R.I.P. Les Paul

Lester “Les” Paul was the inventor of the solid-body electric guitar, which makes him one of the most innovative figures in rock n’ roll history.  This musical icon passed away today in White Plains, NY from complications he encountered while dealing with pneumonia, Paul was 94 years old.  In the 1930′s, Les Paul became bored with acoustic guitars and began experimenting with designs for an electric guitar.  By 1941 he had developed his first prototype, called ”The Log” - which was appropriate considering it was nothing more than a 4″x4″ piece of wood with a neck, bridge, and pickup attached.  Paul was still trying to perfect his electrical innovation in the early 50′s, and the Gibson Guitar Corporation helped his dream come true. 

After playing Gibson’s new “Les Paul”, he was impressed with the company’s design and signed a contract to become the primary spokesman for this model.  There was a small dispute in 1961 when Gibson changed the model without Les’s knowledge, as he was not a fan of the new design.  But the feud was eventually settled when Gibson removed Paul’s name from the guitar’s headstock, and called the new model a Gibson SG (solid guitar).  Although Paul is known mainly for his signature axe, he also came up with the idea of a multi-track recorder.  This machine allowed artists to record everything separately – vocals, guitar riffs, drum beats, etc – and then combine it into one cohesive track.  If you want to try and get a gauge on the massive influence Paul had across musical genres, all you have to do is look at some of the notable musicians who played “his” guitar throughout the years.  The list includes (but isn’t limited to) names like: Duane Allman, Chuck Berry, Buckethead, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, Billy Gibbons, David Gilmour, Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix (though he was known for his Stratocaster), B.B. King, John Lennon, Bob Marley, Bill Monroe, Jimmy Page, Carlos Santana, & many others.  He will most definitely be missed…

An excerpt from the Les Paul documentary Chasing Sound!: