Elvis Presley's guitars

Elvis Presley's guitars were a major component of the iconic rock and roll image created by Elvis Presley that revolutionized popular culture in the 1950s and 1960s. It is impossible to gauge the impact of that image on millions of young people around the world who were inspired to learn to play guitar after watching Presley in performance, on television, or in films. Although not known for his abilities as a guitarist, Presley had a profound musical influence on some of the most important rock and roll artists to emerge since the 1950s, including Buddy Holly, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen. The extent of Presley's impact on their lives and music is captured in John Lennon's famous quote: "Before Elvis, there was nothing."

Contents

• Performance guitars
• Film guitars
• References

According to his first lead guitarist, Scotty Moore, Presley was not "an accomplished musician", yet he possessed "an uncanny and amazing sense of timing and rhythm." In the early years of his career, Presley's rhythm guitar accompaniment played a major role in the sound of his early performances and recordings. Moore noted that as Presley began to learn to move on stage and to work the audience with his physical performance, his guitar became more of a "prop".

Presley was not known to treat his instruments in a gentle manner. His very aggressive strumming style would frequently break strings during his performances. The lack of a microphone on his guitar throughout those years contributed to the development of his "aggressive style in attempt to be heard". As his career progressed, he became even more aggressive toward his instruments, frequently tossing his guitar to Charlie Hodge, who sometimes failed to catch it. The impact of the large belt buckles and jewelry he wore left their marks on most of his instruments.