Fender Musical Instruments Corp
Donnie Wade "borrowed" his parent’s car when he was 14 years old to drive to a bar so he could hear Freddie King play the guitar! That experience and an earlier encounter with Merle Travis marked the beginning of his passion for the guitar! That passion took him from his own retail shop in Texas to...
Paul Meisenzahl bought his first guitar from his brother for $2.00 and promptly taught himself how to play. His first paying gig came when he was eleven and he played in rock bands throughout high school. After working at MXR and Ithaca Guitar Works in Ithaca, New York, Paul began his career as a...
Larry Moudy sang and played the guitar for the musical group Up With People beginning in 1967. After being drafted and serving in the Vietnam War with the 101st Airborne, Larry returned to the group to sing, play, and help manage the tours. In 1975, he was hired by Fender back in the CBS days and...
John Suhr began formulating ideas of designing and modifying the electric guitar while working as a repairman at Rudy's Guitar Shop in New York City. After sharpening his skills as a master builder in Fender's Custom Shop in California, John established JS Technologies Inc. to produce his own line...
Mike Ponce enjoys managing the Suhr Guitar factory at JS Technologies Inc. in Southern California as the job allows him to apply his expertise in all aspects of guitar building. Mike was a master builder at Fender before developing an acoustic line of guitars for Rickenbacker. His inspiration to...
Knud Damgaard loves guitars. Not surprisingly being regional sales manager for Fender in Scandinavia since 2000 is a dream come true for him. A long career starting as guitarist, owning a guitar shop and sales rep for another guitar manufacturer made him a prime choice for the job. Knud’s ardor for...
Bobby Guitar Bennett was among the pioneering musicians who proved that Fender Stratocaster was the perfect instrument for the blues. Mr. Fender designed his electric guitar for country music and it was soon used by early rock and roll artists such as Buddy Holly, however it was Guitar Bennett and...
Herb Remington was the steel guitarist for Bob Wills and the Texas Playboy who built his own line of guitars called Remington Steel. Among his fascinating history: being long time personal friends with Leo Fender. For a while, Fender made steel guitars and, in the beginning, Leo would often give...
Joe Carducci remembers with a smile sitting in front of his parents black and white television set on a Sunday evening in February when he watched the Beatles storm America on the Ed Sullivan Show. He recalls falling in love with the guitar George Harrison was playing and even combing his hair...
Steve Morse has been a regular attendee at the NAMM Shows for several decades thanks to the Ernie Ball Company. In fact, it was thanks to Sterling Ball that Steve was interviewed during the show in 2015. Steve’s long career in music, which began professionally in 1969, has included gigs with the...