George William Fullerton (March 7, 1923 – July 4, 2009) was a longtime associate of

Leo Fender Clarence Leonidas Fender (August 10, 1909 – March 21, 1991) was an American inventor known for designing the Fender Stratocaster. He also founded the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. In January 1965, he sold Fender to CBS, and later foun ...

and, along with Fender and

Dale Hyatt Dale Hyatt (December 10, 1925 – March 28, 2013) was an American salesman and marketing person who was a longtime associate of Leo Fender and George William Fullerton, George Fullerton. Hyatt joined the United States Army Air Forces, Army Air For ...

, a co-founder of

G&L Musical Instruments G&L is an American guitar manufacturing company founded by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Dale Hyatt in the late 1970s. G&L produces electric guitars and basses with designs based on some classic Fender instruments. The company also produce ...

. He is credited with design contributions that led to the manufacture of the first mass-produced solid-body electric guitar.

Biography

Born in

Hindsville, Arkansas Hindsville is a town in Madison County, Arkansas, Madison County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 90 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Northwest Arkansas region. The community was named after John Hinds, a first settler. Geography ...

, George Fullerton moved to

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

in 1940. He served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

and later worked part-time at

Lockheed Aircraft Lockheed (originally spelled Loughead) may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Lockheed Corporation, a former American aircraft manufacturer * Lockheed Martin, formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta ** Lockheed Ma ...

as a machinist while attending night school to further his interest in electronics.

invited Fullerton to join his company and Fullerton became a full-time Fender employee on February 28, 1948. He is credited with design innovations that allowed Fender to produce its first solid body

electric guitars An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

, the Esquire and Broadcaster, which the company introduced in 1950. After leaving Fender in 1970, he continued to work with Leo Fender at the CLF Research company, and later co-founded

along with Fender and longtime Fender salesman

. Fullerton returned to Fender as a consultant in the company's custom shop in 2007. In November 2007, the company unveiled the limited edition George Fullerton 50th anniversary 1957

Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed from 1952 into 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuously ...

guitar and Pro Junior amplifier. Fullerton was inducted into the Fender Hall of Fame in 2010."Jimi Hendrix and George Fullerton to be Inducted Into Fender Hall of Fame"
Retrieved 2010-11-20.

References

External links

Los Angeles Times obituary

George Fullerton, Guitar Icon (1923-2009)

Guitar Player magazine biography

G&L Musical Instruments

George Fullerton 50th Anniversary 1957 Stratocaster Guitar and Pro Junior AmpGeorge Fullerton Interview - NAMM Oral History Library (2003)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fullerton, George 1923 births 2009 deaths People from Fullerton, California Fullerton. George Guitar_makers Fender people 20th-century American musicians

Biography

See also

References

External links