OUTPUT 1

1
THE BRITS
ARE
COMING!
ZILLA CABS IN THE EU PATRICK JAMES EGGLE GORDON SMITH GUITARS
GUITARGANDHI MEETS LEO FENDER
GS GATSBY BENCH CHECK

Welcome to GuitarGandhi and our magazine, which is based around
our little world – the products and people we work with. So this is
our attempt, whenever we have the time and the power to do it.
We hope you will enjoy.
OUTPUT MAGAZINE for guitarplayers
April 2022
ZILLA CABS
BENCH CHECK: GORDON SMITH GATSBY
GORDON SMITH
STRINGJOY
PATRICK JAMES EGGLE GUITARS
WHEN GANDHI MET LEO FENDER
ETC.
Graphics, Editor & writer: Morten Larsen
(GG)
Photos: Rasmus Christensen
The Brits Are Coming
At GuitarGandhi our products come
from several places. Lately we have
taken on, quite a few british
companies, as there are great things
happening in the UK right now. So
we thought we would focus a little
on our friends in Britain, in this first
issue of our magazine.
Beware – the Brits are coming!
About GuitarGandhi
GuitarGandhi is a guitar company,
focusing on good builds, and guitars you
don’t see on every street corner.
We have no intentions of fighting the
usual musicstores, but we love guitars,
and this is truly a ”labour of love”
project.
So we offer our best to you, and we
treat each and every guitar, as if it was
our own.
Whenever we receive a new instrument,
we are as excited as if it was our first,
and we make unique photos of every
guitar, so what you see on our website,
is the actual guitar you will receive,
when you order.
We believe that we have found some of
the best and most interesting builds out
there, and we are always searching for
exciting new stuff.
Thank you for dropping by, and please
feel free to email us, or send a message
via our FB page, if you have any
questions. We will get back to you asap.
You can contact us at:
sales@guitargandhi.com

”….why pay big bucks for Mesa, Friedman,
or other quality cabs, when you get the same
quality, built in Europe, for a lot less?”
ZILLA CABS - crafted in the UK
Zilla Cabs have made a good name for themselves, over the
last few years. Paul and the team, are making great
cabinets, both visually and soundwise.
Personally, a few years back, i ordered a serious Wet/Dry/Wet system,
consisting of three cabs, plus a couple of headcases. And i was very
impressed with the quality of the cabinets. I also had great response
from Paul, seemingly a nice guy, and very open to thoughts and ideas.
So an idea grew in my head, to one day be able to sell Zilla. I mean –
why pay big bucks for Mesa, Friedman, or other quality cabs, when
you get the same quality, built in Europe, for a lot less?
Now with Brexit, business from the UK has become a little more
troublesome for us Europeans, so when GuitarGandhi became a
reality, i contacted Paul about getting some stock over to this side of
the fence.
European customers will not have to deal with customs, wait for
cabinets, etc. So we made an agreement, and ordered a selection of
the most popular models, and in different finishes.
We decided to call them Standard and Deluxe, where a standard
cabinet is in black Tolex with Salt/Pepper grille, metal corners, and
standard handles, whereas the Deluxe version, has leather corners,
and leather handle (when possible) and in various colours. We also
have the Zilla badge in the lower right corner, so you can always
recognize a Zilla cab from us.
……continues

We are of course open to your wishes for
something special. Anything Zilla can make, we
can order, and we will get you a quote, before
ordering.
Most cabinets come standard with Celestion
V30’s, but we can ship with any Celestion
speaker or configuration you like: Creambacks,
Blue Alnicos, Heritage, etc. Also combinations
are nice, and you can easily mix speakers. So
did I with G12Heritage Greenbacks and V30s in
my 212 cabs, and i liked it.
212 Fatboy Horisontal
We have chosen V30 in most cabinets, as its a
great speaker when you want to be heard in a
band. It has a little more midrange on its own,
but in a Fatboy or a ported cab, where you get
a fat bottom end, the V30 works really well
with its powerful mids. And with the band
around you, it sounds a lot different.
112 Std
112 Ported DLX
210 DLX
Front/Back
We ordered some 2x10’s for our stock, and
they come with Creambacks, for a smooth
sound, that works well with both Fender and
Vox type amps, in combination with an open
Oval back. Not so boomy as the bigger guys,
but smooth and transparent.
Go to the Gandhi website, where you can see
our stock, and unique photos of every cabinet,
as well as specifications for each.

