s a solid-body guitar with tone, volume control, and pick-ups, soon brought on a musical revolution. Gibson and Fender made some of the first electric guitars. One of Fenders first solid-body models was the Telecaster. The Telecaster had all the features that a solid-body guitar should have with a sleek design. A short while after the Telecaster made its debut, the Gibson Les Paul model was introduced. With a fixed tailpiece, raised pick-guard, and two single coil pick-ups, it became very popular among rock and blues musicians. Another Gibson model that made a huge impact on guitars was the Gibson double-neck that reached its peak of popularity in the seventies. The double-neck was one six-string guitar on the bottom, and one twelve-string guitar on the top. Guitarists like Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin used this guitar. These guitars added another dimension of sound to the musicians work. Hardware is also very important in a guitars sound. You could have the best guitar there is, but if your amplification is bad, your sound will be too. Companies such as Marshall and Mesa Boogie make top of the line amplifiers. The early amps used tubes, like the ones in radios at that time. Later effects came along, such as reverberation and distortion. With out these effects modern rock music would be very different. The distortion pedal was invented by Gary Hurst, and made famous by Jeff beck, and Eric Clapton. Distortion allowed for a fuzzy, heavy sound that if used right could add depth to a guitars sound. The wah-wah pedal, made famous by Jimi Hendrix, allowed for a sound that almost sounded like a cry or a “wah”, hence the name. By the 1950’s the electric guitar was becoming very popular. With many guitar companies making electric and acoustic guitars, a few guitars became more popular than others did. Some of these guitars were the Fender Telecaster, the Fender Stratocaster, and the Gibson Les Paul. The Stratocaster came after th...
