The Fender Guitar History

One of the most famous guitar manufacturers in the world is Fender

. Their guitars have been played by famous guitarists such as Jimmi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. Fender wasnt the first manufacturer to produce electric guitars, but they were one of the most successful.

Started in 1938 by Leo Fender, the company was originally named Fenders Radio Service and he repaired radios and amplifiers. He then began to build his own amplifiers to help solve the design issues with the ones that were currently on the market.

He then partnered with Clayton Orr Kauffman to create an electric Hawaiian steel guitar. The partners then split up when Fender wanted to focus on the designing of the guitars, and created the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Through the creation of this company, Fender was able to create the first electric guitar with a solid body, the famous Stratocaster.

The Stratocaster or Strat, was designed by Leo Fender in 1954 and is one of the most famous and enduring electric guitars in the world. The Stratocaster is still in production today and has been copied by many other guitar manufacturers.

In 1965, Leo Fender sold his company for approximately $13 million to CBS. While many lauded this sale as a positive for the company, in reality the guitars produced by CBS were of lower quality. Which is why many vintage Fenders produced before 1965 and in good condition, can command a premium price.

By the early 1980s Fender was facing a dwindling market share, and in response rolled out the Squire strat, a less expensive version of the Stratocaster, in response to the lower priced Japanese models that were on the market.

In 1981, William Schultz was assigned as the new president of Fender, and he was determined to take the company back to the top. Faced with reducing profits by 1985, CBS decided to sell the company to Schultz. This was a significant moment in the companys long history.

Schultz wanted to improve the quality of the guitars and decided to build new manufacturing plants close to home to help control the quality and keep shipping costs down. Then in 1995, Fender bought out Guild Guitar to acquire its manufacturing plant in Rhode Island.

Today Fender is back on top and manufactures over 25 styles of electric guitars, including the Toronado, the Jazzmaster and the Mustang.

by: William Jason

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