The Electric Guitar, 1950's-2000

he key to the new sound sweeping America-rock and roll-was the electric guitar Because the electric guitar relied on an electronic "pickup" for amplification, there was no need for the hollow body that for the previous four centuries had been the primary component of the instrument. Groundbreaking "solid-body" instruments-many still in production today-included the Fender Telecaster model, the first mass-produced sold-body electric guitar; the Fender Stratocster model, with sports car contours and bright colored finishes like "Sonic Blue" and "Fiesta Red"; and the Gibson Les Paul model, bearing the name of the legendary performer and represented in the exhibition by three early examples, including one owned and customized by Les Paul himself.

   The shape of the successful Les Paul model was copied by other instrument makers almost since its inception. Its outline shows up on the Gretsch Company's Roundup model 6130 (1955), which was aimed to appeal to country musicians with engraved plastic longhorns and cacti, tooled leather edges, and a top veneered with knotty pine and the company's "G" branded into it.

   As the space age exploded, Gibson introduced a trio of futuristic instruments in 1958, including the Moderne (which never made it to production), Flying V, and Explorer. The ultra-modern Flying V-represented in Dangerous Curves by the very rare 1958 model and Jimi Hendrix's 1967 model covered with psychedelic "flower power" designs-and Explorer (1962) made a big splash when originally unveiled, as their angular shapes were unlike anything imagined for guitar design. With the precedent set, the guitar world saw an explosion of new shapes over the next forty years. Design experimentation addressed new forms, colors and materials, and resulted in instruments such as the Vox Company's MK VI Model (late 1960's) with a teardrop-shaped body; Valco's plastic Glenwood 99 Model (1963-64), which borrowed its shape from a map of the United States; and a quintessential fashion statement of the late 1960's, the fender Pink Paisley Telecaster (1969), covered with a paisley pattern.