"When I took it [the Log] to Gibson around 1945 or 1946, they politely ushered me out the door. They called it the broomstick with the pickup on it!"
- Les Paul, thinking back on his visit with Gibson
The Solid Body
The electric pickup was applied to the mainstream hollow-body guitar of the time. But problems arose as the pickup detected both the strings of the guitar like it was intended to and the sound echoed within the body.
Les Paul, an American inventor and musician, was innovative since he was young. He created his own makeshift electrified equipment, from his harmonica to his microphone.
"Red, your voice and harmonica are fine, but your guitar's not loud enough."
- A spectator of Les Paul in his early days as a performer
The Rail guitar, a prototype of the prototype solid body. Credit to the Les Paul Foundarion.
Les Paul even made a makeshift electric guitar from an old railroad piece, a string, and a microphone, later deemed the Rail.
Les Paul used his experience from the Rail in his next invention, the Log. Paul fashioned an electric guitar from a 4 x 4 block of wood. Paul could control the volume and sustain, and because it was completely solid, the problems that arose in the hollow-body guitar were put to an end. But locals only accepted the guitar after he made cosmetic improvements, and Paul concluded "People hear with their eyes."
Les Paul's Log, a wooden solid-body guitar and a revolutionary step for the electric guitar. Credit to the Les Paul Foundation