The Telecaster's bolted-on neck allowed for the instrument's body and neck to be milled and finished separately, and for the final assembling to be done quickly and cheaply by unskilled workers. With the design of the Telecaster finalized, mass production began in 1950. Fender's reluctant addition of a metal truss rod into the necks of his guitars allowed for the much needed ability to fine-tune the instrument to the musician's specific needs. Early Broadcasters were plagued with issues while Fender boasted the strength of the instrument's one-piece maple neck, early adopters lamented its tendency to bow in humid weather. In the late 1940s, Fender began to experiment with more conventional guitar designs. Leo Fender's lap steel guitar made in 1946 for Noel Boggs was probably the very first product of the new company, bearing an early presentation of the cursive "big F" Fender logo. The service shop remained open until 1951, although Leo Fender did not personally supervise it after 1947. At that point, Fender renamed the company the "Fender Electric Instrument Company". Kauffman remained unconvinced, and he and Fender amicably parted ways by early 1946. By the end of the year, Fender became convinced that manufacturing was more profitable than repair, and decided to concentrate on that business instead. Production began in 1945 with Hawaiian lap steel guitars like the "Champion" (incorporating a patented pickup) and amplifiers, sold as sets. ĭiagram of Leo Fender's lap steel guitar from 1944 patent applicationīy the early 1940s, Leo Fender had entered into a partnership with Clayton Orr "Doc" Kauffman, and they formed the K & F Manufacturing Corp to design, manufacture, and market electric instruments and amplifiers. In January 2020, Servco Pacific became the majority owner after acquiring the shares of TPG Growth. In December 2012, TPG Growth (the middle market and growth equity investment platform of TPG Capital) and Servco Pacific took control of the company after acquiring the shares held by Weston Presidio. Īs of July 10, 2012, the majority shareholders of Fender were the private equity firm of Weston Presidio (43%), Japanese music distributors Yamano Music (14%) and Kanda Shokai (13%), and Servco Pacific (5%). In addition to its Los Angeles headquarters, Fender has manufacturing facilities in Corona, California (US) and Ensenada, Baja California (Mexico).
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The company filed for an initial public offering in March 2012, but this was withdrawn five months later. The FMIC is a privately held corporation, with Andy Mooney serving as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
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Its headquarters are in Los Angeles, California. The company was founded in Fullerton, California by Clarence Leonidas "Leo" Fender in 1946. Fender produces acoustic guitars, bass amplifiers and public address equipment, but is best known for its solid-body electric guitars and bass guitars, particularly the Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jaguar, Jazzmaster, Precision Bass, and the Jazz Bass. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation ( FMIC, or simply Fender) is an American manufacturer of instruments and amplifiers.