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G&L. Wouldn't you love...
- Thread starter bdplaid
- Start date
No, I would not love that. It is not their strong suit and Sweetwater has been owned by an equity firm since 2021. I would not expect their owner to run it any different than any other private equity firm might (other than possibly funneling exclusive instruments through Sweetwater).
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What would that accomplish? Sweetwater is a retailer / distributor. Building instruments is not their thing. Fender might buy them to bring Leo's stuff back under one roof but beyond that, G&L is just done.
I would rather win the mega millions and buy them myself. 
What could be good about that?
Asking for information, not to criticize the question.
Asking for information, not to criticize the question.
Wouldn't I love an L-1000 with a mahogany centre and empress wings, finished in Pearl White with a an Indian Rosewood fretboard and a vintage gloss neck? Why yes, of course I would, thank you.
If fender buys them they're gone. I lament their passing because of the build to order option. Its like getting a custom bass for reasonable money.
And it's far from unheard of for a retailer to own a manufacturer. Sweetwater is just so good, i think they'd do right by the brand. Fender is just so big and they really need competition in the market.
And it's far from unheard of for a retailer to own a manufacturer. Sweetwater is just so good, i think they'd do right by the brand. Fender is just so big and they really need competition in the market.
Sweetwater's current model is based on selling A LOT of gear at small margins to wipe out competition, much as Guitar Center did in their early days when retail was still king (Sweetwater's direct-distribution relationship with Behringer/Music Tribe is a great example of this, which undercuts the retail pricing of most competitors for much of the most popular cheap music gear). I don't see a commitment to top-notch quality that you'd want to fix the G&L situation. If anything, if Sweetwater were to have an in-house guitar brand I'd expect something like what Thomann has with Harley Benton- super cheap import instruments that compete with Squier (and that probably isn't a wise investment these days given tariff uncertainty)
No, it would make me happier to see their talent and equipment go to another local builder, and see some new designs come out of it. They had CNC and PLEK equipment plus some very talented custom master builders. I just want to see that talent and equipment put to good use elsewhere. I hope the people all find good jobs, and get their back pay. Probably the brand itself will get sold somewhere and production will shift somewhere offshore, Indonesia or China, and perhaps some good instruments will come out of that at a reasonable price?
Maybe this belongs in "tell us how old you are" thread but I remember when some giant record chain underpriced all the local shops and put them out of business back in early '70's. As soon as the locals were buried the chain jacked prices to unseen levels. We used to be able to get huge variety of promo and "cut-out" discs for a few bucks, then they eliminated those, and only the stuff they wanted to push got released. The day the music died?
A very real risk! Sweetwater is dominating music gear sales in the US these days, which gives them a ton of power. Who knows what the ultimate goal of their private equity firm is, but I guarantee it isn't to continue offering great customer service and cheap prices (the customer service has already been slipping for the last few years).
Yes. I would love that. It would keep the brand alive and I have had nothing but positive experiences with Sweetwater.
