Subscribe To This Site

The Guitar

History Of The Guitar

Guitar like instruments have been around since ancient times.The first written mention of the guitar comes from the 14th century. The shapes and amounts of strings were different to todays instruments with three double sets of strings plus a single string which was the highest. It's possible the guitar originated in Spain where it was associated with lower to middlesociety around the 16th century, and then it was known to havea similar shape with six sets of double strings.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the guitar became more popularin European countries and by the late 17th century another set ofdouble strings were added.

The guitar took on a more modern form in the mid 18th century, and the sets of double strings became singles and the sixth string was added above the lower five.

The body of the guitar was broadened, the curve was increased on the waist, the belly was flattened and the internal bracingwas changed. The wooden pegs were also replaced by a modern machine head

The guitar was referred to as a tavern instrument and over theyears, various changes were made to it's by changing the shape of it, the thickness and the amount of strings.

Guitars ranging from contrabass to the higher treble sound and with varying amounts of strings were played in Spain and Latin America.

The twelve string guitar has six sets of double strings and is instandard tuning. The Hawaiian, or as it is more commonly known,the steel guitar, is laid across the players lap who strums the strings and stops the vibration levels by sliding a metal bar along the neck.

In later years, the electric guitar was developed for popular music in the United States in the 1930's. It usually has a solid non-resonating body. The steel strings are amplified electronically and travels through magnetic pick-ups after they have been strummed or plucked. The legendary Les Paul, who recently passed away, developed prototypes for the electric solid bodied instrument which began it's popularity in the beginning of the 1940's.

Also in the 1940's, another inventor, Leo Fender, made some guitars and amps in his radio shop. He was already working on an amplifier (that had no controls) and a lap steel guitar with volume and tone controls.

With his knowledge, he knew he could improve on the amplified hollow bodied guitars and in 1948 he developed the legendary Telecaster. Originally called the Broadcaster, the Tele was the first solid body electric Spanish-style guitar ever to go into commercial production.

These days, with technology developing at the rate it has over the years, there are many different types and designs of guitars available.

The different types of wood used types of wood used for the body and neck, and with the development of 'pick-up' technology has given the sound of the guitar, whether it be acoustic or electric, a uniqueness that continues to develop.

For more information on the guitar, click here.