Guitar Timelines

The history of the guitar is a fascinating story. Within the span of 100 years, it has gone from an acoustic solo accompaniment instrument to the forefront of electric popular music. Trace the timelines and learn the guitar’s amazing story!

Guitar Development Timeline

Guitar Industry Timeline

Archtop Timeline

Flat-Top Timeline

Electric Timeline

About the Site

It all started when I picked up a 1958 Gibson ES-335 at Gruhn Guitars in Nashville . . . I was smitten. After playing such an incredible instrument, I had to know more about it. I discovered that I had played a first year (very early) ES-335 – I had no idea at the time! I began to research vintage guitars, and as they say – the rest is history. I began reading articles online, subscribing to magazines, and purchasing books about the history of these instruments. Not only are the guitars themselves fascinating, but seeing how competition between companies shaped the market, and how individual guitar pioneers pushed the instrument towards what it is today, really is enlightening for any guitar player. I wanted to find a way to represent all that I was learning, and came up with these timelines, where you can see the development of the instrument. While I do not claim to be an expert, much time and research has been poured into this site. With any aspect of history, there are always discrepancies, but I have worked diligently to try to represent things as accurately as possible. Thanks for exploring and I hope that you can learn something about these amazing instruments!