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Leo Fender Facts & Worksheets

Leo Fender, in full Clarence Leo Fender, was American inventor and manufacturer of electronic musical instruments.

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Leo Fender, in full Clarence Leo Fender, was American inventor and manufacturer of electronic musical instruments.

See the fact file below for more information on the Leo Fender or alternatively, you can download our 21-page Leo Fender worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

BEGINNINGS OF THE LEGACY

  • Clarence Leonidas Fender was born on August 10, 1909, to Clarence Monte Fender and Harriet Elvira Wood, owners of a successful orange grove located between Anaheim and Fullerton, CA.
  • From a very young age, Leo showed a keen interest in electronics. He began to rebuild radios at home after watching how his uncle built a radio from different spare parts.
  • Leo’s left eye was replaced by a glass eye when he developed a tumor at just 8 years old. However, this did not stop his passion for electronics.
  • In the spring of 1928, Fender graduated from Fullerton Union High School, and entered Fullerton Junior College that fall, as an accounting major.
  • While he was studying to be an accountant, he continued to teach himself electronics, but never took any kind of electronics course.
  • In 1933, Fender met Esther Klosky, and they married in 1934.
  • In 1938, with a borrowed $600, Leo and started his own radio repair shop, “Fender Radio Service.”
  • Soon, musicians and band leaders began coming to him for public address systems he built, rented, and sold.
  • At the start of World War II, he was not eligible for service. He had a lot of time to continue with his electronic endeavors.

THE RISE OF LEGENDARY INSTRUMENTS

  • In 1944, Leo patented a lap steel guitar with an electric pickup patented by Fender.
  • Together with George Fullerton, Fender developed the first mass-produced solid-body electric guitar, in 1948.
  • The Fender Broadcaster, soon renamed Telecaster, was produced at Fender Electric Instruments Company.
  • The world’s first electric bass guitar, the Fender Precision Bass, was unveiled in 1951.
  • In 1954, the Fender Stratocaster was put on the market.
  • In 1960, Fender introduced the “Deluxe Model” of the Precision Bass.
  • The Telecaster, Precision Bass, Stratocaster, and Jazz Bass are testaments to the innovation of Leo Fender.
  • All four instruments have remained extremely popular, and modern versions have changed very little from Leo’s original designs.

WORKING WITH FENDER

  • Fender was known to be a workaholic, usually working late into the night, and often working seven days a week.
  • He worked both on the business and R&D sides of the company. This resulted to his failing health. In late 1965, Leo sold his company to CBS for $13 million.
  • Leo agreed that he would not participate in the musical instrument industry for 10 years after the sale.
  • In 1975, Leo was elected the president of Musicman, Inc. Musicman was fairly successful in the beginning, but the late 1970s was a hard time for guitar and amplifier manufacturers.
  • By 1985, the performance of the company was bad enough that Leo left, and the company was sold to Ernie and Sterling Ball.
  • Leo once again teamed up with George Fullerton, and they formed G & L Guitars.
  • At the end of the 1970s, Leo Fender bought land in Fullerton, California to build a factory.
  • When Fender left his G&L office for the last time—he died on March 21, 1991—it stayed exactly the way it was as he was tinkering with new ideas right up until he passed away.
  • Nothing was moved, touched, or cleaned up—including his favorite peanut cans. The office remains as a fitting tribute to a great mind.
  • Leo continued to refine the designs he had originally created, and received many patents for his later designs of pickups and tremolo systems, and neck designs.

Leo Fender Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Leo Fender across 21 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Leo Fender worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Leo Fender, in full Clarence Leo Fender, who was American inventor and manufacturer of electronic musical instruments.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Fender & Music
  • Fender Stars
  • Parts of a Fender
  • My Fender Design
  • String Strung
  • Fender Band
  • Valued Fender
  • Choosing the Best
  • Your Passion, Your Career
  • Fender and Music

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Link will appear as Leo Fender Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, February 27, 2020

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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