History of Fender

Over four decades, Fender electric guitars and amplifiers have been a big influence on how the world composes, plays and listens to music. While the guitarists in the first half of this century was for the people or acoustic blues guitar, in 1930, jazz musicians experimented with the strengthening of the traditional hollow-body guitars so you can play with other instruments in the same volume level. One problem was that the speakers and microphones tend to provide feedback, when he was at a high level.

In the 1940s, was a California inventor named Leo Fender made some custom guitars and amplifiers in his radio shop. Eventually, Leo would amplifiers of the world's first instrument with built-in tone controls. More important, however, was Leo's vision of a better guitar. With his knowledge of existing technologies, he knew he could improve the modern amplified hollow-body instruments. . . and improve them, it does. In 1951, he introduced the Broadcaster, the prototype solid body guitar that would become the legendary Telecaster ®. The Tele ®, as he affectionately called, was the first solid body electric guitar ever Spanish-style to go into commercial production. Soon to follow the Tele were the revolutionary Precision Bass ® guitar in 1951, and the Stratocaster ® in 1954.

In 1965, poor health, Leo Fender sold the company corporate giant CBS. Over the next two decades, Fender Musical Instruments had some great growth. But as time passed, the lack of commitment by CBS and a real understanding of music and musicians were in sight.

In 1981, CBS recruited a new management team to "reinvent" Fender. William Schultz was soon named president, and was supported by partners and Kurt William Mendello Hemrich. He had developed a business plan for five years based on the idea of ​​increasing Fender's presence in the market to significantly improve the quality and make a firm commitment to research and development. This partnership continued until CBS decided to get rid of the media not to broadcast.

In 1985, a group of employees and investors led by William Schultz purchased the company from CBS. This sale brings Fender in the hands of a small group of dedicated people who have dedicated their musical lives to create the world's best guitars and amplifiers.

The team had to start from scratch - there were no buildings or machines included in the transaction. They only had the name, patents, and the remaining games in stock. Backed by a base of loyal employees, dealers and suppliers - some of whom had been with the company since Leo Fender began making guitars and amplifiers - Bill Schultz and his colleagues have begun to rebuild an American icon.

Fender initially imported its guitars offshore manufacturers who had proven their ability to produce affordable, viable instruments. But the attempt to better manage the quality soon led to the establishment of the domestic Fender tip of Corona, California. Eventually, Fender would build a second modern manufacturing facility in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, where we aim to build quality instruments and offer them a more budget-oriented price.

In 1987, Fender acquired Sunn, a line of amplifiers whose past endorsees stories have included the Who, Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones. This kickoff Fender reinstatement in the company by making accessible Sunn amplifier has manufacturing facilities in Lake Oswego, Oregon. But he was still an early phase of the "new" Fender, so Schultz put the Sunn line of amplifiers on the shelf until the name Fender has been restored as an amplifier world leader.

Fender has always recognized the importance of an open door policy for the professional musician. When artists started asking their guitars features found on an individual basis. These relationships have led to the formalization of the operation as Fender in 1987. Today, the world's greatest guitarists, working with the renowned Fender Custom Shop in Corona, California, to create their dream instruments. Recently, Fender has added amplifiers to the list of facts about the instruments that can occur in the Custom Shop in Corona.

In 1991, Fender moved its headquarters from Corona to Scottsdale, Arizona. From there, management, marketing, advertising, sales and export of equipment to monitor the operations of Fender's satellite facilities around the world, which now includes locations in the United States (California, Tennessee, New York and Rhode Island), as well as international operations in: Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico London, Dusseldorf, Germany Suresnes, France Brussels Japan Korea and China.

It 'brought to Scottsdale at Fender amp and Pro Audio Research & Development. When the guitar amps, Fender set the standard for voice and low price. R & D has pioneered many technological advances in the development of amplifiers that the needs of the musician's performance. At the end of 1992, Amp Custom Shop was opened in Scottsdale, Ariz., to offer custom and limited editions of professional amplifiers for working musicians.

Recognizing that country music and acoustic guitars are more and more popularity, Fender has deepened its line of acoustic guitar. In addition to working with respected manufacturers in Japan, Korea and China to produce quality acoustic guitars, the company became the exclusive distributor in North America in the prestigious Manuel Rodriguez line of nylon guitar strings made to the Hand in Spain by the Rodriguez family since 1905. These additions have put the company in an excellent position for growth in the market for acoustic guitar.

In a loft in New York in 1952, the Guild Guitar Company is still known for its quality equipment and exceptional value. Faced with internal financial problems in early 1990, the Guild leadership had decided to sell the company. Fender bought Guild in 1995, marking a return to the properties of a group of people dedicated to producing the best value in American made acoustic and electric guitars. Today, corporations are still in production of its historic, 60,000 square feet, Westerly, Rhode Island.

1998 will prove to be a banner year for Fender and its subsidiaries. With Fender amplifiers once again enjoying a market presence strong, it was time to dust off the Sunn line of amplifiers. R & D had spent the last three years studying the original Sunn products and developing prototypes that faithfully reproduces the sound Sunn brand. The timing was right, and Fender introduced the new Sunn line amplifiers for an immediate recognition from the industry.

And the Guild of 1998 brought the expansion of its Custom Shop in Nashville, Tennessee. Opened in 1996, the new Guild Custom Shop offers 8,000 square meters climate near downtown Nashville that allows a controlled amount of extra space for production and storage of raw materials.

Guild had also introduced DeArmond guitars in 1998. Fender had purchased the DeArmond brand of musical instrument pickups in 1997 and by the company with Guild to produce an alternative line of high quality guitars and low affordable prices that are modeled after drawings of the Guild. The guitars were built and assembled in Korea before being sent back to the Crown, which are equipped with US-made DeArmond pickups. After a successful test runs in European and Asian markets, DeArmond guitars were introduced to U.S. consumers Canada and instant acclaim as an exceptional value.

However, the biggest event for Fender in 1998 was the inauguration of its new state of the art manufacturing facility in Corona generation. The 177,000 meters square will be built in an area of ​​nineteen acres, with over half of this space for future growth, and is the culmination of a vision that seemed at times almost impossible. The full line of Fender guitars made in America are built at the factory in Corona, which is capable of more than 350 guitars a day. In addition, the Corona facility utilizes the innovative UVOXÔ, which combines ultraviolet light, a special treatment process, and a system for carbon absorption bed to help ensure that the air emitted by the plant is 95% clean. The new plant is not only a state of the art manufacturing facilities generation, but a tribute to how a group of dedicated people, when they put their mind to it, you can create the "impossible."

Fender Custom Shop also shares space for the new plant. Over fifty artisans now work in the Custom Shop offers the best in the world of tools tailored for professional musicians and a full range of hand-drawn plays the classic Fender. Crown and the end of the operation, the shop custom amplifier was reported in Scottsdale and folded Custom Shop guitar.

Simultaneously, a new 70 000 square meters more done in the Ensenada facility. The extra space was added to bring the amplifier output, apart from those produced in the Custom Shop, in a single installation.

Over the past decade, Fender has increased dramatically in sales and stature. The company manufactures and distributes virtually everything a guitarist needs to perform, from guitar strings and accessories, professional audio products including amplifiers and mixers. Today, under the direction of Schultz, Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, a global leader in the manufacture and distribution of electric guitars and amps.

Fender became the world leader by defining the sounds we hear that meet the needs of musicians, creating quality products and back them up with service and stability. As Fender Musical Instruments Corporation created in the 1990s and in the 21 century, will retain its number one status Fender leadership through a winning combination of business acumen and a love for music.