Legendary Leo Fender-founded guitar brand G&L reportedly shutting down – with Fender acquiring its intellectual property
Over the past few weeks, reports have surfaced suggesting that G&L – the guitar company Leo Fender co-founded in 1979 and championed by the likes of Jerry Cantrell and Carl Perkins – may be in the middle of a quiet but complete shutdown.
An Instagram post from the account guitarcheology, which has been documenting the brand’s situation in real time, outlines what appears to be the final days of G&L’s Fullerton, California operations.
According to the post, BBE Sound, G&L’s longtime parent company under president Dave McLaren, was ‘legally dissolved’ on 28 October – a move that effectively ends the entity Leo’s last company has operated under since the early ’90s.
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The post also claims that Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) did not purchase G&L outright, despite widespread speculation online. Instead, Fender is said to have bought only G&L’s intellectual property, including trademarks – and not the remaining tools or inventory.
Public filings from the US Patent and Trademark Office show that Fender submitted a trademark application for “Leo Fender” on 6 October. By 30 October, his name appeared on Fender’s official website, suggesting that whatever deal took place likely centred on Leo’s legacy rather than G&L’s production assets.
In the meantime, G&L’s Fullerton facility is reportedly being liquidated. Over the past month, McLaren and his team are said to have sold off a CNC machine and a Plek system, with other tooling simply being scrapped.
“They have a deadline to be out, the building ready for the next tenant by December 1. This week has been the mad dash to clear out what hasn’t sold. They are opting to simply scrap it,” the post states.
According to the same source, the remaining US-made guitars has since been sold to used-guitar wholesaler MIRC in Tennessee for resale, while the fate of the Tribute import line remains unclear: “MIRC dealers online will likely start putting this stuff on eBay,” the post adds. “I wouldn’t expect bargain basement prices.”
There’s also no word on what’s happened to prototypes, templates, or the surviving contents of Leo Fender’s lab – though recent photos show what appears to be Leo’s original filing cabinet discarded in a dumpster behind the G&L facility, alongside other pieces of his old office furniture.
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A post shared by James Shine (@guitarcheology)
The post notes that there are still “lots of info gaps,” and that “we have to be open to the possibility FMIC only bought the IP.”
For now, no official statements have been released by G&L, BBE, or Fender. But reports of employee layoffs and liquidation activity suggest that G&L’s operations in Fullerton are winding down, marking the end of Leo Fender’s final guitar company.
Read the full post below.
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A post shared by James Shine (@guitarcheology)
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
