Some of this info may have been shared on this forum already, or is available with a Google search. My local music store owner was sharing his understanding of what Fender Co. did after acquiring G&L, as well as what stores currently need to agree to when being a Fender dealer. It's crazy. This info came from a former rep. he worked with (they have to sign NDAs after leaving the company). I can safely say I will not buy a new Fender product, probably used as well, for as long as this company continues to be a typical corporate actor. Im not mad, just shake my head at how they operate. For example, Fender literally destroyed old, original Fender machinery in the Fullerton factory for insurance reasons as they wanted to buy all Leo Fender imagery. Also destroyed his old office that had not been really touched since Leo was last there. It was treated as a museum of sorts. He said someone he knew dumpster dived (dove?) outside the factory and found all sorts of original photos with Leo and musicians and a lot of old pickups. There were other comments he made but the egregious desecration of music history is screwed up. Apparently G&L leadership believed none of this would happen when selling but Fender lawyers, as lawyers will do, hid the true intentions in the fine print to eliminate and destroy the company in every way. Crazy.
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Details about Fender destroying G&L
- Thread starter mr80htz
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The private equity mindset is incredible: buy a company built on history, destroy the history, then charge more because of the history. Fender treating Leo Fender’s office like an unnecessary expense is about as on-brand as it gets.
Since my most recent Fenders are from the 1970s I doubt I will be contributing to the sacrilege by buying any more.
So they were supposed to keep a building and equipment they didn't need In a nondescript office park as a shrine to Leo Fender? Also, I'm sure this third hand information is totally accurate.
Fender didn't kill G&L, G&L killed G&L. Of course the only wanted the IP from G&L. They already make a similar product. And sure, it would be great to save his office, but it's in a building that wasn't being used. Would you pay that rent for the full building to keep an office?
They say each side has its own story and the truth is somewhere in the middle. However, the middle is bad enough to not want to support the Fender corporate machine. ANY amount of disrespect to the lineage of a name and history they use for profit is unscrupulous.
There are way too many FSO's on the market with better fit and finish than the equal offering from Fender to waste money in support of an empty name with little respect for its own history.
There are way too many FSO's on the market with better fit and finish than the equal offering from Fender to waste money in support of an empty name with little respect for its own history.
I am not surprised by this one iota. Dealers who stocked G&L products were not allowed to carry Fender products. If they wanted to be a Fender retailer, they were required to sign an agreement to never stock any G&L products, neither as a retailer nor selling used trade ins. I saw several TB'ers post about hoping Fender, with it's G&L acquisition, would somehow cherish the legacy and history of the company, especially it's lineage to Leo Fender. I knew deep down in my heart that Fender acquired G&L for one reason, to chloroform the history, legacy, and eradicate the name of G&L.
In the used and vintage market, don't be surprised if G&L Basses and Guitars wind up commanding higher dollar values than used Fenders. The driving force of the vintage market is low production numbers. In 20 years, there will be a whole lot less 2001 G&L LB-100 basses in the world than there will be 2001 Fender American Standard Precision basses. The sheer lack of numbers will drive the vintage market for G&Ls through the roof. I don't think that matters to Fender Corporate or their legal team. However, it matters to us, the consumers, who's money is the reason for their existence.
In the used and vintage market, don't be surprised if G&L Basses and Guitars wind up commanding higher dollar values than used Fenders. The driving force of the vintage market is low production numbers. In 20 years, there will be a whole lot less 2001 G&L LB-100 basses in the world than there will be 2001 Fender American Standard Precision basses. The sheer lack of numbers will drive the vintage market for G&Ls through the roof. I don't think that matters to Fender Corporate or their legal team. However, it matters to us, the consumers, who's money is the reason for their existence.
That sums it up for me nicely, without needing the context of the handling of G&L. That kind of business thing is more common than many know. I have a couple great G&L, and would likely have bought again on a whim at some point. But Fender was never going to be a contender for my money, given the large number of companies doing the same thing better, and often for lower price.
There is a guy Eric B. Who runs the FB Punk Rock Bass players page. He was able to snag some G&L stuff as well from dumpster diving. It’s really sad and telling why Fender has done.
Yeah, Fender didn't do anything bad here.
There was no outcome here where Leo's old office gets preserved. It's not like the landlord or other aggrieved G&L creditors were going to turn the office into a museum.
I also don't buy the claim that the G&L guys didn't know what was happening. This sounds to me like the G&L guys trying to save face to paint Fender as the bad guy to cover up the fact their misfortune and missteps are the only reason that office was demolished.
I don't think so unfortunately. No one really cares about G&L that much. You can still get a mint condition 1980 G&L for like $1500 bucks, and they are already rare.
And this is exactly why these things happen. Its the same attitude as protected natural landscapes that hold aesthetic and cultural value to some but others think it aint worth a thing as it doesn't make money. therefore it's value is worthless.
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I'm not a Fender guy at all, but even I can see the worth and merit of retaining all of the old photos and memorabilia for promotions etc. A display say at NAMM in a separate section would have been a big draw I'm sure. Hell selling some of the images on T shirts could have offset a good chunk of NAMM costs because of all the fans out there.
I appreciate and respect Leo's legacy and engineering nouse and Id probably have bought one for that reason alone.
This is sad and dumb.
I appreciate and respect Leo's legacy and engineering nouse and Id probably have bought one for that reason alone.
This is sad and dumb.
I don't care about G&L instruments personally. Its the attitude about music history and its percieved lack of economic value and running cost makes it disposable to a multi billion dollar, privatly shared company. For me, a more appropriate move would be to show the materials at a head office for others to see, and if possible, use the machines that were still functional. Fender does use OG equipment to make guitar bridges. Obviously I dont know if this is possible...but I smell private liquidation players in the chat 
Wait, Fender buys a company only to completely burn it down and absorb the IP? They've NEVER done that! Especially not with the amp brands!
I've been on the anti-Fender train for a while, but this just reinforces that.
I've been on the anti-Fender train for a while, but this just reinforces that.
You're just smelling realists. Fender didn't buy the G&L building or take over the G&L lease because they don't need it. Fender doesn't need another building. Doing so just to preserve an office no one visits doesn't make a lot of sense.I don't care about G&L instruments personally. Its the attitude about music history and its percieved lack of economic value and running cost makes it disposable to a multi billion dollar, privatly shared company. For me, a more appropriate move would be to show the materials at a head office for others to see, and if possible, use the machines that were still functional. Fender does use OG equipment to make guitar bridges. Obviously I dont know if this is possible...but I smell private liquidation players in the chat
What do you think Fender was supposed to do here?
Yeah, I don't know, man. I can believe that Fender would have trashed a lot of stuff in cleaning the place out, but I do struggle to believe that old, functional equipment, prototypes, and many of Leo Fender's personal effects were unceremoniously dumpstered.
Smooth_bass88
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- Oct 31, 2006
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