Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Guitar Amps
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Plugin Week 2025
  • You Oughta Know
  • Fake AI band
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • Wrecking Crew

Recommended reading

Fender Player II Modified Series
Guitars Fender remixes its blockbuster Player II range with the Modified Series and got IDLES to demo them
Mark Speer of Khruangbin sits with his natural finish Fender Strat while Laura Lee holds her new signature Jazz Bass.
Artists Fender unveils DiMarzio-loaded Strat and Jazz Bass for Khruangbin’s Mark Speer and Laura Lee
The Fender Richie Kotzen Stratocaster is made in Japan and features a contoured ash body with a stunning figured maple top, and comes with DiMarzio pickups and Gotoh tuners.
Artists Fender gives Richie Kotzen’s figured-maple topped MIJ signature Strat a global release
Harley Benton ST-80FR
Guitars Harley Benton erupts with '80s shred fever as it launches the Floyd-equipped ST-80FR Series S-styles
Brent Mason
Guitarists “I thought, 'Well, now I have a Strat, a Les Paul, and a regular Tele all in one’”: How a top session player struck gold
Jackson X and JS Series Surfcasters: the long-awaited offset electric guitar is now being offered in white, satin black and metallic black, and and at the entry-level JS price point and the mid-priced X Series.
Guitars “A bold new take on a classic metal machine”: Having ridden the wave of popular demand, Jackson’s Surfcaster offset has landed – and it’s built for speed
Kane Hibberd, the photographer behind the Scale exhibition in London, poses in front of his photographs – guitars features will include Kerry King of Slayer's BC Rich and Tom Morello's Arm The Homeless S-style.
Guitars Exhibition featuring life-sized photos of 100 legendary artists' guitars to open in London
  1. Guitars

Fender's golden years

News
By Guitarist ( Guitarist ) published 6 February 2013

The guitars that changed the world

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Fender's golden years

Fender's golden years

The Fender Electric Instrument Company played a pivotal role in defining the very sound of rock and pop music with the instruments it made between 1950 and 1965.

It's almost beyond belief to imagine that in 15 short years, Fender produced some of the most iconic instrument designs ever, and in the case of the Strat pretty much defined the sound and image of an electric guitar for an entire generation.

Here’s how the story unfolded..

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of 9
1951 Telecaster

1951 Telecaster

The design debuted a year earlier via the Esquire and Broadcaster (pictured). Gretsch took umbrage (their drum kit was called Broadkaster), so Fender withdrew the name and for a time the guitars were unnamed, hence the term ‘Nocaster’. The Telecaster debuted officially in April 1951, with a slab ash body and maple one-piece neck, priced $189.50.

Page 2 of 9
Page 2 of 9
1951 Precision Bass

1951 Precision Bass

With the template set for the solid-bodied electric guitar, it made sense to apply the principle to the bass. In some ways this was an even bigger revolution than the guitar – bassists were no longer tied to their upright instrument and corresponding upright playing style. The result of this change was a set of unprecedented sonic and practical benefits – all for $199.50.

Page 3 of 9
Page 3 of 9
1954 Stratocaster

1954 Stratocaster

Named amid the fascination with the space age – the stratosphere and all it inspired – Fender followed up the Tele with another pickup selection, a radical, beautifully contoured twin-cutaway body and the fabled Synchronized Tremolo vibrato unit with six individually adjustable saddles. Today, it’s an all-time design classic; then, it was a $249.50 ticket to the future.

Page 4 of 9
Page 4 of 9
1958 Jazzmaster

1958 Jazzmaster

Believe it or not, this divisive design was intended to be ‘better’ than the Stratocaster. At $329.50, it had an offset body, initially with a gold anodized pickguard, and was designed to compete with Gibson’s thicker-sounding jazz guitars. The dual rhythm/lead circuits offered two control sets, but jazz players – unsurprisingly with hindsight – didn’t really go for it.

Page 5 of 9
Page 5 of 9
1959 Telecaster Custom

1959 Telecaster Custom

The Tele Custom (and Esquire Custom) were treated to a double-bound body and both followed the trend in guitar- making at the end of the 1950s for rosewood fingerboards. These additions to the range were an attempt to make the utilitarian, slab-bodied Telecaster feel more upmarket for your $229.50 – which was a full $30 more than the regular Fender Telecaster.

Page 6 of 9
Page 6 of 9
1960 Jazz Bass

1960 Jazz Bass

It took a whole nine years for the second electric Fender bass. The Precision had moved to its second, more famous look by 1957, but Fender wanted a more ‘upmarket’ addition. Enter the Jazz Bass, with its dual pickups and narrower neck profile, for $279.50. The baritone Bass VI came in 1961. The latter’s a curio by today’s standards, but it has still appeared on countless records.

