There can’t be many people who’ve not fantasised about becoming a guitar hero. Standing onstage, legs apart thrashing out power chords and blistering guitar solos loud enough to make peoples ears bleed. 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 in 1954 the Fender Stratocaster was the guitar played by the late great Jimi Hendrix amongst others. This is the electric guitar chosen by Pete Townsend of the Who and guitar god Eric Clapton. The Fender Strat is as popular today as it ever was which is understandable as this guitar is truly a design classic.
Another popular and well known model of guitar from Fender is the Telecaster. This guitar preceded the Stratocaster, being first produced as the Broadcaster in late 1949. There are many well known guitar heros who like to play Tele’s. Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones is probably one of the most famous guitarists who chooses to play Telecasters.
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, guitarist with Led Zeppelin and the Yardbirds, is a great lover of the Gibson Les Paul. Another great guitarist who made the sound of this instrument famous in the song ‘Alright Now’ was the lat Paul Kossoff of the band Free.
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 classic electric guitar, popular with many guitar greats, but instead I’ve chosen 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 of choice for Angus Young, lead guitarist and songwriter in the Australian rock band ACDC. It was also the guitar of choice for Tony Iommi, guitarist in the well known rock band Black Sabbath.
These days there are just so many excellent electric guitars but, for me, these four are the top models that have stood the test of time.
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