Gibson Les Paul

Except that one was successful and achieved jazz guitarist Les Paul and an inventor.

Even as a teen he was concocting ways of amplifying his acoustic guitar with bits of record players, telephones and other gadgetry.

In his early twenties he began what he calls his guitar 'log '.

This comprised a length of fence post with a pickup and bridge on it, to which two halves of an Epiphone hollow body guitar were attached along with a neck.

Previously, he was using only the strongest, he could find to demonstrate the theory behind and support the tonal qualities with a solid body guitar, a night train by experimenting! In fact, two main problems have been addressed, and that's annoying acoustic feedback was reduced, and a reduction of interfering organisms with the guitars sustain and tone to give a more accurate representation of the sound of the strings.

 Les Paul didn't see Epiphone as the company that would take the guitar into the next era, so decided that Gibson were the people to approach with his new idea.

Gibson at that time were primarily responsible for arch-top guitar and electric guitar rather than the volume required by their tools so that Gibson made them larger by the introduction of large super-jumbo 400 and 200 models J.

 So if it was more volume that was wanted, Les Paul figured that Gibson would jump at the chance to market a guitar like his Log.

Unfortunately, they laughed at the guitar, it was defined as a 'broom stick” with a Pickup.

 This was 1946.

After 50 years running and Gibson had noted the popularity of solid-state joint Fender electric system, now sought after in this market.

 What actually happed as far as sequence of events, and who did what when, depends on whose story you go with.

Gibson said that they had already designed and built a prototype before they came to Les the hope that he says in an endorsement deal of interest, but Les they came to him about their interest in the development of a solid body electric early 1951, shortly after he started, Fender Broadcaster.

While Paul says he remembers seeing the Les Paul prototype, he also claims his involvement in its design was much bigger than Gibson (or Ted McCarty Gibson CEO at the time) says it was.

Les says he designed everything about the guitar, with the exception of the upper jaw, 'which is a Berlin Maurizio (President of Gibson's parent company, CMI) idea was.

 McCarty says that Paul's contributions were limited to consultations on the guitar's tailpiece and colour, along with addition of the carved maple top on the mahogany body.

Les wanted these two pieces of wood to be reversed, but Gibson has the appeal saying that the guitar is hard to refuse.

McCarty also says that a five year contract stating that Les would only be seen playing in public, or be photographed with, a Gibson was agreed the night Les first saw their prototype, in return for a five percent royalty on sales of Gibson Les Paul guitars.

McCarty said the fact that there was only reason she contacted Les, because his profile and success in era (along with his then-wife Mary Ford) would allow them to sell more of the tool if it could to put his name.

 Even so this association lasted until 1961 when Gibson changed the Les Paul's design.

Les did not like the new (SG) and guitar was completed for the permit, although they said he did not want his wife, the former get all his money after the divorce imminent approval.

Les Paul renewed his association with Gibson later and still endorses the guitar he helped design, although if you look at pictures or videos of Les you will see that his guitars are heavily modified and incorporate his own self-wound pickups, definitely giving you the impression that Les Paul always had his own ideas as to what constitutes an electric guitar.