The Gibson SG

In 1958, Gibson Les Paul sales were significantly lower than they had been in previous years. The following year, the Les Paul was given a thinner, flat-topped mahogany body, and had a double cutaway which made the upper frets more accessible. The neck joint was moved by three frets to further ease access to the upper frets.

Production costs fell significantly due to the simpler body construction, and the new Les Paul was advertised as having the "fastest neck in the world" due to its slender neck profile and virtually non-existent heel. The new Les Paul was popular, but Les Paul himself did not care for the new design, and requested the removal of his name from the new model (however, he was photographed with the new model several times).

Gibson honored Les Paul's request, and the new model was named "SG", which stood for 'Solid Guitar'. Even though Les Paul's name was officially deleted in 1961, the SG featured Les Paul nameplates and truss rod covers until the end of 1963.

Due to its popularity and vintage heritage, the body style of the SG is often copied by other manufacturers, although much less frequently than the Les Paul and the Fender Stratocaster; a notable example is the ESP Viper.

The SG generally has a solid mahogany body, with a black "bat-wing" pickguard. The 24.75" scale mahogany neck joins the body at the 19th fret. The SG's set neck is shallower than the Gibson Les Paul's, but features the traditional Gibson combination of two humbucking pickups and a Tune-O-Matic bridge assembly (or vibrato tailpiece, depending on the model).

Angus Young of ACDC's Gibson SG

The Gibson SG Standard features white trapezoid fretboard inlays, as well as fretboard binding and inlaid "Gibson" logo; the Gibson SG Special omits these features, instead using cheaper white dot inlays and a silk-screened logo. The Standard has a volume and a tone control for each individual pickup, and a three-way switch that allows the player to select either the bridge pickup, the neck pickup, or both together. The SG does not include switching to coil tap the humbuckers in stock form (with the exception of the Guitar Center-exclusive SG Standard), although this is a popular player modification.

Some models use body woods other than mahogany; examples include the Swamp Ash SG Special and SG Voodoo, the 2009 Raw Power, and some walnut bodied 1970s models. High-end models occasionally sport decorative maple caps, carved tops, and gold hardware. [source : Gibson SG]

Fender Stratocaster : The Most Copied Guitar in The World

The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top horn for balance while standing. The Stratocaster has been used by many leading guitarists and can be heard on many historic recordings. Along with the Gibson Les Paul, the Gibson SG and the Fender Telecaster, it is one of the most common and enduring models of electric guitar in the world. The design of the Stratocaster has transcended the field of music to rank among the classic industrial designs of all time; examples have been exhibited at major museums around the world.

Jimi Hendrix's Stratocaster

In its original form, the Stratocaster was offered in a 2-color sunburst finish on a solid, deeply contoured ash body, a one-piece maple neck with 21 frets, black dot inlays, and Kluson machine heads, until 1956, when Fender started making bodies made from solid alder. There was also a set of available custom colors that wasn't standardized until 1960. These custom colors were mostly automobile lacquer colors made by Dupont and could be had for an extra 5% cost. The single-ply, 8-screw hole white pickguard was a unique concept that allowed all of the guitar's electronic components—except the recessed jack plate—to be mounted on one easy-to-remove surface. Subsequent Stratocaster designs (by both Fender and other imitating companies) may have improved upon the original in usability and sound, but vintage Fender models are still often worth large amounts of money, and many prefer the timbre of older models.

The Stratocaster has been widely copied; as a result, the term "Strat," although a trademark of Fender Musical Instrument Corporation, is often used generically when referring to any guitar that has the same general features as the original, regardless of manufacturer. [source : Strat]

The History of The Electric Guitar: How Music Was Changed Forever

by Bob Martin

In The Beginning

The guitar’s soft melodic tone made it difficult for people to hear it when being played alongside other instruments. So during the 1930’s an inventive individual decided to change that and invented the first electric guitar. Little did he know, or have imagined way back then how the invention of the electric guitar would significantly affect the course of 20th century music.

Like most new things, the electric guitar had its critics but it quickly won people over because of its ability to allow musicians to play much more creatively and express their own individual styles.

The First Pickup

In 1924 an inventive engineer working for the Gibson guitar company named Lloyd Loar, designed the first magnetic pickup. Using a magnet, he converted guitar string vibrations into electrical signals, which then were amplified through a speaker system. This first pickup was crude, but it was a great beginning.

