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NOTE: This episode was filmed prior to the news that Andy Mooney was retiring as CEO of Fender after 10 years leading the company. We hope you enjoy the episode and we congratulate him on Fender’s achievements under his leadership.
Gabe Dalporto sits down with Fender CEO Andy Mooney to explore how a pioneering past fuels future innovation.
The inaugural episode of Guitar Center’s Inside the Noise with Gabe Dalporto opens with a personal moment, as Dalporto shows Fender CEO Andy Mooney the 1964 Stratocaster his father gave him. After trading a few licks on the vintage Strat, the two CEOs talk about Leo Fender’s “form follows function” ethos and today’s product decisions driven by the needs of working players.
Mooney frames brand stewardship with a lesson he once took from Apple’s Steve Jobs: “Every product is either a deposit or a withdrawal in the bank of brand equity.” That mindset sparked renewed focus across Fender’s entire product line, resulting in boundary-pushing projects such as the Acoustasonic guitar and Tone Master Pro multi-effects pedal.
Looking ahead, Mooney shares how he sees electric players evolving. Guitars tend to move somewhat slowly, as artists’ real-world needs are tracked by incremental changes to frets, neck shapes, pickups and more. Amplification and digital technology, however, move faster, as players embrace lighter, tour-friendly rigs and smarter, easier and more powerful user interfaces.
The conversation closes on shared optimism: The electric guitar isn’t going anywhere, and music’s role in human culture remains as enduring as ever.
Catch the full conversation and other episodes of Inside the Noise With Gabe Dalporto on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any of your favorite major platforms. When you subscribe, you’ll get new episodes every Tuesday at 3 p.m. PT.