BOOKS

Here you will find every single book ever published with regard to Fender guitars, with a picture and some concise details. If you know of any other books, please do let me know about them!

"50 Years of Fender - Half a Century of the Greatest Electric Guitars", by Tony Bacon (buy it!)

Miller Freeman Press, 2000, ISBN 0-87930-621-1, 128 pp. When Tony Bacon writes something about guitars, you can count on it being well done and lavishly illustrated. This book covers every year in Fender history right up to 2000, with 2 pages per year. Artists, guitars and other things that happened are well documented. A beautiful book. It also includes an extensive chronology of all Fender electric guitar models and the years they were made in.

"American Guitars: An Illustrated History", by Tom Wheeler (buy it!)

Harper Resource, 1992, ISBN 0062731548, 384 pp. Paperback. This thorough and abundantly illustrated history contains alphabetically arranged entries on important guitar builders and companies. Classical builders are not included because "their traditions, aesthetics, and clientele all exist somewhat apart from the world of steel-strings and electric guitars and basses"--from the author's introduction. The new edition presents several dozen newcomers and updates others while preserving most of the original edition intact. Not a Gibson-only book, mind you, but it's got plenty of Fender coverage indeed.

"The Blackguard - a Detailed History of the early Fender Telecaster years 1950-1954", by Ignacio Banos (buy it!)

JK Lutherie, 2005, ISBN 84-609-6633-X, 420 pp. Hardcover. Probably the holy grail of books for Telecaster fans. A bunch of really old Broadcaster, Nocasters and Telecasters have been photographed and taken apart in meticulous fashion. Lusciously illustrated (over 2000 pictures) and produced in a slip-case and large 12-by-12 inch size, limited to 5500 copies. Don't get this one on Ebay (where auctions can run into over US$ 150 excluding shipping) but get it straight from www.jklutherie.com where it costs US$ 85 excluding shipping.

"Electric Guitars - The Illustrated History", by Tony Bacon (buy it!)

Balafon, 2000, ISBN 1-871547-66-0, 320 pp. Hardcover. Though not a specific Fender book, it is nonetheless such a drool-provokingly beautiful book, extremely well designed and supplied with copious quantities of pictures, that no fan of guitars should be without.

"The Fender 2, Telecaster & Other Guitars", by Yasuhiko Iwanade

Rittor Music, 1993. More information about this title would be welcome, as I have never seen this book for real.

"Fender - The Sound Heard 'Round the World", by Richard Smith (buy it!)

Garfish Publishing, 1995, ISBN 0-9648612-7-5, 304 pp. Hardcover, well illustrated, dedicated to the man Leo Fender and his sound, so there's also emphasis on amps, Musicman and G&L. Recent Fender (the company) developments are not covered.

"The Fender Bass", by Klaus Blasquiz (buy it!)

Hal Leonard Publishing, 1990, ISBN 0-7935-0757-X, 48 pp. Though badly written and riddled with typos, it is well illustrated and possibly the most authoritative book as far as Fender basses are concerned.

"The Fender Bass - An Illustrated History", by J.W. Black and Albert Molinaro (buy it!)

Hal Leonard Publishing, 2001, ISBN 0-634-02640-2, 128 pp. Paperback.

"The Fender Book", by Tony Bacon and Paul Day (buy it!)

Miller Freeman Books, ISBN 0-87930-554-1, 120 pp.
This revised edition (1998) is without a doubt the most essential reference work on Fender guitars, including a special guitar identification section. The original version was from 1992 (96 pp., 85 colour photos, ISBN 0-87930-259-3, click here for a picture of the cover). This was *the* definitive Fender data book until the release of the third edition in 2007, now called "The Fender Electric Guitar Book" (see below).

"Fender Custom Shop Guitar Gallery, by Richard A. Smith with photographs by the Pitkin Studio (buy it!)

Fender / Hal Leonard, 1996, ISBN 0-7935-5065-3, ISBN 0-7935-5067-X (collector's edition), 148 pp.
A truly beautiful, lavishly illustated book with some of the most beautiful guitars you'll ever see (as well as some of the ugliest and 'kitshiest'). A must-have for any Fender afficionado.
The picture does not do the cover justice.

"The Fender Electric Guitar Book, by Tony Bacon (buy it!)

