Guitars
Larry Thomas is the current CEO of Fender Musical Instrument Company. He also served as CEO of Guitar Center during the company’s early growth period. He worked closely with music educational programs throughout his career and in fact created the Guitar Center Foundation and the Fender Music...
Paul Youngblood has become the expert of the BOSS effects pedal products due to his longevity with the Roland company. He has witnessed first hand, and took great part in the development and growth of the innovative BOSS products. Paul has been proud of the teams that were formed at Roland and how...
Norman Harris loves guitars! His vast knowledge and collection has made him one of the industry’s leading experts on vintage guitars and basses. As the founder of Norm’s Rare Guitars in Tarzana, CA, he played an important role in the great boom in vintage guitars that began in the 1980s. His...
John Stowell has been a strong supporter of the music industry as a jazz guitarist and has performed at the NAMM show over the years as well as at the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad. Fans of the museum may recall the special program during the 2002 NAMM Show in which John was...
Hartley Peavey was like most kids his age in Mississippi during the mid 1950s--he wanted to be a rock and roll star! In a very real way he did became a rock star, not as a performer but as a manufacturer of musical instruments–beginning with his pioneering guitar amplifier. Equal to a performer’s...
Jack LeMaire took guitar lessons from the legendary Eddy Lang. Jack played on radio broadcasts and recordings with a number of top artists during the 1940s and 50s. He all but gave up the guitar due to suffering from an early onset of arthritis. He then turned towards acting and appeared in...
Bob Taylor enrolled in wood shop while a student in high school and made a guitar for his final grade. The idea of making his own guitars came easy to Bob and he set out to create his own style of guitars. Many of his friends told him he could not compete with long standing companies, but Bob...
Billy Carson was listed in the Guinness book of world records for growing the largest watermelon ever weighed. And if you think that is something, consider the fact that Billy also worked with Leo Fender in streamlining the Stratocaster electric guitar in the early 1950s. As a country player in...
Jeff “Skunk” Baxter gained enormous international fame as a founding member of Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers. Skunk’s solo licks are among the most noted and influential in rock and roll history. As product advisor, he has also played an important role in the early Roland guitar synthesizers...
Claude Watson was a precise and revered luthier who perfected the fine art of handcrafted instrument building. He was known for his clever design and complex inlay work in country-style flat tops and a series of violins, cellos, and string basses. He most enjoyed building the guitar and was...