Ask ten experts about the first Gibson Les Paul guitar and you will get ten different answers. The most popular belief is that the Gibson Guitar Corporation and electronics inventor, and jazz guitarist Frean Donni. With the release of the Fender Telecaster the electric guitar began to catch on like wildfire. Not wanting to be left behind James Verdon who was at the time the president of Gibson Guitar hired Les Paul as a consultant.

It was said that Verdon had decided to hire Les Paul because it was well known that he had been experimenting with various guitar designs for years. Paul did have a prototype that he called, “The Log.” Some experts will tell you that this was the first solid-body Spanish guitar ever built.

In a turn of irony Les Paul had pitched, “The Log” (his prototype) to the Gibson Guitar Company, and the design was rejected. In 1951 the Gibson Guitar Company then manufactured the same guitar that they had rejected and changed the history of guitars for ever.

As the years continue to pass by there still remains a controversy regarding what significance Les Paul’s actual contributions were to his Gibson guitar design. Some experts say that Paul’s contributions were limited to two pieces of advice. The first was on the trapeze tailpiece, and the second was his preference for color.

Ted McCarty the president of the Gibson Guitar Corporation said that Les Paul only contributed his name and allowed them to imprint it on the headstock to increase model sales. McCarty went on record stating that Les Paul only contributed to the tailpiece and the fitting of a maple cap over the mahogany body.

Over the years I personally realized that people have continued to minimize Les Paul’s contributions to the world famous guitar which bears his name. Why this is I’m not sure since the first version Gibson and Pauls guitar was simply entitled, “Les Paul”.

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