5 Corporate Guitar Wars That Shaped the Gear You Play

Hey everyone, PJ Pat here. One of the great soap operas in guitar history is the day the CBS television empire bought Fender in 1965, pushed founder Leo Fender out, and kicked off the most argued about era in Stratocaster history. There is a full video on that whole saga right above this post, and the "pre CBS" guitar became gospel almost overnight.

But here is what a lot of fans miss. Fender was not the only legendary brand handed over to suits who did not get it. The guitars you play today were all shaped by boardroom wars, founder feuds, and last second rescues. Here are 5 of them. Crank it up.

Subscribe on the Rock with PJ Pat channel for more rock breakdowns.

1. Gibson's "Norlin era" is the CBS story all over again

If CBS Fender has an evil twin, it is Gibson under Norlin. Gibson was swallowed by a conglomerate in 1969 and run by a company called Norlin through 1986. Sound familiar. Players blame the Norlin years for cost cutting that gearheads still complain about: the "pancake" bodies made from layers of cheaper wood glued together, the chunky neck volute that nobody asked for, three piece necks, and guitars that got heavier and less consistent. Just like CBS at Fender, the blueprints were legendary but the corporate discipline slipped. Norlin nearly drove Gibson into the ground before a group of investors bought it in 1986. Two of America's greatest guitar names, gutted by the same kind of bean counting in the same era.

2. Gretsch got bought by a piano company and nearly vanished

Gretsch made the guitars that defined rockabilly and gave George Harrison his early Beatles tone. Then in 1967 the family sold the company to the Baldwin Piano company, and the magic drained out fast. Quality slipped under the new owners, and a factory fire in the 1970s gutted production at a key plant. For years Gretsch basically faded from the scene, a legendary name with nobody steering it who understood guitars. The save came from blood. In the mid 1980s Fred Gretsch, a descendant of the founding family, bought the company name back and slowly brought it home, eventually returning Gretsch to the quality that made it famous. A piano company almost erased one of rock and roll's coolest brands.

3. Leo Fender's revenge: he just built two more legends

Here is the part that should make every fan smile. CBS pushed Leo Fender out, but Leo did not retire to a beach. The man could not stop designing. Once his non compete with CBS expired, he got involved with a new company called Music Man and helped create the StingRay, one of the most respected electric basses ever made. Then in 1979 he co founded yet another company, G&L, short for George and Leo, with his old partner George Fullerton, and kept refining the Telecaster and Stratocaster ideas he invented in the first place. Leo Fender designed guitars right up until his death in 1991. CBS thought they bought his legacy. He just went and built two more.

4. Fender's employees bought the company back to save it

By the early 1980s CBS had had enough of the guitar business, and Fender was in rough shape. In 1985 a group led by a Fender executive named Bill Schultz bought the company out of CBS for around 12.5 million dollars. Here is the brutal twist. The deal did not include the factories. They bought the name, the designs, and a sales force, but they had to rebuild the actual guitar making from scratch, leaning on production in Japan before opening the now famous Corona, California plant. The Fender you can walk into a shop and buy today was literally reborn from that fire sale. The brand we love is a comeback story most players have never heard.

5. Gibson went bankrupt in 2018, then came roaring back

Think corporate guitar drama is ancient history. In 2018 Gibson, one of the most iconic names in all of music, filed for bankruptcy. The problem was not the guitars. Leadership had buried the company in debt chasing a plan to become a consumer electronics brand, even buying a big audio and home electronics business that flopped. The core guitar maker got dragged down with it. New ownership stepped in, wiped out the bad bets, brought in a leadership team that actually loved guitars, and refocused on the instruments. Within a few years Gibson was healthy and celebrated again. Proof that even now, the same old battle keeps playing out: guitars made by people who love them versus suits who see a spreadsheet.

More guitar lore on What Rocks: 5 Legendary Guitars Rock Heroes Built or Hacked Themselves, Slash's Band Collection, and 7 Wild Billy Gibbons Stories.

Wear it loud

If you can argue Norlin Gibson versus CBS Fender at a party, you are our kind of rock fan. Two picks for the certified gearheads:

Volume Knob Rock Baseball Cap →
The low key Spinal Tap nod that gearheads clock instantly.

Rock Hand Sign Graphic Tee →
For anyone who knows guitar history runs deeper than the price tag.

There you go! That's 5 corporate guitar wars that shaped the gear you play, from Norlin Gibson to a piano company nearly erasing Gretsch to Leo Fender refusing to quit. The CBS Fender saga is just the most famous chapter in a story that keeps repeating. The guitars survive because someone always shows up who cares about the music more than the margins.

If you missed the CBS Fender video, the embed is right at the top of this post. Subscribe to the Rock with PJ Pat YouTube channel for more rock and guitar deep dives.

Got a guitar story you want me to dig into next? Hit me on YouTube, Facebook, or drop me a message at its1louder.com. 

Turn up the volume to 11. 

PJ Pat