Don Randall
By Linn Spencer
Don Randall was Leo Fender’s close friend and business partner from the very beginning. When F.M.I.C. initiated a Fender Hall of Fame at its Scottsdale, Arizona headquarters, Don Randall was among the inaugural inductees: Leo Fender; Don Randall, Freddie Tavares, Forrest White, Charlie Hayes, and Bill Schultz. Held on what would have been Leo’s 98th birthday. Don Randall at 89 was the only living inductee. His plaque reads in part: “While Leo focused on instrument designs, Don handled the business with unrivaled acumen. As a music industry marketing genius, Don Randall had no equal. He pioneered the concept of a full product line … and designed or supervised the creation of Fender’s ads and brochures. Randall’s memorable Fender literature helped change the way the public views the making of music.”
Born Donald Dean Randall on October 30th, 1917 in Kendrick, Ohio, the Randall family moved to California when he was 10. In high school he developed a keen interest in radio and electronics. He was a licensed ham radio operator at age 16 call sign W6KQD. He also built an audio amplifier and speakers that he would take to dances and parties.
Don secured a position as a part time salesman for Howard Taylor’s Radio Supply calling on various other stores to sell parts. This is how he met Leo Fender at Fender Radio Service. Randall was very obviously ambitious and ended up owning Taylor’s Radio Supply.
World War Two arrived changing the world forever and ending the lives of tens of millions. Don Randall was drafted, and He sold out his inventory of radio parts and shut down his business. Randall would end up in the U.S. Army Signal Corps and then into the Army Air Corps in communications. He became chief of communications in the pre-flight school in California! He was finally discharged as a Staff Sargent. This really speaks directly to competency of the man. You don’t just get drafted and end up in what is a ‘cushy’ stateside job as Chief of Communications in a pre-flight school if you aren’t abundantly knowledgeable and affable. To be promoted five times during your first hitch to the rank of Staff Sargent in a non-combat stateside role is even more astounding. In fact it’s the only time I have ever heard of this happening.
F.C. Hall would write a letter that successfully secured Randall’s early discharge towards the end of 1945. Randall would go to work as the manager of Hall’s ‘Radio-Tel’ business, and would bring in Leo Fenders line of steel guitars and amplifiers. The business relationship between Hall and Fender is beyond the scope of this article, but Hall and Fender would later have a serious falling out and part ways.
In 1953 Fender and Randall would strike a deal that would change the music industry forever. Randall formed Fender Sales and was the exclusive worldwide distributor of all things Fender until Fender was sold to C.B.S. in 1965.
Don Randall was a handsome man with a warm and friendly demeanor. He had integrity by the box car load. His word was his bond. His handshake was the deal. He could be counted upon to keep his word. He was a success going somewhere to succeed. He surrounded himself with a cadre of like-minded men of superior ability and proceeded to build a distributorship network of Authorized Fender Dealers that the music industry had never seen before and still stands to this day.
Randall was an avid aviator and flew himself all over the country to wherever he needed to be. He was also a golfer and plenty of deals were made on the golf course.
Don was ultra-creative too. He named all of Fender’s guitars and amps with the lone exception of the Precision electric bass guitar. That was Leo’s idea. Randall came up with the advertising campaigns and slogans. He hired the artists and photographers and designed the catalogs and brochures.
Don Randall didn’t let any of his early interest in electronics or Army training go to waste. He has been called “an astute electronics engineer”. Where Leo had no formal training whatsoever, Don did. There is a very telling interview with Tom Wheeler on pages 221-225 in ‘The Soul of Tone’. It’s too much to quote here, but Don tells of designing electronic circuitry for the early Fender amplifiers as well as cabinet design and ‘the look’ of the product. “I had lots of knock-down, drag outs with Leo on design. And he was pretty hard headed …” - Don Randall.
Don Randall also bought out V.C. Squier string co. for his half of Fender, Fender Sales. I doubt that Leo even knew about it. Forrest White surely didn’t.
Don made the deal to sell Fender to C.B.S. in December of 1964. Leo didn’t attend the contract signing. Don deposited Leo’s check for him. Randall became the Vice President in charge of C.B.S.’s new musical instrument division until he resigned in 1970, and later started his own Randall Amplifier company which he later sold.
Don Randall died at the age of 91 on December 23rd, 2008.
