The Mexican Connection

American instruments with a Mexican twist: the story of Fender’s journey from Fullerton, California to Baja California

- Rod Brakes

The roots of the Fender brand were put down in a humble Californian radio workshop in the summer of 1946, following Doc Kauffman’s amicable departure from his and Leo Fender’s K&F lap steel/amplifier manufacturing venture. Later that year, Leo established the first Fender factory operation locally in Fullerton in order to continue expanding production and, by 1949, had simultaneously progressed the concept of a solid body ‘electric Spanish’ guitar into the prototype phase, paving the way for the release of the Esquire and Broadcaster in 1950 (the Broadcaster was renamed the Telecaster in 1951).

As the company grew, a new bespoke factory building was erected and with the release of these seminal models – followed by the introduction of the revolutionary Precision Bass in 1951 and Stratocaster in 1954 – Fender enjoyed unparalleled success as the world’s first mass producer of solid-body electric guitars.

Fender’s Mexican connection dates back to the early days of the ‘golden era’ period of production in Fullerton, California, which was bolstered by a partially Mexican- American workforce – some of whom, such as Abigail Ybarra and Tadeo Gomez, have since become prominent names in Fender lore. They were not so much ‘master craftspeople’ as members of a solid, dependable team who facilitated Leo’s vision of a streamlined guitar-building facility while operating custom spec machinery to produce instruments at scale and with consistency – an art in itself and the key to Fender’s initial success.