Fender Guitars


The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has been making Fender guitars and amplifiers since 1946. Clarence Leonidas "Leo" Fender founded the company, initially called the Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company. Today Fender is one of the best known manufacturers of electric guitars in the world, though the company produces both electric and acoustic guitars.

Fender's main importance to the guitar industry was in making solid-body electric guitars available to the masses. The Telecaster was the first Fender guitar in this line, followed by the Precision Bass (P-Bass) electric bass guitar and the Stratocaster (Strat) electric guitar. The latter of these has achieved enormous success and popularity, and is probably the best known Fender guitar. Fender has also produced many varieties of guitar amplifiers over the years, though these are less famous than their guitars.

In 1965, Leo Fender sold his company to CBS. Fender guitars from the time period during which CBS owned the company are generally of lesser quality than original Fender guitars, due to cost-cutting manufacturing methods. Fortunately, in 1985, Fender employee William Schultz led his fellow employees in an effort for the company's employees to buy the company back from CBS. Since that time, Fender instruments have regained much of their original quality and good reputation. Serious guitar collectors will generally prefer Fender guitars from before 1965 or after 1985 for this reason.

Guitarists looking for less expensive versions of Fender guitars may find what they are looking for in Squire guitars. Squire was originally a string company, bought by Fender in the late 1960s, but not used extensively by the company until later. Beginning in the early 1980s, Fender began manufacturing lower priced versions of some of their classic guitar designs, using parts constructed outside of the United States. These were sold under the Squire label, and included the JV and SQ series, with the former being extremely accurate reproductions of classic Fender guitars. Guitar collectors are also fond of these reproduction guitars, particularly those from the earlier years of the JV series.

The Fender Telecaster was originally introduced as the Broadcaster in the fall of 1950. Fender changed the name to Telecaster due to a conflict with the Gretsch company over the name Broadcaster, which the Gretsch company was already using for a line of drums (Broadkaster). The Telecaster features dual pickups and a solid body, and was one of the first electric guitars produced and sold widely. The Telecaster is still in production today, and has been used by countless guitarists including Muddy Waters, Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, and Joe Strummer of The Clash.

The Fender Precision Bass first arrived on the market in 1951, and has, like the Telecaster, been in production since. The P-Bass features a solid body and a split pickup, commonly known today as a "P" pickup, named after that featured on the Precision Bass. Bill Black, bassist for Elvis Presley, was a major reason for the immense popularity of the electric bass in general, but the P-Bass specifically. Many other popular bassists have used the P-Bass during their career, including Paul Simonon of The Clash, who was pictured on the cover of the "London Calling" album smashing his P-Bass.

The Fender Stratocaster, of course, is easily the best known of the company's electric guitars, and was first marketed in 1954. The Strat features three separate pickups, a wide compliment of knobs and toggle switches for adjusting volume and tone, and the standard solid body. Buddy Holly was among the first musicians to popularize the Stratocaster, but his name is only the first in a long line of guitarists who have favored this guitar. Jimi Hendrix primarily used Stratocasters throughout his career, nearly all of which were painted with custom designs. Strats remain available to the modern day guitarist, both in newer designs and replicas of classic models of this guitar.

Fender also makes several Stratocaster signature models. The earliest of these was the Eric Clapton Stratocaster, first available to the public in 1988. Eric Clapton had assembled three vintage Strats into what ultimately became his favorite guitar, known as "Blackie." When this guitar had been used to the point where it was heavily worn, Clapton worked with the Fender Custom Shop to reproduce his guitar, which Fender then marketed as their first signature model Stratocaster. Since that time, guitarists such as Buddy Guy, Eric Johnson, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Jeff Beck have also helped with the development of signature Strats. In addition to models created with assistance from artists, there is even a Hello Kitty Strat, which is pink with a pick guard shaped like Hello Kitty's head.

Today, Fender owns a large number of subsidiary companies, many of which manufacture their own brand of guitars. In addition to ready availability of new models, there is an immense second-hand market for many of Fender's guitars. Throughout the world, guitarists recognize the quality of Fender guitars and their assistance in making great music.