Many years ago, a friend of mine told me these crazy awesome Stratocaster clones were being sold out of a storefront on Dorman Avenue in San Francisco. We decided to investigate, and a man who looked more like a teenager opened the alley door and introduced himself as Glen Quan. I said, “Oh, I know about Leo Quan Badass Bridges.” He answered, “That’s me. It was hard to be taken seriously by manufacturers because I look so young, so I invented Leo. I’ll say, ‘Oh, I’m his son. This is what he wants.’” Whether that story was true or not, I can’t say, but the Tokai Strat clones he showed us somewhat surreptitiously were fabulous, and I bought one on the spot. (A lucky buy, as Fender rapidly and not-surprisingly shut down the Tokai clones in the United States.) Ultimately, Quan became the head repair tech and luthier for Bananas […]

September 2021 Issue