The History Of T he Gibson Les Paul Electric Guitar

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 probably experienced this guitar in someway or another. 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 history of the guitar's inception is a little different depending on who you ask. Les Paul is responsible for adding elements to the guitar such as the trapeze-style tailpiece. Les was a very popular and technically skilled musician at the time and his name was synonymous with great guitar. When the guitar was created, 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. His thought was to put electronic pickups onto a solid guitar as opposed to the semi-hollow bodies that were popular then. 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, his guitar has gained traction with guitarists through the decades to finally rise to the icon it is today.

The rich, storied history of the unique Gibson Les Paul electric guitar still attracts guitar enthusiasts and collectors to this day. The unique tone spectrum of the guitar is used by many studio musicians. Many notable musicians use this guitar still today. Many famous guitarists have used this guitar: Chet Atkins, Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, The Edge, David Grohl, Eric Johnson, Ted Nugent, Keith Richards and many, many more. It has a rich clientele that continues to grow, making this guitar one of the most landmark electric instruments to hit the market.