Guitar Ancestors

• The guitar in its present form is the descendant of several stringed instruments that were in use thousands of years ago. Although some historians point to the kithara of ancient Greece as the ancestor of the guitar, that instrument was more similar in design to the modern harp. The oldest known predecessor of the guitar is most likely the Egyptian tanbur, a stringed instrument with a long neck, bowl-shaped body and a soundboard made of animal hide or wood.
  
  

Gibson Archtop

• The classic archtop design was the standard shape of the non-classical guitar types for many years, and is still a very recognizable and popular style of guitar. The Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Manufacturing Co., Ltd. produced the first archtop models in the early 1920s with the introduction of the famous L-5, designed by Lloyd Loar. The L-5 was joined by the Super 400 before World War II, and cutaway versions of these pre-war models are some of the most collectible Gibson guitars available.
  
  

Fender Electric Series

• The first Spanish-style solid body electric guitar to be commercially manufactured was Leo Fender's Telecaster (1951). His innovation in guitar-making was, as is so often the case, more of a practical effort than an artistic crusade. At the time, the only amplified guitars in use that could compete with the much louder horn sections in musical groups were acoustic guitars with electric pickups added to the body. The Telecaster was loud enough to eventually be a featured instrument of rock 'n' roll and country music. These 1950s Telecasters, and the later Stratocasters, are some of the most sought-after electric vintage guitars in the world.
  
  

Other American Classics

• Several other guitar makers threw their hats into the ring in the heyday of early electric guitars. A few were good enough to outlast the number of solid and semi-solid body electric guitars that hit the world market in the 1950s and 1960s. Gretsch and Guild were the most successful "newcomers" of the time. Vintage guitar models from Gretsch include the "Country Gentleman" made popular by Chet Atkins and the "Anniversary," an electric archtop from 1958. Guild still makes some of the finest acoustic guitars in existence, and this reputation was built on its line of vintage guitar classics such as the A-50 Granada acoustic archtop and the "Duane Eddy" model (DE-500).
  
  

European Vintage Guitars

• Italian guitar maker Eko is one of the most well-known European vintage guitar manufacturers in the world. Its line of distinctively styled electric guitars from the 1960s was very popular in Europe, yet virtually unknown in America. German guitar makers Hagstrom and Framus enjoyed limited runs of success in the U.S., with Hagstrom faring better overall with its line of electric vintage guitars. Hofner is one of the most recognizable names from overseas, due in large part to the famous "Beatle Bass," a violin-shaped electric bass used by Paul McCartney that now fetches tens of thousands of dollars on the collector's market.