In-Depth Look at the G&L Comanche | G&L Guitars 

I love that the guy who gave us the Telecaster, Jazzmaster, and the Strat has solved their biggest problem, and nobody can be bothered to use his solution, "cause it looks weird!

Great video. I have been playing G&Ls exclusively on stage since 81. I now have over 20 including a Comanche and a Z-3. Out of my 8 Legacies my 95 is the one that is on stage everytime. The others are jealous. I purchased that legacy and my 95 ASAT new. I was the original owner of Fat Freddy's in Minnesota and those guitars were part of our first order.

Dave is an excellent spokesperson for Leo's guitar designs...you can tell he is passionate about the company and I admire that!

Wish I had the money. Love this guitar. The espada is also pretty incredible.

Seeing those Z-coils has me wondering why Leo didn't try that on a guitar back in the 60s. It's the same design as is used on the P-bass, just with more pole pieces. Having said that, the Comanche is a gorgeous sounding guitar. I've heard people describe it as the final form of the Strat and I can see it. It's the last stop of two men their journey into perfecting the instrument they designed.

I had the opportunity of playing this guitar in a music store just a few days ago! And i totally agreed when the staff said “Everybody hates a G&L until they tried one. Super amazing guitar!

Thanks for the video. A couple of years ago I traded a Fender Deluxe Nashville Tele for a G&L Comanche Tribute. It quickly became my #1 over my USA made PRS, my Strats and others that I own. I had been on the hunt for a reasonably priced used American Comanche ever since and a few months ago I found an '01 in incredible condition. It's my #1 and will remain so.

Fantastic video. I have been lucky enough to have owned 2 Comanches over the years. A tribute with a beautiful Blue Aquaburst and later an authentic 2005 C.L.F. Research Comanche with all of the innovations and engineering excellence that designation is known for. The first time I picked up and played a Comanche I could feel and hear the quality of the guitar. An experience that I seldom had before with a solid body design.

Woah. 🤯 This is so cool. Can’t wait to play one someday day!

G&L built a Legacy Special back ~1997. It’s is such a playable and great sounding guitar. When people play it they all love it. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Beautiful and well done. 👍

I love how G&L is doing a good amount of marketing lately. Everyone needs to know about G&L let alone give one a play. My Tribute S-500 is my favorite guitar i own. Hopefully i can save up and get an American made G&L someday. The MFD pickups are amazing. It has so much clarity and the adjustable pole height is fun to mess around with. I would love to try a Comanche too, and i really want to trade my Player Series Tele for an ASAT. Love G&L

Great video! I got myself a Superhawk from 1984 shipped from a store in Seattle to Germany where I live. I still adore this guitar, so I am so happy to see you guys being more present on the market! Please, keep on with it!

I've always loved G&L, but when they came out with the Commanche in '89 I was blown away. I'd never seen pickups like the Z coils. When I tried the Commanche, the pickups were a revelation. They had the best of both worlds. Not only was the Commanche versatile, but in a very useful way. I've seen a lot of fancy electronics that just didn't work for me. The Commanche, like all the G&Ls I've tried, made sense in the real world. It could get lean and mean then be glassy and clean. It produces tones that are at once familiar and classic but also unlike anything I've ever heard before.

Thia is going to be my next guitar, I want the Commanche Studio, I think that guitar is amazing!

Congratulations - a great achievement.

Thank you for explaining the guitar.

Love this!!! Can't wait for more! :)

Just received my Comanche USA from G&L directly....just amazing, no words describe the playability, just wow.

GOOD, TELL THE STORIES OF THE INSTRUMENTS, YES!!! KEEP IT UP! NOW I know why the Comanche is unique. KEEP IT UP WITH THESE GREAT VIDEOS!

Bought a new Commanche a little over 4 years ago. Awesome guitar with it's own unique voice. Prior to that, I had purchased a (used) G&L ASAT Bluesboy. I have several other Tele variations but the ASAT just has that something that makes you want to play it. Would love to add an Espada some day. Thanks for the vid!

Sweet thanks for the cool video

Nice!❤

Fascinating, you should be very proud. 🫶

I would love one of these, everything about it the looks the sound.

Im a huge G&l fan!! Great video!! Thank you!

Nice video - job well done! I've got 33 guitars in my 53 year collection. My front four prized and most sacred are a BluesBoy, two ASAT Classics (one is custom ordered one of a kind), and a Comanche Studio VI which takes the original Comanche design to the next dimension altogether. I'll admit I do own plenty other brands too, and those are much more expensive, but the feel, tone, and intensity of the G&Ls are far above. I myself have carried the exact Leo theory presented by Dave McLaren in this video for years, because I too believe Leo's best imagineering peeked in his final years of design and production. I am a bit worried about G&L since last being sold, however, if they can continue to concentrate on quality American ingenuity combined with this level of marketing, I have faith the end product provided will continue to grow as a leader in fine made instruments, which increase in value, and hold the standard for "best in class" in the industry. Very impressive, Dave!

🔥🔥🔥

This will be my next guitar. Such a brilliant design.

The way Leo tested pickup placement is pretty cool! I wonder why he never tried to make a model with a movable pickup?

