Fender | 75th Anniversary Telecasters and Precision Basses
Fender Highways Series Event Featuring Julia Rizik
Join us at Chicago Music Exchange on Thursday, November 30, for a special Fender event introducing the new Highway Series guitars and featuring Fender artist Julia Rizik in CME’s Lincoln Avenue showroom!
In addition to a demonstration of the new series, guests will receive Fender-branded swag. Guests will also be invited to record themselves playing a Highway Series guitar to enter an exclusive raffle!
Celebrate 75 years of Fender’s Earliest Icons with Eye-Popping Special Editions, Available at Several Points in the Fender Lineup!
Since 1951, the Fender Telecaster (originally introduced in 1950 as the Broadcaster) and Precision Bass have been the backbone of endless amplified musical movements, from the Western Swing of the ‘50s, to Bob Dylan’s electrified revolt at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, to the biggest pop and country acts of today.
To celebrate three-quarters of a century of these iconic instruments, Fender is introducing special 75th Anniversary models of the Telecaster and Precision Bass! These instruments are both a nod to the Telecaster and Precision Bass’ status as tonal building blocks of 20th-century musical evolution, and are a look into the future! Be among the first to add these guitars and basses to your tonal arsenal by calling us today at (773)525-7773, chatting with our sales reps on our website, or by stopping into our Lincoln Avenue showroom!
SHOP FENDER 75th ANNIVERSARY GUITARS!
An Electrified History
Throughout the 30s and 40s, professional guitarists everywhere were looking for an effective way to get more projection out of their Spanish-style guitars, so that their solos could be heard among big-band and jazz arrangements. The first commercial electric guitars by companies like Vivi-Tone, Gibson, and Electro-Spanish (who would later change their name to Rickenbacker) partially solved this issue, but they were handmade, and several were prone to feedback due to their hollowbody design. This limited the commercial viability of these early models. Originally starting out as a radio repairman and PA builder in the ‘30s, Clarence Leonidas “Leo” Fender built himself up as a one-stop shop to the musicians of Southern California in the ‘40s, eventually attracting professional attention for his high-headroom amplifiers. Although he never played the instrument himself, Leo listened to the complaints of the professional guitarists who sought out his services and developed his first solid-body electric guitar design: the Esquire.
After a few design snafus, Fender settled on a dual-pickup setup with a solid ash body and translucent blonde nitrocellulose finish, and introduced the resulting guitar as the Fender Broadcaster in the fall of 1950. Fender’s Broadcaster had a major advantage over predecessors: the modular, die-cut construction of its guitars meant that professionals could easily obtain replacement parts or get one element of their guitars serviced.
After facing the threat of legal action from Gretsch (due to potential confusion with Gretsch’s Broadkaster drum kits), and after a run of Broadcasters that did not feature a nameplate on the headstock (now colloquially referred to as “Nocasters”), Fender renamed the Broadcaster to the Telecaster in late 1951. Thanks to Leo Fender’s pre-existing relationships with Western Swing and Country players, the Telecaster quickly caught on with professionals.
In October of the same year, Fender introduced the Precision Bass, the world’s first electrified bass guitar. The Precision Bass instantly solved the issues that touring and live bands had with the age-old upright bass – its bulkiness, and the difficulty with making it audible – and by 1952, professionals were using the new instrument extensively. Together, the Telecaster and Precision Bass pushed musicians into a new age of amplified music, one that continues to evolve every day!
Three Quarters of a Century, A Lineup Full of Tone!
From vintage purists to progressive players, everyone will find a Telecaster or Precision Bass for them in this lineup of 75th Anniversary guitars and basses!
QUICK SPECS
- Select alder body with Ultra contours and sculpted neck heel
- Quartersawn maple modern “D” profile neck with 10”-14” compound radius ebony fingerboard
- 75th Anniversary Fastlane Humbucker Bridge Pickup and 75th Ultra Noiseless Tele Neck Pickup
- Dual S-1 Switching - 1 puts both pickups in series, one engages series/parallel mode for the bridge pickup.
- 6-Saddle String-Through-Body
- Short Post Locking Tuners
From the earliest days of Rock ‘N’ Roll to the massive hits of Motown, to the emo and alternative music of today, the Fender Telecaster and Precision Bass continue to shape the endlessly evolving musical landscape. To be among the first to grab the instruments that commemorate this milestone, call us at (773) 525-7773, chat with our team, or come into our showroom today!
SHOP FENDER GEAR ARRIVALS!SHOP FENDER GUITARS
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