George Fullerton (L) and Leo Fender (R)
George Fullerton died Saturday of congestive heart failure. He was Leo Fender’s right-hand man for over 40 years, starting at the original Fender company in the 1940′s. Together, their innovations made mass-production of guitars affordable; yet they never compromised quality. Their contributions to the guitar world include some of the most popular instruments to this day: Telecaster and Stratocaster guitars, the Precision Bass, and the Jazz Bass.
In 1965, Leo sold his guitar company to CBS. George stayed on for a few years, but eventually left over quality disagreements with CBS. He and Leo teamed up again at Music Man in the 70′s, where they developed the famous StingRay bass. They formed G&L Guitars together in 1979, where they continued to innovate and improve the guitar together until Fender’s death in 1991. Most recently, George was consulting for the Fender Custom Shop.
George and Leo’s impact on the guitar community over the past several decades is impossible to measure. Thank you, George. Rest in peace.
George Fullerton’s obituary in the LA Times
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To george & leo, Thank you for creating the “Perfect Guitar”. The Stratocaster and thanks for caring so much. God Bless You. Rest in Peace.
Well said.