Fender Guitar Introduction

The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, of Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, is the world's number-one maker of stringed instruments, and the America's number-one maker of solid-body electric guitars, including the Stratocaster and Telecaster, both favorites of pickers and strummers worldwide.

Fender also claims to be the inventor of the solid-body electric bass, which is now standard in rock, jazz, country, funk, and all other types of popular music.

The company creates instruments such as acoustic guitars, electric basses, mandolins, banjos, and violins, as well as guitar amplifiers, bass amplifiers, and PA (public address) equipment.

Other notable Fender brands include Guild (acoustic and electric guitars), Rodriguez (classical guitars),and Benedetto (jazz guitars.)

While Fender maintains extensive production facilities in different parts of the world, its highest quality models are manufactured in the factory in Corona, California, United States of America. From around the world, it owns manufacturing facilities in Japan, Ensenada (Mexico), China, Indonesia (under Cort) and Korea (under Cort), such that most novice guitarists will be able to afford a new guitar with the Fender brand name.

The older and American-built guitars are by far the most favoured, but pre-1990 Japan-made Fender guitars are now highly regarded as well. Fenders built in Ensenada, Mexico took over the role of the Japanese factory to produce the majority of Fender's guitars, while Japanese Fenders are now meant for the Japanese market and with only a small number marked for export.