The classical guitar is quite a quiet instrument and although very widely played in the early years of the twentieth century, it was not used much in bands because it could not compete with the volume of the other instruments. For years guitarists and inventors experimented with different ways of making an electric guitar which could play much louder.
Fender
The first electric guitars were produced in the USA before the Second World War by a variety of makers, but the first commercially successful electric guitar with a solid body was made by californian inventer Leo Fender and went on sale in 1950. It was called the Fender Broadcaster. The guitar is still being produced today by the Fender company but it is known, as it has been since 1951, as a Telecaster. See how the a modern Telecaster looks.