BackBeat Books, 2007, ISBN 978-0-87930-897-1, 192 pp.
This is actually the third edition of "The Fender Book" (originally by Bacon and Day). Well written, well researched, excellently illustrated.

"The Fender Guitar", by Ken Achard (buy it!)

Bold Strummer Ltd., 1977, ISBN 0933224486, 68 pp.
This book is somewhat old-fashioned, boasting only b/w pictures. Pretty informative, with quite a few illustrations.

"Fender Stratocaster", a.k.a. "Fender 1, Stratocaster", by Yasuhiko Iwanade

Rittor Music, 2004, ISBN 4-8456-1124-4. Softbound, well illustrated, an excellent addition to Iwanade's "The Galaxy of Strats". Two editions exist, of which the second was released in 2004, with additional coverage of the guitar's 50th anniversary (the picture on the left is of the first edition).

"The Fender Stratocaster", by A.R. Duchossoir (buy it!)

40th Anniversary Edition, published by Hal Leonard, 1994, ISBN 0-7935-4735-0, 72 pp. A book in which great details is given to dating Strats with regard to bridges, bodies, pickguards, neckplates, etc., richly illustrated (with 10 pages in glorious full colour), with schematics and the works.
Click here for a picture of the cover of an older edition of this book.
Click here for a picture of the first edition of this book, 1983, ISBN 0-088188-388-3, 48 pp.

"The Fender Telecaster - The Detailed Story of America's Senior Solid Body Electric Guitar", by A.R. Duchossoir (buy it!)

Hal Leonard, 1991, ISBN 0-7935-0860-6 , 80 pp. A book in which great details is given to dating Teles with regard to bridges, bodies, pickguards, neckplates, etc., richly illustrated (with 12 pages in glorious full colour), with schematics and the works. The definitive book on the Fender Telecaster.

"Fender: The inside Story: A Behind-the-Scenes Account of the Fender Electric Instrument Company by its Former General Manager", by Forrest White (buy it!)

Miller Freeman, 1994, ISBN 0-87930-309-p3, 258 pp. Though not devoid of a healthy dose of pride, this is a very personal and well-documented account of Forrest White's years in the musical instruments business. Emphasis is on the years he spent working for Fender (basically from about the beginning until shortly after the CBS take-over). He's not a writer, which is evident by his style, but I guess it accurately reflects the human side of the Fender story. It's very much a tribute to Leo Fender.

"The Galaxy of Strats", by Yasuhiko Iwanade

Rittor Music (Japan), 1998, ISBN 4-8456-0279-2, 194 pp. Truly beautiful picture book with almost 90 custom colour, blonde and sunburst Stratocasters from 1954-1971 immortalized (with serial number, year of manufacture and close-up shots). This book really got my rocks off! There's not a lot of text, but most of that is in Japanese (serial numbers and years of manufacture are in Latin characters, though, and chapter and page headings are in English). There's also a lot of background on the study of Strats, some Strat-related interviews, pictures of all custom color charts and a lot of promotion/documentation reproduced.
This book is a true bitch to get. Maybe you're lucky at Ebay, I wasn't. I emailed to info @ impress.co.jp, where I got a response that I needed to send my credit card name/number/expiry and they could send the book to me. If you want to get this book - and there is no reason you shouldn't - I suggest you try that. It cost me the equivalent of about US$ 40, and that included shipment from Japan to Europe.

"Guitar History Volume #1: Guitars Made by the Fender Company", by Donald Brosnac (buy it!)

The Bold Strummer Ltd., 1986, ISBN 0-933224-06-0, 40 pp. Though typeset in a pre-eighties, ugly way, and entirely in b/w, it offers a concise yet complete history of Fender guitars up to the mid eighties (including banjos, mandolins and other acoustics).

"Guitar Identification", by A.R. Duchossoir (buy it!)

Hal Leonard, 1999, ISBN 0-634-00672-X, 56 pp. A.R. Duchoissoir is recognised as an expert in the field of guitars, both with regard to history and identification. This book is a painstakingly researched guide for identifying (and dating) Fender, Gibson, Gretsch and Martin guitars.
Click here for a picture of the previous edition, 1990, ISBN 0-7935-0274-8, 48 pp.
Click here for the cover of the original, 1983 version.

