Leo Fender
Along with Les Paul and Adolph Rickenbacker, Leo Fender (b. 10 August 1909, Anaheim, California, USA, d. 21 March 1991) was one of the key names in the development of the electric guitar in the middle of the 20th Century. He first came to the attention of the musical instrument manufacturing industry when he was working with Doc Kauffman producing guitar amplifiers in the mid-40s. He had developed a new smaller pick-up and designed a solid body guitar based on the Hawaiian steel, with which to demonstrate it. Although the pick-up itself was quite revolutionary, local musicians were more intrigued with the guitar and so Fender decided to concentrate his efforts in that direction. In 1946 he left Kauffman and formed the Fender Electrical Instrument Company. The idea of a solid body guitar had been in the forefront of manufacturer's minds since the advent of electrical amplification which meant that hollow sound boxes were no longer essential. But Fender, along with Californian neighbours Les Paul and Paul Bigsby would spearhead the forthcoming wave of electric guitars. In 1948 Fender launched the Broadcaster (later called the Telecaster) which remained virtually unchanged for the next 30 odd years. There were a few variations such as the Esquire (1954), the Thinkline (1969), the Deluxe (1972) and the Custom (1972). Famous rock ‘n’ roll guitarist James Burton favours a Telecaster as does Bruce Welch of the Shadows, Steve Cropper, Roy Buchananand Bruce Springsteen. Fender's next major instrument was the Stratocaster, developed in 1953 with his chief engineer Leo Tavares, and put into production the following year. Like the Telecaster, the Stratocaster was virtually untouched in design over the next few decades and became a favourite of Buddy Holly, Hank B. Marvin, Eric Clapton, Rory Gallagher, Mark Knopfler and the master—Jimi Hendrix, to name just a few of thousands. In 1990 a Stratocaster once owned by Hendrix was sold at auction for almost £200,000. The design, shape, feel and colour of the Stratocaster became an art form and arguably the accepted icon for the electric guitar. In 1955 Fender contracted a virus that would dog him for the next decade. In the mid-60s, convinced that he had little time to live, Leo decided to order his affairs The Fender Electrical Instrument Company was sold to CBS in January 1965 for $13 million, shortly after which Fender made a complete recovery. CBS employed him as a consultant and he continued to help design and develop new guitars. Later he formed the CLF Research Company, before returning to consultancy for Music Man guitars who were started by former Fender employees Thomas Walker and Forrest White. In the '80s he formed G&L (George and Leo) Guitars with long time associate George Fullerton. They continued to make popular instruments though names like the F100-1 series were less appealing than their forebears. Leo Fender died in the spring of 1991 aged 82. As well as the guitars mentioned, the Fender name is also attached to the Musicmaster (1956), the Jazzmaster (1958), the Jaguar (1961), and the Starcaster (1975). He also moved into electric basses in 1951 with the Precision and then the Jazz Bass (1960), Bass VI (1962), and the Telecaster Bass (1968).