FENDER MUSICAL INSTRUMENT CORPORATION OUR HISTORY
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is the world ’ s foremost manufacturer of guitars , basses , amplifiers and related equipment . With an illustrious history dating back to 1 946 , Fender has touched and transformed music worldwide and in nearly every genre : rock ‘ n ’ roll , country and western , jazz , rhythm and blues , and many others . Everyone from beginners and hobbyists to the world ’ s most acclaimed artists and performers have used Fender instruments and amps , and legendary Fender instruments such as the Telecaster ® and Stratocaster ® guitars and Precision ® and Jazz ® bass guitars are universally acclaimed as design classics . In the 1 940s , southern California inventor Leo Fender realized that he could improve on the amplified hollow-body instruments of the day by using an innovative and rather simple solid-body electric guitar design . Further , he realized that he could streamline the process of building them . In 1 951 he introduced a prototype solid-body instrument that would eventually be called the Telecaster ® guitar . The Tele ®, as it was often called then and still is today , was the first solidbody Spanish-style electric guitar to be commercially mass-produced . That same year , Fender introduced a revolutionary new invention — the Precision Bass guitar . It was played like a guitar and had frets so that it could be played with “ precision ,” and it could be amplified , thus liberating bassists from unwieldy and increasingly difficult-to-hear acoustic basses . These two historic instruments laid the foundation for a new kind of group and a revolution in popular music — what we know today as the modern rock combo . As opposed to the “ big bands ” of the era , electric Fender instruments made it possible for smaller groups of musicians to get together and be heard . The Stratocaster first appeared in 1 954 , incorporating many design innovations based on feedback from professional musicians , Fender
staff and Leo Fender himself . Its third single-coil pickup offered more tonal possibilities , its sleekly contoured body made it more comfortable , and its double cutaway design made access to upper registers much easier . Most important , however , was the addition of the new Fender vibrato ( or “ tremolo ”) bridge , an innovation originally intended to let guitarists bend strings , thus achieving the pedal steel-like sound so popular among country music artists of the day . Nobody could have foreseen then how the Stratocaster would go on to revolutionize popular music . Essentially unchanged since its 1 954 debut , it is the most popular and influential electric guitar ever , and players at all levels and in all genres continue to rely on its sound , playability and versatility to this day . Leo Fender himself remained an immensely creative force over the next decade , introducing many classic instrument and amplifier designs , including the Jazz Bass ® guitar , the Jaguar ® and Jazzmaster ® guitars and the Twin Reverb ® amplifier . Because of poor health , Leo Fender sold the company to CBS in 1 965 . Fender Musical Instruments experienced tremendous growth over the next 20 years , but a lack of commitment and real understanding of music and musicians by CBS gradually became apparent .
To “ re-invent ” Fender , CBS recruited new management in 1 981 . William Schultz became company president , supported by associate William Mendello . Their 5-year business plan was based on increasing Fender ’ s marketplace presence with dramatic quality improvement and greater commitment to research and development . When CBS shed its non-broadcast media businesses in the 1 980s , a group of employees and investors led by Schultz bought Fender from CBS in 1 985 . The sale put the Fender name back into the hands of a small group of dedicated people committed to creating the world ’ s best guitars and amplifiers .