Musicians and retailers boycott Fulltone guitar pedals following founder's comments on looting
A number of retailers have announced that they will no longer be stocking products by guitar effects pedal manufacturers Fulltone, following statements made by the company’s founder Mike Fuller.
Fuller drew widespread criticism for his comments about looting during the protests for racial equality sparked by the death of George Floyd.
One June 2, in a since-deleted post on Facebook, Fuller said: “What is this like night 4 of looting with 100% impunity. The pussy Mayor and Governor don’t give a shit about small businesses, and it’s never been more clear.”
He then added in a comment: “Ahh I feel better, and flushed out some prissy boys who were raised to pee sitting down. Now I’ll delete.”
In a screenshot purported to be from an email exchange shared by a Fulltone fan account, Fuller apparently referred to “Organized gang banger criminals” and said “If I see you with a Fulltone pedal I will tag it and break into your house and loot it from you because it’s my free expression to do so.”
??♂️??♂️
Posted by Fulltone Pedals on Tuesday, June 2, 2020
As Guitar.com reports, following Fuller’s statements, online gear retailers Reverb will no longer be selling any new Fulltone products from July 1. Used Fulltone products can be bought there, with Reverb’s selling fees to be donated to a racial justice organisation.
“Mike Fuller’s recent comments and behavior violate our established brand values and the principles in our Community Rules for Sellers and Buyers,” says a statement from the site. “We have prohibitions against any kind of racial discrimination, hate speech and any threat or encouragement of violence.”
Never buying another Fulltone pedal and will find a good way to get rid of those I already own. https://t.co/cxMdZrbkgp
— black lives matter (@markhoppus) June 4, 2020
Among the musicians to boycott Fulltone were Blink-182‘s Mark Hoppus, who said: “Never buying another Fulltone pedal and will find a good way to get rid of those I already own.”
ugh…what a jerk, I will be dumping my Fulltone pedals asap! _ ARay
— Indigo Girls (@Indigo_Girls) June 9, 2020
Replying to a tweet about Fuller’s comments by singer Jason Isbell, Indigo Girls’ Amy Ray said: “what a jerk, I will be dumping my Fulltone pedals asap!”
US retailers Guitar Center, who have 269 stores across the country, also announced last week that they have cut ties with Fulltone. In a short statement, they said: “We are no longer doing business with Fulltone and are moving quickly to remove all Fulltone products from our stores and websites.”
Fuller has since claimed that he had already terminated the relationship himself in March.
Following backlash to his initial comments, Fuller later apologised. “I think I’ve been in fear for a very long time, and fear can makes people say stupid things,” he said, although that statement has since been deleted.
