“Most retailers simply make copycat products and charge a little less. That’s completely uninteresting to me”: Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto aims to defy skepticism with his new house brand – and insists we don’t need more Les Paul or Tele clones

“Most retailers simply make copycat products and charge a little less. That’s completely uninteresting to me”: Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto aims to defy skepticism with his new house brand – and insists we don’t need more Les Paul or Tele clones

In 2026 the guitar industry has never felt so saturated. Gear fatigue is real. For many observers the market is a merry-go round of familiar body shapes and styles, capable of inducing a dizzying deja vu. Fresh faces are few and far between.At least, that’s the thinking at Guitar Center, whose CEO is on a mission to bring something fresh to the market with a new in-house instrument brand. But he’s not going about it the orthodox way – he’s askin…