Dedicated to Women Guitarists and Bassists
GC Fulltone Featured Img v1

Guitar Center Drops Fulltone Pedals Following Insensitive Protest Comments

Guitar Center has announced that they will be removing Fulltone products from their stores and website following comments by founder, designer, and president, Michael Fuller.


June 8, 2020
Written by
Cynthia Schemmer
Photos by
She Shreds

Last week, in response to the protests against police brutality following the death of George Floyd, Fuller took to Facebook to criticize looters. His comments were not only tone deaf—ironic, coming from a company that prides itself on guitar tone—but also extremely offensive on multiple levels, including his prioritization of buildings over Black lives. When Fuller received an email from a concerned and righteously angry customer, he responded with hostility and threats:

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by She Shreds (@sheshreds_media) on

 

Fuller posted an apology shortly after, and has since deleted the comments and apology, both of which have been screen grabbed and widely distributed. Musicians have taken to social media to ask guitar retailers to cut ties with Fulltone, resulting in Guitar Center’s decision, and to ask other gear companies what they are currently doing to support Black lives. 

 

https://twitter.com/guitarcenter/status/1268954318670979073?s=20

 

While Fuller’s apology and Guitar Center’s decision is a start, it’s certainly not enough. We posted on a screenshot of Fuller’s comments on our Instagram, and our readers came through to express their frustration with the lack of consideration and support of Black lives from not just Fulltone, but other gear companies as well. And we, along with our readers, demand action. A simple social media post or hashtag will no longer suffice in an industry that has built its entire empire on the backs of the Black community, and we plan to hold the music industry accountable in any way that we can.

Our Official Newsletter

She Shreds Media: Our mission is to educate, empower, and inspire people through unexplored musical and cultural landscapes. Our vision is to continuously refine, redefine, and reimagine the possibilities of how music connects us, ensuring an inclusive and accessible music community 100% of the time.
She Shreds Media
She Shreds Media