The Les Paul Through The Years
Pictures Of Vintage Les Paul Guitars
A lot of people that love Rock-N-Roll and love the music that comes from guitars would probably be surprised to know exactly where the solid body guitar originated from. A major inspiration for the creation of the electric guitar was the Hawaiian music that originated in the 1920s and the 1930s. Hawaiian guitars were played with a metal slide and were amplified acoustically and electrically. Partially inspired by these guitars, the Gibson Les Paul electric guitar and other electric guitars were created in the early 1950s.
The Les Paul guitar was invented by Les Paul (Lester William Polsfuss), the renown American jazz guitarist. Les Paul didn't like how the first electric guitars sounded so he experimented with different designs. As a result of his designs and the inspiration of the Hawaiian guitars, the Les Paul was born. The first prototype was nicknamed "The Log" and was built in 1941.
This innovative approach along with the expertise of Gibson guitar company resulted in the Les Paul. Les Paul signed a contract that he would always play a Gibson guitar and never be seen or photographed with any other type. The contract with Gibson only lasted up until '61 when the company decided to change the design to make it a lighter and thinner instrument with a little more style. Paul didn't like this and refused to allow his name to be used on the guitar which is now called the SG.
You can definitely tell the difference between the Gibson Les Paul and the SG guitar because you can see the history and the function within the original model versus the straight ahead style of the new version. They're both based on the same acoustic and electric standard. Many people appreciate the styles of both guitars but prefer the original because of their respect of the inovative work of Les Paul.