ThroBak Guitar Lounge
Guitar players, sit back in the ThroBak Guitar Lounge and be part of the internet's most informative guitar hang! Fun takes on tone, guitar collecting, repair and installation tips, guitar news of the day and much more.
ThroBak Electronics owner Jon Gundry and co-host Matthew Quail draw upon decades of guitar expertise and insights from their work at ThroBak Electronics making the finest reproductions guitar pickups available today.
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ThroBak Guitar Lounge
Fender vs Influencers – Is Fender Getting Cancelled by the Guitar Community?
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Fender vs Influencers – Is Fender Getting Cancelled by the Guitar Community?
Upgrade your guitar with ThroBak Pickups 👉 https://www.throbak.com/
Episode 054 of the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast steps directly into one of the biggest controversies in the modern guitar world: Fender vs Influencers. After Fender reportedly sent aggressive cease and desist letters to boutique guitar builders over the Stratocaster body shape—demanding massive financial penalties and the destruction of guitars—the backlash from the guitar community was immediate and explosive. Major voices in the guitar world, including Phillip McKnight, Rhett Shull, and Tim Pierce and many others have publicly criticized Fender’s actions, igniting a debate about intellectual property, guitar culture, and whether the world’s most iconic guitar company is turning against the very community that helped build it. Is Fender protecting its legacy—or risking cancellation by the modern guitar audience? Jon Gundry and Matthew Quail step into the ring for a heated Guitargument that tackles one of the most divisive guitar industry stories of 2026. Plus, in Pickups of the Week, the guys fire up a real pair of vintage high-output P.A.F. humbuckers through a roaring Marshall amp to explore the aggressive, harmonically rich tones that helped define classic rock guitar history. From raw vintage pickup tone to one of the hottest controversies in the guitar world, Episode 054 is packed with the kind of debate, tone, and guitar obsession that only the ThroBak Guitar Lounge can deliver.
Episode 054 Breakdown
📬 ThroBak Mailbox – Matthew Quail opens the show by clarifying a viewer question.
🎸 Pickups of the Week – Jon Gundry plugs a 1958 Gibson Historic Reissue Les Paul loaded with real vintage high-output P.A.F. humbuckers into a Marshall amp to explore the powerful, harmonically rich tones that helped shape classic rock history. Hear what happens when genuine hot vintage P.A.F.s meet classic British tube amp grind. 🔥
🥊 The Guitargument – Fender vs Influencers – One of the hottest guitar industry controversies of 2026 takes center stage. After Fender’s reported cease and desist actions against S-style guitar builders sparked outrage across the guitar community, major influencers like Phillip McKnight, Rhett Shull, and Tim Pierce have spoken out publicly against Fender’s actions. Jon and Matthew debate whether Fender is protecting its legacy—or risking serious backlash from the modern guitar world.
🎭 Rorschach Riffs with Matthew – Electric Guitar Edition – can you guess Matthew's riffs?
🎶 Matthew’s Musical Musings – Matthew reflects on Paul McCartney’s recent SNL performance and what it reveals about legacy artists, performance, and the enduring spirit of rock and roll.
👋 Outro – Final thoughts, wrap-up, and a look ahead to the next episode of the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast.
🎸 Gear Featured in This Episode
Vintage high output P.A.F. Pickups in a 1958 Gibson Les Paul Reissue
Marshall SV20H Studio Vintage 20-watt Amplifier Head
👉 Explore ThroBak Pickups:
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ThroBak Electronics is a world leader in classic reproduction guitar pickups. To learn more visit.:
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https://www.throbak.com/strings.html