One of the most influential instruments of all time, the electric guitar is the lead instrument in many genres of music. Electric guitars are very similar to acoustic guitars, in fact, they can be played acoustically. The main advantage of an electric guitar is the ease with which you can hook it up to an audio system for performance at large venues like concerts. This advantage propelled electric guitars into the hands of some of the greatest musicians and bands of all time. This article will cover the top five most famous electric guitars of all time:
1. Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster is the most iconic electric guitar. Designed in the 1950s, the Stratocaster or “Strat” Many famous artists like Eric Clapton, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Jimi Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughn used the Stratocaster. Due to the Stratocaster’s fame, many knock-offs, copies, and replicas have been produced.
2. Gibson Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul also originated in the 1950s and quickly grew to fame like the Stratocaster. Some of the most famous bands to use the Les Paul include Guns ‘n Roses, Led Zeppelin, and ZZ Top. Unlike the Stratocaster, the Les Paul uses humbucker pickups which eliminate the static noise or “hum” in traditional single coil pickups.
3. Fender Telecaster
Developed before the Stratocaster, the telecaster was the first solid-body electric guitar, but it left a lot to improve. It is still famous and widely used today, but the ergonomics were poor and it isn’t as modular as a Stratocaster or many other guitar models.
4. Gibson SG
Another iconic electric guitar is the Gibson SG. Similar to the Les Paul, this guitar uses two humbucker pickups. It is easily recognizable by its pointy body, and it is most famously played by Angus Young of AC/DC.
5. PRS Silver Sky
One of the most successful copies of the original Stratocaster, the PRS Silver Sky is an iconic high-quality guitar. The Silver Sky is manufactured by PRS but it remains true to all the original Fender dimensions. Generally, it is painted in silver, but it can be found in many other colors. The easiest way to differentiate a PRS from a Fender is the bird-shaped fret markers along the neck of the PRS.
