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The Father of Les Paul Guitars

That “Les Paul” that everyone is displaying so proudly on their guitar is actually short for “Lester William Polsfuss.”  This amazing musician and inventor helped revolutionize the industry in almost every aspect, from his birth in 1915 (okay, maybe he wasn't revolutionizing the industry quite that quickly) to his death in 2009.

Les Paul was an absolute pioneer in the music invention industry, and certainly the Les Paul guitars are among the most influential inventions.  His development of this guitar (and the solid body electric on the whole) opened the ground to many new sounds..  He is credited with being the one who “made the sound of rock and roll possible.”

He also made a series of other inventions, including sound on sound (sometimes called overdubing), phasing and delay effects, multi track recording, and many playing styles (including certain chording, trill, and fret techniques that set him apart from others).  Many of his techniques, including the music that he recorded with his wife in the 1950s, have been cited as inspiration for modern players.

Appropriately, Les has been given a series of honors.  He has a full, permanent exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (and will likely continue to have this exhibit for the foreseeable future).  He is also declared to be one of the “key inductees” and architects of modern music by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.