Fender Factories
Fender started manufacturing guitars in a small Fullerton factory in 1945, and due to the immense popularity of their guitars, the production had to expand significantly over time. This led to the signing of OEM contracts with numerous musical instrument manufacturers worldwide.
Table of Contents
USA
- Fender operates two factories in the United States, one of which is still operational.
- Leo Fender started his audio equipment repair company in Fullerton, California, which later became the birthplace of Fender electric guitars. The Fullerton factory closed in 1985, after which production moved to Corona, California.
- The Corona factory, opened in 1985, is currently one of Fender’s main production facilities in the US.
MEXICO
- Fender built a factory in Ensenada, Mexico in 1987, which now employs around 900 people and produces guitars, electronics, and strings for the brand.
- Fender maintains a Quality Control team that visits the Ensenada factory every week to ensure the quality of production.
JAPAN
- Fender entered into a joint venture with Japanese companies Kanda Shokai and Yamano Gakki in 1982 to create Fender Japan, which produced and sold Fender guitars exclusively in Japan. The joint venture ended in 2015, after which Fender took over production under the name Fender Music Corporation (Japan).
- Fender also contracted with Japanese manufacturer FujiGen to produce guitars in the early 1980s, which resulted in significant export volume for the brand.
KOREA
- Fender has produced guitars in Korea since 1988 under the Squier brand, contracting with companies such as Cort Guitars and Samick Guitars.
- Cort Guitars, based in Seoul, is a major Korean guitar manufacturer that has produced guitars under OEM contract for Fender/Squier since the 1970s.
- Samick Guitars, one of the world’s largest instrument manufacturers, also produces guitars for Fender/Squier under OEM contract in Korea and Indonesia.
INDONESIA
- Fender guitars are produced in Indonesia by companies such as Samick and Cort-tek, which operate large factories with thousands of employees.
- Samick opened a new factory in Bogor, Indonesia in 1992, while Cort-tek established a guitar factory in Surabaya in 1995.
CHINA
- Yako Musical Instruments was the first Chinese factory to produce Fender/Squier guitars under OEM contract, starting in 1994.
- AXL Musical Instruments, based in Shanghai, also produces Fender/Squier guitars for markets outside of China.