The Log

Les Paul is often credited as being the inventor of the modern electric guitar (although the first patents for such instruments go back to the 1890's). His story is told in this article from the Washington Post.

Three facts about the invention of the electric guitar strike me as being particularly interesting.

First, at the time Les started tinkering with electrifying the guitar, it was associated with "singing cowboys," who were apparently presumed to be virgins.

• Moral: The guitar is not sexy; rock musicians are sexy, and their instruments are sexy by association.

Second, Les' first technically-successful electric guitar -- pickups & strings on a simple wooden 4x4 -- didn't impress the experienced musical instrument industry professionals at Gibson Guitar, who said that it was "nothing but a broomstick with a pickup on it." Such an instrument did not appear to deliver the tradition, craftsmanship, beauty, etc. that they expected musical instruments to have. So they waited TEN YEARS before manufacturing an electric guitar...and only then because Leo Fender, a musical instrument industry outsider, issued his electrics first.

• Moral: The likelihood of correctly identifying innovations which can disrupt a given industry is inversely proportional to expertise in that industry.

Third, the electric guitar retained the acoustic guitar's poor ergonomics; playing his own invention ruined Les' left hand.

• Moral: whereas acoustic instruments are designed to accommodate the needs of vibrating bodies (strings & columns of air), modern electronic instruments should be designed to accommodate the needs of human bodies.

One last point from the Washington Post article: Les said that in his quest for a fuller sound, before electrifying the guitar he "tried an accordion, and pitched it into the city dump," presumably unsatisfied with its timbre.

I wonder what he’d think of the Thummer? When it goes into production, I’ll be sure to send him one. :-)