MUSIC GEAR
MARCH 10,2021
Fender Guitar, the instrument that shapes music history
Fender guitar is one of the most popular electric guitars in music history so far. Over the decades Fender has grown to legendary status since Leo Fender built his first electric guitar 75 years ago.
Guitar and guitar-like instruments has been around for many centuries. But one of the most significant changes in music was the invention of electric guitar. This six strings music instrument produces a very different kind of sound and also different techniques to play it. Since the late 1920s some companies and luthiers had produced electric guitars for public.
One name that is very famous for this kind of instrument is Fender. The company was initially named Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company, founded by a former accountant and amateur electrician, Clarence Leonidas Fender in Fullerton, California, USA in 1946.
While Fender was not the first to manufacture electric guitars, Fender was considered as the most commercially successful company compared to the others. At that time, Fender was just a small shop on Fullerton Ave. where Leo Fender produced guitars and amplifiers.
Early 1965, Leo Fender sold his companies to Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) for $13 Million. At first it was like a good movement as sale was taken as a positive development. But later on during 1970’s and early 1980’s the quality of the instruments was decreasing and affected the sale. It was obvious that CBS had no real knowledge of the music industry. CBS hired William Schultz for the new President of Fender along with associates William Mendello and Kurt Hemrich in 1981. The goal was to gain back the popularity and quality of Fender guitars into the industry.
In 1985, the Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company was bought from CBS by its own employees and renamed Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Using this Fender name, William and the team continued to grow the company by producing Fender’s old models with newer designs and modern concepts.
Meanwhile after selling the Fender company, Leo Fender founded Music Man in 1975 and G&L later on which manufactures his latest designs of electric guitars and basses.
In 1985 Fender built a modern manufacturing facility in Corona, California to produce their flagship models. A second one was opened in 1987 in Ensenada, Mexico.
The two most popular electric guitar series from Fender are Stratocaster and Telecaster. These two models were created by Leo Fender while working at his shop during the early years of Fender company. The Fender Telecaster was first introduced in 1951 as Broadcaster then changed to Telecaster. It was the first solid-body electric Spanish-style guitar ever to go into commercial production.
But it was the Fender Stratocaster model that was truly groundbreaking and considered as the most popular electric guitar of all time. Designed and created between 1952 – 1954, Leo and his team, notably George Fullerton, Freddie Travers and Bill Carson made many prototypes and ended up with the Fender Stratocaster model like we know today that changed the face of music all over the world.
The production of these two models have remained uninterrupted since their first initial released in 1950’s and 1960’s along with Precision Bass and Jazz Bass models. The Precision Bass still remains one of the best-selling electric bass guitars in the world in 70 years.
Today, the highest quality models are manufactured in the factory in Corona, California, USA. These models have the best quality and craft and often contain exclusive special features not found on other models. Other manufacturing facilities across the world are located in Japan, Ensenada (Mexico), China, Indonesia (under Cort) and Korea (under Cort) which produce mid-range and entry level models in more affordable price to accommodate all players.
Besides making electric guitars, Fender also produces some guitar and bass amplifiers, pedals, sound effects and accessories. The company also purchased other music instruments companies such as Guild Guitar Company, the Sunn Amplifier Company and SWR Sound Corp. Fender also manufacturing and distributing new Gretcsh guitars since 2003 and owns other guitar company like Jackson, Charvel and Squier.
Since 1991 the headquarter of the company is located in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA. From this headquarter the team manages all their facilities around the United States : California, Tennessee, New York and Rhode Island as well as international operations in Mexico, England, Germany, France, Japan, Korea, Indonesia and China – with spirit to continue producing high quality electric guitars and bass which is now standard for popular music around the world.
Many talented musicians have been using Fender guitars and bass for decades. James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix, a young talented musician from Seattle, USA exploded onto the UK music charts in 1967 with his Fender Stratocaster. Using his flipped upside down Stratocaster – he was a lefty and there was no left handed model in the 1960’s, Hendrix showed to the world what kind of sound this guitar could produce in the hand of a virtuoso. Other great names in music using Fender are Eric Clapton, Geddy Lee (Bass), Yngwie Malmsteen and so on. Their songs and music inspire generations from time to time, echoes from eternal sound of the Fender instruments.
related post