This USA custom ordered Comanche features:  • Old School Tobacco finish on Alder, 8.4 pounds
  • G&L Classic C, 9.5" radius maple neck, 1-5/8" nut width
  • Satin vintage tint finish with rosewood fingerboard
  • Medium jumbo frets
  • G&L split and drilled tuners
  • 1-ply white pickguard
  • (3) G&L MFD Z-coil noiseless pickups
  • White pickup covers
  • G&L DF Vibrato bridge
  • Volume, passive treble and bass controls
  • 5-way pickup selector
  • Mini-toggle for seven total pickup combinations
  • Plek® laser guided fret finishing
  • Deluxe tolex hardshell case
  • List price: $2429While the G&L Comanche and Legacy share the same body, sonically they are very different in personality and nature. The Z-coil design uses G&L's patented magnetic field design construction utilizing a low resistance coil with a ceramic bar magnet underneath. That may sound like a P-90 -- sort of -- but they don't sound like a P-90 at all. The low resistance/inductance coil provides very broad frequency response but also very good output. The Z-Coil pickup is actually two MFD coils wound in series -- like a Humbucker -- for totally noiseless operation. The side-by-side construction also gives them Humbucker-like output but with enhanced clarity and dynamic range. It's a very "Hi-Fi" sound with a broad, even frequency response that is very open and sensitive to playing style.The neck position is powerful and full bodied with a strong midrange presence. Its tonality is somewhat similar to a clean humbucker but with better note definition and attack. It does not have the scooped mids of a traditional Legacy neck pickup, but we urge you to experiment to the wide range of shadings available with G&L's passive bass and treble controls. There's a lot a great sounds to be mined, and the most interesting tones are not necessarily with all the controls full up.The middle pickup is bold and "stringy" and sounds very much like a traditional middle pickup, but stronger and with more presence. It's got a lot of bounce, and slightly metallic piano-like lows. And the bridge pickup has a solid attack and plenty of sparkle, but enough roundness on the high end to avoid that icy, edgy tone that Strats are notorious for. It's bright but not thin, as the Z-coils have good response at both ends of the frequency spectrum. As with a neck pickup, we like the guitar volume around 8 and treble knob rolled off a little too.Thanks to the strong output of these pickups, the in-between sounds are especially punchy and robust. If you're type of player that loves the neck + middle and middle + bridge settings, this is the Comanche's sweet spot. Plenty of characteristic "out of phase" tone but with great shimmer, clarity and spaciousness. In addition, the mini-toggle switch also allows selection of neck+bridge for tones that are squarely in Tele territory, but with Comanche clarity and fidelity. You can also select all three pickups, which provides a slightly smoother warmer rendition of the neck + bridge.The Comanche also makes a really good "pedal" guitar. The strong midrange content, balanced frequency response and noiseless operation is great for driving distortion, and modulation type effects with plenty of punch and no added hiss.This guitar features G&L's Classic C neck with a slightly rounder 9.5" radius. This is the more generous taper that was standard on G&L's from the early 2000's to summer 2015. We think chunkier necks tend to sound good, and while the new Modern Classic neck has proven to be very popular, we have a soft spot for the old "#1C" neck. Rounding it all out is G&L's Dual Fulcrum vibrato which instead of wood screws, pivots on two hardened steel posts which allows for both upward and downward bending. Even if you are not a big vibrato player, the stability of the DF vibrato is never a liability.Guitar players are notoriously conservative about messing with traditional designs, but the Comanche offers a unique and flexible take on the S-type format. It's a powerful and dynamic instrument that can sound a little 335-ish, belt out righteous crunch tones, and still quack and cluck like a vintage instrument. If you dig the shape and feel of a Legacy style guitar but desire a wider range of tones and greater presence, the Comanche is just the ticket.