"Guitar Legends : The Evolution of the Guitar from Fender to G & L", by George Fullerton (buy it!)

Centerstream Publishers, 1994, ISBN 0931759692, 112 pp. Personal account of George Fullerton's life with Leo Fender, and with the guitars Leo invented. Well illustrated, with an emphasis on interesting trivia and the names behind the company (including some lesser known ones). Fits in the same category as Forrest White's book. A very interesting read!

"My Life and Times with Fender Musical Instruments", by Bill Carson (buy it!)

Hal Leonard, 1998, ISBN 1-884883-10-9, 112 pp. Well written account of Bill Carson's time with Fender, including the turmoil around the CBS take-over, the way he helped make the Stratocaster what it is, and a lot of personal information. Well illustrated, it is the finest of the three personal-angle books written about Fender.

"Norman's Rare Guitars - 30 Years of Buying, Selling and Collecting", by Norman Harris with David Swartz (buy it!)

Backbeat Books, 2005, ISBN 0-9669219-0-9 (hardback) or 0-9669219-1-7, 280 pp. Not a book exclusively about Fender, but about 100 pages feature rare Fender guitars and most of those are Stratocasters. Sortof like "The Galaxy of Strats", but with other guitars thrown in, and less space per guitar. Very interesting!

"Six Decades of the Fender Telecaster - the Story of the World's First Solidbody Electric Guitar", by Tony Bacon (buy it!)

Swartz Inc., 1999, ISBN 0879308567 (paperback), 144 pp. The definitive history of the Fender Telecaster, by guitar authority Tony Bacon.

"The Story of the Fender Stratocaster - Curves, Contours and Body Horns", by Ray Mininnett and Bob Young (buy it!)

Carlton Books, 1995, ISBN 0-87930-349-2, 128 pp. This book is based on the TV documentary of the same name. It's pretty good, well-illustrated, but they call the natural finish (which I love and which my Strat boasts) 'tacky' and they say Yngwie Malmsteen can't compose... ;-)
The new edition is called "The Story of the Fender Straocaster - A Celebration of the World's Greatest Guitar. Click here for a picture of the cover.

"The Stratocaster Chronicles - Celebrating 50 Years of the Fender Strat", by Tom Wheeler (buy it!)

Hal Leonard, 2004, ISBN 0-634-05678-6, 280 pp. A beautifully designed hardback book that does add quite a bit to all the others out there. Includes a CD with various Strat styles played, as well as an interview with Leo Fender. A must-have for the Stratocaster fan!

Volume 2
Volume 6
Volume 7
Volume 8
"Guitar Graphics"

This is a series of paperback magazine-style releases by Rittor Music. They're in Japanese but much worth while anyway. They are very difficult to get, though! Click the links on the left to see the covers of volumes with Fender-related content.

LINKS

Ed Roman Guitars - a beautiful site with many pictures of guitars; he's quite critical of Fender, but also offers tips for improvement

Fender Discussion Page - a cool BBS type of thing for Fender owners (you need to register, but it's free)

Fender Japan - the Official Fender Japan Site

Fender Musical Instruments - the Official Fender USA Site (includes the Custom Shop site)

Fender Players Club

Fender Stratocasters Made in Japan - dedicated to Japanese made Stratocasters

Fetish Guitars - lots of pictures of 60's Italian-made guitars

Frets Only - an excellent guitar-related bookshop, well sorted!

One of the finest and most reliable Guitar & Equipment shops on the web

The Strat Central sister site, for your Heartfield Talon/Elan needs

Jag-Stang.Com - where Jaguar, Mustang and Jag-Stang are extolled

Kisekae Virtual Guitar - where you can build your own virtual Stratocaster

Overkill Design - if you'd like a coffee table shaped like a Strat or Tele headstock

Pamelina.Com - the official site of Pamelina Hovnatanian (who paints guitars for the Custom Shop)

Doug Rowell - a sculptor/wood carver with some amazing guitar work

Strat Collector - where you can buy or sell Vintage Stratocasters. Superlative background information, and a forum too!

Strat FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) List concerning Stratocasters

Strat Masters - where you can buy a most excellent double DVD about the history of the Stratocaster

Squier

Squier JV Pages

Suhr Guitars - company run by former Fender Custom Shop Master Builder John Suhr (they sell beautiful and high quality Strat/Tele type guitars)

...and...

