Fender guitars are iconic. They take a look, an aura of glossy refinement that claims “Play me, play me loud, play me subtly and play me well.” Our celebration of this distinctive instrument honors Clarence Leonidas “Leo” Fender, the founding father of the Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company, born on August 10, 1909.
For many individuals of a sure age, their first consciousness of the Fender Stratocaster was on the quilt of the 1957 Chirping Crickets album, on which Buddy Holly is clutching his guitar. Two years earlier, Buddy walked into Adair Music in Lubbock, Texas and traded his first electrical guitar for a model new Fender Stratocaster, which again then price a shade over $300. That equates to about $2,900 at this time.
Four years later, on the quilt of the primary album by British instrumental greats the Shadows, Hank Marvin is holding (admittedly not as visibly) the Stratocaster he had purchased after seeing Holly’s on the Crickets album. Ask nearly any British guitarist that got here after the Shadows and nearly everybody will admit to having been impressed with Hank’s purple and white Stratocaster.
Before the Stratocaster there was the Telecaster, the primary solid-body electrical guitar; the preliminary single-pickup manufacturing mannequin appeared in 1950 and was referred to as the Esquire. It’s recognized for its vibrant, wealthy, slicing tone, known as the telecaster twang, in addition to its mellow, heat, bluesy tone. It all is dependent upon which pickup is used – “bridge” pickup for the twang and “neck” for the mellow tone.
In the early days, it was nation musicians that favored the Telecaster. James Burton, the guitar wizard who performed with Elvis Presley and Rick Nelson, was one in all its early stars. Eric Clapton performed a Tele whereas he was with the Yardbirds and Blind Faith. King of the Chicago blues, Muddy Waters, was one other who favored the Telecaster, as did Albert Collins, Stax man and Booker T and the MGs guitarist Steve Cropper.
At the final ever dwell look by The Beatles, on the roof of the Apple constructing, George Harrison performed a custom-made Telecaster. Jimmy Page performed one on the solo of Led Zeppelin’s timeless “Stairway to Heaven.”
The Stratocaster got here alongside in 1954 and it stays a mainstay of rock bands and nearly each different sort of group. Today you should purchase an Eric Clapton signature Strat, together with these endorsed by Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Mayer, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Ritchie Blackmore (pictured above), and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.
As quickly as you hear the opening notes of Dire Straits‘ “Sultans of Swing,” played of course by Mark Knopfler, you know it’s a Strat. The tone provides it away, however you have to be a guitarist of his towering stature to make it sing so properly.
Clapton used the Stratocaster he referred to as “Brownie” on the Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs album by Derek and the Dominos. Eric had purchased Brownie for $400 at London’s Sound City, whereas touring with Cream in May 1967. It has an alder physique, two-tone sunburst end, maple neck, skunk-stripe routing and black dot inlays. Manufactured in 1956 with the serial quantity 12073, it may be seen on the quilt of his 1970 debut solo album Eric Clapton.
In June 1999, Clapton offered the guitar at Christie’s in New York City to assist elevate funds for his drug and alcohol remedy group, Crossroads Centre. Brownie offered for $497,500, changing into the most costly guitar ever offered on the time — solely to be eclipsed by Clapton’s different favourite guitar, Blackie, which offered for $959,500 in 2004. Brownie could be seen on the Experience Music Project in Seattle, Washington.
Another iconic Fender observe is the Rolling Stones’ “Little Red Rooster,” on which Brian Jones performs a Telecaster. In 1981, when the band performed Hampton Coliseum, they encored with “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” With Mick Jagger draped in his Union Jack/Stars and Stripes cape, Keith Richards riffing and a whole lot of coloured balloons showering down from the roof, a fan prices on stage.
Keith swerves, the fan comes again for a second move and straight away, the Stone whips off his Fender and smacks the man across the head with it. The fan stumbles, safety escort him from the stage and Keith carries on as if nothing untoward has occurred. Despite the assault, the Telecaster stays in tune. According to Keith, “The damn thing stayed in tune, and this is the greatest advertisement for Fender that I can give you.”
We’ve put collectively a 60-track playlist in celebration of Fender and except for what we’ve already talked about, it options music from Pink Floyd, with David Gilmour memorably soloing on “Comfortably Numb”; Joe Walsh in his James Gang days, Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple, the Beach Boys, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robin Trower, and Jeff Beck together with many different tracks, some well-known, some not so well-known.
Listen to uDiscover Music’s Fabulous Fender playlist.