| It is very difficult to trace a line back to the | | | | at least a few basic chords and songs. However, |
| exact birth of the instrument we know as the | | | | the guitar was not accepted well with the 'serious' |
| guitar today, as there is a lot of myth and | | | | musical community, hence the reason there is |
| uncertainty surrounding its origins. | | | | very few concertos written for the instrument - |
| This is mainly due to the fact there have been a | | | | and is still dismissed by many classically trained |
| number of similar instruments throughout the | | | | musicians today. In the early 19th century, |
| ages. Many historians claim the guitar originated at | | | | Fernando Sor became one of the most prolific |
| various points in time. Some believe the guitar in | | | | composers for, and promoters of, the guitar as a |
| its earliest form dates back some 4000 years, | | | | 'concert' instrument. It was him, and others like |
| however no-one really knows for sure. This is due | | | | him, which paved the way for Andrés |
| to a number of artworks that depict guitar-like | | | | Segovia to emerge and help bring the guitar to |
| instruments being used at various times | | | | the immense popularity it enjoys today. |
| throughout history. Many ancient Egyptian paintings | | | | The 20th century has seen the majority of the |
| portray musical instruments that could be | | | | instrument's improvements. Firstly the strings |
| mistaken for the guitar. | | | | used, which were cat gut until that time, were |
| A popular theory is that the guitar could have | | | | replaced by metal and nylon ones. The classical |
| been invented by the classical-era Greeks. This is | | | | guitar was then modified to make the steel string |
| due to confusion, however, mainly with the | | | | acoustic guitar we know today. This required |
| similarity of its name with the Kithara. The Kithara | | | | additional bracing to strengthen the body, and the |
| was in fact a type of harp or lyra, which bares | | | | introduction of the truss rod to give support to |
| little resemblance with the guitar other than in | | | | the neck. Again this resulted in an even louder |
| name. | | | | instrument. |
| The guitar as we know today appears to be an | | | | Many tried to amplify the sound further by |
| ancestor of the lute. The lute had four strings | | | | electrifying the guitar. Many of the first attempts |
| which would be plucked, not strummed as with a | | | | were made by the Martin Company in the 1930's. |
| guitar. The body was oval in shape and had a | | | | It was here the invention of the magnetic pick-up |
| rounded back. The downside of this construction | | | | occurred. The first amplifiers came about around |
| was that the lute was not a very loud instrument, | | | | the same time and were pioneered by Leo |
| meaning it could not be played along side other | | | | Fender. |
| instruments. Although missing many of the | | | | The first 'electric' guitars were nothing more then |
| elements of today's guitar, it is an important step | | | | existing acoustic guitars that had been modified to |
| in the guitars evolution. | | | | include a magnetic pick-up. This caused many |
| The first written mention of the guitar as a | | | | problems due to the fact that they had hollow |
| distinct instrument is from the 14th century. In | | | | bodies, which would resonate the sound produced |
| this very early form the instrument had three | | | | by the amp as well as the strings of the guitar - |
| double courses (or pairs) of strings plus a single | | | | which creates 'feedback'. |
| string (tuned the highest in pitch), similar in | | | | It was Les Paul that developed the first 'solid' |
| comparison to the lute, as mentioned earlier. | | | | bodied guitar which he named 'The Log' - due to it |
| The next step was in the vihuela, which originated | | | | being little more then a plank of wood with a neck |
| in Spain sometime in the 15th century. The vihuela | | | | and two double coil pick-ups attached. To make |
| had a slightly 'pinched' waist - less pronounced | | | | his invention more appealing he stuck two halves |
| than today's guitar and a smaller body then the | | | | of an acoustic guitar on either side, giving it a |
| lute. It also had added treble strings, again | | | | more traditional look. He went on to sell the idea |
| arranged in pairs and was made to be strummed | | | | to Gibson who still produce the 'Les Paul' model |
| rather than plucked as the lute was. | | | | that you see today. |
| It wasn't until the 16th century that the two | | | | It was Leo Fender however, that really brought |
| instruments were 'combined', in a manner of | | | | the electric guitar into mass production and made |
| speaking, when an instrument was made with a | | | | it available at far less a cost then all previous |
| body like that of the vihuela but closer in size to | | | | attempts (more on the Fender story can be seen |
| the lute. | | | | on our 'History of Fender' section). The first mass |
| The guitar became popular throughout Europe | | | | production guitar was the Broadcaster, which we |
| during the 16th and 17th centuries and by the late | | | | now know as the Telecaster, which was released |
| 17th century a fifth course of strings had been | | | | in 1948. He later went on to design and produce |
| added below the other four. By the mid-18th | | | | the Stratocaster, in 1954, probably the most well |
| century the guitar began to take its modern | | | | known electric guitar to date. Leo Fender was |
| form. The double courses were changed to single | | | | also the innovator of the electric bass guitar which |
| strings, and a sixth string was added above the | | | | he invented for live use along side the guitar, as a |
| existing five. It is very unclear whether this took | | | | normal contrabass could not compete in terms of |
| place in France or in Italy, but the resulting | | | | volume - The first model being the Fender |
| instrument was very similar to that of which we | | | | Precision Bass. |
| know today. | | | | Since then various forms of the guitar have come |
| The late 18th-19th century, guitar makers | | | | and gone but the main form of the instrument |
| changed many aspects of the instruments design. | | | | has rarely differed far from what we have seen |
| These included broadening the width and thinning | | | | from the 1950's onwards. The main differences |
| the depth of the body, increasing the curve of | | | | have been in the choice of materials used in the |
| the waist, and adding internal bracing - all in effort | | | | manufacture of the guitar. This has mainly been in |
| to amplify the sound. The end result meant the | | | | the attempt of producing increased sustain or |
| guitar could now be played along side other | | | | simply due to the scarcity of certain woods. |
| instruments without struggling to compete in | | | | Nowadays a complete range of guitars are |
| terms of volume. | | | | available, from the lower priced entry level models |
| The guitar became very popular with people | | | | to the premium custom shop models for all of us |
| because it was a very easy instrument to learn | | | | to enjoy, what ever our level of ability. |