No one changed the sound of guitar music more than Leo Fender. He so improved the clarity of the amplified vibrating string that he gave almost every style of music played on the guitar a means to sound better. For five decades, finicky musicians made pilgrimages to Leo's R&D labs to discuss their musical frustrations and seek better ways for guitars to function. In the pages of Fender: The Sound Heard 'Round the World, you will watch this complex, dedicated man gain success as a true innovator of the new. You will also follow the team of energetic, creative people who steered Fender to fame, men like Don Randall of Fender Sales, Forrest White and George Fullerton of Fender Electric Instruments, and Dale Hyatt and Tommy Walker, two of Randall's growing cadre of savvy, high-powered salesmen spreading Leo's ideas worldwide. This book is the largest collection of Fender historical photos, product shots, patent drawings and advertising materials ever published. Whether you are a musician, a lover of Fender lore, an instrument collector or curious history buff, your search ends here for the ultimate and definitive book presenting the complete, unedited Fender story. This is by far the best book about Leo Fender yet published. - Vintage Guitar magazine Sets new standards for books on guitar history. - Country Music magazine An astounding job of research, reportage, distillation and writing on a subject whose impact on music and society in general is inestimable. - Los Angeles Times Fender freaks will revel in the model-by-model, year-by-year detail in which Smith unfolds the company history. - Guitar Player magazine