I usually look for reliable sources for stories like this, and so far I'm not seeing any, but apparently, employees of G&L are reporting they they've been told that they are all being laid off.


Could be useful information for someone getting ready to order a new G&L guitar.


Again, at this point these are not much more founded than rumors.

I've read posts on other forums that G&L laid off all their employees and that the company has been sold, perhaps to Fender.

Bill, tgo

If true, I'm getting sick of these 'death by Fender' stories; are they trying to own music?!

I've read the same posts elsewhere, but likewise seen nothing confirmed. Never owned one, bass or guitar, but I have worked on a few and thought they were nice. If anything, a cut above.

Quote from: peoplechipper on September 30, 2025, 08:20:08 PM
If true, I'm getting sick of these 'death by Fender' stories; are they trying to own music?!

Of course not; just the parts of it that Gibson hasn't already bought (and ruined).

Peter (who will thank Fender for buying Guild; it was a rough go there for a while, but they seem to be back on track & making instruments as good as the ones they made on the east coast - thank you, Ren Ferguson - and putting their name on some decent but affordable imports, as well.)

Sad news if true. I have several older G & L guitars (some ASATs and a JB-2 bass with Alembic JZ activators) and like them a lot.

The demise of SWR seems as well to have been, after having been acquired by Fender.

They had the ultimate Gibson alternative with Hamer and let that die. Go figure?

IF G+L are acquired by Fender, it will either be to absorb some of the IP and fold the brand (as they did with SWR, more likely to me), or to keep it going as a brand as they do with some of their other lines.  They would also acquire the rights to Mr. Fender's name which they've had to license all these years.  And what if any production is going to the big online retailers like SW or MF to drive volume, which G+L never did, it was a very small shop.

If you look at the vast spread of 'Fender Shaped Objects' across current day Fender (the traditional models), then Ernie Ball Music Man, and then G+L, even for a bass nerd like me, it's simply too many snowflake variations on Jazz and Precision and StingRay platforms that in these tightening times I would think are going to have to contract, to rationalize the choices.