Most of us have seen a guitar, whether we have actually held one of our own, learnt how to play as a child or seen one being played live, we all know what they look like. Guitars are the most played instrument nationwide following just after the piano. Music bands of all genres including pop and rock have played their part in the popularity of this instrument with many a young child playing air guitar along to their favourite songs. If you are looking for your own instrument it is worth looking up Guitar shops Gloucestershire or wherever you are based as it is best to get the advice of a professional when looking to buy your first or maybe upgrade your guitar.
Here are some facts about guitars that you may not have heard about. So, when you are browsing through guitar shops Gloucestershire you will have some impressive facts you can talk about.
- The name “guitar” was adapted from the Spanish word “guitarra”
- Electric guitars were first introduced in 1930s
- The company Epiphone managed to successfully switch from banjo production to guitars when the popularity for the instrument began to increase. They were the only original banjo company to be able to make this conversion.
- The Fender factory makes so many guitars each year that if you tied all the strings together that they make they would circle round the world.
- The world’s biggest guitar measures 13 metres long. The guitar is the equivalent length of a bus and is a Guinness World Record holder. It was made by the Academy of Science and Technology in Texas and is a working guitar with the strings made from aircraft cable tuned in correctly. It weighs around 1,000kgs and took nearly a year to build.
- The most expensive guitar, a Stratocaster made by Fender, ever sold went for $2.8 million. The guitar was sold to raise money following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami to raise money for those affected. It was decorated with the signatures and of 19 iconic guitar players including Bryan Adams, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Brian May.
- In 2011 Dave Browne, who is an Irish guitarist, set the world record for the longest amount of time playing the guitar continuously. He played 1,372 songs over a 114-hour, 6 minute and 30 second period. Now that’s impressive!