FENDER 2020 BACK TO THE FUTURE
70 years has past since Fender launched its first solid-body electric. A slab of pine with a solitary singlecoil pickup appropriated from a lap steel, the Esquire showcased an adjustable three-saddle bridge, a bolt-on maple neck and a very appealing shape... In short order, via two quick evolutionary and appellative leaps, the Esquire became the Telecaster, and the rest is Fender history.
But history has weight. Music, and popular culture as a whole, is governed by a nostalgia that can be gravitational, pulling anyone who thinks outside the box back to earth. It is no different for Fender. How Fender deals with this – the idea that says the best guitars have already been made – is instructive for anyone interested in guitar culture.
Maybe the answer is right there in front of us, the clues to be found in the guitar store and online; it is the guitars, amps and effects that show us how Fender placates vintage purist and neophyte alike.
