On Thursday, September 15th, we took a four hour drive to visit the new Fender Visitor Center in Corona, California. When we arrived Larry Thomas spoke and then we got to hear from Phyllis Fender.

Also had a chance to talk with John Cruz, Chip Ellis, Jim Thomas, Mike Lewis, Dan Smith, Steven Stern, Mike Eldridge and Warren DeMartini. When I went into the Fender Visitor Center, I ran into Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses and Haley McLean and had a great chat with them.

The main area had displays filled with old music history, Thumbs Carlyle, Leo Fender, Forest White, historic amplifiers, guitars and rich music history.

There was a section full of guitar necks where you could match the one right for you. There was also a section dedicated to acoustic guitars. The visitors center had several racks full of just about any kind of Fender apparel. We also got to tour the Custom Shop and I had a great chat with the winding manager Juan Bustros.

Also ran into John 5 who is currently playing for Rob Zombie.


Buddy Guy played during the event, along with Dave Mason, and we all had such a great time. Warren and I took a tour of the factory and got to see how things were made. There were huge bins with guitar necks and assorted parts that were really neat. There was a conveyor built through the ceiling that carried guitars that were being painted and moved from one station to another. Robert Knight took some great photos of us during the event and I really appreciated the hospitality of Larry Thomas. It was an honor to meet everyone and was really exciting to see the rich history of Fender and the factory.
The Fender Visitor Center is open to the public beginning September 19th, for more information, visit: www.fender.com/visitorcenter