Leo Fender would like a word with you, Submitter.

"The Father of Electric guitar"

Marty McFly?

rickythepenguin: Leo Fender would like a word with you, Submitter.

Or to be a little more accurate, Adolph Rickenbacher and George Beauchamp would like to set up a conference call with you, Submitter. Besides, Les Paul had a more functional prototype electric guitar before Leo Fender did.

/Saw Les Paul's 93rd Birthday celebration. Have been a fan of Paul (and multi track recording, delay, switches on the guitar, etc) since I started learning about the guitar.

rickythepenguin: Leo Fender would

To be fair, Leo was always more interested in fishing gear....

rickythepenguin: Leo Fender would like a word with you, Submitter.

Made better != invent

Thanks for everything, Mr. Paul.

Whether he built the very, very first solid-body electric guitar or not, I think we can all agree that a great deal of respect is due the man on many counts.

IIRC, Les' first solid body was nothing more than a 2x4 with a neck, a bridge & some pickups. He had dowels that he used to snap prosthetics on to give the impression he was playing a hollow-body or full sized guitar. He made numerous attempts to get Gibson to build a solid-body. All of which were denied until Fender made the Strat & the public took to it.

but...but...but.... he plays country western.....

real shaman: but...but...but.... he plays country western.....

Les was the original shredder, man. Dude could move flawlessly up & down the fretboard at 90mph.

BobtheFascist: up & down the fretboard at 90mph.

Hmmm...90 mph = 1584 inches per second

A Gibson neck is 24 3/4 inches. Therefore, you're claiming he could go up and down the entire neck 64 times each second.

I dispute your claim as unreasonable.

real shaman: but...but...but.... he plays country western.....

Country western used to be a lot different than the corporate acts that are thrown at people who listen to country music nowadays.

/not one of them

A prototype Les Paul guitar being played by a modern master, Warren Haynes. (new window)

Shine On You Crazy Diamond

peck: BobtheFascist: up & down the fretboard at 90mph.

Hmmm...90 mph = 1584 inches per second

A Gibson neck is 24 3/4 inches. Therefore, you're claiming he could go up and down the entire neck 64 times each second.

I dispute your claim as unreasonable.

Here here!

peck: I dispute your claim as unreasonable.

Fine, fine ,fine. He played quickly & accurately when necessary.

BobtheFascist: He played quickly & accurately when necessary.

Again I find your assertion imprecise. I believe he played accurately in general and quickly when necessary.

But, I thank you for your contribution and I will now retire to my den and apply plectrum to string on my Les Paul Standard.

peck: I will now retire to my den...

Which is a good idea, since I obviously suck at posting images.

As amazing as his contributions to the creation of electric guitars was, I'm far more impressed with his pioneering of viable multi-track recordings. The stuff he did with Mary Ford is nothing short of awe inspiring.

Anyone interested in Les Paul and his achievements should rent this DVD:

Les Paul: Chasing Sound

Can't beat a strat.

Didn't Les Paul record alot of his tracks at half-speed then speed it up to sound as if he was shredding?

Saw him in NYC last year. Doesn't have the speed he used to, but still plays beautifully and is actually quite funny (in a grandpa-saying-inappropriate-things kind of way). He likes to bring guest musicians up on the stage and let them share the spotlight. The night I was there, he had a tap-dancer come up and do a song. The dancer was just astounding.

He usually signs autographs after the show. I had considered dragging my '71 Les Paul Deluxe along on my trip to NYC to have him sign it, but didn't. He ended up not signing autographs that night for whatever reason, so I was glad I hadn't bothered.

To add to Les' win level, He gave Mitch Mitchell drum lessons.

the father of electric guitar:

Paul began playing guitar as a child and by 13 was performing semiprofessionally as a country-music guitarist. He later made his mark as a jazz-pop musician, recording hits like "How High the Moon" with his wife, singer Colleen Summers Mary Ford.

This confused me so I had to fix it.

/CS = MF's real name
//props to Les, he's awesome

Arn_Dee: Can't beat a strat.


Are guitars fighting? I like my Gibsons, Gretsch, and Fenders.
They all do different things. Hence the word 'instrument.'

rickythepenguin: Leo Fender would like a word with you, Submitter.

Neither of them invented it. They produced the first solidbody guitars.

You_mean_Im_gonna_stay_this_color: peck: BobtheFascist: up & down the fretboard at 90mph.

Hmmm...90 mph = 1584 inches per second

A Gibson neck is 24 3/4 inches.

The Gibson SCALE is 24.75" - that's nut to bridge. The neck typically stops around fret 22, about where it joins the body on a Gibson.

Whoops! sorry Jim Marshall gave Mitch Mitchell drum lessons FTFM

Arn_Dee: Can't beat a strat.

