According to his piano teacher, Les Paul had no musical talent. Yet he overcame this inauspicious beginning to become a legendary songwriter -- even inventing the modern electric guitar on the way.
Stuff of Genius tells the story behind everyday inventions. From the bikini to super wheat and everything in between. Viewers will learn the stories of unsung inventor heroes and their trials, tribulations and successes.
--
Behold…the solid body electric guitar.
But where did it come from?
Meet Les Paul, born in Wisconsin in 1915.
According to his piano teacher, Lester William Polsfuss didn't have much musical talent. Yet when he was eight years old, Lester taught himself to play the harmonica.
He even invented a harmonica holder.
By the time he was a teenager, Lester had taught himself to play the guitar and banjo.
After taking the stage name Les Paul, he began playing country music. And by the time he was twenty-one, Les Paul had formed a band and toured professionally.
When he wasn't happy with the volume of his acoustic guitar, he just invented a new one.
Les Paul invented a solid-body electric guitar in 1941. He called his original instrument "The Log." It was basically guitar strings and electric pick-ups attached to a solid block of pine wood.
Although other inventors had already worked on the concept of an electric guitar, Les Paul had a major advantage: his pioneering recording techniques helped popularize his design.
After several more years of fine-tuning, the Gibson Musical Instrument Company put a Les Paul model into production.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Ещё видео!