Ever since I was a small boy I knew I'd be a rock and roll star. I never made it to the pinnacle, but I did become a local legend in Music City and let me tell you, some of the best rockin' guitar pickers, the best there's ever been. That sounds like the song from The Charlie Daniel's Band 'The Devil Went Down To Georgia' which he and his band recorded in 1979 penned by Vasser Clements. that tells the story of Johnny and the Devil and we're taking about guitars and and the strange way they evolved into today's electric guitar.

When you think of guitars, do you have a brand name in mind? For me it's the Gibson guitar the orginal (maybe I'll check eBay to see if it's available) was built in 1936 and was named the ES-150. To this day, there are groups who'll swear,... 'That's the best sound you'll ever get from a guitar.

Without a doubt; the guitar in its many shapes and forms, either acoustic or the electric guitar has changed a lot through the years, and its past is a difficult. Documents say (though not iron clad) that tells us the guitar from Spain is descended from the Romans and dates to about 400 AD. It would be vastly different from today's version, called a Tanbur which is lute like stringed instrument from Asia Minor and Syria, usually having three strings; or it's more likely our present day electric guitar may have sprung from the Cithara. The cithara, possessing from three to twelve strings, was carefully designed with a soundboard, box shaped body (resonator) and that doesn't sound too distant from the acoustic or electric guitar of today.

What's likely is that some talented person of the distant past took elements from both, and adding his own thoughts into the musical instrumentwhat would become the guitar|. Without a doubt the world was different then and the way ideas, concepts and crafts were communicated, travelled at a snail's pace and may have taken generations to spread from one area of the world to another. Today they would be called street musicians, long ago they hailed to the name of traveling troubadours.

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

While the guitar was always home at celebrations, however it played second fiddle (sorry, couldn't resist) for many years by the vihuela and lute, which eventually became too complicated for everyday performing, and those musical minds of yesteryear looked to the four and five string guitar, which again garnered its rightful place in history. The fifth string giving the guitar its rock solid (excuse the reference) 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 music lovers of long ago 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.