As music and musicians became popular and accessible, so too these guitar models experienced ever-increasing fame all of their own.īy the late 1950s and early 1960s, Fender established a reputation for producing quality amplifiers and electric guitars, with early adopters including the likes of Buddy Holly and Hank Marvin. Central to the development of many of these identities was their association with particular guitar brands and models. A significant shift occurred with guitar players becoming idolized for their guitar playing prowess and afforded star status. With the ever-increasing reach of mass media, content shifted to a fascination with individual musicians.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the emergence of the baby boomer generation coincided with a golden age in American guitar making with the production of iconic designs such as the Fender Telecaster, Fender Stratocaster, Gibson Les Paul and the Art Deco-influenced John D’Angelico archtop guitars.Īs the US moved into the post-war period, the popularity of these iconic guitars was accompanied by the popularisation of music through the growth of television, mass media, the LP record, and increasingly sophisticated and accessible music distribution. Many say the electric guitar was perfected in the mid-20th Century, and with this, reverential folklore now circulates around the guitars produced throughout this period. The status afforded these instruments is due to the convergence of a range of factors. Fender guitars, particularly those manufactured between 19 are revered instruments that have become increasingly collectible and valuable through the years.

Vintage fender lap steel guitars