A the '70s came to a close, Leo Fender was imagining the directions he could take his new company. He could be as bold and innovative as he wanted, and when the company opened for business, the brand new F-100 and L-1000 clearly demonstrated his forward thinking. George and Dale must have shared that pioneering spirit, willing to push the notion of what a Leo Fender instrument could be.
In the early years, one model briefly stepped even further from the fundamental platform of the bolt-on, 25 1/2" scale guitar that Leo had created three decades prior. That model was the G-200, with its 24 3/4" scale. Just how far removed that model could have been is a mystery. Let's set the G&L Wayback Machine for January 18, 1980, just months before production began and G&L opened for business.
What would become the G-200 a couple of years later was already on the drawing board, being considered as a companion to the F-100. While some speculate that the G-200 was a convenient alphanumerical follow-up to the F-100, what may be more revealing is this drawing:
The most striking element is the three-on-a-side headstock, seconded by the Gibson-like pickguard. Note that the headstock is labled G-100, but handwritten by the date is the name G-200. The G-200 eventually and briefly came to fruition, but without the overtly Gibson-inspired elements. Some love the G-200 for its performance, others are enamored by it simply because of its rarity. What we here at G&L find most significant about this drawing is that it challenges our accepted notions about what our founders had envisioned. It pushes us to consider what the company might be like today had that path been pursued, had the new company had the capacity to challenge more than Leo's old company at the same time.
Could it be that the "F" in F-100 symbolized Fender, and the "G" in G-100 symbolized Gibson? Might the F-100 been intended to target Fender players and the the G-100 for Gibson players? Might Leo have had bigger aspirations for his G&L, that it might be able to take on both Fender AND Gibson? There is no question that Leo was unafraid of a challenge, and that he thrived on pushing boundaries. As we carry his torch today, that's something we should always remember.
Dave
