How it started
History
Leo Fender sold his eponymous company Fender in 1965. He designed and produced instruments for Music Man in the 1970s through his company CLF Research. When relations with Music Man soured, G&L was created to continue operations apart from Music Man. The G&L name comes from two founders' first names, George Fullerton and Leo Fender.
G&L instruments were similar to the classic Fenders, but with some Leo Fender modern innovations. They were built at the same facility on Fender Avenue in Fullerton, California that produced the early Music Man instruments. G&L instruments were not widely distributed but are highly regarded by many musicians and collectors. The relatively small scale of production further allowed for more custom options that were not possible on larger production lines.
After the death of Leo Fender in 1991, Fender's wife, Phyllis Fender, passed the management of G&L to John C. McLaren Sr. of BBE Sound. George Fullerton remained a permanent consultant until his death on July 4, 2009, and Leo's wife Phyllis remained as Honorary Chairperson of G&L until her death in July 2020.
In a print advertisement for G&L, Leo Fender claimed the G&L line of instruments were "the best instruments I have ever made."
According to G&L employees—including James Gay, Master Builder at the G&L Custom Shop—all production staff were furloughed on Monday, September 15, 2025, after several weeks without pay. Two weeks later, on September 29, 2025, all employees were formally terminated and issued severance packages. No official statement has been released by the company’s owners, the McLaren family, regarding G&L’s future. However, social media has been filled with speculation and unverified reports suggesting a possible sale of the company and its intellectual property, including rights to Leo Fender’s name and likeness.
From Wikipedia’s article on G&L Musical Instruments, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2