The Most Popular and Influential Electric Guitar Styles in History

Electric guitars revolutionized modern music in the first half of the 20th century, paving the way for genres such as blues, jazz, outlaw country, rock and roll, and, eventually, the heavier and grungier forms of rock in the second half of the century. Amplified instruments meant that rock, blues, country, and other artists could now reach larger audiences, but playing at louder volumes also meant the creation of feedback in the hollow-bodied designs that were popular with acoustic guitars. To remedy this, a range of solid and semi-hollow electric guitars were developed over the years, a handful of which came to dominate the industry, being replicated over the years by most of the major guitar companies.

The following are some of the most iconic and versatile electric guitars, all of which have played a part in shaping music over the last 75 years.

Telecaster

Although Fender’s Telecaster wasn’t the first electric guitar on the market, it was arguably the one that brought rock to the masses. It was one of the first solid-body electric guitar models to be mass produced with bolt-on bridges, becoming virtually ubiquitous in guitar circles in the 1950s and 1960s. Because it was easy to work on and replace parts, and due to the popular “bright” tone created by its two single coils, the “Tele” was widely used and influenced a variety of genres. Developed with swing bands in mind, the Telecaster was quickly adopted by bluegrass and outlaw country artists like Merle Haggard and Vince Gill. It later enjoyed a resurgence with rock artists such as Jimmy Page (who spent time touring with Gill when he joined the Eagles in 2017 after the passing of Glenn Frey) and Keith Richards, as well as grunge artist Kurt Cobain and more modern indie rockers like Jack White. The Telecaster has a sound that is somewhat grittier than the Stratocaster, but clearer than the Les Paul.

Les Paul

Due to the huge popularity of the Telecaster, Gibson was looking for a way to keep up with competitor Fender, and ended up doing so with the help of jazz, blues, and rock guitarist Les Paul (who also happened to be a guitar builder and innovator). The Gibson Les Paul was the first solid-body guitar in Gibson’s lineup, and had a number of new features that made it an instant success with guitar enthusiasts. These included two P90 pickups (each with their own tone and volume control) and a shorter scale. The P90 pickups were eventually replaced with twin PAF humbucking pickups, which produced a thicker, fuller sound that has become synonymous with the design. 

Gibson released a number of other guitars over the years that had a different look, but that had essentially all of the same essential elements as the Les Paul, including the SG, Explorer, and Flying V. But the original Les Paul design has proven to be the most popular, having been played by a wide variety of artists, including reggae rocker Bob Marley, rock legend Joe Walsh, Eagles alum Jimmy Page, guitar god Eric Clapton, and, of course, Les Paul himself.

Stratocaster

After the Les Paul went mainstream, Fender continued the battle of the solid-body guitars with its own answer—the Stratocaster. Featuring three single-coil pickups, two tone knobs, a separate volume knob, a five-way switch, and a comfortable, aesthetically pleasing double cutaway and contoured back, the Stratocaster became the workhorse of the rock and roll era—and eventually one of the most replicated designs in the game. The three pickups make the “Strat” extremely versatile, and it has been widely used in virtually every genre that involves the guitar over the years (although it is particularly known for being the best electric guitar for playing blues riffs). Strat enthusiasts include Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Buddy Holly—four of the greatest guitarists of all time. 

Super Strat

The Super Strat took the Stratocaster and turned it into a heavy metal axe—largely due to the influence of uber-innovator Eddie Van Halen and his self-created “Frankenstrat,” which used a PAF in the bridge slot to create a beefier tone. Super Strats became the rock guitar of the 1980s, and since then have been replicated by just about every serious guitar brand out there. They typically feature HSS or HSH pickup configurations, thin necks, 24 frets, and a lot of vibrato. While the peak of the heavy metal era may have passed three decades ago, Super Strats remain one of the most popular electric guitar designs on the market.

Semi-Hollow

Solid-body designs dominated the electric guitar scene by the mid-1950s, making hollow-body electric models virtually obsolete. But people missed that warmer, darker acoustic sound, so in 1958 Gibson came out with the semi-hollow Gibson 355. Incorporating small openings and a semi-hollow cavity broken by a wooden block running through the middle, the 355 was the perfect middle ground, providing that classic “body” sound of hollow guitars with only a fraction of the feedback. Over the years, semi-hollow electric guitars have been developed by just about every guitar brand out there, and played by artists in a variety of genres, most notably blues and rock. But the Gibson 355 is still considered one of the best, having been preferred by guitar heroes such as B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Otis Rush, and even Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl.