Fender Musical Instruments Corporation

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) commonly referred to simply as Fender, is an American manufacturer of stringed instruments and amplifiers, such as solid-body electric guitars, including the Stratocaster and the Telecaster. It is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. The company, previously named the Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company, was founded in Fullerton, California, by Clarence Leonidas "Leo" Fender in 1946.Leo Fender also designed one of the first commercially successful solid-body electric basses, the Precision Bass (P-Bass), which has become known in rock, jazz, country, Motown, funk, and other types of music. Fender's Precision and Jazz Bass models are now widely considered to be the standard to which most other electric bass guitars are measured.The company is a privately held corporation, with the controlling majority of its stock owned by a group of its own company officers and managers. Larry Thomas is Chief Executive Officer and James Broenen is Chief Financial Officer.The company filed for an Initial public offering in March 2012.In addition to its Scottsdale headquarters, Fender has manufacturing facilities in Corona, California (US) and Ensenada, Baja California (Mexico).Fender offered the first mass-produced solid-body Spanish-style electric guitar, the Telecaster (originally named the 'Broadcaster'; 'Esquire' is a single pickup version) the first mass-produced electric bass, the Precision Bass (P-Bass); and the popular Stratocaster (Strat) guitar. While Fender was not the first to manufacture electric guitars, as other companies and luthiers had produced electric guitars since the late 1920s, none was as commercially successful as Fender's. Furthermore, while nearly all other electric guitars then were either hollow-body guitars or more specialized instruments such as Rickenbacker's solid-body Hawaiian guitars, Fender had created versatile solid-body electric guitars. These guitars were and still are popular for musicians in a variety of genres. Many bands still use Fender guitars today. Some notable Fender players, both past and present, include Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Danny Gatton, Roy Buchanan, Albert Collins, Buck Owens, Don Rich, Doyle Holly, Bob Dylan, Duff Mckagan, Ritchie Blackmore, Yngwie Malmsteen, Waylon Jennings, Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck, Steve Cropper, Tom Morello, Kurt Cobain, Rory Gallagher, George Harrison, John Frusciante, Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Miller, Dave "Mello D" Fernandez, Brian Wilson, Rick Parfitt,Francis Rossi, Hank Marvin, Eric Clapton, Mark KnopflerDavid Gilmour, John Mayer, Pete Townshend, Marc "Mad Dog" Davis, Mark Hoppus, Mike Dirnt, Jim Root, Dave Murray, Tinsley Ellis, Tom Principato, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Robert Smith, Mike Oldfield and many others.