| The history of guitars traces back to India and Central | | | | music thrived Spain more than others in the 19th |
| Asia. It is derived from the Sitara. The oldest known | | | | century. |
| iconographic depiction of an instrument displaying all the | | | | The early 20th century saw the European emigrants |
| required features of a guitar is a 3300 year old stone | | | | coming to America brought a number of highly skilled |
| carving of a Hittite bard. Earlier a guitar was known to | | | | instrument makers among them, including those who |
| be an instrument with a long, fretted neck, flat wooden | | | | were expert in the manufacturing of steel stringed |
| soundboard, ribs, and a flat back, most often with | | | | acoustic guitar. Two types of construction evolved, the |
| incurved sides. The modern guitar owes its origin from | | | | flat top guitar and the arch top guitar. Martin and |
| the Spanish guitarra derived from the Latin word | | | | Gibson were two of the original and most significant of |
| cithara. Cithara comes from the Greek word kithara, | | | | all American acoustic guitar makers. |
| perhaps derived from Persian sihtar, which in turn | | | | A well recognized name in the history of guitars, |
| related to Indian Sitara. | | | | Antonio Torres Jurado (1817 to1892), developed the |
| Following the history of guitars the modern guitar | | | | modern feature of the guitar in Seville during the 1850s. |
| comes from the Roman cithara brought by the | | | | George Beauchamp in 1936 patented the electric |
| Romans to Hispania around 40 AD. They further | | | | guitar, which used the horseshoe magnet pickup. |
| modified and developed it with the entrance of the | | | | However, Danelectro was the first to produce electric |
| four string oud, brought by the Moors. In other parts of | | | | guitars for the wider public. |
| Europe, the native six strings Scandinavian lut (lute) had | | | | The requirement for something with an amplified sound |
| gained in reputation in areas of Viking incursions across | | | | became noticeable during the big band era of history |
| the continent. | | | | of guitars. Amplified devices became necessary in |
| The composers for the string instruments wrote | | | | order to fight with the loud volumes of the large brass |
| mostly in tablature notation. During the 17th century, Italy | | | | sections common to jazz orchestras of the thirties and |
| was said to be the capital of the guitar world. In | | | | forties. To begin with the component of electric guitar, |
| France, the guitar was considered to be the instrument | | | | this consisted primarily of hollow archtop acoustic |
| of the nobility. The Spanish school of guitar creation | | | | guitar bodies to which electromagnetic transducers |
| flourished after the end of the eighteenth century. The | | | | had been fixed. |
| works and composition of the composers traveled | | | | The original recognized use of the electric guitar in the |
| widely including the Italians composers who were | | | | history of guitars was during October 1932 in Wichita, |
| involved in a number of substantial works. | | | | Kansas by guitarist and bandleader Gage Brewer who |
| One of the most vital factors in the history of guitars | | | | acquired two instruments directly from George |
| was the addition of the sixth string during the middle of | | | | Beauchamp of Los Angeles, California. The first |
| the eighteenth century. The changes in social | | | | recording of an electric guitar was by jazz guitarist |
| conditions and improvement in the mode of | | | | George Barnes. He recorded two songs in Chicago on |
| transportation during the 19th Century contributed to | | | | March 1st, 1938. These were Sweetheart Land and It |
| the growing understanding of the guitar and enabled | | | | is a Low Down Dirty Shame. |
| performers to travel with their composition. Guitar | | | | |