leo fender genius

Larry Jones · Post by **Larry Jones** » 25 Oct 2006 9:03 pm

i just got though taking my 24.5 stringmaster compleatly apart to refinish it and i can't believe how well that guitar is made.every part every screw beautifly crafted , machined made especially for that instrument . its really a work of art like a classic car i just got a 22.5 that sounds great on western swing and blues the longer one sounds better on hawaiian and jazz. hats off to leo fender for getting it right.

Loni Specter · Post by **Loni Specter** » 25 Oct 2006 9:11 pm

What the general public does not realize is that without the Fender steel guitars, Teles and Strats never would have happened! Leo was DA MAN!

Dan Sawyer · Post by **Dan Sawyer** » 26 Oct 2006 12:26 am

I agree about the genius part, but did he really make the screws?

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 26 Oct 2006 6:34 am

Besides being a genius, Leo was also a good business man. I believe that if he could find what he wanted at the local auto parts, he wouldn't waste his money duplicating it. That is where a lot of his "custom" colors came from, the local NAPA store.

<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Erv Niehaus on 26 October 2006 at 07:35 AM.]</p></FONT>

Rick Collins · Post by **Rick Collins** » 26 Oct 2006 8:29 am

It takes good mechanics and good design put together just right, to deliver the great sound (tone). How much of this is predictable in the mind of the craftsman?

Leo knew that chrome adheres to bass very good, so he made most of the stamped parts from brass.

Was the selection of ash wood intentional because of the tone it delivered; or was it seleceted for the ease of shaping or availability?

The thin winding of the pickups to deliver the distinct Fender sound __ was this deliberate; or did it just work out this way?

Dave Zielinski · Post by **Dave Zielinski** » 26 Oct 2006 8:32 am

I agree, leo was amazing in the design of those stringmasters, in general his stuff was always very manufacturable and serviceable....until I met the D8 with trapezoid PUs....

The "Lollipop" tuners were his worst mistake. Unservicable, not replaceable.

But then there is my 1959/60 Tweed bassman... everything about that thing is right. the cabinet design, the speaker baffle, the mounting of the speaker baffle, the speakers themselves. You would not beleive how important the design of that cabinet is in regards to tone.

One of the coolest things for me upon my visit to the "Rocak and Roll Hall of Fame" in Ohio was seeing his handwritten signature.

dave

John Lang · Post by **John Lang** » 26 Oct 2006 4:40 pm

Dave,

You are so right about the early tuner mechanisms. I have wondered if such an inherently bad design was due to Leo thinking that individual tuning machines were unsuitable, unavailable, or whatever. I had a nightmare trying to find someone to repair mine.

I have never owned a guitar with the push-botton neck selectors, but have also wondered if this was another short-lived design that Leo abandoned after only a year or so in favor of the Tele look-alike switch.

Nathan Hernandez · Post by **Nathan Hernandez** » 26 Oct 2006 4:51 pm

I wish I never had to give up my T-8 custom, lollie pop tuners and all. I feel that the sound and tone and vibe of those guitars is what led to the Fender mistique, for future guitars. Just listen to Bobby Koefer.

Dave Zielinski · Post by **Dave Zielinski** » 26 Oct 2006 6:20 pm

Oh, don;t get me wrong, between big brother Tom and I, we own lets see....1,2...,3,4,5,6!! of them there Deluxe 8's with lollipop tuners!

Leo was an experimenter, obviously.... Remember the 58 teles with the strings NOT through the body? well, the following year they changed it back to through the body.

IN the name of tone..

Have fun!

Ron Brennan · Post by **Ron Brennan** » 27 Oct 2006 8:08 am

John,

My "55" D8 has the pushbuttons neck selector. Other than being "cool" it's not practical.

I asked Jody Carver how this came to be? Jody reported he really pressed Leo Fender not to go push button route, but Leo did it anyway.

Later, Leo realized that Jody was right, the pushbutton system was not practical for multi-neck players or recording sessions, due to the push buttons being noisy. I do not have to worry about that!!

The pushbuttons are very strong, that said, they are much more complicated than the Tele switch. Fortunately, I was able to procure another Fender pushbutton system as a backup.

It's amazing how durable (with some care) these instruments are. I am convinced that this didn't happen by coincidence. Leo Fender and the team (design,craftsmen,Sales and Marketing, etc) that he put together along with Jody Carver (Steelguitar Input, etc) were one formidable group!!

IMHO: The music world hasn't had an impact like the Fender group since. TX

Rgds,

Ron

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JCFSGC member 2005 "Be of Good Cheer"
"55" Stringmaster D8,
"67" Telecaster,
"60"Fender Concert Amp 4-10's