Fender Acquires SWR

Jun 03, 2003

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) announced that it has signed a deal to purchase specific assets of SWR Sound Corporation. The acquisition, effective as of June 2, 2003, will include all existing inventory of products , as well as all accounts receivable, intellectual properties and trademarks relating to SWR products.

Says Bill Schultz, Chairman and CEO of FMIC, "We have always sought to offer a wide variety of quality products to meet the needs of all musicians, and the SWR brand name will help us do just that. The SWR bass amplification products and the artists who use them are known and respected throughout the world, and they will add diversity to what we are able to offer."

FMIC will immediately begin to produce SWR bass amplification products at both of the company's state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Corona, California, and Ensenada, Mexico. The SWR brand name will then be sold and distributed through the recently created Fender Specialty Sales department.

The new Fender Bass Amplification Division, which includes a team dedicated solely to the development of new bass amp technology and marketing, marked FMIC's most progressive move to date and reinforces the company's dedication to creating a full line of bass products under the Fender brand name. Now, with the addition of SWR, FMIC is poised to develop, produce and market products under two distinct brand names.

For more information, visit their web site at www.swrsound.com.