Fender fired John Cruz, Custom Shop’s Master Builder
Fender fired John Cruz, one of the Custom Shop’s most renowned Master Builders, for the reason: a post related to anti-racism protests in America.
John Cruz fired from Fender
Fender Custom Shop Master Builder John Cruz has been fired from Fender. The company has confirmed to the press that Cruz no longer works for the company. However, he has not made any announcement explaining that it is not company policy to comment publicly on the circumstances regarding his departure.
Removal from Cruz’s Master Builders list
The first hint on departure had been that John Cruz’s name was no longer in the ‘Meet The Builders’ section of the Fender Custom Shop. So it was that the American media contacted Fender, who confirmed that he was no longer working for the giant of the electric guitar industry.
Why did John Cruz leave Fender?
The speculation surrounding the departure of John Cruz stems from a racist post related to the recent protests by Black Lives Matter in the United States by the Master Builder.
The publication would consist of a meme, published and already deleted by John, that would show a Jeep all stained with blood and human body remains with the phrase “I don’t know what you mean with protesters on the highway, I came without problems.” There has been no confirmation that Cruz has published the image below.
Gregor himself later reported that Fender had contacted him, and they informed him of Cruz’s departure from the company and of measures they will take in this regard to prevent future incidents.
Fender called me and we had a very friendly and constructive conversation about this incident. At this point, John is no longer employed at Fender. The entire executive team is now sitting down to discuss how to turn things around within their team and their own ranks. I never wanted this, but kudos to Fender for taking a stand. Maybe the time is right to make some tough decisions.
Gregor Fris
Reactions against John Cruz and his violent publication
Reactions to John Cruz’s controversial post were not long in coming. Bass the World founder Gregor Fris asked on June 2, “Hello John Cruz, Master Builder of the Fender Custom Shop. Do you plan to stop making fun of hurting and even killing black protesters at some point? “
Fender Statement Against Racism
In parallel, Fender has also published a statement on all its social networks, in which it forcefully states that “it will not tolerate racism …”
“We will not tolerate racism. We must finish the work that the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement began decades ago as it is painfully clear that there is still a lot of work to be done
. Fender is fortunate to be in the music business and music would be nothing without blood. , the sweat and tears of African American musicians then and now. Fend
er’s mission to support artists at every stage has never been more important. We are proud of our artists, our employees, our partners, our friends and our families, in the fight against inequality and injustice.
We must continue to amplify voices of protest, voices of healing, voices of love, voices of peace, but above all, voices of change. “
John Cruz and work at Fender
John Cruz joined Fender in 1987, and was appointed Master Builder of the Custom Shop in 2003. During his tenure, he was best known for his reproductions of classic instruments, including Stevie Ray Vaughan’s ‘Number One’ Stratocaster, Jeff Beck’s Esquire Relic, Gary Moore’s 1961 Fiesta Red Stratocaster, and most recently the Precision Bass from Phil Lynott.
For more information on the guitar, visit Fender web site.
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