Les Paul & Leo Fender Perfected the Invention of the Electric Guitar in the ’50s
The joke in This Is Spinal Tap about an amp that “goes to 11” has particular resonance for anybody who’s ever picked up a solid-body electric guitar. The history of rock music is a gloriously loud one, and it took the invention and proliferation of those guitars to make it all happen in the early 1950s, right when rock ’n’ roll was hitting the charts. And from then to now, while lots of brands have made noise, the market has always been flooded by models featuring two kingly names: Gibson and Fender. Those two have long provided both the smoothness and nastiness that rock demands.
We have several folks to thank for that, beginning with Les Paul. The man whose name adorns Gibson’s signature electric invented something called “the Log” in 1940 — a 4-inch by 4-inch block of pine wood to which Paul attached a guitar neck, a bridge and pickups for amplification. Prior to this, hollow-body models were the norm for electric guitars, and they boasted a tone more suited to sounds with less volume, such as jazz or blues. Solid-body design helped to keep unwanted buzz or hum to a minimum.
Nigel Osbourne/Redferns
Unfortunately, the Log looked a bit like a cricket bat and the folks at Gibson guitars thought Paul was a little loopy, until he had two sides of a hollow-body guitar attached to it, essentially giving a curved shape to his creation. Still, Gibson, known then for making mandolins and hollow-body models, thought the Log looked too weird to manufacture.
Which came first: Gibson or Telecaster?
Throughout that decade, Leo Fender, who had developed an amplified lap steel guitar, was also working on his version of the solid-body electric. Those efforts led up to the 1950 birth of the Esquire model and, in time, a two-pickup version that, after a trademark snafu, was christened the Telecaster, to lean into the new popularity of television.
Gibson, recognizing a market fight in the making, worked on their own models, and partnered with Les Paul on the first pressing of an electric guitar bearing his name (courtesy of a signed endorsement). The Les Paul was heavier than the Tele, and its sound was a touch smoother, and less plinky. It was 1952, and the fight for ax supremacy was on.
Getty Images
The field of battle widened later that decade with the release of two more competing models. For Gibson, it was the SG (which stands for “solid guitar”) with its lighter size, famously spiky body design and affinity for distortion. And for Fender, it was the renowned and sleek Stratocaster, with three pickups and a more versatile sound.
Word is that Buddy Holly’s preference for a Stratocaster was a big influence on Eric Clapton, who generally uses those models. Jimi Hendrix also famously used Strats when creating riffs behind his head or with his teeth. Meanwhile, fellow guitar hero Jimmy Page makes music primarily with Gibsons, and Angus Young of AC/DC made the demonic-looking SG famous. Thanks to the guitar makers, the rock world became a much cooler place — not to mention louder.
Remind 
Birth of Rock 'n' Roll
February 2024
"Long live rock," we like to say, but how did it come to life? Revisit the memorable moments, music and movies that made teens go beat crazy back in the 1950s.
Buy This Issue