Who Invented the Acoustic Guitar

The Mystery of Who Invented the Acoustic Guitar

The major conundrum behind answering this question lies in the fact that debate exists about when the guitar actually became the guitar. Stringed instruments similar to the guitar, like the oud and the lute, date back thousands of years. Stone carvings of people playing tanburs, a lute with a long, narrow neck, date beck almost 4,000 years.

While these ancient instruments are certainly guitar-like, they are usually not what modern people picture when they think about the acoustic guitar. By most accounts, the first modern acoustic guitars owe their origins to the rich heritage of European musical instrument builders.

Italy: The Earliest Acoustic Guitar

Many guitar history books point to an Italian gentleman named Gaetano Vinaccia as being the inventor of the acoustic guitar. Vinaccia's family was famous in the later part of the 18th century for being exceptional luthiers and produced some of the highest quality violins available in Europe at the time. They are also credited with inventing the mandolin.

A six-stringed instrument dated 1779 and built in Naples, where Vinaccia worked, is considered by many to be the first true acoustic guitar. This "romantic guitar" is smaller and narrower than today's classical guitars. Some debate exists as to whether this instrument is authentic since there are many instances of instruments from that time period being fraudulently labeled. However, many reputable historians freely credit Gaetano Vinaccia as being the inventor of the acoustic guitar.

Spain: The First Modern Classical Guitars

While there is some debate surrounding Vinaccia's romantic guitar, historians agree on who is the father of the modern classical guitar. Spaniard Antonio Torres Jurado is universally acknowledged for designing and building the first classical guitar. Torres constructed his first guitars in Sevilla in 1852, and he produced a handful every year until his death in 1892. Several of these instruments are still in existence today, and some are still being played by professional musicians.

United States: The First Steel String Acoustic Guitars

The history of the steel string acoustic guitar is the story of a German immigrant whose early experiments in guitar design revolutionized the instrument. Guitar maker Christian Fredrich Martin moved to America in 1833 and began to design guitars with features that the local musicians desired. Guitarists complained that the classical guitars modeled after those Torres was producing in Spain lacked volume and couldn't be heard in American bands over louder instruments like the banjo.

In the early 20th century, Martin began to put steel strings on his guitars to address this issue. He designed a more robust internal bracing system to compensate for the increased tension the metal strings put on the guitar's body. The result is the prototypical steel string acoustic guitar played by millions around the world today. Martin guitars is also one of the most recognizable guitar companies in the world, and the history of the company is a great American success story.

What's Next for the Guitar?

After looking back at who invented the acoustic guitar, it is easy to begin wondering what new evolutions are in store for this fascinating instrument. Lloyd Loar is responsible for creating the last major innovation for the guitar when he designed the first electric guitar pickup in 1924. In the early 1930s, the Electro String Company was founded and began producing electric guitars for the public. Since then, the electric guitar has continued to evolve, but no drastic changes have come along in over 70 years. With all the exciting new technology that exists today, one can bet that it's only a matter of time before another innovator comes along and takes the guitar to the next level.