Really need one of these❤

Really great video! We want more, specifically the Doheny

I did not know G&L Guitars... Since I watched the video on RU-vid from Rich. Words. Music. That was very interesting and now I know more about Leo Fender and he's work. Now I'm also interested to try some guitars from G&L here in Germany, but this isn't so easy, especially if you want to play a Comanche, because it's not a "Stratocaster" or a "Telecaster"... But at least a could find a dealer that has one. It's important for me that I can hold a guitar in my hands before I buy it. In the past I wasn't a big fan of a Stratocaster, because my first one was a very bad copy and it sounds really not good. That is long time ago, I was 17, now I will be 60 years this year... I bought my first real Stratocaster 2019, because a friend took me on a guitar shop tour through Hamburg and I was really impressed and surprised by the sounds of a Stratocaster professional and one month later I bought one. A bit later Fender came around with the new professional II with some changes and that was the point where I started to have a closer look into the guitar, the materials and the quality. I was not happy with the two point tremolo system and the quality in detail and then I started to make my own tremolo system which based on the original two point tremolo system, but I used different materials and made my own designs. I use titanium, bronze and steel, bigger tremolo block, different springs, different spring claw, an additional resonance block which is connected to the body, new saddles, new plate...everything new. The last parts will be finished in March and then I will complete my prototypes... The video about Leo Fenders work in G&L was really inspiring and I still have so many crazy ideas. Next month a friend and I will making another guitar shop tour and we will play some G&L guitars and that will be great. But at least two questions: 1. Do you will produce baritone guitars? I love to play baritone guitars. 2. Do you will produce 7 string guitars? Also a combination like 7 string baritone...? 😊

Welcome to the guitar community

Would be neat to see a Legacy with Humbucker bridge and Z-Coil neck, no middle, that way you get your hard rock bridge, and bluesy twang neck, could do an ASAT too

Great video Dave 👍🏻

I wish G&L would break with tradition and make just one model with the control knobs and selector switch moved out of the way of the strumming hand. I know Leo used to listen to musicians for design suggestions. You might want to do that again.

Wish you all would manufacture some mirrored pickups one year to enable a lefty run. I’ve always loved the look and sound of these.

the Z coil is basically Leo's last word on hum cancelling pickups.. why isn't it in more models? That the Comanche is the only model that uses it out of all the guitars on the market seems to be quite a waste of his design I think

I’ve really been interested in trying a Comanche, but it’s hard to find any near me!

My music room has 6 G&L s on stands .. 2 usa and 4 tributes .. I'm digging my Doheny Tribute at this time .. I'm told the Tributes have same USA pickups in them ... Nevertheless, l truely enjoy them all .. 😊😊😊😊 l own a couple USA PRS s etc, but they're in their cases .. 😢

had a 75 p-bass natural. 👍👍👍👍.

Good stuff....and the kind of vids that G&L should have been making 10+ years ago ; ) When you guys make a video for the SB-2 please highlight the ergonomics just as much as the sounds....the one massive element that's usually overlooked whenever this bass is mentioned. I can only assume somebody spent a lot of time and energy on the physical design of the SB-2 and it being largely perceived as yet another P/J is such a shame.

Id like to try that out. Doubt if our guitar center has any ...pewt

is that a 78 Datsun B210 parked out front

This is good I like this yup

This is a great little film, although I think some artist-centered segments (interview/playing) would elevate these in the future. What do Leo’s innovations make possible for players? I always love hearing Dave talk about the instruments, but I feel that that would complete the narrative.

Great Video !! I have a 2014 G&L Comanche, Gold Sparkle, Stainless Steel Frets, Plek Neck Custom job made in Fullerton. Has there been upgrades or anything I might add to it ? I really like it: has an easy to play fast neck for Surf, Rockabilly, etc. Originally went into Stevie B’s Total Guitars, Clearwater, FL to buy a Gretsch White Penquin, but I thought the Comanche sounded better, so we came up with some ideas and G&L built it.

😊

G & L is looking better, because sadly Fender went too corporate.... the only thing that G & L has, is 🇺🇸 guitars are made to order; so the local music shop in my area, stopped carrying G & L guitars ‼️

Aren't Z-coils the same principle the P-Bass pick-up uses, adapted to a six-string?

I need one

@GL_Guitars I'd love to get a left handed one (Although I know they aren't offered because it's an expense to get left handed Z coil bobbins and covers made and the world isn't waiting for Lefty Comanche's.)

Why do the tributes sound so much different ? Are the volume pot values the same ?

Hi G&L team! Desperately looking for unsold charcoal or tobacco burst burl comanche leftover guitars I could purchase in the EU - but impossible to find! Do you have any stocks left ?

Am I right in thinking that the design of the Comanche pickups make a left-handed version impossible?

Hey G&L! Great video. I just had a question about the design of the pickups. Can i get close to the non-slanted slanted pickup design by slanting the normal pickup on a strat? Thank you

Technically it’s a p90?

What is that blue!?

Do you guys do LEFT HANDED guitars build to order? Would like to order one your website doesn't say!

For whatever reason in the 35 years I've played guitar, every G&L I played was made with waterlogged wood. Weighed like 1000 lbs. Had fret sprout that felt like my grandmother's pin cushion. So no, I never noticed the pickups🙄.

Are there any other differences between this guitar and S500 other than the pickups?

I've never tried one. Do you round the fretboard edges? That would be my preference. Thanks.

This will be my next purchase...and maybe my last.

If the pickup works great on the p bass why not on a guitar.

What is Fenders MFD?

Availability is the biggest problem for G&L.

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Need a lefty version

Mine got stolen