Guitars That Make Guitar Gods

There can't be many people who wouldn't have loved to become a guitar hero. Standing on stage, head down, legs apart, chopping out a blistering guitar solo so loud that it makes peoples ears bleed. And there are a number of truly great electric guitars that have stood the test of time.

One of the most famous electric guitars is the Fender Stratocaster. Originally designed way back in 1954 the Fender Strat was the instrument favoured by the late, great Jimi Hendrix. This is also the guitar selected by Pete Townsend of the Who and, of course, Eric Clapton. The Fender Stratocaster continues to be as popular today as it ever was and a whole new generation of guitarists are discovering this great, iconic instrument.

Another well known guitar from Fender is the Telecaster. This excellent guitar preceded the Stratocaster having been first produced as the Broadcaster in late 1949. There are and have been many well known and talented guitarists who like to play Fender Telecasters. Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones is a great lover of Telecasters, generally tuned to an open G chord for that classic Rolling Stones sound.

If we are talking about classic guitars we must of course mention the fantastic Gibson Les Paul. This is another truly great electric guitar, first made back in the 1950s and in continuous production ever since. Jimmy Page, of Led Zeppelin and Yardbirds fame, is just one guitarist who loves the Gibson Les Paul. Another great guitarist who made the sound of this instrument famous in the song 'Alright Now' was the lat Paul Kossoff of the band Free.

Since I've mentioned two great Fender guitars I should give a mention to a second Gibson. I could have chosen the great Gibson ES335, a classic electric guitar, popular with many guitar greats, but instead I've chosen the exceptional Gibson SG. This distinctive looking solid body electric guitar was introduced in the early 1960s to compete with the popular Fender Strat. This is the guitar chosen by Angus Young of Australian rock band ACDC. It was also the guitar of choice for Tony Iommi, guitarist in the well known rock band Black Sabbath.

These days there are just so many excellent electric guitars but, for me, these four are the top models that have stood the test of time.