TL; DRIn January 1965, the Columbia Broadcasting System bought Fender. Fender guitars produced before that date have since earned the informal "Pre-CBS" label by vintage guitar collectors referring to a perceived higher quality in production than guitars produced after CBS acquired and operated Fender.
Long Answer:
Shuffle though Reverb, filter for used Fenders, and it might not be long before you're dealing in early '60s models. At this point, it's safe to say that guys selling their pre-1965 Fender models will not pass up an opportunity to describe their guitar as "Pre-CBS."
At a time of peak cultural relevance and financial success, Leo Fender sold his company to the Columbia Broadcasting System Inc.. CBS* at the time held a dominant position in American media, with the company's business alone exceeding the entire musical instrument industry's. The company's proper purchase went to the CBS's Columbia Records Division, with Columbia's interest in diversifying their properties and Leo Fender's hesitance to head his continually expanding company as leading motives behind the sale.
Yes, NCIS and Survivor CBS
Decades later, and we've now got the "Pre-CBS" tag. Why might something like phrase "Pre-CBS" come about and why might it matter? Well, for one, "Pre-CBS" already means "pre-1965," which itself alludes to a pretty limited class of original Fenders produced during a time many consider to be their absolute heyday. For another, "Pre-CBS" is a term meant to elevate Fender guitars produced before the CBS buyout over ones after.
One of the biggest threads you can pull from in the greater "story" of electric guitars is the downturn in quality in Fender's instruments reported following CBS's acquisition. Being attributed to Columbia's desire to speed up production, an influx of CBS employees not as experienced with guitars as the old guard of Fender's factories, and cost-cutting measures implemented to keep up with demand, the perceived downturn in quality among Fender guitars through the latter sixties and beyond has since made "CBS" something of a dirty word for vintage Fender fans. CBS sold Fender to a group of individual investors in 1985.
There's since been wider debate about the true impact of the CBS buyout and changes in processes on Fender's guitars. For some, "Pre-CBS" Fenders are the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. For others, Jimi Hendrix's white 1968 Stratocaster accompanying him on the Woodstock stage is proof enough for the contrary. Today, the "Pre-CBS" moniker is still relevant among guitar collectors, but as time goes on, and 1965 drifts further in the rearview, more and more ask how picky you can really be about any 1960s Fender.
