The San Fernando Valley is home to all kinds of music studios and live venues, and a lot of equipment manufacturers can also be found in the 818 area code, including the renowned instrument-maker from Japan, Fernandes Guitars. Although the Fernandes marque got its start and initial success in the Orient, with a name like Fernandes, this firm sounds right at home in the Valley, and it's only right that the axe-crafter should have a presence here. Recently, after a visit to Coffin Case's North Hollywood headquarters, a side-trip was made to the Fernandes Guitar outpost that's found in the Coffin Case building, not too far from Jonny Coffin's own office. General Manager Alfonso Pinzon and his associate, Andres Jaramillo, ushered All Access Magazine into their chamber for a friendly discussion of instruments and inspiration, music and marketing.
All Access Magazine ~ This is great, a guitar-maker "encased" in a building that houses a maker of guitar-cases! How long have you been in this building with Jonny Coffin and Coffin Case?
Alfonso ~ We've been here sharing space with Coffin Case for two years now.
AAM ~ It's interesting to learn that Fernandes Guitars got its start by producing acoustic flamenco guitars many years ago, but these days the bulk of your business in the electric guitar market, true?
Alfonso ~ Absolutely, ever since the Eighties. Actually, we were building electrics even in the Seventies, but it was in the Eighties that we really began to take hold with big-name players.
AAM ~ That's right, we took a look at your roster of artists, and it's like a "Who's Who" of electric guitarists. Right off the top, there's both Steve Vai and Steve Stevens in there, and players from bands such as Nine Inch Nails and Journey and Saliva, and the list goes on and on. And in fact, it so happens that our magazine has a copy of the new Static-X CD that's scheduled to come out really soon, and we see that Tony Campos is also one of the Fernandes featured artists, playing your instruments – further confirming what a diverse stable of musicians is on board with your company. Obviously, you have a solid reputation because you produce a high-quality musical product. Now, one thing we want to know, right from the beginning, is: Was "Fernandes" a real person, and if so, how did he end up in Japan?
Alfonso ~ Fernandes was the name of a Spanish luthier. As you may know, a "luthier" is a person who makes or repairs stringed instruments such as guitars, and Fernandes used to make guitars in Spain back in the day, and to the Japanese owner of this company, the name sounded beautiful.
All Access Magazine ~ Thanks very much for the background on the name – it has a legitimate classical lineage, for sure! Now, tell us, do you now do any guitar production here in the U.S. at this time?
Alfonso ~ We used to build custom guitars over here, but not any more. It just got too expensive, so we do everything overseas now. We use Japan, of course, and Korea and China.
AAM ~ Regarding the construction of your guitars, we note that you use some very high-grade woods and materials, often quite fancy and even exotic. For instance, there's a lot of Canadian maple used, and then ebony and mahogany woods, and a wood called "swamp ash," and abalone inlays. Can you tell us about your sources, how do you help maintain the resources in an ecologically responsible way?
Alfonso ~ Well, we're not out to ravage the rainforest, so we make sure that all of our factories use renewable resources, they're all "eco-friendly." Besides the maple, we also get alder from Canada, and we use Honduran mahogany.
AAM ~ Do you know where the "swamp ash" comes from, is that maybe from a Louisiana swamp, down on the bayou?
Alfonso ~ Yes, actually, it is! We have had some great basses made out of that wood, they have a really beautiful tone.
AAM ~ We see that now that the bulk of your business is in the electric market, but in your catalog you still have the " Palisade" acoustic guitar, which is a six-string. Tell us, do you in fact make any twelve-string guitars?
Alfonso ~ Not right now. We had some twelve-string models a while ago, but actually, our whole acoustic line has now been redesigned. We're gearing up to launch the line at the next Winter NAMM Show.
AAM ~ We'll be there!
