G&L - Rumors that they are closing, being bought by Fender, or both.

[tbonesullivan]

I don't know how many of you pay much attention to the internet scuttlebutt, but there have been a few youtube videos as well as posts everywhere that G&L Guitars is not really doing great, and that they may close their doors. There are also rumors that fender is going to buy them. Judging by the dealers I follow and social media, it would seem like that wouldn't be the case, but one never knows. They started selling through Sweetwater a few years back, and they always have made a product, so it would be a shame for them to go away, especially when they make what is, IMHO, the best feeling non-locking dual fulcrum tremolo ever made. They also make fantastic basses, so I for one would be sad to see them go away.

[Dutchman]

I was watching Phil on Know Your Gear and he mentioned it. I'm in the "Fender will absorb it like the blob." Then start shitting out crappy G&L's. American G&L guitars are great guitars...BUT... They are so close to Fenders those that can't tell a good guitar from a crappy guitar are going to buy the name on the headstock.

The best Strat's I've ever owned where not Fender Custom shop made and I had plenty of them. They where a Hamer Daytona and a Meloncon. Fenders custom shop strats where fussy, didn't like the weather changes guitars have to endure in the Dakota's.

Edited September 30, 2025 by Dutchman

[tbonesullivan]

21 minutes ago, Dutchman said:

I was watching Phil on Know Your Gear and he mentioned it. I'm in the "Fender will absorb it like the blob." Then start shitting out crappy G&L's. American G&L guitars are great guitars...BUT... They are so close to Fenders those that can't tell a good guitar from a crappy guitar are going to buy the name on the headstock.

The best Strat's I've ever owned where not Fender Custom shop made and I had plenty of them. They where a Hamer Daytona and a Meloncon. Fenders custom shop strats where fussy, didn't like the weather changes guitars have to endure in the Dakota's.

I certainly hope not. The saddle lock bridges are insanely good for a hardtail. I just wish pretty much that I was more of a strat guy. At least there are and will be a good number on the secondary market. But the videos I have seen were pretty much right: they suck at marketing their product. I don't know if it's the company or more the dealer reps they send out, but they pretty much should have "Leo's ideas, perfected" (even if it isn't really true) or maybe "the final evolution of Leo's designs". 

I didn't really understand what Ed Friedland was talking about with G&L basses until I got one. Now, I understand.

Edited September 30, 2025 by tbonesullivan

[Vintage Hamer-Lover]

Would be a big loss. What a bass 😍 

[stobro]

I've been playing my hard tail Comanche a lot lately. It's mighty fine.

 

[LucSulla]

I really like ASATs a lot. I'd be sad to see this brand go, and though Phil McKnight's video @Dutchman mentioned is pretty interesting in explaining just how much of the work the US factory does these days is QC on the imports because that is such a huge part of their business. I imagine the tariff chaos very well might be what has hurt them so bad if that is so much of what they do. 

[BoogieMKIIA]

12 minutes ago, LucSulla said:

I really like ASATs a lot. I'd be sad to see this brand go, and though Phil McKnight's video @Dutchman mentioned is pretty interesting in explaining just how much of the work the US factory does these days is QC on the imports because that is such a huge part of their business. I imagine the tariff chaos very well might be what has hurt them so bad if that is so much of what they do. 

Makes sense regarding import volumes, hope they can continue. In my opinion, anyone looking for Fender flavor guitars should have G&L on the list. Our other guitar player has an older ASAT and bass. Think early 90s. Both sound and play great and are light. I haven’t played a newer one.

[Jimbilly]

I've got a late '80s Skyhawk, it's a better strat than most, the pickups sound fantastic, the wider/flatter neck is a matter of taste

[shankyboy]

It would be heart breaking to see G&L get swallowed up by Fender but I wouldn't be surprised. Honestly, I don't feel that they have been building them as well as they did in the Nineties. I have 3 ASATs, 1 Legacy and 1 Comanche from that period and they are fantastic. This Legacy is my #1. She takes a beating, gets drenched in sweat and stays in tune for every set. 

[tbonesullivan]

Now I'm hearing on the book of face that they are done. I went to the website and their store is now a bunch of "page not found" errors. I'm also reading now at the G&L guitarsbyleo forum that workers were furloughed on Monday Sept 15, with an expected reopening on Sept 29...

[Jeff R]

This Legacy is my #1. She takes a beating, gets drenched in sweat and stays in tune for every set. 

I echoplex that statement. My spring of '96, and one of the last of the three-bolt plates. This guitar absolutely slays in every way in which you can grade a guitar.

[Tortious]

Does not sound promising. 

I have a couple of Legacys, to me they do Fender better than Fender. 

They used to have Hamer-esque resale value too. Those days have passed, and if this is true, they will probably increase significantly over the next decade.

Someone can buy up the name, but unless they buy the going operation, it won't be the same. 

 

[LucSulla]

4 hours ago, Jeff R said:

This Legacy is my #1. She takes a beating, gets drenched in sweat and stays in tune for every set. 

