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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 wasn’t 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 “Fender’s 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 company’s long history. Read the rest of this entry »