Guitar innovator Les Paul passed away today athe the age of 94. Paul’s names sake guitar, the Gibson Les Paul, is one of the defining guitars of the rock’n'roll era, played by everyone from Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Pete Townsend to Slash, The Edge and Kyp Malone. He was also at the forefront of multitracking technique, one of the fundamental building blocks of modern age studio recordings.

Paul’s came in the use of a solid body guitar, rather than the traditional hollowbody., as electric pick-ups made the natural amplification of the hollow body unnessesary. The solid body reduced feedback and enhanced sustain. Although Paul was not the only inventor to craft a solid body guitar atthat time, his version became best know for it’s sustain abilities, making it a favorite axe for guitar solos.

Here’s a few clips …