPS: G&L AP4285B P-90 in neck position and G&L AW4470B humbucker in bridge positon
- BODY WOOD: Mahogany
- NECK WOOD: Hard-Rock Maple with Rosewood fingerboard
- NECK WIDTH AT NUT: 1 5/8"
- NECK RADIUS: 12"
- NECK PROFILE: medium C
- FRETS: 22 medium jumbo, nickel
- TUNING KEYS: 18:1 ratio, sealed-back
- BRIDGE: G&L Saddle Lock™
- CONTROLS: 3-position pickup selector, volume, tone with push/pull coil tap