Guitar History

Origin
Although the origin of the guitar is unknown, there are some records of guitar like instruments depicted in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. Classical guitars are also called Spanish guitars because they are believed to come from Spain. It is pretty clear, however, that guitars were not created in Central Europe. This is because Central European instruments are characterized by an absence of frets due to a lack of clarity regarding the exact placement of the notes.

Electric
The need for an electronically magnified guitar sound came into being when big bands with big brass sections started lessening the audibility of the guitars. The first electric guitar to be marketed was the ES-150 created by Gibson in 1936. The Fender Esquire was released shortly after. The Telecaster is a multiple pickup version of the esquire, first marketed in the 1940's. The Stratocaster (the most popular guitar construction used by Stevie Ray Vaughn) was developed in the 1950's.