All bass and guitar players, a moment of silence.

[spideyjg]

Leo Fender: August 10, 1909 - March 21, 1991

The man revolutionized music with his creations but couldn't play a note. Pick up your Fender, MusicMan, or G&L instrument or copy thereof in his honor tonight.

Jim

 

[MiniMurray]

rip leo and thanks for the whammy

 

[Metallicat180]

RIP Leo.

 

[Puckfiend]

We need to do a field trip to the museum in Fullerton one day.

 

[spideyjg]

We need to do a field trip to the museum in Fullerton one day.

I have been fortunate enough to visit the G&L factory and got to go into Leo's lab which has been largely untouched since the day he died. This is for me sacred ground to see the prototypes of the pickups I play on the makers bench.

Jim

 

[Lord of Delusions]

They should gather all his stuff up and recreate his office at the Rock and Roll museum for all to see.

 

[yosmark]

RIP Leo.

 

[Air Raid Siren]

That must've been cool to visit the hallowed chambers of Mr. Fender, Jim!

 

[spideyjg]

That must've been cool to visit the hallowed chambers of Mr. Fender, Jim!

It really was Aja. Ask W. about it since she was there too.

You notice in the pics peanut jars everywhere that were full of various hardware. The man was a relentless tinkerer and according to many his greatest love was creating instrument pickups.

Check this brilliant simplicity out.
This is one of his string "trees". George Fullerton use to sneak into Leo's office and tune the things to different chords so all day as Leo strummed the things it was at least musical.

He would take the little blocks of wood with the pickups and electronics and slide them under the strings to test the design out. On this bench are just about every G&L pickup that went into an instrument, a few that I've never seen. Some may have been works in progress, or ones that didn't measure up. No one can say for sure. Obviously the man was not done creating stuff.
One that was really unique was one of the MusicMan Stingray prototype pickups. Seeing as, outside of the Fender P and Jazz, the Stingray is his most known bass it was something to hold it's origin in your hands.

This is full of trees for bass and guitar along with a couple of intact never produced instruments...

In his office there are files full of photo's and boat design blueprints along with a rack in the back with 3 unique bass designs that never were produced. Again work in progress, or a reject awaiting salvage?

BBE knows what a historical place they have there in that lab and they treat it with reverence.

Jim

 

[Steph Harris]

It really was Aja. Ask W. about it since she was there too.

It was very cool. RIP Leo.