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. The Hawaiian music that originated in the 1920s and the 1930s had a major impact on the creation of electric guitars. Hawayyan guitars were played with a metal slide and their sound was amplified not only acoustically but electrically as well. Partially inspired by these guitars, the Gibson Les Paul electric guitar and other electric guitars were created in the early 1950s.
Lester William Polsfuss who is better known as Les Paul is a famous American jazz guitarist who created the Gibson Les Paul. He was very unhappy with the sounds that the original electric guitars made and ended up experimenting with different types of designs. The inspiration of the Hawaiian guitar, and Paul's unique design resulted in the birth of the Les Paul. The first prototype was nicknamed "The Log" and was built in 1941.
This innovative approach and the expertise of the Gibson company led to the Gibson Les Paul guitar. Les Paul signed a contract that he would always play a Gibson guitar and never be seen or photographed with any other type. Les Paul and Gibson's contract only lasted until 1961 when Gibson decided to change the design of the guitar so it would be lighter and 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. Both are 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.