Leo Fender

Leo Fender
Fender in the 1980s
Born
Clarence Leonidas Fender

(1909-08-10)August 10, 1909
Anaheim, California, U.S.
DiedMarch 21, 1991(1991-03-21) (aged 81)
Fullerton, California, U.S.
OccupationInventor
Known forFender (company)
Music Man (company)
G&L Musical Instruments
Notable workFender Telecaster
Fender Stratocaster
Fender Precision Bass
Fender Bassman
Spouses
  • Esther Klosky
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1934; died 1979)​
  • Phyllis Fender
    ​
    (m. 1980)​

Clarence Leonidas Fender (August 10, 1909 – March 21, 1991) was an American inventor and founder of the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation.

First prototype of the Fender Esquire (1949)

Fender designed the company's iconic early instruments: the Fender Telecaster, the first mass-produced solid-body electric guitar; the Fender Stratocaster, among the most iconic electric guitars; and the Fender Precision Bass, which set the standard for electric basses. He also designed the Fender Bassman amplifier, which became the archetype for later amplifiers (notably by Marshall and Mesa Boogie) that dominated rock and roll music.[1]

Fender, who was not a guitarist himself,[2] was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.[2]

  1. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 459. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
  2. ^ a b "Leo Fender (American inventor and manufacturer)". Encyclopædia Britannica.