- published: 31 Oct 2011
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Fender tweed is a generic name used for the guitar amplifiers made by the American company Fender between 1948 and 1960. The amplifiers are named for the cloth covering, which consists of varnished cotton twill, incorrectly called tweed because of its feel and appearance. They are praised for their sound, their circuitry considered "hallowed ground". Fender stopped using the twill covering in 1960, though the Champ was still covered in twill until 1964.
In 1953, Fender introduced the "wide panel" construction, where the top and bottom panels are wider than the side panels. In the later "narrow panels", introduced in 1955, all panels have approximately the same size. Later amplifiers used tolex for the covering.
Beginning in 1990, Fender began to utilize the tweed covering once again, starting with the '59 Bassman Reissue. Some later amplifier models came in the split option of tweed or black tolex covering, including the Blues Junior and Pro Junior. The Fender Blues Deluxe and Blues DeVille and their later reissues were also available in tweed, as well as the Custom Shop reissues of several of the Tweed Era amplifiers.
Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009), known as Les Paul, was an American jazz, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid-body electric guitar, which made the sound of rock and roll possible. Paul taught himself how to play guitar and while he is mainly known for rock music, he had an early career in country music. He is credited with many recording innovations. Although he was not the first to use the technique, his early experiments with overdubbing (also known as sound on sound),delay effects such as tape delay, phasing effects and multitrack recording were among the first to attract widespread attention.
His innovative talents extended into his playing style, including licks, trills, chording sequences, fretting techniques and timing, which set him apart from his contemporaries and inspired many guitarists of the present day. He recorded with his wife Mary Ford in the 1950s, and they sold millions of records.
Neil Percival Young, OC OM (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. He began performing in a group covering Shadows instrumentals in Canada in 1960, before moving to California in 1966, where he co-founded the band Buffalo Springfield together with Stephen Stills and Richie Furay, and later joined Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1969. He released his first album in 1968 and has since forged a successful and acclaimed solo career, spanning over 45 years and 35 studio albums, with a continuous and uncompromizing exploration of musical styles. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website describes Young as "one of rock and roll's greatest songwriters and performers". He was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice, first as a solo artist in 1995, and second as a member of Buffalo Springfield in 1997.
Young's music is characterized by his distinctive guitar work, deeply personal lyrics and characteristic alto or high tenor singing voice. Although he accompanies himself on several different instruments, including piano and harmonica, his idiosyncratic electric and acoustic guitar playing are the defining characteristics of a varyingly ragged and melodic sound.