The Strat Central Webmaster's GAS Page - Not huge on the scale of things, but huge enough for me :-)

MISCELLANEOUS

Dating your Japanese Fender

Dating your US Fender

Correlating your Made-in-America Vintage Reissue Serial Numbers with Year of Manufacture

Downloading Fender Guitar Manuals (including a lot of old archived ones)

Picture of the 1961-1963 Fender colour chart

Picture of the 1963-1964 Fender colour chart

Picture of the 1965 Fender colour chart

Picture of the 1966-1967 Fender colour chart

Picture of the 1970 Fender colour chart

Picture of the 1976-1977 Fender colour chart

The guitars on the 1998 Fender Custom Shop Calendar

The guitars on the 1999 Fender Custom Shop Calendar

The guitars on the 2000 Fender Custom Shop Calendar

The guitars on the 2001 Fender Custom Shop Calendar

The guitars on the 2002 Fender Custom Shop Calendar

The guitars on the 2003 Fender Custom Shop Calendar

The guitars on the 2004 Fender Custom Shop Calendar

The guitars on the 2005 Fender Custom Shop Calendar

The guitars on the 2006 Fender Custom Shop Calendar

The guitars on the 2007 Fender Custom Shop Calendar

The guitars on the 2008 Fender Custom Shop Calendar

Please report dead links, possible copyright infringements or guitar-related info to the maintainer of these pages, Richard Karsmakers.

