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Fender Lead 1 1/2

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Page last updated Aug 10, 2025

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Description

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The Fender Lead 1 1/2 was a custom built guitar for The Cars lead guitarist Elliot Easton in the late 1970's/early 1980's. It mates the neck position angled single coil of the Fender Lead II with the bridge position humbucker of the Fender Lead I. These guitars were never a production instrument and as far as I, the submitter knows, were only ever made left-handed and only ever for Elliot Easton himself and nobody else.

The one in the picture is one I've never seen him play but supposedly belongs to him as the Hard Rock Cafe has it and claims it is his. Two others are known - a white one with black pickups that was used extensively on the 1980 tour in support of The Cars Panorama album, and then a cream colored one with aged pickguard and pickups featuing a Kahler that may have just been the same guitar with replaced pickups and a Kahler installed on it.

It is assumed that the rest of the guitar, aside from the pickups and switching, were just regular Fender Lead fare. Someone interested in making one could easily do it using a Butchered Fender Lead I or II as both of those guitars use the exact same body with the exact same routing, may have even been where Elliot got the idea for it.

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Owner Insights

We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Fender Lead 1 1/2.

Build quality

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Some owners report sharp fret ends on the Fender Lead I 1/2, inconsistent with other models.
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Some owners report the red finish on vintage Lead II models becomes matte over time, suggesting potential issues with the finish durability.
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Features and functionality

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The Lead series features a unique top switch for pickup selection and a bottom switch for out-of-phase sound.
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The Lead series shares identical bodies across models, with Lead I featuring a single humbucker and Lead II having dual single-coils, offering varied tonal options.
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The Lead III's coil-splitting feature allows for versatile tonal options, converting humbuckers to mimic single-coil tones, appealing to players seeking tonal diversity.
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Mods and upgrades

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Several players have installed hotrails pickups for added versatility, transforming them effectively into Lead III models.
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Comparisons

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The Lead is described as a mini-Stratocaster, similar in contours but smaller, appealing to those who prefer compact guitars.
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Owners highlight the Lead's unique color and maple neck as standout features, distinct from other Fender models.
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Lead II has a symmetrical body and hardtail bridge, contrasting with the Strat's tremolo bridge, appealing to those who prefer the stability of a hardtail setup.
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Value and pricing

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Fender Lead series guitars are often significantly cheaper than Player Strats, providing good value for those seeking a Fender brand.
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User experience

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Owners appreciate the quirky, non-traditional look and feel of the Lead series, often noting its fun playability and unique colors.
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A specific model, the ultra-linear 135w Twin Reverb amp, is frequently paired with the Lead, though it's noted to be cumbersome to move.
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Owners mention that the Lead series guitars are notably heavier than expected, prompting comparisons to the heft of Stratocasters.
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Use cases and applications

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The Lead is praised for its versatility, suitable for blues, as demonstrated by a former Chicago blues guitarist's preference for this model.
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Other

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A historical connection is noted, with an owner discovering their guitar's past through a medium reading, adding a personal narrative to the instrument.
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Elliot Easton

Guitarist

The Cars

Verified via YouTube

In 1980, Elliot Easton of The Cars started using Fender Lead series guitars, including the Lead I, Lead II, and a custom hybrid of his own custom built for him by Fender called the Fender Lead 1 1/2.

The Fender Lead 1 1/2 is a creation of Elliot's that mates the bridge humbucker of the Fender Lead I with the angled neck pickup of the Fender Lead II. It was NEVER a production instrument, just a custom job made for Elliot. The picture for the product provided is one of Elliot Easton's actual guitars owned by the Hard Rock Cafe currently.

Elliot had at least 2 if not 3 Fender Lead 1 1/2's that he has been seen with..

#1 - This one - which is a 1979 model in red with matching headstock that looks like it suffered some kind of fire or water damage.

#2 - a better known example in Olympic white with a white pickguard and black pickups that Elliot was seen using for most of the Panorama tour in 1980.

#3 - There was another white one, a cream white one from circa 1980-1982 with a Kahler Whammy bridge. It is unknown if this may have been the above Panorama guitar modified further by Fender in the early 80's, but it was said it was used on "HEartbeat City" for the guitar solo on "Magic". It was sold by Route 66' guitars in the late 1990's.