The G&L Tribute S-500 represents the enduring legacy of Leo Fender, who stands as arguably the most important figure in the development and evolution of the electric guitar. This beautifully crafted, streamlined electric touches on all the earmarks that Leo worked tirelessly to establish as a master luthier: fine materials, player-friendly design, and awesome sound. The S-500 features a lightweight, resonant sassafras body with a light gloss finish that lets the body color really pop for a stage-ready look. A gorgeous hard maple fretboard offers impeccable playability and response, and a trio of Magnetic Field Design (MFD) single-coil pickups delivers classic single-coil punch and sparkle.

Innovative bridge and tremolo

The S-500 debuted in 1982 and Leo Fender spearheaded its design and the fine-tuning that went into it. One of the highlight improvements of the S-500 is the Dual-Fulcrum vibrato, a feature Leo was especially proud of. This awesome vibrato features two pivot points instead of the six wood screws of some classic tremolos, providing for a silky-smooth response when bending notes up or down. This incredible vibrato is supported by a hardened steel bridge plate that pivots on bolts set into large brass inserts anchored into the body. The result is not only a stellar vibrato action, but also rock-solid tuning.

PTB tone system: tone knobs you'll love

The more we play with G&L's PTB tone system, the more we realize how useful it is to have a low-cut control on an electric guitar. The PTB tone system essentially includes one traditional tone knob to roll off high frequencies, and another tone knob to roll off low frequencies. The bass roll-off is especially useful in high gain applications like fuzz pedals, tightening up low-end punch and keeping your tone from getting too muddy. It's also a great way to add guitar overdubs to a mix without adding too much low-mid frequency content.

Specifications

• Beautifully designed electric from a legend in guitars
• Lightweight, resonant sassafras body with a light gloss finish that lets the body color really pop
• Hard maple fretboard offers impeccable playability and response
• Trio of Magnetic Field Design (MFD) single-coil pickups delivers classic single-coil punch and sparkle
• Dual-Fulcrum vibrato supports stellar vibrato along with rock-solid tuning
• 2 Tone controls, Master Volume, 3-way switch, and a push-pull expander switch for a wide array of tone-shaping options