Fat Sound Guitars History
Landmarks in the history of Fat Sound Guitars:
- 1993 Fat Sound Guitars opens as one of the first guitar stores in the country to specialize in the new generation of hand-wired amplifiers with an emphasis on discovering new, emerging guitar, amplifier and effect pedal lines and helping to bring them to market
- 1993 - First Mesa/Boogie dealer in the marketplace
- 1993 - First Matchless Amplifiers dealer in North Carolina
- 1993 - First Soldano dealer in North Carolina
- 1993 - First Tom Anderson Guitars dealer in North Carolina
- 1994 - One of the very first Fulltone Effects dealer in the country
- 1996 - One of the first ecommerce websites dedicated to guitar equipment
- 1996 - Introduces the world to the legendary Klon Centaur as one of Klon's first 2 or 3 dealers
- 1997 - One of the first dealers for Top Hat Amplifiers in the country
- 1997 - Becomes the first dealer for Bogner Amplifiers in the region after Fat Sound Guitars' owner Stu Carter has been using an XTC 101B for 3 years in his personal arsenal.
- 1998 - One of the first dealers for Z Vex effects in the country
- 1999 - The 7th dealer for Dr Z Amplification with over 120 Dr Z amps sold that first year and thousands sold since. Fat Sound Guitars quickly becomes the #1 Dr Z Amp dealer in the country and creates a turnkey amp line for the 40+ dealers who later join the Dr Z network.
- 1999 - Becomes one of only two Collings Guitars dealers in North Carolina
- 2000 - Recommends that Mike Zaite of Dr Z Amplifiers build a Non-Reverb version of the, then new, MAZ 18 amplifier. The MAZ 18 NR quickly becomes the best selling boutique amp in the history of the genre and is dubbed the "Stu Don't Surf" model. The MAZ 18 NR was actually a Fat Sound Guitar exclusive for 2 years after its release.
- 2001 - Fat Sound Guitars begins special ordering Fender Custom Shop Time Macine NOS, Closet Classic and Relic guitars with a more modern 9.5" radius fingerboards and larger fretwire such as Dunlop 6105 and 6100. An idea that was so well received Fender ultimately implemented it across their entire range including the Mexican Player Vintage Guitars and American Player Vintage models. Most top tier Fender Custom Shop dealers soon implement this idea in to their own offerings.
- 2002 - Becomes the first dealer for Germino Amplifiers after a 9 year friendship with Greg Germino.
- 2004 - Brings Swart Amplifiers to market as the first dealer in the world for this, now iconic, brand. Sells over 70 Atomic Space Tone 112 combos within the first 90 days of launching the line.
- 2006 - Helps launch the new electric line of Collings Guitars with over 90 sold the first year and hundreds sold since. Fat Sound Guitars becomes the #1 Collings Electric Guitars dealer in the country
- 2008 - Fat Sound Guitars works closely with Alan Phillips as consultant for the new Carol-Ann Revo amplifier model
- 2009 - One of a small handful of top tier PRS dealers to be invited to become a Signature Dealer
- 2009 - Consults with PRS on the development of the PRS Sweet 16 Amplifier and launches the product to rave reviews. Our own initial review of this amp is featured in PRS's first email newsletter
- 2009 - Becomes the first MotorAve Guitars dealer in the world.
- 2009 - One of the first dealers to bring the remarkable Xits Amplifiers to the marketplace with nearly 100 amps sold in the first 3 months.
- 2010 - becomes the exclusive dealer for Ron Thorn's So-Cal series of guitars
The above are just a handful of the landmark events that come to mind in the history of Fat Sound Guitars. We have been a pioneer in the industry since our inception and are very proud of the role we have played in helping start-up companies launch their products and find a market for them as well as the consulting work we have done with some of today's most recognized brand names.
