To say Les Paul was an innovator would be the greatest of understatements. Although we might take his inventions and ideas for granted in 2017, his influence on...
To say Les Paul was an innovator would be the greatest of understatements. Although we might take his inventions and ideas for granted in 2017, his influence on the development of music—and the way it is recorded—is immense.
He saw the technological limitations of his day not as an impediment, but as a source of motivation to think outside the box and find his own solution.
That sort of thinking led Paul to create his own alternative to what he saw as the tinny, thin-sounding guitars of the day. With the help of Epiphone,[1] Paul developed a solid-body electric guitar that he affectionately dubbed "The Log."[2] While "The Log" was promising, it paled in comparison to what Paul would develop with Gibson years later.
Their collaboration, the Gibson Les Paul,[3] would change popular music forever; it remains one of the most iconic and respected guitars ever created. Similarly, when Paul became dissatisfied with the sound of his own hit records (He was a highly influential jazz and country guitar player), he looked for ways to create a fuller, richer sound.
This led to experimentation with multi-track recording, not to mention a series of game-changing hits with his wife, Mary Ford. Today, the 102nd anniversary of the late, great Les Paul's birth, Guitar World pays tribute to one of music's greatest creative minds by checking out 10 of his greatest guitar moments—at least in terms of what's available on YouTube. Enjoy!
Les Paul, Eddie Van Halen, B.B. King and More, All Star Guitar Jam
Ever wanted to hear what would happen if Les Paul, Eddie Van Halen, B.B. King, David Gilmour, Brian Setzer, Steve Miller and Waylon Jennings got on stage together and cut