MusicRadar Verdict
A super-freak with Leo Fender's fingerprints on it; don't let it fade into obscurity again.
Pros
- +
A great-looking design with some clever tweaks. Comprehensive gamut of tones. Excellent value for money.
Cons
- -
Not much.
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The Tribute Fallout is based on G&L's SC-2, which was introduced in 1983 and used by the likes of Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh from New Wave kings Devo. Appropriately, it's a bit of an oddball.
"The Fallout is a weird hybrid, like a victory lap for all of G&L's best ideas"
It has the same shape as the Leo Fender-designed SC-2, which is to say it's a little like a Jazzmaster with better posture, and has a thin, contoured mahogany body, onto which the same C-shaped neck as its Tribute siblings is bolted.
With a humbucker in the bridge - again, tapped via popping the coil-tap in the treble pot - and a P-90 in the neck, the Fallout is a weird hybrid, like a victory lap for all of G&L's best ideas.
And, of course, such a guitar would not be complete without a G&L Saddle Lock bridge - a formidable piece of hardware, tightened by side-locking screws, designed to keep strings resonating and improve sustain.
There's no disputing it; the Fallout is one cool guitar. It looks cool and it sounds cool. Whether you're playing scratchy garage rock and need some angular skronk, or practising 24/7 till you master Television's Marquee Moon, the Fallout is for you.
Or maybe you're an individualist who wants a super-playable guitar that can deliver a comprehensive gamut of tones, from powerful, muscular rock through bright jangle and sparkling cleans - and who doesn't want that? Again, the Fallout is for you.
Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.
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