The sainted grandfather of electric guitars, the Fender Stratocaster, famously cradled on stage by music legends from Buddy Holly to Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, is turning 50. The construction, technology and player-centric design of this guitar makes it truly state of the art. Introduced in 1922, the Gibson L5 is the precursor of the modern archtop guitar. It was the first archtop to feature f-holes, which allowed it to project through the horn-dominated bands of the day. Its strong, full, warm sound was an immediate and overwhelming success that turned the heads of makers, players and listeners alike. All the top brands of guitar available online. Build An Electric Guitar. The reissues of ’82 were okay, but many players had the real thing and they were still affordable. All information is based on Gibson's own documents and literature. * The different stages of evolution of the electric guitar, with detailed speci fications of all models introduced up to 1961. There doesn’t seem to be any let up on this increase in values. The worrying thing is not the running demand but the dwindling supply. We’ve always had many young, new bands come through our doors, and, traditionally, they have cut their teeth on seventies Fenders and Gibsons, or sixties Gibson SGs, Fender Jaguars or Jazzmasters. The other key detail: It would be made in the U.S.A. To make sure no one missed the point, the new guitar would be called “American Standard.” Conspicuous designation of the U.S. origin of certain models or whole series would be a regular fixture of Fender strategies from now on. (American Standards built in 1994 bear a red, white, and blue medallion on the headstock, commemorating the instrument’s 40th anniversary. Build An Electric Guitar.