The legendary Les Paul

The electric guitar has shaped the history of music in more ways than we could hope to fit in 100 words. And we have Wisconsinite Les Paul to thank.

Did you know the famous guitarist was also an inventor in his own right? Born in Waukesha in 1915, Paul learned how to play the acoustic guitar at age 9. Desperate to amplify his sound and reach a larger audience, he experimented with a piece of a train rail for sustainability.

Fast forward to the 1940s, where he invented “The Log”, a solid-body prototype which eventually became the famous Gibson “Les Paul.”

– Margot Calmar, The 100 Companies