Fender

Description

Celebrate the legendary guitars and amps of Fender®with this authoritatively written, lavishly illustrated, and officially licensed history of the company and the culture it inspired.

Originating in Leo Fender’s modest radio and amplifier repair shop in Fullerton, California, Fender Musical Instrument Corporation went on to become the world’s preeminent name in musical instruments. Today, Fender guitars and amplifiers are icons in popular culture, their shapes and sounds instantly recognizable even to those with only a casual interest in music.

From Fender’s first instrument—a 1946 lap steel guitar—to Leo Fender’s groundbreaking early six-string guitar designs like the Esquire that set the standard for the electric guitar explosion to follow, Fender: The Official Illustrated History traces the company’s entire history to the present. All the innovations and landmark models are here, as well as legendary players who became synonymous with Fender instruments across musical genres.

Among the instruments author Dave Hunter examines:
 

• The instantly recognizable Telecaster® and Stratocaster®
• Fender’s legendary offset guitars like the Mustang®, Jazzmaster®, and Jaguar®
• Lesser-known models such as the Coronado and Bronco™
• The Jazz Bass® and Precision Bass®
• Fender’s acoustic guitars and workhorse amplifiers like the Bassman®, Twin Reverb®, and Princeton®

 
Along the way, you’ll get in-depth scoops on the relationships dozens of players have enjoyed with Fender:
 

• Rock ’n’ roll pioneers like Hank Marvin and James Burton
• Classic-rock icons like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton
• Blues legends Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Buddy Guy
• Alt-rock figureheads like J Mascis, Johnny Marr, and Kurt Cobain
• More recent guitar heroes like Courtney Barnett, beabadoobee, and H.E.R.

 
…the list goes on. In addition, Hunter explores the work of the award-winning Fender Custom Shop and the guitars produced there.
 
Illustrated throughout with rare images from company archives, Fender: The Official Illustrated History treats readers to rare behind-the-scenes views of the shop floor throughout the years, studio imagery of the guitars, rare period advertising and brochures, and performance images of Fender players.

It’s the definitive look at the Fender’s first three-quarters of a century and a must-have for every guitar enthusiast.

Dave Hunter is an author, musician, and journalist. He is the author of several popular books about guitars, amps, and effects, including Star Guitars, The Fender Stratocaster, The Gibson Les Paul, and 365 Guitars, Amps & Effects You Must Play, as well as Fender: 75 Years. A regular contributor to Guitar Player and Vintage Guitar magazines, he resides in Kittery, Maine.

Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1
California Dreamin’: Young Leo Fender and the Radio Store, 1909–1946
Chapter 2
Wood, Wire, and Steel: The Birth of Fender Electric Instrument Co., 1946–1949
Chapter 3
Twang Comes to Town: The Telecaster Arrives, 1949–1952
Chapter 4
Radical Curves: The Stratocaster and the Precision Bass, 1951–1959
Chapter 5
The Need for Tweed: Fender Amps of the Fifties, 1948–1960
Chapter 6
All That Jazz: Offset Guitars and Upmarket Advertising, 1957–1962
Chapter 7
Surf’s Up: Tolex Amps, Reverb, and Evolving Guitars, 1959–1967
Chapter 8
Executive Order: The Mustang Debuts, and CBS Comes Knocking, 1962–1969
Chapter 9
Feelin’ Groovy: Pianos, Pedals, and Psychedelic Guitars, 1964–1970
Chapter 10
Saved by the Bill: Declining Quality and a Management Buyout, 1969–1985
Chapter 11
Hot-Rod Rock: The Custom Shop and Relic Guitars, 1985–1999
Chapter 12
Border Song: Fender Amps Roar Back, 1984–2023
Chapter 13
Pro Shop: Vintage Reissues and Modern Masterpieces, 2010–2023
Chapter 14
Future Perfect: The Next 75 Years, 2023–2096
Acknowledgments
Image Credits
Index
 

Additional information

Imprint	Motorbooks
Format	General Trade
ISBN-13	09780760387306
ISBN-10	0760387303
Author	Dave Hunter
Audience	General / adult
BISAC	MUS020000, MUS035000
Subjects	MUS020000, MUS035000