Leo
Founded The Company But Is A
Fender Guitar Right For
You?
The
Incredible Fender Electric
Guitars
Anyone who
has ever called themselves a
guitarist will know the allure of
the Fender electric guitar. The
famous brand, founded by Leo
Fender in 1946, stands for
innovation and quality.
Many
classic models have become
cultural icons and famous players
endorse these instruments from
all popular genres. The company
has a number of respected
subsidiaries, such as Squier and
Gretsch. EVH is another
subsidiary, the result of
collaboration with rock
guitarist, Eddie Van Halen.
These
people were the pioneers of
electric music. We take guitar
bands for granted today but it is
all thanks to the revolution in
music technology and Fender
electric guitars led the way.
History
of the Fender Electric
Guitar
The first
solid body electric guitar to go
into mass production was the
Fender Telecaster. In continuous
production since its launch, it
is the oldest guitar of its kind
in the world.
Many
renowned guitarists have favored
the instrument including Steve
Cropper, Albert Collins, and Jeff
Beck. The legendary Bob Dylan has
sported a Telecaster, as has
Graham Coxon from British indie
band, Blur.
The brand
is also feted for its
contribution to jazz and the
Precision Bass is the first ever
mass-produced electric bass
instrument. Not only chosen by
jazz musicians, this bass is
played on funk, country and rock
records.
It can be
heard on early Elvis Presley
songs, played by his regular bass
player, Bill Black. Rock bands
have also used the Precision,
including Geezer Butler of Black
Sabbath, Adam Clayton from U2,
John Deacon of Queen, Flea from
the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and
John Paul Jones from Led
Zeppelin.
The Most
Famous Fender Electric Fender
Guitar? The Strat Of
Course!!
Probably
the most famous of all the Fender
electric guitars produced over
the years however, is the
Stratocaster. Known
affectionately as the Strat, it
is good to look at and fantastic
to play. Again, it has been
endorsed by the best guitarists
in the world and has been used in
a variety of ways, to produce a
distinctive sound.
Buddy
Holly Played an Electric Fender
Guitar
One of its
early fans was Buddy Holly, the
rock and roll pioneer who wrote
his own songs and created his own
individual playing style. During
the 1960s, Surf Guitar was very
popular, as exemplified by a
Strat playing guitarist called
Dick Dale.
Slide
guitar specialist Ry Cooder also
chooses the Stratocaster as does
Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, The Edge
from U2, and David Gilmour from
Pink Floyd. Beatles John Lennon
and George Harrison took up the
Stratocaster for the Rubber Soul
recording sessions.
More
Electric Fender Guitar
Brands
Other
electric Fender guitar models
that have enjoyed commercial
success and the respect of
musicians include the Telecaster,
the Mustang and the Jazzmaster.
These instruments were a part of
the Surf Guitar scene in the
1960s and have been taken up by
rock bands after a resurgence of
interest in the instruments
during the 1990s.
In addition
to the best selling Fender
electric guitars, the company
also makes acoustic guitars,
banjos, mandolins and violins. It
also produces guitar amplifiers,
bass amplifiers and public
address equipment. I have played
many different types of string
instruments but, in my humble
opinion, this musical instrument
has the best playing action of
them all.
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