Recent California Visit

Hello,
I thought I would chime in on my recent visit to see my folks. Although the trip was too short ( 1 week ), I was able to squeeze in two things I have wanted to do. The first was to go by the Fender Museum in Fullerton ( Not to be confused with the Fender museum in Corona ) and the second was to meet Gabe D. and see his collection.
Let me start by saying the Museum trip was great and it was nice to see a couple of my pieces on display instead of in my closet. Even the Disco exhibit you have to go through to get to the Bass exhibit was interesting and brought back several memories. Most of those memories are best left in the past. The basses on display were very cool and there were several prototypes to see including the Music Man StingRay.
My visit to meet Gabe was well worth the trip. He showed me things that I did not even know existed as well as having a reunion with so many of the guitars that I had painted or at least supervised. His book will be a treat to all who get to see it when he finishes. I don't know when that will be because he has a lot on his plate but I can rest assured that it will be worth the wait. Leo would be happy to see someone with this kind of enthusiasm for his work.
If you would have told me thirty years ago that I would meet someone as into G&L as Gabe I would not have believed you. Back then we weren't even sure anybody was even paying attention to what we were doing around the block from CBS.
I have to get back to work now but I thought you all should know that the details of the company and the three men ( Leo, George and Dale ) that made it all happen are in good hands.
It looks like my afternoon activities are going to include mowing the lawn.
Fred

Almost forgot, I had a turkey and cheese wrap followed by a Klondike Bar and some chocolate covered espresso beans.

G'day Fred, sounds like a whole lot of fun.
I would like to say about Gabe . He is one of the most generous, patient , and brilliant writers on the planet. He has given me so much of his time because I have a genuine interest and love for pre BBL era G&L's. Words cannot descibe my debt of gratitude to him. His book will be one of the best instrument history books ever
Anthony

Anthony,
I couldn't agree more. Gabe is truly a gentleman and a scholar. It will also be nice to see Dale Hyatt get some recognition for his contributions.
Fred

Fred,
Glad to hear of your li'l vacation. I'd love to meet Gabe sometime...it must be a real treat to see
his laboratory and collection. Did you see the mini-ceptor he built for his son?

Elwood

Elwood,
As a matter of fact I did see it. He's quite a craftsman. Leo would have loved to have him around back when all the experimenting was going on. He loved to test and tinker with new ideas.
Fred

Good stuff, Fred. I think reports like this draw high interest; just as the ones with good technical info reports do.

You are right about Gabe. I've never met him face to face; however, we've corresponded a lot. And he has always been very helpful whenever I've called on him. I know Dale Hyatt spoke very highly of Gabe when I visited Dale once. I, for one, look forward to his completion of his book. I have a number of the books that have been written by George Fullerton & others; but I have a feeling that Gabes will be the most comprehensive & accurate of them all. He has always had a full platter going on. Maybe it won't be too much longer before it's ready.

I always look forward to your reports & comments.

Jay

Thanks Jay,
I try to bring the personal view to the table without the gossip part. CLF/G&L was a great place to work even though we didn't always realize it at the time. There was a vast difference between the way it and CBS (Fender, Rogers, Rhodes ) were run. Dale and Lloyd had a lot to do with that.
Fred

Great post as usual, Fred. So very glad you found this place and have stuck around.

I miss Gabe's posts here. Did he make any mention of this site? Does he plan on checking in, regret not having more time to share here, etc? - ed

btw, cut the lawn today as well. I enjoy doing it. It's one of the few things one can take on and see your progress and accomplishment instantaneously. Satisfying.

Zapco,
Thanks, Gabe has a lot on his plate so he is not on this site very much at all. He is very much committed to the book though so he will continue to gather info whenever possible. He is currently working on interviewing several of us who were around in the beginning in order to compare notes and get the most accurate info possible on what went on in the factory as well as technical details of what went out in the way of instruments. Although we have lost a few of the past employees, there are still several of us around. He does have to sift through 30+ year old memories to get accurate accounts though and sometimes that is hard to do.
Fred

Fred , yep 30 year old me memories hey, you still seem sharp as a tack though .
Cheers
Anthony

LeoF,
Thanks,I was fortunate to have started working there when I was young (18), a few more years and who knows what I might not be able to remember.
Fred

Fred, I have really enjoyed your posts and not to worry about remembering, as you are still a young dude in my book. Proof is I can still remember what I did yesterday for the most part!-- Darwin

Darwin,
That's funny because I can't remember what I did this morning but I can remember names of people I haven't seen in over thirty years.
Fred

Gabe is first rate and his range and depth is amazing. I'm also eagerly awaiting the book but thought that Greg G. was also involved? In any event someone should round up and catalog Gabe's (and a couple other folks) posts from the old board. There is a wealth of information from those years and especially for those who like Leo-era G&L's. I've never visited the museum but had a nice conversation with Richard Smith when I bought the Cavalier that Leo gave him as a gift. In addition to being one of the loveliest pieces of mahogany, the finish was beautifully done, and the humbuckers were also voiced a bit darker per his request.

