Fender instruments revolutionized the way that music was made and heard during the second half of the 20th century and have become cultural icons from the era, considered by many as works of art. Leo Fender provided the tools upon which the rock'n'roll and pop revolution would be staged during the '50s and '60s and this book is the first to deal with that time frame specifically. It traces the history of Fender from its humble beginnings, through the rise of popular music up until the point where Leo and his partner Don Randall sold their company to the mighty CBS corporation for $13.2 million in 1965. It charts their association with the brand for five further years as they remained consultants to CBS until 1970.

The authors travelled the world and were entrusted with some of the most valuable guitars on earth, to bring together not only the finest collection of Fender guitars in one book, but the most complete selection of Fender ephemera from the era. Every catalog, price list and Fender Facts news letter are shown alongside hundreds of advertisements, point of sale and promotional items. Every Fender model from the era is covered plus an abundance of rare custom color, one off and prototype instruments. Unseen factory photographs and famous Fender players add up to making this book the ultimate celebration of Fender's golden age .











About the authors 

Martin Kelly is joint MD of the highly acclaimed British independent record label Heavenly Recordings - home of the Magic Numbers, Doves and Saint Etienne. His love affair with Fender instruments began aged just 12 in 1977 with the purchase of his first Fender guitar, a second hand 1968 Mustang Bass.  Martin is currently working on a new book about Vox guitars from the 1960's era.

Paul Kelly is a a documentary film maker and designer. He is responsible for all the  photography and design work on Fender: The Golden Age . Paul also discovered Fender guitars during the punk rock era and soon developed a keen interest in early Jazzmasters. He is currently working on a documentary film about cult UK musician Lawrence (Felt, Denim, Go Kart Mozart) entitled 'Lawrence Of Belgravia'. Paul has also begun work on the Vox guitars book due for release in 2011.

Canadian born Terry Foster is the world's leading authority and collector of Fender ephemera from the golden age. Terry has written for Vintage Guitar Magazine and is widely regarded as the expert on pre-CBS Fender student guitars. Check Terry's regular contributions to the Fender Gallery on this site.