FACTOIDS & TRIVIA

The ASAT shown here is one of the early versions that resembles the Broadcaster and has a very rare # 5 neck. The #5 neck (25-inch radius, 1 3/4-inch nut width, and 2 21/64-inch from the 15th fret to the butt end) is usually found as an upgrade on the G&L “superstrat” models -- Rampage, Invader, Superhawk. However, it is extremely rare to find a #5 neck on an ASAT. And it wasn’t because of the cost because there was only a $25 upcharge for this neck. According to G&L researcher Gabe Dellevigne, the #5 neck was developed by Dale Hyatt to accommodate Alvino Rey, a long time friend of Hyatt and Leo Fender. Mr. Rey had very large hands and wanted a neck with a flat fingerboard that was wide not only at the nut, but all the way up the neck as well. Since G&Ls all used a standard size 2 13/64-inch neck pocket, the butt end of the neck could not be made wider without re-tooling the body routing templates. Only the fingerboard and top part of the neck was made 1/8-inch wider, not the part that fits into the neck pocket. Notice how the neck finish has darkened and how the blonde finish has aged to a butterscotch color.