Here you will find every single book ever published with regard to Fender guitars, with a picture and some concise details. If you know of any other books, please do let me know about them!
	"50 Years of Fender - Half a Century of the Greatest Electric Guitars", by Tony Bacon (buy it!)
	Miller Freeman Press, 2000, ISBN 0-87930-621-1, 128 pp. When Tony Bacon writes something about guitars, you can count on it being well done and lavishly illustrated. This book covers every year in Fender history right up to 2000, with 2 pages per year. Artists, guitars and other things that happened are well documented. A beautiful book. It also includes an extensive chronology of all Fender electric guitar models and the years they were made in.
	"American Guitars: An Illustrated History", by Tom Wheeler (buy it!)
	Harper Resource, 1992, ISBN 0062731548, 384 pp. Paperback. This thorough and abundantly illustrated history contains alphabetically arranged entries on important guitar builders and companies. Classical builders are not included because "their traditions, aesthetics, and clientele all exist somewhat apart from the world of steel-strings and electric guitars and basses"--from the author's introduction. The new edition presents several dozen newcomers and updates others while preserving most of the original edition intact. Not a Gibson-only book, mind you, but it's got plenty of Fender coverage indeed.
	"The Blackguard - a Detailed History of the early Fender Telecaster years 1950-1954", by Ignacio Banos (buy it!)
	JK Lutherie, 2005, ISBN 84-609-6633-X, 420 pp. Hardcover. Probably the holy grail of books for Telecaster fans. A bunch of really old Broadcaster, Nocasters and Telecasters have been photographed and taken apart in meticulous fashion. Lusciously illustrated (over 2000 pictures) and produced in a slip-case and large 12-by-12 inch size, limited to 5500 copies. Don't get this one on Ebay (where auctions can run into over US$ 150 excluding shipping) but get it straight from www.jklutherie.com where it costs US$ 85 excluding shipping.
	"Electric Guitars - The Illustrated History", by Tony Bacon (buy it!)
	Balafon, 2000, ISBN 1-871547-66-0, 320 pp. Hardcover. Though not a specific Fender book, it is nonetheless such a drool-provokingly beautiful book, extremely well designed and supplied with copious quantities of pictures, that no fan of guitars should be without.
	"The Fender 2, Telecaster & Other Guitars", by Yasuhiko Iwanade
	Rittor Music, 1993. More information about this title would be welcome, as I have never seen this book for real.
	"Fender - The Sound Heard 'Round the World", by Richard Smith (buy it!)
	Garfish Publishing, 1995, ISBN 0-9648612-7-5, 304 pp. Hardcover, well illustrated, dedicated to the man Leo Fender and his sound, so there's also emphasis on amps, Musicman and G&L. Recent Fender (the company) developments are not covered.
	"The Fender Bass", by Klaus Blasquiz (buy it!)
	Hal Leonard Publishing, 1990, ISBN 0-7935-0757-X, 48 pp. Though badly written and riddled with typos, it is well illustrated and possibly the most authoritative book as far as Fender basses are concerned.
	"The Fender Bass - An Illustrated History", by J.W. Black and Albert Molinaro (buy it!)
	Hal Leonard Publishing, 2001, ISBN 0-634-02640-2, 128 pp. Paperback.
	"The Fender Book", by Tony Bacon and Paul Day (buy it!)
	Miller Freeman Books, ISBN 0-87930-554-1, 120 pp. This revised edition (1998) is without a doubt the most essential reference work on Fender guitars, including a special guitar identification section. The original version was from 1992 (96 pp., 85 colour photos, ISBN 0-87930-259-3, click here for a picture of the cover). This was the definitive Fender data book until the release of the third edition in 2007, now called "The Fender Electric Guitar Book" (see below).
	"Fender Custom Shop Guitar Gallery, by Richard A. Smith with photographs by the Pitkin Studio (buy it!)
	Fender / Hal Leonard, 1996, ISBN 0-7935-5065-3, ISBN 0-7935-5067-X (collector's edition), 148 pp. A truly beautiful, lavishly illustated book with some of the most beautiful guitars you'll ever see (as well as some of the ugliest and 'kitshiest'). A must-have for any Fender afficionado. The picture does not do the cover justice.
	"The Fender Electric Guitar Book, by Tony Bacon (buy it!)
	BackBeat Books, 2007, ISBN 978-0-87930-897-1, 192 pp. This is actually the third edition of "The Fender Book" (originally by Bacon and Day). Well written, well researched, excellently illustrated.
	"The Fender Guitar", by Ken Achard (buy it!)
	Bold Strummer Ltd., 1977, ISBN 0933224486, 68 pp. This book is somewhat old-fashioned, boasting only b/w pictures. Pretty informative, with quite a few illustrations.
	"Fender Stratocaster", a.k.a. "Fender 1, Stratocaster", by Yasuhiko Iwanade
	Rittor Music, 2004, ISBN 4-8456-1124-4. Softbound, well illustrated, an excellent addition to Iwanade's "The Galaxy of Strats". Two editions exist, of which the second was released in 2004, with additional coverage of the guitar's 50th anniversary (the picture on the left is of the first edition).
	"The Fender Stratocaster", by A.R. Duchossoir (buy it!)
	40th Anniversary Edition, published by Hal Leonard, 1994, ISBN 0-7935-4735-0, 72 pp. A book in which great details is given to dating Strats with regard to bridges, bodies, pickguards, neckplates, etc., richly illustrated (with 10 pages in glorious full colour), with schematics and the works. Click here for a picture of the cover of an older edition of this book. Click here for a picture of the first edition of this book, 1983, ISBN 0-088188-388-3, 48 pp.
