GUITAR EXHIBITION | A sampling

Crowds of people attended Sunday afternoon’s two-hour opening reception at the Butler Institute of American Art on Youngstown’s North Side to usher in the museum’s “Medieval to Metal” guitar exhibit, which runs through mid-April. Some of those on display include the:

Danelectro Longhorn, introduced in 1958 and is made from unusual materials such as Masonite on its body. This model sold until the late 1960s.

Oud, said to be one of the oldest stringed instruments that can be traced as far back as 3000 B.C. This pear-shaped instrument has three sound holes arranged in a triangle as well as a round back made from thin strips of curved wood glued together. It also is widely played in North Africa.

Fender Stratocaster, a lightweight instrument with a contoured shape introduced in 1954. Its fancy colors were inspired by those painted on sports cars in the 1950s.

Gibson Les Paul, a six-string type that features a solid body model based on a design the famous blues guitarist, luthier and inventor created.

Martin Dreadnought, an acoustic model made in 1943 and favored especially in studio recordings by artists such as Elvis Presley, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page and Johnny Cash.

Vihuela, considered the first instrument for strumming and plucking, and it resembles many guitars as they’re known today. The Vihuela, which has six courses of strings, was created in the 1400s in Iberia.

Source: Butler Institute of American Art