Leo Fender passed away on a rainy day in March of 1991, an event which
shook the Music World: The father of modern music was gone. It was on
that very day that Leo had completed his last prototype instrument,
after which he declared to his wife Phyllis that he had given all he
can to the musicians of the world.
Before his passing, he wanted to be sure that the legacy of G&L
would continue to shine even brighter in the future. He knew that he
must look after the people of G&L, his family, so that they
would remain secure and free to continue building the finest guitars
and basses in the world.His wife Phyllis shared his dream, and she
chose BBE Sound, under the leadership of Chairman John C. McLaren, to
take over the management of G&L and to expand and develop it in
the way Leo would have wanted. Leo had begun discussions several years
before with John, who Leo respected greatly. Leo was confident that
John could make Leo's dreams for G&L's future become reality
and felt he could entrust John to continue his work with G&L,
in which he took such great pride. John shares Leo's vision of
G&L as a maker of superb hand crafted instruments.The
arrangements were made that the ownership would be transferred to
John's company, BBE Sound. George Fullerton remains as a permanent
consultant, and Leo's wife Phyllis remains as Honorary Chairman of
G&L - reminders to the world that the spirit and integrity of
Leo Fender will continue on in every instrument made at
G&L.Today, John C. McLaren, the Chairman of BBE Sound,
continues to manage G&L, while his son John Jr. is Plant
Manager of the G&L Factory. John Jr. always had a deep respect
for Leo and visited him regularly at G&L during the 1980s while
working at Fender Musical Instruments, back when Fender was located on
nearby Valencia Avenue. John's other son, David, personally oversees
marketing for G&L, and he too is dedicated to preserving the
memory and rich history of Leo Fender.
Today the G&L factory continues production as Leo would have
wanted. His private workshop, the epicenter of his creativity, remains
untouched as it was on his last day and has been visited by music
people from around the world. While the people of G&L, his
people, continue to build the instruments with love, dedication and
great skill. In preserving the uniqueness of G&L and respecting
the vision of its founder, John C. McLaren said, "G&L will
always be willing to make changes. Leo Fender was a symbol of change
and evolution for the benefit of musicians. But for any change that is
considered, we must first ask ourselves, 'Would Leo have wanted it this
way?' If yes, then we do it. If not, then we will not. We always want
to feel that Leo Fender would be proud of today's
G&L."
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History Of G&L Guitars