Gatsby Launch Edition
Of course we were excited, when we received our first Gordon
Smith samples. So we decided to take the Gatsby for a spin,
and do a quick review.
Not only for you, but also for ourselves to find out if taking the
Gordon Smith brand on board, was really a good idea.
So we plugged and played, and went into details with this white
Gatsby, which is a more modern take on the offset guitars,
originally made by Fender, some decades ago!

Right out of the box, the guitar looks and
feels quite nice. It arrives very well
packed, and includes a gigbag, plus a
certificate. The neck is a standard 25.5”
scale, with Medium Jumbos, and a Maple
fingerboard. Neck shape is always a big
thing, and this one is quite comfy and
slim. Closer to a D than a C shape, and a
12” Radius.
At the end of the neck, the adjustment
wheel is easy to access, and the neck
pocket is nicely made, and very tight. The
Truss Rod is the ”dual action” type, and
works two ways. Finally the guitar comes
with Gotoh SG381-05 tuners.
The Gatsby is very well setup, with a set of
D’ Addario EXL110, and action is quite low.
The nicely fitted ”Zero Fret” 42 mm brass
nut seems to be cut perfectly, and at the
opposite end, you will find a HK41 tremolo
system, and a roller bridge with brass
rollers.
So the Gatsby offers more than Surf
sounds – actually its an all rounder, and
work equally well for almost any style.
The pickups are well balanced, between
neck and bridge, and quiet too. Controls
are 1 Volume, and 1 Tone, plus a 3 way
Toggle switch - a simple layout.
On the back of the guitar, you see a very
nicely cutoff heel, making it easy to jam
away on the upper frets.
Another nice feature is the headstock,
which is modern and attractive, without
sacrificing the historic vibe of a classic
design.
Anyone, who has tried a JM or Jag, knows
how ”wobbly” the tremolo can work, but
the HK41 tremolo is nice and works
perfectly, and is well adjusted.
So on to some sounds. This guitar comes
loaded with GS’ own ”homewound”
pickups, a nice pair of P-90’s with
chromecovers. Apart from looking good,
they also sound good. Compared to a JM
as we know it, they are a little less twangy,
but warmer and more full sounding.
The Verdict
Over the last few years, Offset guitars
have become increasingly popular, and
the Gatsby certainly gives its
competitors, a good run for the money.
GS started out with the Launch Edition,
but you can order your Gatsby in any
configuration you want, whether you
want a hardtail, two humbuckers, aged
hardware or a Rosewood fingerboard.
The Launch series comes with a very
attractive price tag, and even if you
want to do your own specs, these
guitars offer great value for money. In
fact not just for the money – it’s a great
guitar, and could easily end up as one of
the most popular GS designs.

The Gatsby Launch Edition
Body Wood: Poplar
Neck Wood: Maple
Finger Board: Maple
Fretwire: Medium Jumbo
Radius: 12”
Truss Rod: 2 way
Finish: Gloss Body Satin neck
Pick Ups: 2 x home wound chrome GS P90’s
Bridge: low profile brass roller
Tremolo: HK41 Vibrato
Tuners: GOTOH SG381 – 05
Scale Length: 25.5 Inch. 648 mm
Brass Nut: 42 mm
Strings: D’Addario XL110
Case: GS Gigbag
Also included:
Launch Edition Certificate,
an Exclusive Gordon Smith Gatsby T-Shirt
Custom Launch Edition Neck Plate

