In June 1950, a small California-based maker of electric Hawaiian guitars and amplifiers debuted a solidbody “electric Spanish” guitar called the Esquire. And thus began a revolution in the guitar world.

This model had a simple, almost crude design compared to the elegant carved-top hollowbody models of Gibson, Gretsch and Epiphone. The Esquire’s “slab” body could have been fashioned by anyone with access to a band saw. The neck did not have a separate fingerboard and was simply bolted on to the body.

And it only had a single pickup at a time when other makers were offering two and even three pickups.

The Esquire offered one advantage that hollow guitars did not have: reduced feedback, which meant it could be played at higher volume than conventional electrics.