Fender (company)

Origins The company began as "Fender's Radio Service" in late 1938, in Fullerton, California. As a qualified electronics technician, Leo Fender had repaired radios, phonographs, home audio amplifiers, public address systems and musical instrument amplifiers. He became intrigued by design flaws in contemporary musical instrument amplifiers and began building amplifiers based on his own designs or modifications to existing designs. Following the success of the Telecaster, Fender debuted the world's first electric bass, the Precision Bass, in 1951, alongside the first-ever bass amp, the Bassman. As Fender later explained, "In 1964 Leo found himself with 17 buildings, about 600 employees, and a back order of $9 million in guitars and amps. The overwhelming demands of the company coupled with his often debilitating illness forced him to sell the company to CBS in 1965." Fender's "CBS-era" saw several notable changes implemented, such as a redesigned oversized headstock (1965), bound fretboards with block inlays (1966), and a three-bolt neck joint (1971). Guitar and amplifier production, which had increased 30% in CBS's first year, soon increased another 45%. After selling his namesake company, Leo Fender founded Music Man in 1975, and G&L Musical Instruments in 1979, both of which manufacture electric guitars and basses based on his earlier designs. After CBS In 1985, Bill Schultz and a group of investors—including company employees and external companies like Servco Pacific Capitol—purchased Fender from CBS for $12.5 million and renamed it "Fender Musical Instruments Corporation" (FMIC). However, the sale did not include many of the company's patents or the old Fullerton factory, leading to the cessation of U.S. operations that same year. and the Ensenada plant took over as Fender's primary export line. Ownership changed in December 2001, when private equity firm Weston Presidio bought a controlling stake in Fender for $57.8 million. == Players ==

Early players Fender's products, particularly its electric guitars, have been prominently associated with numerous notable players, often forming a key part of their tones and styles, and being used during significant moments in popular music history. While often associated with the impending rise of rock and roll, Fender's initial models, the Esquire and Telecaster, gained initial popularity in the early 1950s with the Western swing artists that had recently replaced big bands in popularity. Unlike older, East Coast-based manufacturers, Fender's California location, technological innovation, and affordability meshed with the subsequent emergence of U.S. youth culture and up-and-coming genres like rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and country. Johnny Cash's guitarist Luther Perkins adopted the Telecaster in 1954. R&B guitarists like B.B. King and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown took it up, as well. Dale Hawkins' Top 40 rockabilly hit "Suzie Q" (1957) was anchored by a Telecaster-played riff from James Burton, who later joined Ricky Nelson's band and repeatedly showcased his Telecasters on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s. During his October 1958 tour of the U.K., Muddy Waters—wielding a Telecaster—shocked audiences expecting "folksy acoustic" music with loud, electrified blues instead. Waters' tour proved a pivotal influence on what would become the next generation of electric guitarists from England. His bandmate John Paul Jones played Fender's Jazz Bass model. Outside of rock and blues, session bassist James Jamerson created a distinctive feel and groove with his Precision Bass on numerous Motown records, amassing 23 Billboard Hot 100 number one songs during the 1960s and 1970s. 's Geddy Lee is one of the Jazz Bass' most notable players. ==Logos==

The Fender "spaghetti logo" was used by Fender from 1954 to the mid-1960s. By 1965 Fender used a transition logo which was a thicker gold-and-black logo (this logo is associated with CBS). == Acquisitions and partnerships ==

FMIC has purchased a number of instrument brands and firms, including the Guild Guitar Company, the Sunn Amplifier Company, and SWR Sound Corporation. In early 2003, FMIC reached an agreement with the Gretsch family and began manufacturing and distributing new Gretsch guitars. Fender also owns Jackson, Olympia, Orpheum, Tacoma Guitars, Squier, and Brand X amps. On October 28, 2007, Fender acquired Kaman Music Corporation, which owned the Ovation Guitar Company, Latin Percussion and Toca hand percussion products, Gibraltar Hardware, Genz Benz Amplification, Charvel, Hamer Guitars, and is the exclusive U.S. sales representative for Sabian Cymbals and exclusive worldwide distributor of Takamine Guitars and Gretsch Drums. In 2011, Volkswagen partnered with Fender to manufacture premium sound systems for its vehicles in North America. Volkswagen vehicles in North America that offer optional Fender Premium Sound are the Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Beetle, Volkswagen Jetta Sedan, Volkswagen Passat, and Volkswagen Tiguan. In 2014, Fender sold Guild Guitars to Cordoba Music Group. In February 2015, KMC was sold to Jam Industries by FMIC. In January 2019, Fender purchased the Bigsby Electric Guitar Company from its partner Gretsch.The subsidiary operates independently, and produces the popular Bigsby vibrato tailpiece as well as several Paul Bigsby-designed electric guitars. In November 2021, Fender purchased the Louisiana-based PreSonus Audio Electronics, a manufacturer of professional audio equipment and software. In June 2023, Fender opened its first flagship store in Tokyo, Japan. In 2024, Fender and Teufel Audio jointly launched a speaker line. ==Publications==

Fender Frontline Fender published the Fender Frontline magazine as a source of product, artist and technical data for the company's customers. The first half featured interviews and articles about the guitars and the stars who played them, and the second half was a catalog section. Fender published 27 issues of the magazine from 1990 through 2000. Fender had designed a hybrid guitar for Cobain, known as a Jag Stang. Glenn Hughes from Deep Purple, and King Crimson's Adrian Belew. In 2001, Fender eliminated the interviews and features section, and Frontline became an annual illustrated price list until 2006, when it was replaced with a product guide. ==Products==

Fender's core product are electric guitars, namely the Jaguar, Jazzmaster, Mustang, Telecaster, Stratocaster, Duo-Sonic, Meteora, and Jag-Stang. This is alongside bass guitars in the Mustang, Jaguar, Jazz, Precision and Meteora models. Fender also manufactures acoustic guitars, lap steel guitars, banjos, electric violins, guitar/bass amplifiers and the Fender Rhodes electric piano (until 1983). In addition, Fender produces effects pedals and picks. According to American guitar expert George Gruhn, the Fender Telecaster, Precision Bass, and Stratocaster are "three of the most important models in the history of the electric guitar", and were all introduced between 1950 and 1957. In 1953, Fender also introduced the Stringmaster, a double-pickup model Fender manufactures and distributes all musical instruments sold under the EVH brand, including Custom Shop models and replicas of the Frankenstrat. == Squier ==

Squier was a string manufacturer that Fender acquired. Fender has used the Squier brand since 1982 to market inexpensive variants of Fender guitars to compete with Stratocaster copies, as the Stratocaster became more popular. Squier guitars have been manufactured in the United States, Japan, Korea, Indonesia and China. == Impact and legacy ==

Fender products have become known for their versatility and "clean" sound, and the design of some of the company's guitar models have become iconic, and a part of popular culture. Daryl Robertson of Guitar World wrote in 2023, "Fender is arguably the most well-known guitar manufacturer of all time. Without Leo Fender's influence on the wonderful world of guitars, amplifiers and basses, the landscape of music would look very different – it certainly wouldn't be as colorful." Luke Mitchell of SlashGear wrote in 2023, "Fender amplifiers have defined the sound of blues, rock, and country music, making them a staple for musicians worldwide." ==See also==