Music Appreciation

mahatmakanejeeves

(64,117 posts) Fri Mar 21, 2025, 12:17 PM Mar 21

On this day, March 21, 1991, Leo Fender died.

What Happened Today In Music

March 21st

1991 - Leo Fender
Leo Fender, the inventor of The Telecaster and Stratocaster guitars died from Parkinson's disease. He started mass producing solid body electric guitars in the late 40s and when he sold his guitar company in 1965, sales were in excess of $40 million a year.

2 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

On this day, March 21, 1991, Leo Fender died. (Original Post) mahatmakanejeeves Mar 21 OP

My hero as I became older, Brother Buzz Mar 21 #1

One of the things that even many musicians don't know... keep_left Mar 21 #2

Brother Buzz

(38,285 posts)

1. My hero as I became older,

Reply to mahatmakanejeeves (Original post)

Fri Mar 21, 2025, 12:43 PM

Mar 21

My hero as I became older, was the great Leo Fender because he built one of the first guitars to hold up in a bar fight. - Charlie Deal, Mill Valley, California

keep_left

(2,825 posts)

2. One of the things that even many musicians don't know...

Reply to mahatmakanejeeves (Original post)

Fri Mar 21, 2025, 02:13 PM

Mar 21

...is that a lot of Leo Fender's work, especially when it comes to guitar amplifiers, has never been bested--even with all the progress in electronics over the years. In particular, Fender designed a tone control circuit which he could have (and probably should have) patented, because it was immediately copied by just about everyone, especially the other American amplifier companies. A lot of his innovations are still in use today, often with only slight modification over the years as technology progresses. Even today, when some amplifiers are going fully digital, Fender's circuits are being modeled in software.

Reply to this discussion