The Legacy’s vintage-spec CLF-100 Alnico V pickups have that unmistakable chime and quack reminiscent of the best examples from the late ‘50s, thanks to the work of Paul Gagon, G&L VP Engineering. Gagon found his inspiration reviewing original prints stored in Leo’s private laboratory at G&L, but that was just the start. About 30 years ago, Gagon was an R&D engineer at another company when he was tasked with finding out what was so special about the early bolt-on guitars many players raved about. Gagon tirelessly analyzed many examples of what were considered holy grail guitars, spending time out on the shop floor talking to builders still working in the pickup department since the ‘50s, all on a quest to discover where the real mojo was – and wasn’t. What he learned from the builders matched his own engineering analysis. You see, back in the day, the actual spec of pickups coming that down that old production line varied considerably. That meant coming up with the right specs for the Legacy pickups was more challenging than simply following the prints. Gagon’s persistence paid off as the Legacy garnered rave reviews from both players and magazines like Guitar Player and Guitar World.
This axe is no slave to the past, however, starting with Leo’s PTB™ (Passive Treble and Bass) system which functions on all three pickups for dramatically more variety than the vintage setup. What’s more, the Legacy features a Leo Fender-designed Dual-Fulcrum vibrato, a work of engineering art which allows bending up or down with unsurpassed stability, while offering a silky feel through its beefy aluminum vibrato arm. The Legacy’s hard-rock maple neck features an easy-playing satin finish, comfortable 9 1/2" radius and Jescar 57110 medium-jumbo nickel-silver frets for silky playability. The moment you open the luxurious hardshell case, you’ll be greeted with a stunning instrument and delicious aroma that’ll have your pulse racing.