G&L Guitars Shuts Down: A Final Chapter in Leo Fender’s Legacy
Another chapter in Leo Fender’s legacy is coming to a close. G&L Musical Instruments, which was founded by Fender and George Fullerton in 1980, has closed its doors.
News of the closure has been circulating on the internet for the past month, but no official statement has been issued. Attempts to reach the company were unsuccessful, as emails went unanswered and their voicemail was full. The Orange County Register has confirmed the company’s dissolution.
“According to the California Secretary of State’s online business search tool, BBE, which was the parent company of G&L, terminated its corporate status with the state on Tuesday, Oct. 28,” the website states. “As well, the fact that loads of the company’s parts and materials have been tossed into dumpsters throughout October only adds to the circumstantial confirmation that G&L, this last direct connection to Leo Fender‘s instrumental genius, has gone dark.”
Eric Bootow of the Facebook group Punk Rock Bass Players corroborated the news by documenting his visits to the G&L factory and its dumpsters.
Leo Fender is best known for his namesake guitar company, but after he sold it to CBS in 1966, he began a consulting firm called CLF Research that supported the brand until 1970. He also developed instruments for Music Man before launching G&L in 1980. G&L instruments featured a variety of innovations, including the Magnetic Field Design (MFD) pickup, the Saddle-Lock bridge, and more. Their body shapes borrowed from Fender’s original designs with popular bass models including the JB, L-Series, SB-2, ASAT Bass, and LB-100.
Upon Fender’s death in 1991, his wife Phyllis Fender transferred the management of G&L to John McLaren of BBE Sound. Fullerton stayed on as a permanent consultant until his death in 2009, and Phyllis was an honorary chairperson until her death in 2020.
You can hear more about the company’s history from Dave McLaren:
There have been rumors online that the G&L brand (including Leo Fender’s likeness) has been purchased by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC). That, again, has not been publicly announced, but product designer Michael DiMattio shared a video that may shed light on the situation. He settled some open invoices with BBE and G&L for a reduced amount, and when he received a check, it was written by FMIC.
We’ll share more details as they become available.
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
Please Ernie Ball, buy the G&L brand and continue making them as a small “Tribute to Leo” sub-brand.
As we get older we loose more legends ,one at a time
So sad. I was ready to reacquire a G&L model o had previously owned. Love G & L guitars.
So sad. I was ready to reacquire a G&L model o had previously owned. Love G & L guitars.
It is sad to say goodbye to an old friend. You always hope to run into them in the future , sometimes it happens ,but sometimes time they just become a memory. Let’s hope someone can resorec them in the future .
I owned an ASAT CLASSIC. PLAYED GREAT, SOUNDED GOOD,BUT.the headstock was a deal breaker.it is hideous. Ugly guitars can be cool but this headstock just sunk them.I honestly believe it.plus after market parts are non-existent. Pick gaurds,pick-ups,knobs,switch knobs. At least i couldn’t find them.Didn’t Fender buy them?Full circle right.
I’ve been playing my ’81 G&L SB 2 since ’95 and have always wanted an L 2500 to complement it. A new one is apparently out of the question…sad to see George and Leo’s final project wilt and die…