The First Electric Guitar

Frying Pans

In 1931 the Electro String Company was founded by Paul Barth, George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacker, and developed the first electric guitars marketed to the general public. They made their guitars from cast aluminum and were played on a person’s lap using a steel slide much like today's steel guitar. Because of their unusual material, they were affectionately called “Frying Pans.”

The early success of the frying pans prompted the Gibson guitar company to build their first electric guitar, the ES-150 which is a legend today.

The First Solid-Body Electric Guitar

The Log

Electric guitars were quickly becoming popular, even though there was a major problem with their construction. Their bodies would vibrate due to the amplified sounds coming through the speakers they were played into, causing what we know as feed-back. The obvious remedy was to build a guitar made with a solid body which wouldn’t vibrate so easily.

As with most innovations, there is controversy over who invented the first solid –body electric guitar. Guitar legend Les Paul in the 1940’s developed his affectionately called “The Log” solid-body guitar by attaching a Gibson neck to a solid piece of wood…a railroad tie, hence the name “Log.”

Around this same time, guitarist Merle Travis and engineer Paul Bigsby developed a solid-body electric guitar that resembled the solid-body guitars that we’re so familiar with today.

The First Mass Produced Electric Guitar

Fender Broadcaster

Leo Fender in 1950 was the first to mass produce an electric guitar which was originally called the Fender Broadcaster. This guitar was quickly re-named to the infamous Telecaster because the name “Broadcaster” was already being used by another company. Leo followed this up in 1954 with the most renowned guitar of all time…the Stratocaster.

Leo’s success led other guitar manufacturers into developing their own mass-produced electric guitars. Most notable was the teaming-up of the Gibson guitar company with Les Paul to create the famous Gibson Les Paul electric guitar.

More Affordable Electric Guitars

During the 1960’s and 1970’s famous brand name electric guitars were too expensive for the average person to buy. Less pricey imitations quickly came to market but they were sub-standard in sound and playability.

The Japanese, in the 1980’s started manufacturing electric guitars of similar quality to the more expensive American made models, but with much more affordable pricing. This prompted Fender and other leading guitar manufacturers into producing less expensive versions of their classic models. This resulted in electric guitars now being more affordable and accessible to more people.

Today, the Gibson and Fender guitar companies are still producing some of the most well-known and best made electric guitars on the market. But it’s getting crowded with other high quality brands such as BC Rich, ESP and Peavey. Innovative designs, shapes and materials are being incorporated with new technologies to produce better sounding electric guitars.

Modern guitars have built-in software allowing them to sound like other types of guitars. Some are even fitted with pickups that synthesize the sound of different instruments or record the notes in musical notation.

The electric guitar has come a long way with an interesting and inventive past and many in the industry say it has an even brighter future.

About the author
Bob Martin says don’t buy a new electric electric guitar until you take a serious look at this today.
http://www.electricguitarsource.com

source : www.valuablecontent.com

Electric Guitar Packages - The All In One Solution

by Charlie Cory

Electric guitar packages are typically an all in one answer to the problem of getting someone started with an electric guitar.

Is it the best way to go for a beginner though?

In my opinion, probably not. Playing a new musical instrument is not only a labour of love, it is a war against embarrassment. Playing any instrument for the first time could be a painful experience for any unwilling audience and an affront on your ego!

So as far as a guitar is concerned, a good acoustic guitar would be my personal preference to learn an instrument.

Having said that, there is no denying that an electric guitar is a sexy instrument, and some people will not be denied. Perhaps you have already tried an acoustic guitar, and the call of rock and roll fame and fortune is too much for you?

Well if that is the case, then there are electric guitar packages that can fit the bill that won't break the bank.

Remember that you will not be buying a classic Fender or Gibson guitar (unless you are completely loaded), but you can still buy a high quality instrument which will stand you in good stead for many years to come.

A standard package will comprise a guitar itself, a case, and amplifier and the appropriate leads to connect the guitar to the amplifier. I think it unlikely that you will be able to play any stadiums with this rig, but hey, you have got to start somewhere?

All you really need from your electric guitar package is an instrument with a decent, playable action (the height of the strings above the fret board), and an amplifier that will give you a good tone at low volume. At it the guitar looks really cool as well, then that is just a bonus!

The kit may or may not come with a tuner. You will need one whatever happens. I have always used pitch pipes, and great though automatic tuners are, you cannot beat the training given by tuning the guitar with just a pipe and your ears. Learn how to do it properly; you will appreciate it in the end.

Have some idea of what to look for in a guitar is one thing, but honing down the choice is another. Take a look if these electric guitar packages fit the bill.
http://www.guitarnstuff.com/electric-guitar/electric-guitar-packages.html