Fender Musical Instruments Corp
Peter Janis played in school orchestra and rock bands growing up as his mother played piano in the home and encouraged him to pursue music. His first job in the industry was working at Steve's Music store in Canada and he was hooked. Peter enjoyed the people in the industry and was fascinated by...
Ken Oda was hired by Yamaha in 1967 to run their retail store in San Francisco, California. He continued to work for the company until his retirement at which point he joined Fender Musical Instruments. While at Yamaha he met and worked with Bill Schultz who later hired Ken to help grow the Asian...
Brian Douglas enjoyed a career as a touring musician and songwriter both in rock and in house music, which gives him a unique perspective in understanding several facets of the needs of performers. As president of Cream City Music outside of Milwaukee, and an owner, he is able to provide that...
Greg Koch is well known in guitar circles for his series of method books that have encouraged thousands to play or to improve their playing abilities! Among his most noted books are “Blues Guitar,” “Guitar Licks, and the three-book set of “Guitar Method”,all published by Hal Leonard. As a...
Bill Hughes is a hero among musical gearheads for his innovative amplifier designs throughout his career. He was hired into the industry by Jess Oliver (interview class of 2005) at the Ampeg Company. A year after joining the company in 1964, Bill worked on the SB12 bass amp, which led to a series...
Jody Carver is a legendary steel guitarist who, as a session player, recorded with many top performers beginning in the 1950s. Jody developed a life-long friendship with Don Randall at the then newly formed Fender Musical Instruments. Don hired Jody, first as a product endorser and soon after as...
Mark Wentling is the CEO and President of Ashly Audio in upstate New York. As an engineer Mark established himself within the industry as a creative and passionate contributor to such companies as MXR, Fender and the Music Man. The amp products he worked on in those early days continue to...
Bob King worked at Hal’s Music in Mountain View, California after returning from Vietnam in the early 1970s. He was introduced to the wholesaling side of the industry and soon gained a job as a rep for Coast Wholesale. He stayed with the company for over 20 years and was there when Kaman Music...
Sam Wangler ran a music store in Bismarck, North Dakoda for 35 years before his retirement. He taught himself guitar after hearing "Walk Don't Run" by the Ventures as a kid. He later played in several bands in and around the area, and the passion he had for playing transferred into music...
Bob Rissi was the founder of Risson Amplifier Company, which produces Made-in-America products based on Bob’s own designs. He began designing amplifiers in 1960 when he was hired by Leo Fender himself. He later worked at Rickenbacker before forming his own company in 1971. In addition to his...