Page 7 of 9
Page 7 of 9
1962 Jaguar

1962 Jaguar

1958’s Jazzmaster had been, at best, a mixed success. Undaunted, Fender duly shortened the scale, moved to twangier-sounding pickups, added a string mute and made the controls even more confusing to access. The Jaguar entered the market as Fender’s most expensive instrument at $379.50 – a whopping $170 more than the Telecaster at the time.

Page 8 of 9
Page 8 of 9
1964 Mustang

1964 Mustang

Fender had been making shorter-scale ‘student’ guitars since 1956 in the Musicmaster and Duo Sonic, offering alternatives to the Stratocaster and Telecaster that were aimed at the pro musicians. A decade later, the Mustang sat between the two customer groups. The 24-inch scale and an accessible price ($189.50) made it a success. The rock ’n’ roll boom didn’t hurt, either!

Page 9 of 9
Page 9 of 9
Guitarist
Guitarist
Social Links Navigation

Guitarist is the longest established UK guitar magazine, offering gear reviews, artist interviews, techniques lessons and loads more, in print, on tablet and on smartphones Digital: http://bit.ly/GuitaristiOS If you love guitars, you'll love Guitarist. Find us in print, on Newsstand for iPad, iPhone and other digital readers

The magazine for serious players image
The magazine for serious players
Subscribe and save today!
More Info
Read more
Fender Player II Modified Series
Fender remixes its blockbuster Player II range with the Modified Series and got IDLES to demo them
Mark Speer of Khruangbin sits with his natural finish Fender Strat while Laura Lee holds her new signature Jazz Bass.
Fender unveils DiMarzio-loaded Strat and Jazz Bass for Khruangbin’s Mark Speer and Laura Lee
The Fender Richie Kotzen Stratocaster is made in Japan and features a contoured ash body with a stunning figured maple top, and comes with DiMarzio pickups and Gotoh tuners.
Fender gives Richie Kotzen’s figured-maple topped MIJ signature Strat a global release
Harley Benton ST-80FR
Harley Benton erupts with '80s shred fever as it launches the Floyd-equipped ST-80FR Series S-styles
Brent Mason
“I thought, 'Well, now I have a Strat, a Les Paul, and a regular Tele all in one’”: How a top session player struck gold
Jackson X and JS Series Surfcasters: the long-awaited offset electric guitar is now being offered in white, satin black and metallic black, and and at the entry-level JS price point and the mid-priced X Series.
“A bold new take on a classic metal machine”: Having ridden the wave of popular demand, Jackson’s Surfcaster offset has landed – and it’s built for speed
Latest in Guitars
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: The 4th of July sales are here, and you can score $1,000 off a Vox guitar, $600 off the Music Man St. Vincent, as well as hundreds off gear from Alesis, Roland, Yamaha and more
Harley Benton ST-80FR
Harley Benton erupts with '80s shred fever as it launches the Floyd-equipped ST-80FR Series S-styles
Uli Jon Roth wears a blue bandana as he plays a G3 date in 2018 with his Sky guitar.
Uli Jon Roth says his Sky Guitar’s active pickup system was so powerful it blew up his amps
Behringer BM-15M Murf Box: this vintage-style multi-filter pedal has eight filters, selectable patterns and MIDI control
Behringer unveils the BM-15M Murf Box, a $129 animated filtering pedal based on a ‘00s Moog classic
Catalinbread Proto Club Triton Pitch Echo
“The Tritone was universally loved by the crew but the vibes clashed with the palette of the Soft Focus Deluxe”: Catalinbread is selling off its prototype guitar pedals, and the first is a “B-side” pitch echo from its smash-hit shoegaze stompbox
Strandberg Boden Standard NX 6 Plini Edition Mirage
Strandberg launches limited edition Plini Boden Standard with glow-in-the-dark Mirage graphic finish
Latest in News
Money
“This shows just how important live music is": New report shows immense contribution of music tourism to UK economy
Olivia Rodrigo and Robert Smith
Olivia Rodrigo surprises fans during her headline Glastonbury set by duetting with The Cure’s Robert Smith
Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher of Mastodon perform at Riot Fest 2024
“I won’t miss being in a sh** band with horrible humans”: Mastodon guitarist slams his ex-bandmates
Black Sabbath get the freedom of Birmingham
“We’re all proud Birmingham people and we love this city”: Black Sabbath have been awarded the freedom of Brum
Van Halen
“Eddie told me, ‘Roth is driving me nuts'": When Eddie Van Halen asked to join Kiss — and they turned him down!
Charli XCX
"The most boring take ever”: Charli XCX addresses "boomer vibe" criticism of her Glastonbury performance

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...