Fender

Founded in 1943 in a small Fullerton, California workshop. 
A radio repairman by trade and inventor at heart, Leo Fender made the transition to musical instruments by tinkering with his friends' faulty amps. In 1943, he teamed up with local musician and inventor Doc Kaufman and formed K&F Manufacturing Corp, producing a limited run of amplifiers and lap steel guitars at the height of the Hawaiian music craze. When the two parted ways a few years later, Fender continued working under his own name. 
1946: One of Leo Fender's first creations were guitar amplifiers. Known by historians as 'woodies' for their uncovered wood cabinetry, the Princeton, Deluxe and Professional amps were introduced. 
1950: In 1950 a single and dual pickup solid body guitar was put into production, called the Esquire. Eventually after modifications, the guitar was renamed hte Broadcaster, then a year later renamed the Telecaster (1951). 
1951: Leo closed his repair shop to focus entirely on building solid body instruments, which by late 1951 included the first electric bass. The Precision bass is one of the most popular bass designs to this day. 
1954: The Stratocaster was introduced. The most popular guitar ever made and copied. 
The first Fender FX pedal was launched. 
1958: Intended to be the instrument that would be the company's top-of-the-line succesor to the Tele and Strat and appeal to serious jazz guitarists, the Jazzmaster launched just as the mid-60s brought the golden age of surf music and the Jazzmaster was right at home. 
1960: Fender introduced the Jazz Bass in 1960 as a 'deluxe' model to augment the Precision Bass. 
1963: Fender began production of their first acoustic guitars - the King, Concert and Classic - debuted in summer 1963. 

Official website: http://fender.com

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