Fender American Elite Precision Bass Owners Manual - Page 7

SINCE 1946... Your new Fender® bass guitar holds more than half a century of musical history. Fender was founded in 1946 by Clarence Leonidas "Leo" Fender, a Southern California inventor and businessman with a talent and passion for electronics. He started the company in his small radio repair shop in Fullerton, Calif., building solid amplifiers and lap steel guitars that were popular with Western swing bands of the era. A decade later, these modest and earnest beginnings would lead to an explosive intersection with the birth of rock 'n' roll and the first of several Fender "golden ages." With a tireless and constant commitment to improved sound and design fueled by direct and immediate feedback from professional and influential musicians of the time, Leo and his staff soon embarked on an extraordinary creative streak that began in early 1951 with the world's first solid-body Spanish-style electric guitar, the Telecaster® (and its single-pickup version, the Esquire®). Later that year, Fender introduced the world's first commercially successful solid-body electric bass guitar, the Precision Bass®, soon followed by its companion Bassman® amp. The Twin Amp® appeared in 1952 as the first model in one of the world's most acclaimed and enduring guitar amp families. Fender unveiled perhaps the most popular and influential electric guitar ever-the Stratocaster®-in 1954. Within a decade, some of rock's greatest artists would start wringing unbelievable sounds from the instrument- sounds never envisioned by Fender designers, or anyone else for that matter. Other classics followed-the Jazzmaster® guitar (1958), the Jazz Bass® (1960) the Jaguar® guitar (1962), and more great amps. By the time it was sold to CBS in 1965, Fender had grown from a fledgling California guitar maker to an industry leader with a stable of acclaimed instruments and amplifiers that revolutionized and profoundly transformed music worldwide. After the CBS years, the modern-era Fender emerged in the mid 1980s to become the iconic brand it is today, with worldwide influence on music and popular culture. Just as it was when it began, Fender continues to be driven by continuous innovation, passion for music and a commitment to constant input from musicians like you. Thank you for becoming part of this history, and enjoy your new Fender instrument. 7