Leo Fender – 100 Years
Today marks what would have been Leo Fender’s 100th birthday. The music legend, along with fellow pioneers like Les Paul and Adolph Rickenbacher, helped develop the modern electric guitar and thus define the soundscape of the last 60 years.
Beginning in the early 1950s the Precision Bass and the Broadcaster guitar (later renamed the Telecaster), Fender created several lines of classic guitars, including the Jazzmaster, Jaguar and the Jazz Bass. He was also responsible for some of the most popular amplifiers, like the Twin and Bassman.
But arguably his greatest contribution came in 1954 with the Stratocaster guitar. Trying to improve on the Tele design, Fender created an elegant, contoured design with a great sound. For many, the Strat remains the definitive electric guitar.
In 1965 Fender sold off the company, and went on to further success with his Music Man line, including the StingRay bass, and G&L Guitars.
Leo Fender died in 1991 and, despite shaping the guitar world over his many decades, he had never learned to actually play one.
[...] Gibson worked with Les Paul to sell the signature guitar that would be his namesake. Along with (or in lieu of) the Fender Stratocaster, the Gibson Les Paul is often considered the classic electric guitar. Les [...]