| As with many inventions, the electric guitar | | | | publicize and design the Gibson guitars, |
| initially met with skepticism from original | | | | which included his legendary Les Paul models. |
| performers as well as from guitar makers and | | | | It was the mass production of Fender and |
| traditional audiences. Country and blues | | | | Gibson guitars that lowered the price and |
| players and jazz instrumentalists initially | | | | made them reachable by teenagers across the |
| took to the variety of new tones and sounds | | | | country. Now any teenager could envision |
| offered by the electric guitar, as they | | | | themselves as being in a musical rebellion. |
| explored new sounds and found ways to change, | | | | |
| bend, and have longer sustained notes. | | | | In the 1960s, many people thought that rock |
| | | | and roll would be a quick fad, but with the |
| In the 1950s, rock and roll found a new home | | | | Beatles and Beach Boys and other groups of |
| in the electric guitar's greater volume and | | | | the 1960s, rock and roll dominated the music |
| the driving tones that appealed to teen | | | | and became powerfully rooted in the American |
| audiences (who had newfound spending | | | | culture. |
| dollars). While the electric guitar impacted | | | | |
| other music, the electric guitar was at the | | | | It was also in the 1960s that guitarists |
| center of the cultural rebellion that | | | | found new sounds and most guitarists were |
| symbolized rock and roll. The new guitar | | | | using distortion and other special effects |
| "legend" was created: with slicked-back hair, | | | | such as tremolo and reverb. |
| a leather jacket, a motorcycle, and | | | | |
| "sizzling" electric guitar. | | | | Distortion and feedback became commonplace |
| | | | with guitarists like Hendrix, Van Halen and |
| The Spanish-styled solid-body guitar design | | | | Tom Scholz. |
| became associated with rock and roll. The | | | | |
| earliest known commercially produced Spanish | | | | In the early 1970s, you also saw new guitar |
| solid-body electric guitar is the 1939 | | | | effects such as phaser, flanger, compressor, |
| Slingerland. Les Paul experimented with a | | | | tube screamer, octaver, and many others |
| similar design in 1940. In 1947 Paul Bigsby | | | | offering a wide range of sounds that continue |
| teamed up with famed country singer Merle | | | | to be used to this day. And now you can get |
| Travis to produce a solid-body guitar that is | | | | these effects built in to a modeling amp and |
| very similar to the guitars used still to | | | | combine effects in a way that they complement |
| this day. | | | | each other rather than competing with each |
| | | | other. |
| But it was Leo Fender that especially | | | | |
| revolutionized the electric guitar along with | | | | The last few decades have also seen the rise |
| his awesome line of amps. As a radio | | | | of the professional female guitarist. |
| repairman, he designed great amps with a | | | | Pioneers like Heart and Bonnie Raitt have |
| highly desired tone. He was also the first to | | | | given women respect in an industry that was |
| successfully mass-produce and market a | | | | traditionally male-dominated. |
| Spanish-style solid-body electric guitar. The | | | | |
| success of his Telecaster line and later | | | | The electric guitar has been around for sixty |
| Stratocaster line, inspired additional | | | | years. Even though the 1980s were heavily |
| manufacturers to start making their own | | | | dominated with synthesizers, the electric |
| models. | | | | guitar is still in all types of music and is |
| | | | played and listened to by men and women of |
| Gibson was Fender's first major competitor in | | | | every age. |
| 1952. Expert guitarist Les Paul helped | | | | |