GORDON SMITH GUITARS
Running a small guitar company like GG, is an
ongoing challenge, when it somes to finding new
and interesting products.
One day i was looking at old guitarmagazines
from the 80’s, and i came across a review of a
Gordon Smith guitar, and wondered whatever
happened to the brand.
GS was clearly not big on export, so we did not
see many in Scandinavia. I did a little research on
the subject and realized, that the brand had been
sold in 2015 and moved from the Manchester
area to the Midlands.
Auden Musical Instruments is a fairly new
company, owned by entrepeneur Doug Sparkes,
who bought the Gordon Smith brand from John
Smith, who had been running the company with
his wife for many years.
(continues on next page)
Matching Headstock
GS No Cut
GS2 Yellow
GS No Cut
GS1
Open Pore
Classic T
Maple Top

GORDON SMITH GUITARS ……continued
Doug Sparkes has revitalized the brand, and the new and more modern facility in Higham
Ferrers/Northhamptonshire is producing guitars of great quality, and with way more options than
before. Yet more affordable than many of the High End brands.
There seems to be no end, to how many guitars the world needs, and all the companies we work with,
are backordered for months and years ahead. So a good guitar company in Europe, is certainly more
than welcome. Especially because Gordon Smith is offering many options, woods and models, to fill
some of the gaps. And they do Lefties, with no added cost, which i find very sympathetic.
Gordon Smith even make their own pickups inhouse, and they sound great.
Another point is, that many companies are only doing Strat or Tele models, whereas more Gibson
orientated models are harder to find. Especially if they are not just copies, but have their own “thing”.
And the GS single and double cut guitars, have been around since 1974, so they kind of have a life of
their own.
Gordon Smith Guitars were very popular among
New Wave and punk guitarists in the 80’s, because
they were simple and affordable. But in general, a
lot of players fell in love with the simplicity of what
was really a british take on Juniors, Specials and
Melody Makers, etc. Players like Billy Bragg, Midge
Ure, Dee Dee Ramone and Mick Abrahams of Jethro
Tull and Bloodwyn Pig, were among the many users,
who loved the uncomplicated guitars.
Especially in recent years there has been a lack of
consistency and quality, so you can say that the
Auden company saved the brand from going under.
I must say that the whole story intrigues me, and by
looking at all the great guitars online, i became
more and more interested in taking on Gordon
Smith as a new brand at GuitarGandhi.
And so it went, we already have the first guitars in
stock, and i am very happy with the quality.
If you go to the Gordon Smith website, you will get
an idea of the many options and possibilities, and
on their SoMe pages, you will find hundreds of great
pictures from the factory, guitars and basses already
made.

•
Honestly, we don’t really put a lot of efforts into the smaller things.
Selling a set of strings, can take just as long, as selling a guitar.
However, we are of course a very serviceminded operation, and we
have picked some of the best little accessories and gadgets for you.
Suhr and Source Audio pedals, DiMarzio & Rattlesnake cables, etc.

PATRICK
JAMES
EGGLE
As you may have noticed, we have a few british
products on our website. Looking for great
products, we took on Patrick James Eggle Guitars
as one of our first brands. Patrick is a skilled
guitarbuilder, and his quality is second to none.
Some of you may remember Eggle guitars from the
early 90’s. Those were good guitars, at a very
decent price, and Patrick was involved.
In 1994 he decided to quit the company, and
relocated to the US, wanting to focus on acoustic
guitars, and do repairs. After a few years, he
returned back to the UK, where he has been
designing and consulting for Faith Guitars, as well
as doing his own electric guitars.
And what guitars they are!
His Macon models, are takes on Juniors, Specials
and LP’s in general, and we dare say that the
quality and the attention to detail, is superior to
most Gibbos we’ve owned and tried.
So at GG, we always have a few PJE guitars at hand.
PJE Macon Jr
PJE Macon Single Cut
PJE ”96” Fiesta Red w/beautiful flamed neck
Besides the Macon models. PJE also does T (The
OZ) and S (The 96) models, and these compare
to other High End builds, like Suhr, Anderson,
etc.
Especially the handbrushed Nitro finishes are
wild, and so is the woodwork, setup and design.
This is truly Hi End, and PJE guitars come with
different pick up choices, aged or new
hardware.
Take a look at Patricks website, or SoMe pages –
we hope you will love them as much as we do.
….continues on next page

