The O.W. Appleton Guitar

Canard

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In 1943, O. W. Appleton took his guitar to Gibson to see if they had an interest in manufacturing the model.

They told him that they couldn't imagine someone playing a solid-body electric guitar.



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shihan

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Very interesting! I’ve never heard this story. Thanks for posting it.
 

walrus

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In 1943, O. W. Appleton took his guitar to Gibson to see if they had an interest in manufacturing the model.

They told him that they couldn't imagine someone playing a solid-body electric guitar.

Sheesh, pretty snotty even in those days! Boy, if this guitar isn't authentic enough for them, what is?

walrus
 

Canard

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Sweet. If we are going to veer, let's go all the way.

 

Canard

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The interesting thing about the Appleton guitar is not any claim to being an electric first. As Spox points out, Rickenbacher has that claim to fame nailed down pretty solidly, at least as far as factory production guitars go. There are also stories of guitarists attaching early peizoelectric/ceramic phono-cartridges to the bridges of guitars in the early thirties and amplifying them. What is interesting about the Appleton is that it looks like a Les Paul. Appleton designed and built the guitar in 1941 and took it to show to Gibson in 1942, and Gibson rejected the guitar as absurd, but 10 years later or so produced a guitar that looked very much like the Appleton design.
 

SFIV1967

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Now that was nice! Thanks for also posting that one! Two models I never heard of before. And that Rickenbacher looks more like a very modern model! Unbelievable that was already done in 1935, amazing!

Ralf
 
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