Here's a Pic of the Cav and below that is an ASAT prototype that I got from Tim Page, who got it from John Paul Daniel (aka Bebo, folk artist) who got it from Leo when the Eddie Rabbitt band were touring the plant. Short story is they met Leo in his office, John Paul was admiring this ASAT which was laying on the floor, and Leo said, take it. and thanks for the great posts! you've added a lot of to the new board.

In any event someone should round up and catalog Gabe's (and a couple other folks) posts from the old board. There is a wealth of information from those years and especially for those who like Leo-era G&L's.

This is something that I have been doing periodically since we updated the G&LDP and have added them to the Knowledgebase (with credit given to the OP, including the date of the original post).
I don't currently have the time to do any more until we make the final move to Paso Robles, which is planned now for the end of this year or early next.

Search the Knowledgebase and you should be able to find them.

Hope this helps.

Gabe is first rate and his range and depth is amazing. I'm also eagerly awaiting the book but thought that Greg G. was also involved? In any event someone should round up and catalog Gabe's (and a couple other folks) posts from the old board. There is a wealth of information from those years and especially for those who like Leo-era G&L's. I've never visited the museum but had a nice conversation with Richard Smith when I bought the Cavalier that Leo gave him as a gift. In addition to being one of the loveliest pieces of mahogany, the finish was beautifully done, and the humbuckers were also voiced a bit darker per his request.

Here's a Pic of the Cav and below that is an ASAT prototype that I got from Tim Page, who got it from John Paul Daniel (aka Bebo, folk artist) who got it from Leo when the Eddie Rabbitt band were touring the plant. Short story is they met Leo in his office, John Paul was admiring this ASAT which was laying on the floor, and Leo said, take it. and thanks for the great posts! you've added a lot of to the new board.

Wow jonc - You really scored some fine pieces of G&L history. Is the pickup in the bridge position of the ASAT the same as the Cav humbucker, or is it something a bit different. Great stuff! - ed

jonc,
Your cav reminds of my homespun S-500 assembly.

-my oil rubbed "nearly naked" finish doesn't approach G&L quality,
but the beauty of the wood still is there in spades...this one has some prototype
hardware that's been gold-plated. I still need to find some squared off s-500 pickups to complete
the vision.

G'day,
Although I am a Fender man through and through Gibson really knew what they were doing with that Honduran Mahogany. Leo really knew what he was doing when he wrote out the cheque to purchase all that Honduran Mahogany
all those years later for G&L.
Cheers
Anthony

Jonc,
Those are some nice guitars you have there. Richard mentioned selling that guitar recently when we spoke but I didn't know you were fortunate enough to get it. Richard and Gabe are both great guys and truly friends to the preservation of the history of CLF/G&L. The Cavalier passed through my hands but the ASAT would have been '86 or later.
Elwood,
You might want to check with Gabe to see if you can find the pickup covers for your S500. There is a good chance he has what you need. If you want some tips on how to give it a more professional finish without spraying, let me know and I can tell you what you need to know.
Fred

thanks fred. the ASAT is an 86 and has the flat plastic pg. the cav, which is actually on consignment, is just incredible. glad to know you know the guitar. leo must have really valued his relationship with richard to gift him a guitar like this. and on that note, any "gifted" guitars from your time there that have interesting back stories?

Jonc,
Interesting is subjective, to the recipient it is a memory that will last forever. Leo was known to give away guitars that he was done tinkering with quite a bit. It was not unusual for him to tell an employee or a visiting musician "Take it" when they commented on an instrument that was in his lab. You can imagine the euphoria on their faces when they left.
Fred

Elwood,
You might want to check with Gabe to see if you can find the pickup covers for your S500. There is a good chance he has what you need. If you want some tips on how to give it a more professional finish without spraying, let me know and I can tell you what you need to know.
Fred

Fred,
I'll send you an email tonight , I appreciate the help.

Elwood