《Girl Band, Shout Out》 Inazusa Nina's Guitar Decoded: Why Choose the G&L ASAT Classic Instead of Just an Ordinary Telecaster?

Preface: Instruments in Animation Are More Than Just Props

Behind every successful music-themed animation, besides the moving plot and songs, the instruments played by the characters also play a crucial role. They are not only an extension of shaping the characters' images, but the choice of their models and brands often implies the production team's ingenuity and deep understanding of music. In the 2024 hit Girls Band Cry, although the protagonist Nina Aizawa primarily serves as the lead vocalist in the early part of the story, she is always holding a classic yet uniquely styled electric guitar in the anime's promotional posters and key visual art. What exactly is this guitar? And how does it resonate with Nina's "Mad Dog" personality?

Nina Aizawa's Choice: G&L Tribute Series ASAT Classic Butterscotch Blonde

When many viewers first see Nina Aizawa's guitar, they might intuitively think it's a classic Fender Telecaster. However, upon closer inspection of the headstock logo, one will find that it is actually from another legendary brand, G&L: the Tribute Series ASAT Classic, in the color Butterscotch Blonde.

G&L is a brand co-founded in 1980 by the "Father of the Electric Guitar," Leo Fender, after he left the company he originally founded, Fender, together with his old partner George Fullerton. It can be said that G&L inherited Leo Fender's purest design philosophy and the culmination of his later years' technical expertise. The ASAT Classic is G&L's evolved and improved version of the classic Telecaster-style guitar.

Why the G&L ASAT Classic? Its Connection to Nina

The production team's choice of the G&L ASAT Classic for Nina Aizawa, a character full of rebellious spirit unwilling to submit to conventions, is profoundly meaningful.

1. Inheriting Tradition, Yet Not Limited by It: The brand story of G&L itself carries a spirit of "breaking away from the establishment and starting anew," which aligns perfectly with Nina's background of dropping out of high school and going to Tokyo alone to pursue her own path. Although the ASAT Classic looks very similar to a Telecaster, it features numerous improvements in core components like pickups and bridges, pursuing a more modern and practical sound and playing experience.

2. Clear and Aggressive Tone: The ASAT Classic is equipped with MFD™ (Magnetic Field Design) single-coil pickups personally designed by Leo Fender. These pickups are renowned for their clear, bright, and powerful tone. Its sound can be pure and beautiful, yet can also unleash an intensely penetrating wall of sound when needed, perfectly matching Nina's dual nature of being delicate and sensitive at times, while erupting with raw screams on stage at others.

3. The Coincidence Behind the Name: Interestingly, it is said that the model name "ASAT" is an abbreviation for "Anti-Satellite Weapon." This highly aggressive connotation forms a wonderful resonance with Nina's "self-assertive," world-challenging "Mad Dog" image.

Inspiration for Guitar Beginners

In the anime's setting, although Nina is the vocalist, her image holding a guitar hints at her potential future of learning to play it. Furthermore, G&L's Tribute series itself is a product line that combines high quality with high cost-effectiveness. Its simple controls and stable performance make it very suitable for guitar beginners. The anime's choice not only enriches the character's depth but also subtly provides an excellent reference model for the many fans who want to learn guitar.

In summary, the G&L ASAT Classic in Nina Aizawa's hands is not just an instrument; it is a projection of her character's spirit. It represents both a tribute to and a transcendence of tradition, a combination of modern technology and classic aesthetics, and moreover, a "weapon" capable of emitting a voice of rebellion, perfectly aligning with the core theme of Girls Band Cry.