Leo Fender, inventor of the Telecaster and Stratocaster, could not play guitar.
Leo Fender, the founder of Fender, the guy who was a key figure in the invention of Stratocaster, Telecaster and Precision Bass among other things, didn’t know to play guitar. Born in August 1909, Leo used to work as an accountant until he lost his job during the Great Depression.
While Leo Fender and the staff of his small Southern California instrument- and amp-making company knew that they’d built a revolutionary new guitar when they introduced the Telecaster in early 1951, they had no idea of the size and scope of the musical revolution their unusual new invention would start.