Leo Fender

John Carruthers has established himself as a leading expert on guitars and amplifiers as a designer, builder and repairman. Working along side Leo Fender at Music Man, John helped improve the quality of the product line and years later helped establish a series of instruments for Yamaha including their electric bass and acoustic guitar line. John’s reputation grew in part due to a decade long column he wrote for Guitar Player Magazine and his dedication to teaching.

Billy Carson was listed in the Guinness book of world records for growing the largest watermelon ever weighed. And if you think that is something, consider the fact that Billy also worked with Leo Fender in streamlining the Stratocaster electric guitar in the early 1950s. As a country player in Southern California in the late 1940s, Billy became close friends with Leo. At the time, Leo was a radio repair man who helped musicians on the side fixing their amplifiers. Over the years, Billy related his frustration over the way the sharp edge of his guitar would cut into his ribs. Leo designed the Stratocaster to fit nicely against the body and added other ideas of Billy’s over the years.

Phyllis Fender was married to Leo Fender, the great pioneer of the solid body electric guitar. After many publications on his life’s work, it was a refreshing treat to hear about the man behind the workbench. Mrs. Fender recalled his passion for his work and how he would wake up in the middle of the night with an idea. She spoke of their marriage, his love of ice cream and the illness that took him from her in 1991.
 

George Fullerton befriended Leo Fender back in the days before Leo quit the radio repair business and started in the guitar making business. George worked for the Fender Guitar Company from the beginning and up to the day it was sold to CBS Musical Instruments. After the sale of the company, Leo could no longer use his last name to produce and promote guitars, so he teamed with George to form a new company, named after the first letter in their first names. And so, G & L Guitars was born.

Dave Gupton has had a long career with a number of companies and a rather impressive list of innovators who helped pioneer our industry. Dave worked in retail with Karl Bruhn before joining Fender--before the CBS Musical Instruments buyout in the mid 1960s. As a result he was able to work with Leo Fender. Dave also worked with other industry innovators who became close friends, such as Harold Rhodes, Don Leslie and Arnold Brilhart. Dave also worked with Danny Henkin and the Rico Reeds Company before retiring in 1990.
 

Dale Hyatt was hired by Leo Fender while the iconic guitar building was still a radio repairman in Fullerton, CA. The year was 1948. Dale recalls all of the major landmarks that helped establish the development of the Stratocaster and the birth of rock and roll. Dale remained with Leo as he established The Music Man and with Fender when it was sold to CBS Musical Instruments. Dale worked with Leo and George Fullerton to create G&L Guitars. In fact, Dale retired from G&L, Leo’s last guitar company, six months after Leo’s passing in 1991.  

Lowell Kiesel, as the founder of the southern California guitar company Carvin, joined the ranks with Leo Fender, Paul A. Bigsby, and the Rickenbacker Company, in establishing the new era of electric guitar. In 1946 he formed L. C. Kiesel Company winding pickups on an old sewing machine.  As the company grew and the product line began to connect with musicians around the world, Lowell changed the name of the company to Carvin, after his sons Carson and Gavin.

Bob Luly built the first sound system for the Rolling Stones that they used in the United States. The system was created for the Orange Show in the 1960s and led Bill to build systems for the likes of Three Dog Night and Frank Zappa (whom Bill played electric bass for on stage in the early part of Zappa’s career). Bob worked to improve the sound and electronics for live shows and found he had a great interest in designing amplifiers.

John McLaren is the president of BBE Sound, which develops pro audio gear. The company purchased G&L Guitars and has been dedicated to keeping the spirit of the founders and their ideas and traditions evident in each guitar. G&L was originally formed by George Fullerton and Leo Fender and has become a successful guitar line around the world. In the early part of his career, John worked for Yamaha, which resulted in strong friendships he continues to this day.

 Robert Perine was raised in Los Angeles in a very artist family.  At the age of six his father drew his portrait and asked young Bob to do the same, “it was like magic and from that time on I knew I wanted to be an artist.”  After enlisting in the US Navy during World War II, Bob studied at the Chouinard Art School in Los Angeles for four years.  He then moved to Orange County, where he opened an advertising and graphic design shop and soon was hired by Fender Guitars to create their ad campaign.  Over the years Bob won several awards for his creative and successful advertisements for the Fender products.  Among the most noted ads he created were the series that ran on the back cover of Downbeat magazine for much of the early 1