By Linn Spencer
Don Randall was Leo Fender’s close friend and business partner from the very beginning. When F.M.I.C. initiated a Fender Hall of Fame at its Scottsdale, Arizona headquarters, Don Randall was among the inaugural inductees: Leo Fender; Don Randall, Freddie Tavares, Forrest White, Charlie Hayes, and Bill Schultz. Held on what would have been Leo’s 98th birthday. Don Randall at 89 was the only living inductee. His plaque reads in part: “While Leo focused on instrument designs, Don handled the business with unrivaled acumen. As a music industry marketing genius, Don Randall had no equal. He pioneered the concept of a full product line … and designed or supervised the creation of Fender’s ads and brochures. Randall’s memorable Fender literature helped change the way the public views the making of music.”
Born Donald Dean Randall on October 30th, 1917 in Kendrick, Ohio, the Randall family moved to California when he was 10. In high school he developed a keen interest in radio and electronics. He was a licensed ham radio operator at age 16 call sign W6KQD. He also built an audio amplifier and speakers that he would take to dances and parties.
Don secured a position as a part time salesman for Howard Taylor’s Radio Supply calling on various other stores to sell parts. This is how he met Leo Fender at Fender Radio Service. Randall was very obviously ambitious and ended up owning Taylor’s Radio Supply.
World War Two arrived changing the world forever and ending the lives of tens of millions. Don Randall was drafted, and He sold out his inventory of radio parts and shut down his business. Randall would end up in the U.S. Army Signal Corps and then into the Army Air Corps in communications. He became chief of communications in the pre-flight school in California! He was finally discharged as a Staff Sargent. This really speaks directly to competency of the man. You don’t just get drafted and end up in what is a ‘cushy’ stateside job as Chief of Communications in a pre-flight school if you aren’t abundantly knowledgeable and affable. To be promoted five times during your first hitch to the rank of Staff Sargent in a non-combat stateside role is even more astounding. In fact it’s the only time I have ever heard of this happening.
F.C. Hall would write a letter that successfully secured Randall’s early discharge towards the end of 1945. Randall would go to work as the manager of Hall’s ‘Radio-Tel’ business, and would bring in Leo Fenders line of steel guitars and amplifiers. The business relationship between Hall and Fender is beyond the scope of this article, but Hall and Fender would later have a serious falling out and part ways.
In 1953 Fender and Randall would strike a deal that would change the music industry forever. Randall formed Fender Sales and was the exclusive worldwide distributor of all things Fender until Fender was sold to C.B.S. in 1965.
Don Randall was a handsome man with a warm and friendly demeanor. He had integrity by the box car load. His word was his bond. His handshake was the deal. He could be counted upon to keep his word. He was a success going somewhere to succeed. He surrounded himself with a cadre of like-minded men of superior ability and proceeded to build a distributorship network of Authorized Fender Dealers that the music industry had never seen before and still stands to this day.
Randall was an avid aviator and flew himself all over the country to wherever he needed to be. He was also a golfer and plenty of deals were made on the golf course.
Don was ultra-creative too. He named all of Fender’s guitars and amps with the lone exception of the Precision electric bass guitar. That was Leo’s idea. Randall came up with the advertising campaigns and slogans. He hired the artists and photographers and designed the catalogs and brochures.
Don Randall didn’t let any of his early interest in electronics or Army training go to waste. He has been called “an astute electronics engineer”. Where Leo had no formal training whatsoever, Don did. There is a very telling interview with Tom Wheeler on pages 221-225 in ‘The Soul of Tone’. It’s too much to quote here, but Don tells of designing electronic circuitry for the early Fender amplifiers as well as cabinet design and ‘the look’ of the product. “I had lots of knock-down, drag outs with Leo on design. And he was pretty hard headed …” - Don Randall.
Don Randall also bought out V.C. Squier string co. for his half of Fender, Fender Sales. I doubt that Leo even knew about it. Forrest White surely didn’t.
Don made the deal to sell Fender to C.B.S. in December of 1964. Leo didn’t attend the contract signing. Don deposited Leo’s check for him. Randall became the Vice President in charge of C.B.S.’s new musical instrument division until he resigned in 1970, and later started his own Randall Amplifier company which he later sold.
Don Randall died at the age of 91 on December 23rd, 2008.
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