This 2005 Les Paul Flame Maple will be at the KC Guitar Show and it is for sale. The most asked about stat is that is weights about 10 pounds.
People talk about Les Paul being a pioneer of electric guitars, but rarely talk about Paul Adelburt Bigsby.
Born in 1899, Bigsby was a motorcycle racer in California who said he could build anything. His vibrato systems have been installed on countless guitars and he also revolutionized pedal steel guitars. It was Joaquin Murphy who persuaded Bigsby to start making guitars in the mid ’40s. Murphy paid Bigsby to make a multi neck pedal steel and his “I can build anything” got tested by many guitar players. His tailpiece vibrato system was patented in 1953.
Retired Gibson president Ted McCarty bought Bigsby’s company in 1966. He sold that company to Gretch in 1999.
That is the electric guitar story seldom told.
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