When the final history of electric guitars is ultimately written, one of the most important chapters will be on developments that occurred in Southern California in the 1950s and 60s and the instruments being designed by Leo Fender. From Country & Western to Surf music and beyond, the guitars being built in Fullerton, California had an enormous impact that no one could possibly have predicted at the time.

Yet even when Mr. Fender sold the original company that bore his name in 1965 (which was, believe it or not, just the second year the Beatles were together), it’s possible that even he didn’t recognize the significance of his achievements. By 1968, electric guitars were selling like crazy. It seemed that everyone either played guitar or wanted to play guitar.  Though contracts prevented Leo from being involved in making guitars or amplifiers, or lend his name in any fashion to any competitive product from 1965 to well into the 1970s, many important events took place during this time, including the birth of the super-group. You had the British invasion, Woodstock, Eric Clapton and Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Who and on and on . . .

In about 1980, however, Leo decided to get back into the guitar business and formed a partnership with his long time friend (and co-designer of the legendary Stratocaster) George Fullerton. They decided to call the company “George & Leo”, or G&L for short. They knew the competition; Leo’s former company was a giant in the industry. So they decided to specialize in high quality guitars. They decided that there would be no manufacturing compromises and no imported guitars at all. They also decided that there would be no cheap veneers or fake flame finishes. In fact, every one of their guitars would be hand-built in the USA at Leo’s facility located on - believe it or not - Fender Avenue in Fullerton, California, a place where legends truly were born. Fact is, G&L had no choice but to make a better guitar than their main competitors. If they didn’t, there would probably be no way to sell them given the market dominance and reputation of Leo’s former company. Today, 18 years later, every single G&L guitar is still constructed of solid real wood with top quality parts, all built by hand by real people, not machines. Every single guitar and bass is hand cut and shaped from the finest woods, carefully sanded by hand and flawlessly finished. Even the pickups are hand wound.

Where the average “production line” guitar today is built in less than four hours, G&L guitars take more than a day, so you have to figure these are people who actually take pride in how “archaic” their operation actually is (there’s not a robot in sight). But a G&L guitar isn’t just carefully built to exacting standards, it’s also meticulously set up for proper string height, action and intonation. And this isn’t done by consulting a set of specs - it’s done by musicians who actually use their ears to tell them when the intonation is dead-on and the action is so perfect that a player’s fingers will literally fly over the fingerboard.

While G&L guitars are designed and built to the same high standards as those that were crafted in the 50s and 60s, they also have some features that are unmistakably '90s, like the improved performance of the pickups. Yes, you still get the silky smooth highs and velvety lows of those vintage pickups, but you also get remarkably lower noise and lightning fast transient response thanks to the many subtle (but important) changes Leo and his team made over the years. There’s also the improved truss rod stability of Leo Fender’s Bi-Cut neck construction and the simple, yet elegant Dual Fulcrum Tremolo System.

As if all this weren’t enough, each and every G&L instrument comes with a 10 Year Limited Warranty for the original owner. Obviously this says an awful lot about the confidence the company has in their instruments.

As usual, we don’t have an awful lot of space, but let’s get a quick overview of all the G&L models, starting with their popular ASAT line (prices start at $1100 list). One look at the distinctive shape of this instrument and you know you’re getting all the vintage vibe you can possibly handle, along with a variety of modern upgrades that include Magnetic Field “Z-Coil” pickups (on the ASAT Z-3) and the G&L patented Saddle Lock fixed bridge (standard on most models). There are even semi-hollow versions available, as well as two models with dual humbuckers.

According to George Fullerton, “40 years ago, my partner and I created the world’s most famous guitar. Then we set out to make the world’s best.” The result is the standard Legacy ($1099 list), Legacy Special with dual blade humbuckers ($1300 list), the S-500 with G&L Magnetic Field single coil pickups ($1300 list) and the Comanche, which sports those distinctive “Z-Coil” pickups. At the top of the line is the George Fullerton Signature Model with three sweet G&L vintage style Alnico V single coils and George’s signature right on the upper bout ($1450 list).

If electric bass is your instrument, G&L has no less than eight superb models to choose from with list prices starting at $990 for the LB-100, a modern take on a tried and true bass design. There’s even an ASAT Bass (with optional metal flake finish). At the very top of the line is the amazing L-2500 Custom 5-String with dual humbucking pickups and the G&L active/passive TriTone electronics that let you dial in just about any bass sound imaginable. Incidentally, fretless necks (with or without ghost lines) are available at no extra charge on G&L basses.

We think that from the first moment you pick up a G&L guitar or bass, you’ll feel the magic that comes from only the very finest instruments. Musicians who have played every kind of guitar over the years are feeling again the long-forgotten excitement and thrills as they play a G&L. And players who are picking out their first high quality guitar are in awe of the quality and playability of these fine instruments. And by the way, if gorgeous wood is your thing, we should mention here that many G&L models come with optional Curly Maple tops and Bird’s Eye Maple necks . . . you know, just in case you’re into such things.

Yes, there are a lot of very fine guitars to choose from these days. But if you’re looking for an instrument with that special Leo Fender magic, combined with exceptional playability, incredible tone and the industry’s only ten year warranty, may we suggest that you take a serious look at the fine guitars from G&L. Your Sweetwater Sales Engineer will be happy to work with you to find exactly the right instrument in our extensive inventory that has the features, color and finish you’re looking for at a special price that won’t have you playing the blues!