Les Paul Electric Guitar History

The modern day guitar revolution began in 1952. It was in this year that Les Paul and Gibson teamed up to create the Gibson Les Paul electric guitar. Whether you are aware of it or not, you have no doubt heard this guitar in action. You may have gone to a live a show and seen your favorite musician playing it or you’ve heard it on your favorite record, this guitar is a staple in the music industry and has been since its creation all those years ago.

The story of the guitar’s burth is a little different depending on who you ask. Les Paul is attributed with adding certain elements to the guitar (the trapeze-style tailpiece, to be exact) as well as his name. Les Paul was a very popular Jazz musician at the time. At the time of its creation, Ted McCarty was in charge of Gibson. There are claims that the guitar was completely designed before Gibson ever talked to Les Paul. Gibson did this to get an endorsement for their new guitar from a well known jazz and pop guitar player.

Despite the legendary status the Les Paul has these days, believe it or not, it was rejected when it was first introduced. Les Paul’s prototype was called ‘The Log’ and it was rejected when he submitted it. Les Paul’s vision was to attach electronics to a solid piece of wood as opposed to the semi-hollow body guitars that were popular at the time. Les Paul’s unique design inspired the industry to take a new direction and expanded on the idea of the electric guitar that became wildly popular. Since then, Les Paul’s guitar has gained traction with guitarists through the decades to finally rise to icon status.

The rich, storied history of the unique Gibson Les Paul electric guitar still attracts guitar enthusiasts and collectors to this day. The tone from this guitar is preferred by many studio musicians and professionals everywhere. Many famous musicians use this unique guitr. Some notable users have been: Chet Atkins, Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, The Edge, David Grohl, Eric Johnson, Ted Nugent, Keith Richards and many, many more. The Les Paul guitar has a large fan base that continues to grow, making this guitar one of the most landmark instruments.

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