There can’t be many people who wouldn’t have loved to become a guitar hero. Standing proudly onstage, thrashing out blistering power chords loud enough to make the paint peel from the walls. And there are a number of truly great electric guitars that have stood the test of time.
One of the most famous electric guitars is the Fender Stratocaster. Originally designed back in 1954 the Fender Stratocaster was the guitar of choice for Jimi Hendrix who played left handed. This is the electric guitar chosen by Pete Townsend of the Who and guitar god Eric Clapton. The Fender Stratocaster continues to be as popular today as it ever was and a whole new generation of guitarists are discovering this great, iconic instrument.
Another popular and well known model of guitar from Fender is the Telecaster. This beautifully simple instrument was first introduced as the Broadcaster in late 1949 and has been in continuous production ever since. There are and have been many well known and talented guitarists who like to play Fender Telecasters. One of the most well known is, of course, Keith Richards who takes to the stage with an array of Telecasters, open tuned to a ‘G’ chord for that classic Rolling Stones sound.
If we are talking about classic guitars we must of course mention the fantastic Gibson Les Paul. This is another iconic electric guitar that was first produced back in the 1950s and has been in production ever since. Jimmy Page, of Led Zeppelin and Yardbirds fame, is just one guitarist who loves the Gibson Les Paul. The sound of this great instrument was heard everywhere in the song ‘Alright Now’ by the band Free, played by the late Paul Kossoff and a modern day player of this great guitar is Slash of Guns’n’Roses fame.
Since I’ve mentioned two great Fender guitars I should give a mention to a second Gibson. I could have chosen the great Gibson ES335, a personal favourite and popular with many great guitarists including BB King, but instead I’ve picked the exceptional Gibson SG. This fantastic looking electric guitar, with the distinctive double cutaway, was introduced in the early 1960s to compete with the popular Fender Strat. This is the guitar used by Angus Young of Australian rock band ACDC for all of their well known rock anthems. It was also the guitar of choice for Tony Iommi, guitarist in the well known rock band Black Sabbath.
Today there are many great electric guitars, but lots of these are copies of these four iconic models which, for me, are the best there is.
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