Fender Guitars

Doc Kauffman and Leo Fender were making lap steel guitars and amplifiers under the name K&F back in 1945. Doc left a year later but Leo continued under the name Fender Electric Instrument Company. In 1950 Fender started marketing solid body electric guitars. The Fender Esquire and Broadcaster, renamed the Telecaster, were a big success. In 1951 he introduced the revolutionary solid body Precision bass. Then came the all time classic design of the Fender Stratocaster in 1954. Leo Fender also made great amplifiers and this just added to the success of the company. By the mid 1950’s Fender was successfully competing with Gibson for its share of the electric guitar market. CBS bought Fender in 1965 and while the instrument lines grew there was also a decline in quality that some say lasted into the 1970’s. Bill Schultz, who worked for Yamaha, was hired as president of Fender in 1981. Schultz began to modernize the factories but this caused a decline in production. fender99 Additionally there were a lot of Fender copies being imported and this market was growing. To challenge this Fender and Japanese partners formed Fender Japan in 1982. The thought was to make a line of vintage reissues and sell them in Japan and Europe. A lower priced line labeled Squire was introduced to the American market in 1983. CBS sold Fender in 1985 to Bill Schultz and a group of investors who incorporated under the name Fender Musical Instrument Corporation. The factories and equipment were not part of the sale event though most production came from overseas. By the end of 1985 Fender was producing guitars at a new factory in Corona California. Amplifier production went to the facilities in Lake Oswego Oregon. Fenders are now made in the United States, Japan, Mexico and Korea. Fender corporate offices are located Scottsdale Arizona along with the custom amplifier shop.