Tue Dec 17, 2019 2:12 pm
Picked this up from behind a bench in the lab, ancient dust bunnies and all. I love R&D artifacts the most.
Tue Dec 17, 2019 9:19 pm
Skyhawk porn! The ‘80s kicked ass, at least what I can remember. Here is evidence that Leo and George definitely had their game on.
Wed Dec 18, 2019 6:59 pm
Thu Dec 19, 2019 6:15 am
sam wrote:What amp is that lovely Skyhawks leaning on?
Curious minds want to know.
Thu Dec 19, 2019 9:08 am
DanDoulogos wrote:sam wrote:What amp is that lovely Skyhawks leaning on?
Curious minds want to know.
Speaking of amps, I wonder if G&L ever plans to market any of her prototype amps (Legacy 100, etc.) that Leo designed for G&L. That would be cool.
Thu Dec 19, 2019 9:31 am
Thu Dec 19, 2019 12:22 pm
Craig wrote:
Dan, the Legacy 50 and 100 prototype amps were built by Bedrock Amps but were not designed by Leo for G&L. IIRC, they were commissioned by G&L in the late 90's. See: G&L Legacy One Hundred Amplifier. Neither these nor the ones Paul Gagon built went beyond the prototype stage. I will ask Dave if they have any future plans for G&L amps when I see him in January at NAMM.
Thu Dec 19, 2019 2:38 pm
Thu Dec 19, 2019 2:55 pm
Fri Dec 20, 2019 5:40 am
Tooslowhand wrote:Perhaps he felt there was nothing to improve over his original Fender designs. Seems today, other than the digital/modeling stuff, that good tube amp circuits are pretty much what they were in Leo/s day.
Fri Dec 20, 2019 8:48 pm
1980s Clear Red action
Fri Dec 20, 2019 8:49 pm
I just love everything about this 1987 ASAT headstock.
Fri Dec 20, 2019 8:50 pm
I finally got an Espada!!! Somehow this got built in honeyburst with pearl guard. The story had something to do with an artist who maybe changed an order...whatever. So we have a CLFR concept from 1969 dressed up totally like a G&L from 1999. My mind is tripping but I like it, like it, yes I do.
Fri Dec 20, 2019 8:51 pm
The CLF Research CLF-67/68 developmental prototype from 1967-1968. It is a snapshot in time of Leo’s pioneering spirit, almost quaintly still housed in a Telecaster body, before the fancier Espada styling work was done in 1969. It still amazes me to imagine that Leo was literally constructing the future on the foundation he had created less than 20 years before.
Fri Dec 20, 2019 9:32 pm
Thu Jan 02, 2020 3:11 pm
Happy New Year! Pretty sure 2020 is gonna kick ass.
Tue Jan 07, 2020 8:19 pm
The Ritual: the moment when you peel off the pickguard film on your new axe. I didn’t even notice the film was still on until the stuff started rolling up. Whoa, that white pearl is looking swank
Tue Jan 07, 2020 8:20 pm
I got caught stealing Leo’s pen.
Tue Jan 07, 2020 10:41 pm
Wed Jan 08, 2020 4:50 am
Wed Jan 08, 2020 5:52 am
Wed Jan 08, 2020 5:44 pm
“No one knows who they were or what they were doin’...but their legacy remains” NAMM display stuff being packed for the show.
Tue Jan 21, 2020 5:02 pm
The CLF Research paint shop floor looks like a Jackson Pollock painting started here back in 1976.
Maybe someday we will have to diamond grind the floor to clear it, but I like knowing that four decades
of G&L plus the first four years of MM production is history that’s literally under my feet.
Somehow that feels powerful to me.
Tue Jan 21, 2020 5:03 pm
This L-1000 was born on September 25, 1980 and now belongs to our friend Rob Wolanski
The Bartolini stuff was added long ago before Rob bought it. It also has a sketchy neck, so....yeah.
What we have here, see, is a Project Instrument. NAMM is over, time to get back to tinkering with old stuff!
Sun Feb 02, 2020 2:31 pm
1966 photo of Leo’s drafting table in his first CLF Research building on Elm Street. I just took a photo of that photo, sitting on the same drafting table in his CLF Research building here on Fender Avenue.
Sun Feb 02, 2020 2:36 pm
This well-worn L-1000 was born on February 5, 1982 and is owned by Jordan Brooks who visited us today.
Aside from the fact that my “want” button was absolutely smashed, note the matte black finish on the bridge plate;
more powder coated black hardware would follow on various G&L models but with a textured crinkle finish as we use
on the Doheny V12 today.
