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History of the Les Paul Guitar

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History of the Gibson Les Paul

One of the most influential and interesting instruments in history is the electric guitar. The electric guitar is a guitar that is hooked up through a speaker called an amplifier to create a musical sound. One if the most iconic electric guitars is the Gibson Les Paul, or commonly known as the Les Paul. Since its creation, this guitar has left a mark on musical history with its iconic design and sound. The Les Paul is one of the most commonly used electric guitars of all time and is still used today. Some of the most important things to know about the Les Paul are, who created it, the history, the evolution, and the popularity of the guitar. One of the most important things to know about a Les Paul, is the company that manufactures them. “Gibson Guitars was founded by a man named Orville Gibson in 1894 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This is the year that the first known recorded instrument Gibson made. Gibson started out making mandolins and acoustic guitars. In 1902 a higher demand for Gibson’s instruments soon became overwhelming, and he was unable to build all of the instruments by himself. He makes a financial agreement with five financiers in order to create the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Company.” Gibson received shares in stock from the company and a lump sum of about $2500 for the patent to the name of the company. Orville Passed away in 1918.” (Gibson Guitars) Essentially, Gibson became a major guitar innovator, with their adjustable truss rods and adjustable bridge. (Gibson Guitars) A truss rod is what allows the player of the instrument to adjust the neck of the instrument to accommodate the player’s comfort level while playing. Throughout the 1950’s all the way until today, Gibson has created many different iconic innovations and guitars such as the Gibson SG, The Gibson Explorer, The Gibson Flying V, and ost importantly, the Gibson Les Paul.” (Gibson Guitars)
Just like many guitars, other companies have tried to copy the Les Paul’s Iconic body style. Gibson put a trademark on their iconic “open book” shape on the top of the headstocks on their models. (Three Chords and a Lawsuit) They have also put a trademark on the signature cutaway ”horn” shape on their Les Paul’s. Meaning, no other company is allowed to copy either of these iconic designs. (Three Chords and a Lawsuit) The only other company other than Gibson that is allowed to endorse the rights to the Les Paul is the company known as Epiphone. Epiphone began in 1873 as a lute and violin company. In 1903, the company took a new direction and started making modern instruments. During the stock market crash in 1929, Epiphone started selling acoustic guitars. During the 1930’s Epiphone and Gibson were rival companies, trying to outsell the other by “out innovating” each other. (Guitarist Source) After the release of electric guitars, Epiphone started to lose a hold in the musical world. In 1957, Gibson Bought Epiphone due to their interest in the company’s upright basses and many other instruments. Eventually, Gibson began to use Epiphone as a company to sell cheaper versions of their top quality instruments to make them more affordable for everyone. (Epiphone) When learning about the history of the Gibson Les Paul, it is essential to know what a Les Paul is. “The Gibson Les Paul is a solid body electric guitar first designed in 1952 by Lester William Polsfuss, or Les Paul.” (Biography.com) Gibson Guitar Company asked Les to design a guitar to compete with the Esquire, or Telecaster, another solid body guitar designed and released by Fender Guitars in early 1952. (Corleone) The Les Paul is constructed out of wood; mahogany for the body and neck, maple for the top of the body, and typically rosewood for the fretboard. (Gibson.com) The Les Paul has a rounded shape with a single cutaway horn. (Ultimate Guitar) Throughout its existence, the Les Paul has seen different variations including paint, pickup configurations, and different hardware variations, such as tuning pegs, tailpiece, and bridge. Certain variations of the Les Paul can come left handed as well, to suit all players’ interests.
