Fender Electric
Guitar
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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