Sun Feb 02, 2020 2:37 pm
Leo kept wiring diagrams in binders, such as this “Jazzmaster” example. Can’t know for sure it’s for Jazzmaster guitar without those quotation marks, ‘cause it was mid-century America, baby, where all the cool kids wrote their nicknames in quotation marks like in Grease.
Sun Feb 02, 2020 2:38 pm
Leo in the creative zone: during the second half of the ‘80s he got his MFD Z-coil action sorted. Good things take time, sometimes years.
Sun Feb 02, 2020 2:39 pm
A naturally potent pair: ASAT and ASAT Classic Leo Fender Signature models.
Thu Feb 06, 2020 9:10 am
Memento from the good old days: “Fender 1965 Stratocaster in Sonic Blue, Serial No. 104232” I’m gonna clean this up and hang it somewhere around here.
Thu Feb 06, 2020 9:11 am
Many of the pots in Leo’s laboratory parts bins are used. Why? Because Leo doesn’t throw away perfectly good pots when he’s done tinkering with a project. To me this is a cool little demonstration of the values of Leo Fender.
Thu Feb 06, 2020 9:12 am
John showed me this stack of aluminum S-500 pickguards and the idea of sexy CLFR black crinkle powdercoat is absolutely smashing my want button. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? : )
Sat Feb 08, 2020 9:41 pm
Finally, a quiet moment in the lounge, a nice time to appreciate any good fortune in my life. We often take for granted the little things, like when a good friend makes an impulsive decision to sell a guitar and calls you with a deal and you’re like “uh, yeah, I’ll take it off your hands” and you know they regret it later. Isn’t that right Patrick? Anyway, what we have here is a rare 1987 Skyhawk in Sunburst on maple body, ebony board, matching headstock, roller nut and CLF fine tuner vibrato. It’s just gorgeous.
Tue Feb 11, 2020 7:47 am
Bustin’ out the old George Fullerton model looking fine in Clear Blue over swamp ash with pearl guard.
Got the V neck, too, and 3-bolt. This thing has major ‘90s G&L vibes that l love.
Tue Feb 11, 2020 9:10 am
Tue Feb 11, 2020 12:13 pm
Tue Feb 11, 2020 10:32 pm
'm having my own custom S-500 built with CLFR styling elements from the ‘70s and ‘80s. Right now I’m geeking out on the logo art mockup and I can already tell I’m gonna love this.
Thu Feb 13, 2020 12:19 pm
Thu Feb 13, 2020 2:59 pm
Sun Feb 16, 2020 12:34 pm
Nubs wrote:Will, is that the one you got from Jimmy @ Southpaw? If so, you sure cleaned it up well! That thing was really grimey last I saw it.
Mon Feb 17, 2020 8:02 pm
We did the Jeff Floro: All About Guitar show again because it’s always a blast.
This time Steve Postell showed up with his Skyhawk HH and it was all fun and games.
Left to right: Jeff Floro, my ass, Steve Postell, Ron Moreno and Doug Moore.
Mon Feb 17, 2020 8:03 pm
Today’s practice menu: various Judas Priest faves and some Ratt, at least until Warren rips it hard and I’m like every third note or something oughta do it
Mon Feb 17, 2020 8:04 pm
Major Tom to Ground Control: all systems go aboard the Sabre II. Will the earth people be ready in 1978? Yes! Of course!
Give this technology to the young people, they can handle it! They were not ready. ; )
Mon Feb 17, 2020 8:05 pm
Taking this 1981 L-1000 out for a drive. This thing has so much mojo everyone wants it but noooo...this one is a keeper.
Tue Feb 18, 2020 2:12 pm
Some of Leo’s vibrato research and development.
Wed Feb 19, 2020 11:08 am
My custom S-500 logo art is coming along. Next I’ll get this trimmed and stuck on a headstock face,
do a quick build to see exactly where strings are relative to the logo and generally how it looks.
Really trying to capture a fun feeling like we built it in the late ‘70s and it’s kinda flexing cause it knows it kicks ass. : )
Thu Feb 20, 2020 5:47 pm
May 5, 1980 pot samples from CTS for Leo’s approval. Something about that doesn’t sound quite right. ; )
Sat Feb 22, 2020 3:42 pm
The CLFR time portal sent me this old SB-1/SB-2 pickguard from the late ‘80s in our black crinkle powdercoated aluminum.
I needed one of these for a while then - bam! - suddenly I find one. I love it when that happens. : )
Wed Feb 26, 2020 12:24 pm
Artistic creativity extends to aspects of the workspace. I just made that up but it sounds legit.
Anyway, I noticed this bench getting more elaborate in its woodwork and I have no idea who or why.
I like a good mystery.
Wed Feb 26, 2020 12:25 pm
Mystery solved: Josh didn’t like the surface and this is the woodshop and there’s some bits of wood over there..