The company that bears the name of its found, the late (and certainly great) Leo Fender actually passed from Fender’s ownership in the mid-1960’s. Fender guitars that were produced under Leo Fender’s guidance (so called Pre-CBS models) are treasured for their rarity. Not as many people know, however, that Fender certainly did not stop creating quality guitars or innovating after selling the company that bore his name. The finest representation of Fender’s “post-Fender” work can be found in the world-class G&L guitars.
Founded by Leo Fender and George Fullerton in the late 1970’s (hence G&L), G&L guitars were designed with obvious inspiration from classic Fender designs, but with some modern innovations. They are actually produced at the same facility in Fullerton, CA where Leo’s Music Man instruments were produced (Leo Fender had worked for Music Man in the 1970’s). Though they are not as widely produced as Fender instruments, they are highly regarded by both players and collectors alike as high-quality instruments that in many ways are superior to the Fender guitar’s that bear Leo’s name.
Though the body shapes resemble traditional Stratocaster and Telecaster designs, Fullerton and Fender incorporated several new innovations into G&L guitars, including Magnetic Field Design (MFD) pickups, the Dual-Fulcrum Vibrato, the Saddle-Lock Bridge, the bi-cut neck design, and the tilt neck mechanism. Popular models include the G&L ASAT, the G&L Invader, the G&L Rampage, the G&L Legacy Deluxe, and the Asian-made G&L Tribute series.
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