Ever since I was young I knew I'd be a musician. I didn't make it number one on the charts, but I did become a sound engineer in Nashville and you can bet, some of the best rockin' guitar masters, the best there's ever been. Sounds like I'm quoting from the Charlie Daniel's song 'The Devil Went Down To Georgia' which hit the vinyl in 1979 orginally penned by the legend Vasser Clements. that tells the story of Johnny and the Devil and we're going to tell the tale about guitars and how in the world they changed into today's electric guitar.

When you have an image of a guitar in your head, do you have a brand name in mind? I do it's the Gibson guitar the orginal (maybe I'll check eBay to see if it's available) appeared in 1936 and was designated the ES-150. Still you hear about it and, there are people who will tell you,... 'That's the best sound you'll ever get from a guitar.

One thing is certain; the guitar in all its incarnations, either acoustic or the electric guitar is a far cry from the first one, and its past is a murky. There is evidence (though not definitive) that says the guitar from Spain comes from the Romans and traces its lineage to about 400 AD. It wouldn't have looked much like today's version, being called a Tanbur which is lute like stringed musical instrument from the Middle East, most often possessing three strings; but it's likely our modern electric guitar may have sprung from the Cithara. The cithara, which has from three to twelve strings, was constructed with a wooden soundboard, boxy shaped body (resonator) and that doesn't sound too removed from our acoustic or electric guitar of today.

What probably happened is some talented music lover of the distant past took elements from both, combining his own thoughts into the musical instrumentwhat would become the guitar|. Of course those were very different times and the way changes happened, travelled at a snail's pace and probably would have taken years to cross from one area of the world to another. Today they would answer to the term street musicians, in those days they hailed to the name of traveling troubadours.

The instrument, whatever its form continued to adapt to the times and refine itself and in 1200 AD had evolved into a guitar with curved back and wide fingerboard (probably Moorish) and a different version which is probably the distant relation of the modern day acoustic guitar (probably Spanish or Latin).

The guitar never left the scene of a good celebration, however it was overshadowed for many years by the vihuela and lute, which eventually became too complicated for everyday performing, and those travelling musicians of long ago looked to the four and five string guitar, which again garnered its rightful place in the history books. The fifth string giving the guitar its rock solid (excuse the pun) reputation, versatility and longevity.

Looking back into time, we can realize the twists and turns, and certainly no one back then (hey Edison wasn't even born yet) could envision the eclectic instrument it has become. Yet those men of old designed something of beauty, integrity and a bit of magic, since (basically) the design of the modern guitar very much resembles those made one hundred and fifty years ago.