In what ways does the Les Paul "beat" a Strat? Pickup hum? Tuning instability? Variance in build quality (ala "Bolivian Strat")?

Both Les Paul and Strat are lengendary instruments, each with their own inimitable voice and histories...let's celebrate that.

TripSixes: Are guitars fighting? I like my Gibsons, Gretsch, and Fenders.
They all do different things. Hence the word 'instrument.'

And all can be manipulated to produce weird and wonderful things, have at it and do something unorthodox for your style.

AuralArgument: TripSixes: Are guitars fighting? I like my Gibsons, Gretsch, and Fenders.
They all do different things. Hence the word 'instrument.'

And all can be manipulated to produce weird and wonderful things, have at it and do something unorthodox for your style.

"here, hear"

I've always been on the Gibson side of the Gibson vs. Fender guitar argument. Different strokes for different folks. I LOVE the big heavy weight of a Paul hanging low while I rock. I have a '96 Les Paul Studio (wine red) and a '72 Goldtop. Also a '96 Explorer. Of course, I play Metal, so the Gibson + Marshall sound is the classic.

I do have a Fender Jazz bass though.... love the sound of a Fender Bass.

Oh my god, do I really have to say this again?
Solid body guitar /=Electric guitar.
they're different things, actually, and arch-top electric guitars were invented in the late 1800s; by the early 1900s, said arch-top electric guitars were in regular production.
The only thing the solid-body design model did, by the way(since subby mentioned ability to amplify), was to prevent feedback.

thermo: I've always been on the Gibson side of the Gibson vs. Fender guitar argument. Different strokes for different folks.

When I was younger my favorite was always Gibson.

As I tacked on more years of playing though, I don't think I'll ever play another guitar except any 60s issue Jazzmaster. For what I like to play, it's the greatest damned guitar ever.

great book, Les don't come off too well though;
Link (new window)

Went to a guitar show where Paul Reed Smith (the PRS guy) put together an absolutely show stopping display (the Holy Grail room). Armed guards were posted, limited numbers of people allowed in at a time. Amongst the items on display:

The first electric guitar (Rickenbacker/Beauchamp/Barth)
Two prototype Telecasters (didn't even say Fender on the headstock)
The actual patent paperwork for the Strat, Flying V and the tremolo. Inside the display case was a hand-written note "Paul, guard these with your heart and soul"
A rosewood Strat built for Jimi Hendrix but never delivered due to his death
An array of 50's Les Paul, the latest being a '57
A Stevie Ray Vaughan strat
Blackie

I'll never go to another guitar show.

The story of my partial namesake's discovery of the Electric Guitar. (new window)

DjangoStonereaver: The story of my partial namesake's discovery of the Electric Guitar. (new window)

so true. django is in my top 3, and i maintain his BEST shiat is his electric stuff that nobody cares about.

Obviously: Arn_Dee: Can't beat a strat.

In what ways does the Les Paul "beat" a Strat? Pickup hum? Tuning instability? Variance in build quality (ala "Bolivian Strat")?

Both Les Paul and Strat are lengendary instruments, each with their own inimitable voice and histories...let's celebrate that.

Thank you, Voice of Reason! I don't get all the guitar hate. Well, except for Lotus. My Lotus "Strat" was crap! Gibson, Fender, Rickenbacker, whatever. They all make good guitars, all have good and bad qualities, depending on your style, your hands. Les Paul's contribution to solidbody guitar building was huge, whether he was first or not. Paul Bigsby needs some love here too. But Les' contributions to MUSIC outweigh what he did for the guitar. Multi-track recording...that's his legacy.

All I can say is "it's about time!" Les should have been inducted years ago!

Obviously: Arn_Dee: Can't beat a strat.

In what ways does the Les Paul "beat" a Strat? Pickup hum? Tuning instability? Variance in build quality (ala "Bolivian Strat")?

Both Les Paul and Strat are lengendary instruments, each with their own inimitable voice and histories...let's celebrate that.

This.

The best guitar out there is the one you have in your hands playing music, not the one you're championing on a discussion board.

bigbottom: All I can say is "it's about time!" Les should have been inducted years ago!

I thought this too, but then RTFA. He already has been inducted. The current news is about a special award for pioneers who changed the culture. Jerry Lee Lewis was the first living recipient, and Les is the second. Les Paul was inducted into the Hall in 1988.

You know who was ALSO alive in 1941...

Robert1966: bigbottom: All I can say is "it's about time!" Les should have been inducted years ago!

I thought this too, but then RTFA. He already has been inducted. The current news is about a special award for pioneers who changed the culture. Jerry Lee Lewis was the first living recipient, and Les is the second. Les Paul was inducted into the Hall in 1988.

I guess that shows how much I know about the Rock Hall of Fame!