Leo Fender

Leo Fender, full name Clarence Leo Fender (1909–1991), American guitarmaker, who created the solid-body electric guitar. Fender began making amplifiers and Hawaiian-style guitars in 1945 and built solid-body guitars for several country musicians. Although guitarist and producer Les Paul was also working independently on a solid-body electric guitar, Fender was the first to get his model on the market. Fender created the Broadcaster in 1948 (renamed the Telecaster in 1950). The design was totally new, with a one-piece neck bolted to a wooden body, and could easily be mass-produced. Its clear high sound was particularly suited to country music.

Rock guitarists have generally preferred the Telecaster’s successor, the futuristically streamlined Stratocaster, whose three pickups made possible various electronic modifications of tone and volume. Fender built the first electric bass guitar, the Fender Precision, in 1951. The Fender Stratocaster guitar was introduced in 1954. In 1965 he sold the Fender name, relinquishing control over manufacture and sale of the guitars.