Rest In Peace, Les!

Len Rabinowitz

Len Rabinowitz

New member
You guys all must have heard that Les Paul died today. 94 years old from pneumonia.

I saw him at the Iridium Jazz Cafe in Manhattan a few years back Great show- lots of people bringing their LP's to be signed

I hope NONE of them show up on e-Bay for a million dollars now! Yeah sure...

Gotta play out tonight. Was gonna bring the Strat, but nope- The LP is comin'...

Maybe we could tell some stories about our favorite Les Pauls? How they sound through the Egnaters?

I LOVE my sunburst. I had a 3 pickup black beauty that I played through a Marshall half stack in the 70's. Man do I wish I still had that rig!

Here's to ya, Les!

:cry: :cry:
 
R.I.P. Les I have the LPs just sitting there (playing them too of course) just remembering where they came from!!!The man will live fore ever for sure :rock:
 
I was talking to the audience last night a little about Les Paul. I am a history teacher, and I have become convinced that the invention of the solid body electric guitar and multi track recording were two of the seminal- and somewhat unheralded by the general publc- inventions of the 20th century. They had impacts far beyone music- cultural, economic, and political as well.

I don't think Les Paul actually was the first to make a solidbody. Do we know for sure who it was? It had to be either him, Leo Fender, Adolph Rickenbacker, maybe Paul Bigsby. Anybody know any sources on that?

The sound of that sunbusrt through the Tourmaster was just ungodly. I love when you crank it up and let that sustain and feedback ring. I was trying to play some things by famous Les Paul players and show off its unique qualities. Of course, some of the tones we love about it were not what he had in mind, but he wasi nfavor of innovation- I'm pretty sure he was OK with what the younger players started doing with his invention.

He was the original looper, by the way. He would bring a tape recorder on stage with him in the 50's and early 60's and do live sound on sound with actual tape loops.

Rock on, Les! You'll never be forgotten!

:rock:
 
Len Rabinowitz":myo68ovh said:
I don't think Les Paul actually was the first to make a solidbody. Do we know for sure who it was? It had to be either him, Leo Fender, Adolph Rickenbacker, maybe Paul Bigsby. Anybody know any sources on that?
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Depends on the context. Les Paul made "The Log" in the Epi factory in 1941, which was probably the first fully solid body "traditional" electric guitar, but it was not put into commercial production, and it was not the first solid body production instrument.

The Rickenbacker "Frying Pan" lap steel in 1931 is usually cited as the first solid body electric instrument, although it was not a "traditional" guitar in that sense. Interestingly, Adolph Rickenbacker did not design the "Frying Pan" - the pickups were designed by his business partner George Beauchamp (who had previously worked with the Dopyera Brothers, as in "DoBro", on National resonator guitars) and the body was built by Harry Watson. Rickenbacker had the manufacturing facilities to build the instrument, and he had a recognizable name at the time (he was related to the WW1 flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker), so they decided to use his name for the new company.

The first solid body electric guitar put into significant commercial production was the Fender Broadcaster in 1948. Paul Bigsby had designed and built a similar solid body in 1947, but did not put it into production (I think he only built one for Merle Travis). He was also located very close to the Fender plant in Fullerton, so there is some controversy regarding if Bigsby borrowed ideas from Fender, or if Fender borrowed ideas from Bigsby, or both.
 
As a history teacher, I have decided to put in some history of the electric guitar/pop music into my curriculum this year. With the death of Les Paul, I have concludede that the solid body electric guitar is one of the most important inventions of the 20th century, and that its contribution is somewhat unrecognized. The economic, cultural, social, and political impacts of it are HUGE.

Your discussion reminds me somewhat of Christopher Columbus: He wasn't the first white guy over here- but his trip was the one that stuck. His trip is the one that mattered. Maybe that is what we can say about Les Paul and Leo Fender- They are the ones who put the electric guitar on the map.

I saw him play at the Iridium club when he was 92. Unbelievable!

Gibson should issue a real Les Paul artist model- His with the Les Paulverizer and those funny pickup!

Do you know any good online sources for the history of the electric guitar?

Thanks!

We'll never forget ya, Les!

:rock:
 
Len Rabinowitz":a2d05ct0 said:
Your discussion reminds me somewhat of Christopher Columbus: He wasn't the first white guy over here- but his trip was the one that stuck. His trip is the one that mattered. Maybe that is what we can say about Les Paul and Leo Fender- They are the ones who put the electric guitar on the map.
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I completely agree with that...and that is usually the way it goes with monumental inventions, isn't it? Marconi wasn't the first one to make significant contributions to radio (Nikola Tesla preceded him), but he is the one people remember. Apple didn't invent the mp3 player, but they made it massively popular to the point that iPod is a generic term for mp3 player now....people call tissues Kleenex's even if they're using Puffs....... just proves that just having a good idea isn't good enough...you have to have a good idea AND know how to market it the right way.....
 
It's not just marketing- It's also the surrounding conditions. That was the case with Columbus, and maybe with Leo Fender and Les Paul as well.

I sent an e-mail to Gibson about a real Les Paul artist model. I haven't heard anything back, but surely it must have ocurred to them. Heck, maybe pressure from guitarists would do it. I think it would sell!

I wonder what will happen to his actual instruments? I hope they go to the Smithsonian or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, or stay in the family. In fact, I think the Log is at one of those already. His original multitrack recorder should also be preserved. These are important parts of America's cultural heritage and should be preserved.

:worship: :shocked: :student: :inlove: :loco: :dunno: :cheers:
 
I was trying to find a good pic of Les Paul's Les Paul - the one with the crazy electronics and all. I can only find some of him playing with Joan Jett and it is pretty hard to see much of the guitar. Is there a description of that guitar anywhere? It looks really cool.
 
That's fabulous! I'm not sure that one has the Les Paulverizer on it- Hard to see.

I did get a response from Gibson- No plans for a Les Paul commemorative model at this time. But with some fan pressure...

I love that kind of out of phase tone switches to in the middle!

:confused: :rock:
 
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