Behind the scenes at the G&L Guitars USA factory and Leo Fender's workshop!
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- Опубліковано 23 лип 2024
- I was extremely lucky to be able to visit the G&L Guitars factory in Fullerton, California when visiting for the NAMM Show in 2023!
G&L's CEO, Dave McLaren, and his team spent hours of their precious time showing their HQ and factory, where all their USA and Custom Shop guitars are built, and I got to watch the master craftsmen turning pieces of wood into pro-quality guitars first-hand.
After that, Dave took us to Leo Fender's workshop, where we check out the last guitars and gear innovations the great Mr Fender was working on right up to his passing. Dave tells some great stories, and even shows us the very last guitar Leo Fender had his hands on and was still developing right up to his final days.
I tried to capture these moments as best I could while also looking at everything with my own eyes and chatting with Dave, his team and the builders, but enjoy this slightly jumbled footage, and if you'd like me to do more videos like this in the future, let me know in the comments!
And a HUGE thank you to Dave and the G&L team for taking hours of their precious time out of their day to show me your factory and your fabulous guitars!
Here's the timestamps for the different parts of the video:
00:00 Hello!
02:00 Welcome to G&L headquarters
02:39 G&L HQ location background
07:44 The Wood Shop
10:16 The G&L factory floor
11:49 Making guitar necks
18:44 The neck buffer
19:34 Neck prep and frets
21:09 Body spraying and polishing
22:10 L-1000 bass build
29:05 Custom Rampage action!
31:25 How Leo Fender cut his finger
32:30 Leo Fender’s workshop
33:55 The last instrument Leo Fender ever worked on
48:22 An uncompleted 1969 Fender design (which later became the G&L Espada)
52:28 Models for pickup experiments
53:30 Bass tester unit
54:35 Leo Fender’s office
And check out my G&L Doheny Tribute video here: • G&L Guitars Doheny Tri...
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Backing music from the UA-cam Audio Library: Duck In The Alley - TrackTribe.
#GandLGuitars #GandL #LeoFender #NAMMShow #TheNAMMShow #NAMM2024 #NAMM2023
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Timestamps team:
00:00 Hello!
02:00 Welcome to G&L headquarters
02:39 G&L HQ location background
07:44 The Wood Shop
10:16 The G&L factory floor
11:49 Making guitar necks
18:44 The neck buffer
19:34 Neck prep and frets
21:09 Body spraying and polishing
22:10 L-1000 bass build
29:05 Custom Rampage action!
31:25 How Leo Fender cut his finger
32:30 Leo Fender’s workshop
33:55 The last instrument Leo Fender ever worked on
48:22 An uncompleted 1969 Fender design (which later became the G&L Espada)
52:28 Models for pickup experiments
53:30 Bass tester unit
54:35 Leo Fender’s office
I really enjoyed this. I often say that Leo Fender is my spirit animal, but I know I'm not worthy. Thanks for spending more time in Leo's lab than other G&L factory tour videos I've seen. Dave's ghost stories were pretty entertaining.
Inspiring and touching story, Dave is a great curator of Leo Fender's legacy. Thanks for sharing this video, I wasn't aware of it.
LOve this the sories about Leo's last guitars and the lights flickering wheww just shows how much the man loves his work.
Having a CEO that is passionate about Leo’s heritage, what Leo stood for, his product design, and the instruments themselves, is very special and unique. Not just another ‘bean counter’ exec. You can see he is passionate about the instruments they get to make.
Dave is the coolest CEO ever. Ever!
He's right up there for sure!
I think they should make a movie about Leo Fender.
I totally agree!
First UA-cam video I’ve watched where I had to check if my heart stopped. You really captured a moment here
Wow! This one of the most useful fuzz themed videos on youtube! Thank you, guys!
This is incredible! Leo's Last Instrument section is the most touching and powerful part! Wow
I used to work there, man this guy Dave is the coolest guy I ever met
Great tour and time spent on the workers. I have a Fullerton Legacy I would not part with. Would love an HSS S-500. And you could not ask for a better owner/steward of carrying on Leo's legacy than Dave McClaren, keeping it real and authentic. Beautiful sounding, feeling and looking instruments. Great video tour.👍🎸
Thanks a lot, glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, I totally agree - Dave (and his team) are so 100% dedicated to continuing the legacy and work of Leo Fender, while also forging their own innovative path. It was a privilege and extremely inspiring to experience first-hand like this! One day I would love to own a Fullerton-built guitar too... one day :)
It’s all about time spent, the attention to detail is what a goid instrument is all about
Absolutely, and the folks at G&L know that for sure!
Thanks Dave for giving Leo the respect he really needs, Leo was a legend. I play all G&L guitars and Basses.
I own at least 25 different models and finishes mostly vintage. In my home studio I have a framed picture of the "ASAT"
and a frame photo of Leo standing over a rack of guitars. I live 10 miles from the factory. Great video Lakewood Ca
That's super cool! My collection definitely needs more G&L Guitars in it. And I totally agree - the way Dave and the G&L team honor Leo's legacy (while also making their own innovations) is truly respectful and tasteful, and you really feel it when you attend the factory and the workshop in person. The atmosphere is unique - you feel like you're in a place where history was made! (Which you are, I suppose!) It's a special place, amazing that it still exists, and great that G&L are preserving that legacy. Hats off to them! And thank you for watching :)
Wow! Best story I ever had seen about Leo Fender! Great! Respekt! You also can see the passion for the work in Dave's face. He loves what he is doing.
