The Bass Doc Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Clarence Leo Fender - born 10/8/1909. Even non-Fender lovers must acknowledge whatever they like today can only have been designed FROM something Leo created. Somebody had to be first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Amen... Happy birthday, Leo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 (edited) happy birthday leo not a massive fender fan but i understand what they did for the world of guitar, bass and popular music, plus i really love musicman and G&L basses RIP. Edited August 10, 2009 by budget bassist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YouMa Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 I wish i could find a decent documentary on him. The radio repair guy did good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 When I first the title I thought it was your birthday Doc Seriously though Fenders are the reason I stuck with bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Protium Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 [quote name='The Bass Doc' post='565500' date='Aug 10 2009, 10:47 PM']Clarence Leo Fender - born 10/8/1909. Even non-Fender lovers must acknowledge whatever they like today can only have been designed FROM something Leo created. [b]Somebody had to be first.[/b][/quote] Paul Tutmarc in fact Never the less happy birthday Mr. Fender Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bass Doc Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 [quote name='budget bassist' post='565505' date='Aug 10 2009, 10:54 PM']happy birthday leo [/quote] Err -except he died 23/3/1991 - can you wish someone a posthumus happy birthday? OK I think they can get basschat 'up there'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Fair play to the old bean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bass Doc Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 [quote name='Protium' post='565509' date='Aug 10 2009, 10:56 PM']Paul Tutmarc in fact Never the less happy birthday Mr. Fender[/quote] No I don't believe Paul Tutmarc designed the first electric bass guitar that is still valid today - that's what I meant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 [quote name='Protium' post='565509' date='Aug 10 2009, 10:56 PM']Paul Tutmarc in fact Never the less happy birthday Mr. Fender[/quote] yeah but leo was the first to mass manufacture the electric guitar and bass and to make them available to the general public. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Thanks Leo. You did the world a big favour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sturm Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 all hail to thee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardHimself Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 That's pretty amazing. What i find remarkable is that he was never actually much of a musician; he just thought it would be a great idea to provide musicians with affordable reliable mass produced feedback free electric guitars and basses that were easy and prescise to play. His knowledge of electronics made for some amazing amplification too (although it's not really my thing) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 [quote name='The Bass Doc' post='565500' date='Aug 10 2009, 10:47 PM']Clarence Leo Fender - born 10/8/1909. Even non-Fender lovers must acknowledge whatever they like today can only have been designed FROM something Leo created. Somebody had to be first.[/quote] Wow!! +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 (edited) RIP Clarence Leonidas Fender. Now building amps for God. Edited August 10, 2009 by skankdelvar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashevans09 Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 What a legend and what a legacy! As has been said before, making basses for the big man upstairs now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamapirate Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 What I find ridiculous is that his birthday hasn't been mentioned at all apart from on her. Not a single article! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 [quote name='EdwardHimself' post='565536' date='Aug 10 2009, 11:15 PM']That's pretty amazing. What i find remarkable is that he was never actually much of a musician; he just thought it would be a great idea to provide musicians with affordable reliable mass produced feedback free electric guitars and basses that were easy and prescise to play. His knowledge of electronics made for some amazing amplification too (although it's not really my thing)[/quote] yep, never learnt to play guitar or bass. There's hope for all of us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 I saw a link earlier today on Facebook re this. As a Fender player this is massive. I hope all the non-Fender players will continue to acknowledge his influence - even in another 100yrs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvin Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Even if you don't play a Fender (like me) you have to acknowledge that without the man things just wouldn't be the same. Full respect to Leo Fender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 [quote name='The Bass Doc' post='565500' date='Aug 10 2009, 10:47 PM']Clarence Leo Fender - born 10/8/1909. Even non-Fender lovers must acknowledge whatever they like today can only have been designed FROM something Leo created. Somebody had to be first.