One of the most important things to know about the Gibson Les Paul is the origin of it. On June 9, 1915, a man by the name of Lester William Polsfuss was born. Lester loved to play and modify instruments. He even constructed his own amplified electric guitar. At one point early on in his life, Lester took up music. “By at least one account, Lester’s early musical abilities were not outstanding. ‘Your boy, Lester, will never learn music,’ one teacher wrote his mother. However, nobody could dissuade Lester from trying, and as a young boy he taught himself the guitar, harmonica, and banjo.” (Biography.com). Eventually Lester’s skills improved and during his teenage years he began playing in different country bands throughout the Midwestern United States. At one point, Lester called himself “The Wizard of Waukesha.” (Biography.com) Lester never considered himself a strict country musician. Biography.com says, “In the mid 1930’s Lester moved to New York and formed a jazz group called The Les Paul Trio.” He eventually went on to record with musicians such as Rudy Vallee, Kate Smith, and Nat King Cole. Biography.com claims; “In 1941, Les believed he could improve the typical amplified guitar of that time period. To do this, he pickups and strings to what was basically a wooden board with a guitar neck. He called it ‘The Log,’ and while it did receive criticism early on, mostly because of how it looked, it did have the exact sound that Les was looking for.” Les Himself described the sound as “You could go out and eat and then come back and the note would still be playing.” (Biography.com) The Log was the first solid body guitar, and it changed music exponentially. “In 1948, Lester’s musical career nearly ended. He suffered a near fatal car crash after he accidentally drove his car off of a bridge in the middle of a snowstorm.” (Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame) He needed surgery that would keep his arm fixed in one place. Before the surgery, he asked the doctors to keep his arm in a position that would still allow him to play guitar. After the surgery. (Biography.com) After Les’ surgery it took about a year and a half to recover. In 1952, Les teamed up with the guitar company known as Gibson Guitars in order to manufacture a brand new guitar. This guitar would go on to change the history of music and to become one of the most popular models of guitar ever made. (The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) This new guitar was known as the “Gibson Les Paul Standard” (The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) This guitar could fit with any style of music from Rock, to country, to blues. “Initially, the Les Paul was dubbed a failure due to poor sales. In 1958, Gibson transitioned the color of the guitar from its original Gold-Top to a Sunburst Color. The sunburst color didn’t become popular until the 1960’s. It was Musicians like Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page that increased the popularity of the guitar.” (Guitar Master Class) Today, the Gibson Les Paul is one of the most popular guitar models on the market. “Up until the end of his life, Les continued to make additions to his own guitar and continued to release albums and tracks that would earn him awards at the Grammy’s. Sadly, on August 12, 2009, Les passed away due to complications with pneumonia at the age of 94.” (Biography.com) His legacy will carry on throughout history as one of the greatest innovators in music and guitars. The Gibson Les Paul is an iconic electric guitar that sparked the innovation of modern music as we know it. The Les Paul was created in 1952 by Lester William Polsfuss who made his design for the Gibson Guitar Company. I tis an iconic guitar that has a rounded shape and a cutaway in it like a horn. The creation of this guitar was an innovation that lead into most of the electric guitars we know and love today as well as influenced the way that we recorded music. Without this innovation, music might not have been the same as it is now.

Works Cited

"Epiphone: 140 Years." History. Epiphone, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. <http://www.epiphone.com/History.aspx>.
"Epiphone Guitars History." Epiphone Guitars History. Guitarist Source, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. <http://www.guitaristsource.com/guitars/epiphone-history.shtml>.
"Gibson.com: Les Paul Standard." Gibson.com. Gibson Guitars, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. <http://www.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Les-Paul/Gibson-USA/Les-Paul-Standard.aspx>.
"The History of the Gibson Les Paul." The History of the Gibson Les Paul. Guitarmasterclass.net, 19 July 2009. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. <http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/index.php/The_history_of_the_Gibson_Les_Paul>.
"History of the Les Paul Guitar." Ultimate Guitar. Ultimate Guitar, 13 June 2013. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. <http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/the_history_of/history_of_the_les_paul_guitar.html>.
"The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum." Les Paul Biography. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. <https://rockhall.com/inductees/les-paul/bio/>.
"Three Chords and a Lawsuit: A Brief History of Guitars and Trademarks." IP Registration and Enforcement Blog. N.p., 17 Dec. 2009. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. <https://davidsontm.wordpress.com/2009/12/17/three-chords-and-a-lawsuit-a-brief-history-of-guitars-and-trademarks/>.

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