Thank you for this great video!
Yeah, it's 100% obvious and amazing to see how Dave and team are doing their own thing while still keeping the Fender legacy alive with the fullest respect. Trips like this really open your eyes to stuff like that... and this can't come through on UA-cam of course, but there's such a special atmosphere in the old Leo Fender office. You genuinley feel like you're in a hallowed place - which I guess you are! And I love the way the G&L team keeps that alive. Cheers!
This was an awesome tour of G&L factory - Dave giving the tour & stories was amazing. Thanks for great video!
Thanks a lot! I had an amazing time there and you can really feel the passion from Dave and the team... it was an inspiring visit and I'm really glad I was able to capture most of it. Cheers!
That was the best factory tour video hands down. It’s also making want some G&L guitars. Love the old school vibe of the factory. Very cool...
Wow, thanks for sharing, makes owning a G&L USA guitar more meaningful, cheers!
No worries! Yes, it was amazing to experience the passion for the whole process exhibited by Dave and his crew in person... and one day I'd love to own a USA G&L too!
wow! - what a fantastic tour and story- thank you! - Love my G&L - best guitar I have ever owned. Seeing the hand work makes it all the more special.
Such an interesting document you created there, thoroughly enjoyed watching this one. Very, very nice! 👍
Thanks! Yes, this was such a fascinating trip. I only wish I'd had a cameraman with me so it'd have been an even more comprehensive documentation ;)
@@RichWordsMusic I totally appreciated the rawness of your footage, loved to be that fly on the wall of Leo's office.
Amazing content Rich. Thank you so much.
Thanks a lot, glad you enjoyed this one!
Wow. Oh man, Thomas Blug will love to touch your behinds now that you have been sitting in Fender's chair. Thread carefully.
Honestly, amazing document you have made here.
Thanks for the ride!
This made me laugh ;) I am sure Thomas will think higher of me after he sees this! But yeah, such an awesome place and I'm happy I could document it... glad you enjoyed watching! I would like to do more similar videos in future if I can :)
What an amazing video. 1st - those G&Ls are so hand crated - inspiring. Leo Fender is an electric guitar legend and you can clearly see emotionally how much that means to Dave. G&L I respect but even more now! Music Man basses are legendary in modern times but Fender is where it all started for electric bass. Legendary history of the electric guitar and bass. Big G or Big F? FENDER!
Yes, I felt really privileged to be able to spend so much time with Dave and his team and see how much the Fender legacy means to them. It's amazing how they are able to keep it alive while still doing their own thing - they're a credit to the world of guitar! Leo Fender got so much so right with all of his first designs... crazy to think that, so many decades later, they're still number one! Thanks for watching and the kind comment :)
Leo Fender invented the modern solid body electric guitar in terms of mass production; and then the solid bodied electric bass guitar. Then moved on with G&L guitars and MusicMan basses. Gibson have a longer history with P90s and humbuckers, Les Paul but Leo really brought forth the electric solid body guitar and bass in a globally pioneering way. The P & J basses are a standard and the Tele and Strat still inspire, originals or copied. I do like the Gibson ES semi hollow series of guitars and SGs. To each their own but Leo Fender was visionary and pioneering when it comes to producing electric guitars/basses.
Great tour! Thanks for posting it!
Cheers, glad you enjoyed it! It was an amazing thing to experience in person.
Wow. That was way more than I was expecting.
Hope you enjoyed it!
Showing Leo's desk was surreal.
I was amazed when they opened the office and I got to see in there... an incredible experience indeed. Thanks for watching!
Amazing video!
Hey Dave
Do you think you will ever make that last guitar Leo was working on for production or maybe a select few????
Wonderful video.
👍
Thanks a lot! I wish they would... hope Dave and team read this and can comment on it at some point.
Business in the front, party in the back.
Happy employees 😊
Can't put a price on that 😊
👍🏻👍🏻
Cheers friend!
Anyone know where you can get that g&l bomber plane tshirt that the painter is wearing at 21.20min?
Coolest shirt ever!
Does G&L still plek all of the instruments before they leave the factory?
I don't know for sure - but I believe that's what Dave told me they do with all the USA-built guitars. Hopefully someone from G&L is reading these and can let us know!
I hope i get a G&L bass that they forget to put the Nipple on the headstock😅
I think G&L is a smaller operation now then in the 80s
OSHA has entered the chat and are wondering why they aren’t wearing safety glasses 🤣
33:55 ello guv what's this?
G&L needs to work on their communications with potential customers. Left them a voice message, and they never bothered to return my call. With that, I decided to spend my money on a better Japanese made Ibanez instead.
Sorry to hear you had a bad experience there!
how dare they miss your call. did you even talk to right person. what a jack ass.
I've had great communication with them. I do hate leaving messages though.
Dave's weird - Bring back Paul Gagon.
Thought I'd enjoy this, but the video is dizzying.
Sorry about that. I was on my own and trying to talk to the G&L team, film this and take things in with my own eyes was too much. Head to the part in Leo Fender's office where Dave is telling stories and just listen - that should work! Next time I will take a cameraperson who knows what they're doing to film for me.