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| | Classic Electric Guitars
| An article from Used Guitars and Amplifiers
| | Classic Electric Guitars - Some History
The goal of the early innovators in electric guitar was to amplify the natural sound of an acoustic guitar. The first successful system used an electromagnet to directly pick up the string vibrations and pass them to an amplifier.
The first commercial model was developed and marketed in 1932 by Beauchamp and Rickenbacker and was known as the Frying Pan. It was a Hawaiian style guitar and as such didn't really catch on with most guitarists as it sounded very different to the acoustic guitars they were used to.
The next step came when the jazz and pop guitarist Les Paul used a new type of electric guitar with the pick-up mounted on a block of wood, and Fender designed and mass produced a solid body electric guitar in 1950, followed by a Gibson model in 1952.
Today Les Paul guitars are made by Gibson and Epiphone. The Gibson models are the official originals and have a good resell value. The Epiphone reproduction models are more affordable as they are made outside the US with locally sourced wood, they also have less hand detailing than the Gibson models. Being cheaper than the official Gibson models, they are more suited to the beginner but still have the feel and sound of a Les Paul model.
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