Classical

• The first six-string classical guitars were built by Gaetano Vinaccia in the 1790's after working for his family's mandolin building business.
  
  

Flamenco

• Flamenco guitars have been used in traditional Spanish music for hundreds of years, but was brought to the larger public's attention during the later half of the 1800's by two makers, Jose and Manuel Ramirez.
  
  

Acoustic

• The Martin guitar company revolutionized the acoustic guitar market during the 1850s when it developed its "x-bracing" system, which provided a better mix of strength and sound quality.
  
  

Archtop

• Orville Gibson, who later founded the Gibson guitar company, is credited with developing the Archtop guitar around the turn of the 20th century.
  
  

Electric

• The electric guitar was first mass produced in the 1930s under the Rickenbacker name, though guitarist Les Paul is often cited as the "father" of the electric guitar due to his contribution to the instrument's development.
  
  

Twelve-String Guitar

• The first era of the twelve string guitar began in the 1920s when Blind Willie McTell used the instrument during his performances and recordings.