PJE Macon Jr
Nitro Blonde
PJE Macon Jr
Aztec Gold

GOING BACK IN TIME
1987
Morten Larsen
Dale Hyatt Leo Fender George Fullerton
When GuitarGandhi met Leo Fender!
Way back in 1987, i started doing business with G&L guitars. I attended my
first NAMM show, and going to California was huge experience for me.
In the previous summer, i had been visiting a good friend who was studying
at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, spending two weeks in California.
Right in the centre of Hollywood.
At that point, there were a lot of great music stores in the L.A. area, and
every night you could go to a venue somewhere in North Hollywood, where
many of the musicians that i only knew from record covers, would be
jammin, or playing with bands i had never heard of. On week nights, we
would go see Robben Ford, Los Lobotomys, John Scofield, Frank Gambale,
Scott Henderson and many others. What a great period it was.

…when i came back to Denmark
i soon convinced my wife that i had to go back in
January for my first NAMM show, which was a
great experience in itself.
I have since then, made 30+ trips to the US, and
the NAMM show.
On one of the first shows, i remember Leo Fender,
Bill Rhodes and Helmuth Schaller standing in the
hallway, talking – which was kind of legendary to
me.
Since then i have had the good fortune to meet
many of the names behind the brand names.
I met G&L at the show, and soon started
importing guitars and basses for my shops in
Denmark. In those days, we communicated via
Telex, or Fax machines, and going to the actual
show, talking to people, was a very important part
of the business. Plus the fact, that California is
always a great place to be in January, when you
come from a much colder part of the world.
The Winter NAMM Show has been located in
Anaheim for many years, and the city of Fullerton,
is just a couple of miles away from the Anaheim
Convention Centre. Fullerton was the home city
for Leo Fender and G&L.
When Leo sold the Fender company in 1965, CBS
paid 13 million USD for the company, which was a
lot of money in those days. Leo decided to buy
some land in Fullerton, where he built a number
of smaller workshops on what would become
Fender Avenue. The original idea was to rent out
these buildings to small local companies, and
keep a couple for himself. 2548 Fender Avenue,
became the address for Leo’s workshop and
office, and still today houses the G&L factory.
As part of his contract with CBS/Fender, Leo was
not allowed to produce guitars and musical
instruments for a period of five years, so he
started CLF research, which was a consulting
company. He had hoped that the new owners at
Fender would use some of his knowledge, but
they were not interested.
Instead Leo’s former COO, Forrest White, and
former sales rep Tom Walker, decided to start a
company called Tri-Sonix Inc., and came to Leo for
help and financing.
The company later became Music Man, and Leo
ended up as president. Now you could speculate,
that Leo was behind this all the time, as he was
still bound by his contract with Fender.
those NAMM mornings, before hell breaks loose

