For example the earliest guitars doubled as weapons such as small hunting bows, which doubled as a 'twanged' instrument which when held over the mouth of the hunter, turned their skulls into soundboards. The sound would resonate in their head and create the pitch. This kind of playing technique is apparently still used today. In present day it is known as the “okongao” or “cora” in certain parts of Africa. Other early guitars include chords strung over turtle shells, wires on clay pots, and strings over wooden bowls. (“Some guitar History”)

All these “early guitars” are very different from how the modern guitar looks. So when did the modern guitar first “take shape”? In the middle ages the female body inspired the art of the time. The trend was to relate art of all forms back to the female body. So it was during this time when they reshaped the guitar from the old strings on a round bowl to it having characteristics of the female body. For example the guitar became softly r

The interiors of today’s guitars are also much different than they were earlier. Early struts were designed only to keep the soundboard straight and prevent the neck from pulling forward. They did not serve to distribute the vibrations from the strings evenly. Also our guitars have one circular, open hole. Earlier instruments were much more of an art, with multiple holes in various positions on the soundboard even though it created a more muffled sound. (“Some Guitar History”) Another difference is that we tune our guitars with polished steel gears on an open gearbox. (“Musicians Friend Magazine Cut-Out”) Until the mid-1800's, they used pegs, like that of a violin. Frets on our guitars are fixed. In the middle ages they would tie “gut frets” and approximate the location to get the correct note pitches. The number of these frets during these earlier times ranged from 9 to 17. (“Some Guitar History”)

Here are some of the features of older guitars that have given way to the instruments we now have.

The most well known name in the design of the modern guitar is Antonio de Torres Jurado (1817-92). Torres developed lighter instruments, using thinner wood for the back, ribs and top. He set the vibrating length of the string at 65 cm. He refined the interior bracing to get a better vibration pattern from the soundboard. He increased the body size and width of the neck to allow easier chord development. Indeed, the guitar that we play on now is probably very similar to the instruments made by Antonio Torres back in 1850. Of all the developments that slowly evolved over time the most aggressive ones were done by Torres in this short period. (“Some Guitar History”)

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