I echoplex that statement. My spring of '96, and one of the last of the three-bolt plates. This guitar absolutely slays in every way in which you can grade a guitar.

This makes me really hate myself for selling my 96 Legacy my Dad bought me as a graduation gift in 98. 

Last I heard when I tried to buy back, it was last seen in Argentina.

[LucSulla]

If the rumors that they were bought my FMIC are true, my prediction is that the Fullerton Factory ends up a museum of some sort and/or some kind of Fender Custom Shop space where they can charge additional money for "New classic Fenders made in the original Fullerton factory."

And G&L will live on as the tribute series, though probably nowhere near either the same price or quality (or both) that they were pre-buyout. 

Or it all goes away and FMIC just wanted the Leo Fender IP. 

Edited October 2, 2025 by LucSulla

[veatch]

Maybe I hold grudges to long, but I currently own 0 products from the FMIC umbrella. This adds one more (historically fine) product that I now no longer have any interest in giving my money to. 

[bruce919]

If Fender get G&L they will close thr brand. Take the CLF type parts, models, and concepts and market them as "Leo intended" type BS with Fender headstocks. 

 

They make do a short term "Last of the G&L's" campaign to milk some more $ out it before they just erase the Brand. 

[tbonesullivan]

On 9/30/2025 at 10:22 PM, BoogieMKIIA said:

Makes sense regarding import volumes, hope they can continue. In my opinion, anyone looking for Fender flavor guitars should have G&L on the list. Our other guitar player has an older ASAT and bass. Think early 90s. Both sound and play great and are light. I haven’t played a newer one.

That reminds me of the statement from PRS basically saying that they wouldn't be able to stay solvent without their import line. It helps shore up the bottom line, and is pretty much now a standard thing throughout the industry. Even Heritage Guitars has started an import line, but now with tariff uncertainty, that part of the business has gone from being a steady income source to a huge source of concern. 

14 hours ago, Jeff R said:

This Legacy is my #1. She takes a beating, gets drenched in sweat and stays in tune for every set. 

I echoplex that statement. My spring of '96, and one of the last of the three-bolt plates. This guitar absolutely slays in every way in which you can grade a guitar.

I will admit that I am NOT a strat person. Yet now I'm pretty sure I'm gonna hold onto the two G&L legacies I have, because they are just that good, even if I'm not a huge fan of the strat bridge pickup. Both have the PTB system, which is honestly such a good setup electronics wise. And then, that tremolo bridge. I certainly hope that design doesn't die, the same with the saddle lock bridge. I really hope they are able to find a buyer that will keep the history they have, and hopefully can bring back the skilled workers from the factory.

[seeker]

A 90s G&L ASAT is my current player. 2nd time I've owned it; brother and I sell/trade stuff back and forth a lot.  He just had a 70s gibby deluxe minihum installed in the neck. Keeping it forever now. 

[shankyboy]

It's official. So sad. 

[Feynman]

[tbonesullivan]

1 hour ago, Feynman said:

I mean... they kinda already went through this some years back when they were sold to a larger company. Just like how Hamer ended up own by Kaman Music.

Though, isn't G&L owned by BBE sound? I guess they are on the outs now too. Maybe Paul Gagon will go out on his own to design more pickups. He designed many of the Alnico pickups G&L used, as well as their single coil size blade humbuckers.

[alantig]

9 hours ago, shankyboy said:

It's official. So sad. 

That's some heavy duty euphemisming right there, calling ceasing operations a "significant downturn".

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Johnson, but you're husband has significant erectile disfunction."

"So he needs Viagra?"

"No, he needs his penis reattached."

[ARM OF HAMER]

                                

 Really good guitars.................back in the day I knew of a store here in Minnesota that was getting 2 of the G&L "Broadcaster" models one had the fixed bridge the other had the factory Kahler. I bought the first one and it was a really fine guitar, played and sounded great but I just couldn't hang onto it, in the end It just wasn't what I wanted, and I sold it to a local music store here in town, It sold almost right away. I saw it a few years later and it was in rough condition. Really good guitars but the resale is awful, I know several people who have owned them, and they took a huge loss when they sold those guitars, they are a hard sell.

Edited October 7, 2025 by ARM OF HAMER

[stobro]

Maybe Ernie Ball can buy G&L like that other Fender offspring Music Man. You know, keep it in the family.

[BruceM]

Wow, as I've gotten older, I've been on a mission to find lighter guitars.  That includes short scale basses, and for the longest time, I was searching for an ASAT thin line no F-hole.  That included almost daily perusal of the G&L store website to find one of their blems at just the right price.  I'm also notoriously finicky about pulling the trigger, so I was looking for a couple of years.  However, last November, they put a few surf green models for sale and one had a 6.2 lb weight.  It was still too high a price for my cheap tastes, until they announced a 25% off sale for all their blem guitars from the online store.  I'm SO glad I bought it! The blem is a neck pocket that doesn't fit quite right.  It's hard to see if you don't know what you're looking for, but the gap on one side of the neck joint is just a hair too wide.