The Soul of Tone: Celebrating 60 Years of Fender Amps
By Tom Wheeler
Published by Hal Leonard: Milwaukee 2007 1st Edition
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Tom Wheeler's The Soul of Tone is a comprehensive tribute to the history of Fender amplifiers, chronicling their evolution from Leo Fender's early post-war experiments to their iconic status in modern music. The book traces the development of key models, such as the Tweed, Brownface, Blackface, and Silverface amps, and explores how they shaped the sound of entire genres — from early rock and roll to blues, country, and contemporary music. Wheeler details the engineering innovations, circuits, and design philosophies that made Fender amps synonymous with clarity, warmth, and power, presenting interviews with engineers, musicians, and industry insiders to provide context and firsthand insight.
Beyond technical discussion, Wheeler celebrates the cultural impact of Fender amplifiers, emphasizing their role in defining the sound of legendary players like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Lavishly illustrated with period photos, schematics, and advertising art, the book doubles as a visual history of both the gear and the times. The Soul of Tone is as much about the romance and mythology of Fender as it is about electronics, making it essential reading for collectors, musicians, and music historians who want to understand how these amps became a cornerstone of electric music."