	"The Fender Telecaster - The Detailed Story of America's Senior Solid Body Electric Guitar", by A.R. Duchossoir (buy it!)
	Hal Leonard, 1991, ISBN 0-7935-0860-6 , 80 pp. A book in which great details is given to dating Teles with regard to bridges, bodies, pickguards, neckplates, etc., richly illustrated (with 12 pages in glorious full colour), with schematics and the works. The definitive book on the Fender Telecaster.
	"Fender: The inside Story: A Behind-the-Scenes Account of the Fender Electric Instrument Company by its Former General Manager", by Forrest White (buy it!)
	Miller Freeman, 1994, ISBN 0-87930-309-p3, 258 pp. Though not devoid of a healthy dose of pride, this is a very personal and well-documented account of Forrest White's years in the musical instruments business. Emphasis is on the years he spent working for Fender (basically from about the beginning until shortly after the CBS take-over). He's not a writer, which is evident by his style, but I guess it accurately reflects the human side of the Fender story. It's very much a tribute to Leo Fender.
	"The Galaxy of Strats", by Yasuhiko Iwanade
	Rittor Music (Japan), 1998, ISBN 4-8456-0279-2, 194 pp. Truly beautiful picture book with almost 90 custom colour, blonde and sunburst Stratocasters from 1954-1971 immortalized (with serial number, year of manufacture and close-up shots). This book really got my rocks off! There's not a lot of text, but most of that is in Japanese (serial numbers and years of manufacture are in Latin characters, though, and chapter and page headings are in English). There's also a lot of background on the study of Strats, some Strat-related interviews, pictures of all custom color charts and a lot of promotion/documentation reproduced. This book is a true bitch to get. Maybe you're lucky at Ebay, I wasn't. I emailed to info @ impress.co.jp, where I got a response that I needed to send my credit card name/number/expiry and they could send the book to me. If you want to get this book - and there is no reason you shouldn't - I suggest you try that. It cost me the equivalent of about US$ 40, and that included shipment from Japan to Europe.
	"Guitar History Volume #1: Guitars Made by the Fender Company", by Donald Brosnac (buy it!)
	The Bold Strummer Ltd., 1986, ISBN 0-933224-06-0, 40 pp. Though typeset in a pre-eighties, ugly way, and entirely in b/w, it offers a concise yet complete history of Fender guitars up to the mid eighties (including banjos, mandolins and other acoustics).
	"Guitar Identification", by A.R. Duchossoir (buy it!)
	Hal Leonard, 1999, ISBN 0-634-00672-X, 56 pp. A.R. Duchoissoir is recognised as an expert in the field of guitars, both with regard to history and identification. This book is a painstakingly researched guide for identifying (and dating) Fender, Gibson, Gretsch and Martin guitars. Click here for a picture of the previous edition, 1990, ISBN 0-7935-0274-8, 48 pp. Click here for the cover of the original, 1983 version.
	"Guitar Legends : The Evolution of the Guitar from Fender to G & L", by George Fullerton (buy it!)
	Centerstream Publishers, 1994, ISBN 0931759692, 112 pp. Personal account of George Fullerton's life with Leo Fender, and with the guitars Leo invented. Well illustrated, with an emphasis on interesting trivia and the names behind the company (including some lesser known ones). Fits in the same category as Forrest White's book. A very interesting read!
	"My Life and Times with Fender Musical Instruments", by Bill Carson (buy it!)
	Hal Leonard, 1998, ISBN 1-884883-10-9, 112 pp. Well written account of Bill Carson's time with Fender, including the turmoil around the CBS take-over, the way he helped make the Stratocaster what it is, and a lot of personal information. Well illustrated, it is the finest of the three personal-angle books written about Fender.
	"Norman's Rare Guitars - 30 Years of Buying, Selling and Collecting", by Norman Harris with David Swartz (buy it!)
	Backbeat Books, 2005, ISBN 0-9669219-0-9 (hardback) or 0-9669219-1-7, 280 pp. Not a book exclusively about Fender, but about 100 pages feature rare Fender guitars and most of those are Stratocasters. Sortof like "The Galaxy of Strats", but with other guitars thrown in, and less space per guitar. Very interesting!
	"Six Decades of the Fender Telecaster - the Story of the World's First Solidbody Electric Guitar", by Tony Bacon (buy it!)
	Swartz Inc., 1999, ISBN 0879308567 (paperback), 144 pp. The definitive history of the Fender Telecaster, by guitar authority Tony Bacon.
	"The Story of the Fender Stratocaster - Curves, Contours and Body Horns", by Ray Mininnett and Bob Young (buy it!)
	Carlton Books, 1995, ISBN 0-87930-349-2, 128 pp. This book is based on the TV documentary of the same name. It's pretty good, well-illustrated, but they call the natural finish (which I love and which my Strat boasts) 'tacky' and they say Yngwie Malmsteen can't compose... ;-) The new edition is called "The Story of the Fender Straocaster - A Celebration of the World's Greatest Guitar. Click here for a picture of the cover.
	"The Stratocaster Chronicles - Celebrating 50 Years of the Fender Strat", by Tom Wheeler (buy it!)
	Hal Leonard, 2004, ISBN 0-634-05678-6, 280 pp. A beautifully designed hardback book that does add quite a bit to all the others out there. Includes a CD with various Strat styles played, as well as an interview with Leo Fender. A must-have for the Stratocaster fan!
Volume 2 Volume 6 Volume 7 Volume 8	"Guitar Graphics"
	This is a series of paperback magazine-style releases by Rittor Music. They're in Japanese but much worth while anyway. They are very difficult to get, though! Click the links on the left to see the covers of volumes with Fender-related content.