Of course, as most people know, Music Man was later sold to Ernie Ball, and together with his old friend,
George Fullerton, Leo started G&L guitars.
Through all the years, Leo had another good friend, who had worked with Leo since 1946.
Dale Hyatt had returned from World War II, and came to work for Leo Fender for many years. He also
was an important partner at G&L, and he was my contact, as he was taking care of business, and the
daily running of the company.
During the WWII, Dale was a Tail Gunner on a B-17, and was shot down over France, but he managed to
get back to his allies, and made it back to the US in one piece, after the war.
When Leo built his first Broadcaster guitars in 1948, Dale would drive around Orange County on Saturday
Nights in his car, showing off these new guitars to the country bands playing in the area.
At that point, nobody was using Solid Body guitars, so it took some time convincing the guitarplayers, to
change their hollowbodies into new solid bodies.
Dale was a big guy, and i remember shaking his enormous hand. He was driving a Lincoln Continental,
and i was in the front seat, bouncing around like a baby, with Leo and George Fullerton in the backseat,
driving to Leo’s favourite Diner in Fullerton for hamburgers and Cokes.
At this point Leo was not well (he died three years later) but according to Dale he came to the factory
every day, where his office was more like a small workshop, where he would work on ideas.
Quite frankly, i think it was mostly a show off for visiting guests, as he was in bad shape.
But visiting the factory was a great experience, and my first visit to a guitarfactory.
Visiting Leo was an experience i will never forget.
George, Leo and Dale – beginning of G&L
All of this, is kind of legendary to some of us, but for the
people working there it was a job, and just a long line of
products, made in the factory that had been their
workplace for years. You would still see Music Man
stickers on the light switches, and they are probably still
there today.
Leo’s office is preserved at the G&L factory, as the day he
left it. After Leo’s death in 1991, his wife Phyllis, sold the
company to the McLaren family, who also owned BBE.
After a break with G&L, i started doing business with the
new owners, and came back to the factory in the 90’s.
As of today, they still run the G&L company on 2548
Fullerton Avenue.
FINDING SOME OF LEO’s STUFF IN THE FACTORY
After G&L was sold to BBE i went back
to G&L, and the new owners, the McLaren
family.
Brothers John Jr & Dave McLaren were
running G&L. John running the factory, and
Dave was sales director.
I visited the factory a couple of times, and
on one of these visits, Dave McLaren
and i went upstairs in a small attic, looking
for some of Leo’s leftovers. A few golfclubs,
and some boxes. I opened a box, filled with
papers, and asked Dave if i could take
some……………continued on next page
After Fender, Leo started CLF research.
I found these envelopes in a box in the factory.

…..continued
John looked in the box, filled with papers and files, and said. ”yeah go ahead, its full”.
What i found was some envelopes, made for Leo’s company CLF research, an invoice, as well as the
annual ”Consolidated Financial Statement” from the Fender company, dated September 30th, 1963.
The report was a bit of a gem i thought, as it shows all the figures from the Fender company, in its
heydays. Also i own an old Strat from the same year, which indirectly is a part of the sales figures in the
report.
The report is examined and signed by, ”Certified Public Accountant” Mr E.H.Pittwood and shows, that
Fender sales in 1963 (Oct 1. 1962 – Sept 30. 1963) were as much as: USD 6.558.081,89.
That year, income taxes paid, were USD 399.022,91
When taxes, and all expenses were paid, the Fender company made a net profit of USD 390.145,46 and
in 1962, the profit was USD 565.252,88, so the total income for the two fiscal years, was 953.398,34
Not too bad in 1962, and in todays money it sums up to 8.800.000 dollar.

Pete Thorn at the
Suhr party 2014
Suhr guitars, is a great part of what we offer at
GuitarGandhi. John Suhr, and his team, is kicking out
great instruments, amps, pedals and pickups, and we
are always excited, when receiving a new box from our
friends in Lake Elsinore, California. Personally, i have
had the great pleasure of visiting, both the old and the
new factories. Pictures are from 2014, where Suhr
decided to skip the NAMM show, and invited people
instead to the new factory, for a great show, food and
drinks – what’s not to like!
Anyway, i have had a long run with Suhr, On/Off since
2004, and we love the instruments, and the quality
behind every single piece.
Unfortunately, i am not the only fan in the world, and
this means that orders are delayed from the factory.
At this point we have 25+ guitars on backorder, and as
annoying as it is, we don’t want the good people to
rush anything, and compromise quality.
In our next issue, we will dig a little deeper into John
Suhr and his story, as well as the company.
Check our inventory, we always have Suhrs in stock, as
well as pedals. And it looks as if we are receiving
backorders more regularly at the moment.
So stay tuned!
Doug Aldrich at the Suhr party 2014

Links:
www.guitargandhi.com
www.gordonsmithguitars.com
www.nashguitars.com
www.suhr.com
www.paolettiguitars.com
www.kauerguitars.com
www.rivera.com
www.zillacabs.com
www.rattlesnakecables.com
www.eggle.co.uk
www.espguitars.com
www.dimarzio.com

Next issue May/June:
We are getting a feel for making
our own little magazine. Stay
tuned for more, as we grow it.
Read about:
Nash Guitars
Paoletti from Italy
Pedals & Cables
John Suhr – The Story
…..and much more