Guitar giant Fender has announced that it’s signed “a definitive agreement” to acquire music technology company PreSonus, developer of audio interfaces, the Studio One DAW, mixers, MIDI controllers and much more besides.
Although completion of this merger is still subject to US regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, assuming it goes ahead, it will give Fender a strong foothold in the music technology space, leaving the company with an enviable roster of products.
“We are thrilled to welcome everyone on the PreSonus team to the FMIC family and excited about the future growth opportunities available to both companies," said Andy Mooney, CEO Fender Musical Instruments Corp.
“Our teams share the same passion for music, the same commitment to innovation and the same desire to inspire and equip current and future generations of artists”
“I would like to extend our utmost gratitude to our loyal Baton Rouge and Louisiana community that have supported PreSonus for the last two decades,” said Kevin Couhig, Chairman of PreSonus. “It has been wonderful being a part of this incredible journey with PreSonus. I’m excited to see what the future holds going forward”
"After more than 25 years PreSonus feels it has found the right partner to support us as we continue our growth,” said Jim Odom, Founder/CSO PreSonus. “We look forward to showing our current and future music community what this opportunity means for them.”
“PreSonus and Fender's combined vision, the way we see the future of music creation, and the fundamental alignment of goals has made this an exciting idea since the first conversation," said Jim Boitnott, CEO PreSonus.
Comparisons will inevitably be drawn with Gibson’s multiple music technology acquisitions, made around a decade ago. These included Tascam, Stanton, KRK and Cakewalk, all of which are now under different ownership.
It remains to be seen how Fender plans to handle the PreSonus brand - we’ll bring you more details as we get them.
Find out more on the Fender website.
