G & L is for George Fullerton and Leo Fender. The name G&L stands for Guitars by Leo (or George and Leo). This is his phoenix with guitars made in California since 1980. Dating G&L Guitars. Registry. George Fullerton Photo courtesy of Fender Musical Instruments Corp. George Fullerton, whose decades-long association with Leo Fender earned the two early electric-guitar innovators a place in history, died July 4 at the age of 86. In The Fender Book, Tony Bacon and Paul Day, quote Smith: Guitars From George & Leo: How Leo Fender and I Built G&L Guitars After selling the Musicman company to Ernie Ball, Leo Fender, together with his partner George Fullerton, founded G&L Music Sales, Inc., named for George and Leo. up until the day leo fender died in march of 1991, he worked in his lab and his callender on the wall is still so dated. These titans of the electric guitar world took their knowledge of tried-and-true instrument builds and introduced a number of groundbreaking design elements - a testament to their levels of expertise. The G&L line of guitars were the successors to the famous Fender line of guitars, such as the Stratocaster and Telecaster, but were also updated with many new design improvements. 62-63) show Buck holding his guitar, with its distinctive engraved pickguard, when George and his wife Lucille visited Buck’s Crystal Palace Museum & Theater in Bakersfield, CA some years later. Leo revised the setup and called his new company Fender Manufacturing, renaming it the Fender Electric Instrument Co at the end of 1947. The name comes from George Fullerton and Leo Fender, the guys who grew Fender Guitars from a radio shop into a huge international success, selling it … Leo was subject to a restraint of trade provision following the sale of Fender to CBS. The F100 was their first guitar model introduced in 1980. I love Leo Fender. See FAQ at the G & L website. The pictures in “Guitars from George & Leo: How Leo Fender and I Built G&L Guitars” (pp. John McLaren, William Schultz and Dan Smith. Fullerton probably took a little too much credit for Fender's success. Includes pictures, guitar and artist information, and owner registration. but this would not stop leo fender and by 1980, leo and long time partner and friend, george fullerton began a new project and guitar line called, g&l, george and leo. Dale Hyatt joined the team and later became an important Fender salesman. A tribute to the instruments made, and to the company's founder, the late Mr Leo Fender. Then it came to me: I had read about G & L in The Birth of Loud, a book about the history of the electric guitar. Instead of coming up with a different company name, the meaning of G&L just changed to Guitars by Leo. CLF Research models are inspired by Leo’s legacy of continuous innovation. G&L reference book. During the early 80’s CBS also recruited three top executives from Yamaha Musical Instruments. Due to stress and health related issues, George sold his stake to Leo in 1986 while still retaining his position as Vice-President and staying on as a consultant. guitars built by leo. I own a lot of Fender guitars (no G&L's though.) This pickguard was also made by G&L together with a spare. The name vaguely rang a bell. G & L? He was a great innovator and "improver" of guitar design. The same year, Leo Fender and George Fullerton (a long term employee at Fender) form G&L guitars (George and Leo). George Fullerton, an amateur guitarist, came on board early in ’48 and gradually moved from repairing radios to fixing amps and steels. But by the end of his life G&L stood for "Guitars by Leo", NOT George and Leo. 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