<P> The culmination of the CBS "cost - cutting" may have occurred in 1983, when the Fender Stratocaster received a short - lived redesign including a single ("master") tone control, a bare - bones, pickguard - mounted output jack, redesigned single - coil pickups, active electronics, and three push buttons for pickup selection (on the Elite Series). Additionally, previous models such as the Swinger (also known as Musiclander) and Custom (also known as Maverick) were perceived by some musicians as little more than attempts to squeeze profits out of factory stock . The so - called "pre-CBS cult" refers to the popularity of Fenders made before the sale . </P> <P> After selling the Fender company, Leo Fender founded Music Man in 1975, and G&L Musical Instruments in 1979, both of which manufacture electric guitars and basses based on his later designs . </P> <P> In 1985, in a campaign initiated by then CBS Musical Instruments division president William Schultz (1926--2006), the Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company employees purchased the company from CBS and renamed it Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC). Behind the Fender name, FMIC has retained Fender's older models along with newer designs and concepts . The sale however did not include the old Fullerton factory; FMIC had to build a new facility in nearby Corona . </P> <P> Fender manufactures its highest quality, most expensive guitars at its Corona factory in California and manufactures a variety of other mid-to - high quality guitars at its Ensenada factory in Baja California, Mexico . Fender also contracts Asian guitar builders to manufacture Fender guitars and the economy priced entry - level Squier guitars . </P>

When did fender move from fullerton to corona