Alfonso ~ Remember, the acoustic arena is a completely different market now, and we have to make sure we're competitive because there's so much product out there. We want to make sure our pieces are affordable for the customer, but at the same time that they have the highest quality possible. That's one thing about Fernandes – we are not some cheap company out to flood the market. Every single instrument we put out there, even if it's an entry-level guitar, has the highest quality. We are famous for the fact that our dealers can take our guitars right out of the box and put them on their walls, without having to do anything, except maybe tune them up, that's it. We give good value, that's part of our reputation. We are a smaller company, and there are many other companies out there, and we want to maintain our quality, that's our market. We appeal to a customer that's more demanding.
AAM ~ We see that you're wearing a "Hi-Watt Amp" shirt, Alfonso. Tell us please, is there any tie-in there between the two firms?
Alfonso ~ Sure! It so happens that Fernandes Guitars now owns the Hi-Watt company. Fernandes bought it back in the Eighties, from the original Hi-Watt guys. That company has been around since the Sixties, featured in the music of The Who, Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, many others. It's a phenomenal amp line, their product is top of the line.
AAM ~ We were happy to see, on your website, that a few All Access Magazine Calendar Girls are shown with your fine instruments, courtesy of Manrique Photos. So have you been working lately with Ernie Manrique to shoot guitars and models, or musicians with guitars, or promos in general?
Alfonso ~ Absolutely! Ernie Manrique is working with our models, and he also is doing some great shots of our artists, so we're very happy work with Ernie. He's also doing some live shots, and we have plenty of work for him! There's so much stuff that we need to do in the marketing area, so yes, Ernie is a big help.
AAM ~ Fernandes is of course very well known, and rightly so, for its sustain effect and sustainer kits. You have international acclaim for the quality of that feature. Tell us, are there other effects or breakthroughs in the electric sound end of things that you'd like to share with our readers?
Alfonso ~ Yes, we're doing some research on some other types of sustain. Many bass players have requested sustain effects for their instruments, and now we also have sustainers for eight-string guitars, the bigger guitars. Our sustainer, I'd say, is the only real innovation in guitar playing in the last forty years. There hasn't been anything else like it, at least not that the big players are using, to the extent that they are using our sustainer. Our sustainer is a great tool to have, and I think that every single guitar player out there should have at least one guitar with our sustainer. It's a great recording tool, as well as being excellent in live performance. It's still unbeaten technology, and it's exclusively Fernandes!
AAM ~ Could you tell us, which is the best-loved or most-popular model of your current line of guitars? They're all so beautiful, so which one gets picked the most?
Alfonso ~ The guitar that we feel is best-loved is The Ravelle.
AAM ~ That's what we thought! It's such a gorgeous and distinctive instrument! It stands out so visually, and it invites you to pick it up and play it.
Alfonso ~ Yes, it's unique, and popular now. And yet, when that body shape came out, maybe five or six years ago, we had a hard time introducing it. It was so unusual at the time that some people said, "Who's going to play this? Who's going to like it?" And we said, "Everyone will like it, you'll see!" And then, over time, we came to develop a vast pool of fans for this instrument, with players from metal to pop to you-name-it.
AAM ~ In your catalog, we see that some models are available in a seven-string edition, but just now you spoke of there even being eight-string guitars on the way, so please tell us more, because you sure don't see those every day.
Alfonso ~ That's right. We're thinking about putting out a limited model, for a very well-know guitar player. I still cannot tell you who it is, but he's a major name in metal, and we're putting out an eight-string, and it's going to be very, very cool. We're not always just trying to push for the best-selling guitar. We have a niche of demanding players, and we cater to them. If there's at least a good handful of players who actually deserve to have an eight-string guitar, we want to make it for them. That's pretty much our idea, to put unique instruments out there, that really bring something new to the marketplace.
AAM ~ Well, we're certainly intrigued, so do you think we'll hear about this new development within the coming year?
Alfonso ~ Absolutely, we will satisfy your curiosity before too long.
AAM ~ Good, then we'll be keeping an eye on you and Fernandes Guitars, along with Jonny Coffin and Coffin Case, because we're always interested in the latest developments from music-minded firms such as yours. Between the two of you, now discriminating musicians can get awesome instruments to play, and killer cases to put them in. Rock on!