[/quote] And as Protium has said Paul Tutmark made the first bass guitar. It might not have been the commercial success that the Fender was but there is no question that his concept was similar and it came first. However, I believe that the development of the bass guitar was inevitable. If Fender hadn't made the first well-marketed one someone else would have done. Probably not Gibson, but how about Rickenbacker or Mosrite, or someone like Tutmark with a brilliant idea working in isolation? [quote name='budget bassist' post='565581' date='Aug 11 2009, 12:12 AM']yep, never learnt to play guitar or bass. There's hope for all of us [/quote] If he had learnt how to play maybe he'd have created a better instrument, or at least understood how it need to develop as the music that it was being used for developed and progressed. I'm thankful that nowadays there are an abundance of bass guitar manufacturers and luthiers who have developed the instrument so those of us who require something more now have access to suitable instruments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Happy Birthday Leo. What I find amazing is how you designed the guitar/bass yet never played. How could he know what angles, shapes, fret spacing, string spacing, neck widths to use. Amazing it ever got of the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bass Doc Posted August 11, 2009 Author Share Posted August 11, 2009 [quote name='BigRedX' post='565673' date='Aug 11 2009, 09:34 AM']And as Protium has said Paul Tutmark made the first bass guitar. It might not have been the commercial success that the Fender was but there is no question that his concept was similar and it came first. However, I believe that the development of the bass guitar was inevitable. If Fender hadn't made the first well-marketed one someone else would have done. Probably not Gibson, but how about Rickenbacker or Mosrite, or someone like Tutmark with a brilliant idea working in isolation?[/quote] Well I met the man - June 1979 - and he himself said he would never claim to be a genius or that (as other people have said) he changed the face of rock music in the 50s and 60s. Only that he was lucky enough to be the first to have his instruments accepted by so many musicians back then. As you rightly say if someone else had come up with the first production line bass guitar his own theory was that it's sound would have become the accepted norm. That's how modest the guy was. As far as modern exotic basses go we are so lucky to have so many excellent luthiers around (Leo never claimed to be a luthier as such) but if you ask the present master craftsmen how they themselves regard Leo Fender I think you'll find they will pay appropriate homage. I don't have stats to hand to prove it but I reckon the 3 most popular basses in the world are the Precision, Jazz and Musicman - and very probably always will be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 [quote name='Linus27' post='565718' date='Aug 11 2009, 10:30 AM']....What I find amazing is how you designed the guitar/bass yet never played. How could he know what angles, shapes, fret spacing, string spacing, neck widths to use. Amazing it ever got of the ground....[/quote] Why does everyone think that Leo Fender did everything? Fender ran the company that employed many designers, technicians and musicians. They designed the guitars that the Fender Company put out. Apparently Fender was a control freak, but if you had an idea that he thought would work; ie be efficient, cheap and saleable, he would use it. Many musicians would drop by and try his guitars and comment on them. Leo Fender was good at sorting out the bad ideas from the good ideas, but he didn't design the things you list! He didn’t even name any of his guitars, that was done by Don Randall, who was head of marketing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 (edited) [quote name='BigRedX' post='565673' date='Aug 11 2009, 09:34 AM']If he had learnt how to play maybe he'd have created a better instrument, or at least understood how it need to develop as the music that it was being used for developed and progressed. I'm thankful that nowadays there are an abundance of bass guitar manufacturers and luthiers who have developed the instrument so those of us who require something more now have access to suitable instruments.[/quote] Over 25 years or so, Leo was responsible for the development of the fretted electric bass, the 5-string bass, the 6-string bass / baritone, the idea of dedicated bass amplifiers, individual bass, mid and treble EQ for amps, the 'presence' control, the 'amp stack', individually intonate-able bridge saddles, the popularisation of active electronics, the in-line headstock, the 3 over 1 headstock, and custom colours. He also established a scale length from which few have deviated. It was his ultimate decision to tune his electric bass EADG. Much of this was achieved when Fender was a small, 'family' business, rather than the behemoth we know today. Finally, he designed all the plant machinery that enabled him to mass-produce the instruments and amps. A good example is the multi-bladed machine that cuts all the fret slots in one pass. I'm genuinely a bit stuck to think of anything more significant that modern mfrs and luthiers have brought to the table, other than possibly debatable design enhancements (such as the hi-mass bridge) and cosmetic embellishments. Happy to be corrected As for Leo being a 'control freak' - everything I've read suggests the opposite. If anything, he was a disorganised, mad inventor, never happier than when tinkering with his products and coming up with new - saleable - ideas. He was logistically unstructured. Leo recognised his limitations and surrounded himself with a team of complementary individuals such as Doc Kaufman, Freddie Tavares, George Fullerton, Forrest White and Don Randall, all of whom acknowledged that he gave them full credit for their efforts. It was successful teamwork, and Leo led the team. As the company got bigger and more succesfull, Leo became progressively less happy. After a health scare, he sold out to CBS. Though he could simply have retired on a sizeable stash, he left Fender and went diligently to work at his bench, first at Musicman, then at G&L, until the week before he died. He was, by all accounts, a modest, quiet likeable man. He was in it for the manufacturing and selling of ideas, and it's for that we're saluting him. Sadly, the date seems to have passed Fender by. Couldn't find a mention on their web site Edited August 11, 2009 by skankdelvar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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