Fender, (Clarence) Leo (1909–1991)

US guitarmaker. He created the solid-body electric guitar, the Fender Broadcaster in 1948 (renamed the Telecaster in 1950), and the first electric bass guitar, the Fender Precision, in 1951. The streamlined Fender Stratocaster guitar, preferred by many rock guitarists for the versatility afforded by its three pickups, dates from 1954. In 1965 he sold the Fender name to CBS, which continues to make the instruments.

Fender began making amplifiers and Hawaiian-style guitars in 1945, and built solid-body guitars for several country musicians. Although the 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. The design was totally new, with a one-piece neck bolted on to a wooden body, and could easily be mass-produced.