Back To The Beginning
With the launch of the CLF Research Skyhawk, G&L is revisiting its past to recall the pioneering spirit of Leo Fender and George Fullerton. Guitarist finds out more…
The G&L story is well documented. However, its principle characters, Leo Fender and George Fullerton, played such a significant part in the design and manufacture of Fender guitars (which still dominate the music industry) that this overshadowed the work they did, nearly 30 years later, in the early years of G&L. Yet the latter – still a relatively small US brand, and a close neighbour to those original Fullerton Fender factories – is now enjoying something of a resurgence.
Although not the first G&L guitar, the Skyhawk model epitomises the company’s approach as an improved bolt-on guitar, rather than just a mere clone. “They wanted to be bold,” explains Dave McLaren, president of BBE Sound, the company that purchased G&L after Leo Fender died in 1991. “They didn’t put the walls up here to make things that looked like Stratocasters.”
Of course, G&L went on to make many Strat-alike and Tele-alike guitars and it still does in both its US Made in Fullerton range and the Tribute range, which are now made in Indonesia. But the new CLF Research Skyhawk, modelled more on the first version rather than the more Stratinspired later model, is a strong reminder of different times. “We’re trying to restore some of our identity,” adds David.
“Quality-wise, both the models you have are identical,” he continues. “They’re made on the same line here in Fullerton. But, back in the 80s, the G&L style was a little different – there was more hardware stuff, it was more industrial if that’s the right word. Whereas some of the things on early Fender designs would be quite delicate, on the G&Ls everything looked military grade. I mean, look at those [control] knobs on the Skyhawk – it looks like you could win wars with those,” laughs David. “As you know, early G&L models were named after military things: it was technology, power, dominance, you know? I think a lot of that came from Dale Hyatt – another ex-Fender guy from the 60s – who ran G&L sales. Now, Dale was a big, badass kinda guy. When he came to G&L he was the guy who made it more adversarial in terms of the marketing. So Leo was here in his ‘laboratory’ doing his thing and Dale was out there marketing it the best he saw fit.
“What I’m trying to do [with the CLF Research models] is to give you originalstyle G&L where it was very forwardlooking. ‘To hell with the past, we’re moving on!’ See, in the first half of the 80s nothing looked like Fender stuff. I think George Fullerton was peaking then. He was not under pressure, he could take his time and I think that Skyhawk really kills it. I mean, look at the complexity of the control plate – the arc of the controls
follows your hand beautifully – the placement of that mini-toggle. It’s a small detail, but it makes a big difference.”
This return-to-roots style doesn’t mean G&L guitars are made exactly like they were back in the 80s, even though Leo’s original office at G&L was left as it was on the day he died. “It’s still like that today,” says David. “In fact, I’m talking to you now from there, sitting on his early 60s olivegreen chair and going through some of the pictures and stuff.” Despite this respect for the past, G&L now makes its guitars in a far more up-to-date fashion.
The company proudly promotes the computerised Plek system to finely tune setups, for example. “That was primarily the American luthier they had, Joe Glaser,” Dave explains. “He was a guy I knew and could relate to. He believed the Plek system could benefit us and we thought, ‘You know what, this is innovative, it’s kind of expensive for a small operation like ours to gamble on but it’s pretty cool.’ My favourite thing is that it’s a diagnostic tool. When the neck is strapped in there it’s not just checking the height of the frets underneath each string, but it’s checking the curvature of the neck and you can learn stuff over time and sometimes you can detect problems before they manifest as a serious production issue.
“And yes, the Haas [CNC-milling machines] have replaced what we had back in the day – pin routers that worked from wooden or metal templates. It’s old technology and it’s dangerous; occasionally people got seriously injured. It might have been cool tech in the 50s, but at some point you have to go, ‘Is it sane to be using this in the 2000s?’ So in 2005, I think, we bought a couple of them so we can do the dirty work with precision and safety.”
A key element of G&L remains the Magnetic Field Design pickups. “We have altered things on those as we see fit. We’re not slaves to what Leo left us with. As I walk into Leo’s office, his laboratory, every day I get this voice in my head and it’s a voice that I fear: it’s Leo saying, ‘Is that the best you can do? Remember why this building was put here.’ So that’s my sort of guiding thing. So, yes, [with] the pickups we’ve tweaked some spec, but only to make them better. I really think we’re got our A-game going right now.”
“Every day I get this voice in my head and it’s a voice that I fear: it’s Leo saying, ‘Is that the best you can do?’”