Fender Hits the Road for Nationwide Tour

Be on the lookout for the Fender Roadhouse this summer! Three Roadhouse trailers shaped like giant Twin Reverb® amplifiers and loaded with the latest gear from Fender Musical Instruments will each make stops at selected Fender music dealers, festivals, concerts, and venues throughout the U.S., beginning in July.

Each Roadhouse trailer opens up to display a wall of new Fender guitars, basses, and amps, and features interactive demos and hands-on exhibits. Players can plug in and play the instruments, see how a Fender guitar and amp are put together, learn about Fender's influence on the sounds of popular music for more than 50 years, and talk with Fender Roadhouse staffers.

Fender chose its legendary Twin Reverb for the trailer design because it's the quintessential guitar amp long revered for its deep, rich tone.

"The Fender Roadhouse is a high-visibility event for our dealers in a total partnership effort with them on-site," says Bill Cummiskey, promotions manager. "The Roadhouse turns dealer visits into 'Fender Days'."

In conjunction with Fender Roadhouse dealer visits, Fender artist and clinician Gary Hoey will present guitar clinics co-sponsored by Guitar Player® magazine. Hoey and the Fender Roadhouse began their tour in early July on the East Coast and will travel down the Coast to end up in Florida in mid-August. At each location, the Roadhouse will be open to the public for three hours prior to Hoey's clinics.

Another Fender Roadhouse will debut at the National Music Merchants Association (NAMM) convention in Nashville in mid-July and will be on display for music store dealers during the NAMM show. From Nashville, this Roadhouse will travel up the East Coast with a van from K2, an international supplier of lifestyle sporting equipment. K2 offers in-line skates, skateboards, skis, snowboards, full suspension bikes, and surfwear for participants and enthusiasts of extreme sports. A third Fender Roadhouse will be based in Corona, California and will appear at selected events and venues on the West Coast.

Each of the Fender Roadhouses and the K2 vans will visit selected skate and sports dealers as well as sports events throughout the country.

"We've talked with a number of kids who are into extreme sports and who either play guitar or know people who do," says Cummiskey. "With our Fender Roadhouse, we're combining our promotional efforts with K2, which has a proven track record of showcasing and demonstrating products successfully through traveling vans."

For the latest information about the Fender Roadhouse and Gary Hoey's Fender dealer clinics, visit the following Web sites: http:/ and http://www.hoey.net. To find clinic dates and locations near you, see Harmony Central's Local Event Locator.