The acoustic guitar has been around for several centuries, however it was not until the 1920's guitarist's first
began to experiment with electrifying their instrument in search of a louder sound.
And it was not until 1950 that Leo Fender first successfully mass-produced and sold electric guitars followed by Gibson in 1952.
Today there are a wide range of guitar designs and styles. However the original guitar designs from the fifties still have a hold
on this retro driven industry, as do some of the early guitar icons.
Jimi Hendrix has to be noted for his iconic status. He played a revolutionary strain of blues through the newly arrived
Marshall 100 watt valve amp where gain, distortion and feedback were key elements to this sound. He did on occasions pull out the
acoustic, tuned down 2 tones, and produce classic tracks like Here my train a'coming. From Voodoo chile to Wind cries Mary, he most
definitely reached into all corners of the honeypot of creativity!
What's new
In recent years technology has been taking giant steps in certain areas, for example mobile phones, but the guitar manages to maintain its
aloofness to change. Presently there seems to be a sign of some technological advancement, most significantly with virtual sound modelling
and self-tuning systems. Virtual sound modelling is digital replication of sound and may not be to everyone’s taste. However if a guitar
can tune itself in seconds, not only does this make being in tune a foregone conclusion it creates the ability to quickly and easily
change tunings.