Previously unpublished Don Randall interview

[Dave W]

Fender's Don Randall Offers Revisionist Take on Leo, CBS, and the Company's Early Days | Bacon's Archive

As always, be skeptical.

[Rob]

that's a really good read (links included).  Thanks!

[Barklessdog]

Ironic how people can be at the same place at the same time and have totally different perceptions of things. I imagine the truth lies somewhere in the middle?

[amptech]

Good read, agree!

[Dave W]

It's hard enough to tell truth from fiction when different guys who were there in the early days make competing claims. On top of that, sometimes it's just faulty memory. For example, in one of the guitar books, Les Paul talked about his TV show that ran for 7 years in the 50s. He and Mary did appear on national TV shows quite a few times in the 50s but in fact, he never had a TV show, unless you count the five minute Listerine commercials they did for about 18 months as a TV show.

In Smith's book -- Fender: The Sound Heard 'round the World --  Randall told a story about Shifty Henry (a/k/a Shifte Henri) that was completely false. I doubt it was done maliciously, but there it is in the book, and it paints Henry in a bad light over something that never happened.

Of course, Randall could be right about everything he claims in the Reverb interview. There's just no way of knowing.

[westen44]

To make a comparison, it makes you realize that Paul McCartney wasn't kidding when he said half the things written about the Beatles weren't even true. 

[gearHed289]

Read that yesterday. Interesting stuff. I had heard of a Rickenbacker connection early on, but never knew what really went down.

[Chris P.]

Anaheim, Santa Ana and Fullerton are very close. I know when Fender started with bound bodies, guys from Rickenbacker thaught them how to do it. So of course competitors, but in a friendly way. Roger Rossmeisl went from Rickenbacker to Fender. I don't know the background about that.

[Dave W]

Anaheim, Santa Ana and Fullerton are very close. I know when Fender started with bound bodies, guys from Rickenbacker thaught them how to do it. So of course competitors, but in a friendly way. Roger Rossmeisl went from Rickenbacker to Fender. I don't know the background about that.

You might be interested in this VG article from the late 90s: Rossmeisl Guitars by Phil Kubicki. Before I read this article, I never knew Roger's first US job was with Gibson. IIRC Phil did a follow-up article (I was a subscriber back then) but I don't see it online.

[Dave W]

After re-reading the interview, it's definitely misleading, intentionally or not. Randall was partner with Leo in Fender Sales, but the interview makes it sound like Randall was a principal in the manufacturing operation. That's false. Leo was the sole owner of Fender Electric Instruments Company.

When Leo got back in the business after CLF Research, who did he become partners with? George Fullerton, not Don Randall.

[amptech]

Gibson's Julius Bellson wrote a book in 1973, claiming that Gibson made a working electric guitar/amp outfit in the early 20's - with the proof being a photo of a 1929 L4 guitar plugged into an amp they advertised in 1933...

[Chris P.]

Thanks for the link, Dave! Very interesting read!