<Li> Pedal steel guitar </Li> <P> Electric lap steel guitars without sounding boards are considered to be solid - body instruments by some authorities, and not by others . This has a major effect on some claims of historical priority, as they predate the first models of solid - body electric guitar, which may otherwise be claimed to be the first commercially successful solid - body instruments . While noting this, it will be assumed that electric lap steels without sounding boards are solid - body instruments for the purposes of this article . </P> <P> The first commercially successful solid - body instrument was the Rickenbacker frying pan lap steel guitar, produced from 1931 to 1939 . The first commercially available non lap steel guitar was also produced by the Rickenbacker / Electro company, starting in 1931 The model was referred to as the "electric Spanish Guitar" to distinguish it from the "Hawaiian" lap steel . </P> <P> The first commercially successful solid - body electric guitar was the Fender Broadcaster in 1950 . A trademark dispute with the Gretsch Corporation who marketed a line of Broadcaster drums led to a name change to the current designation, Fender Telecaster in 1951 (Transition instruments produced between the two model names had no model name on the head stock and are now referred to as' No Casters "). Fender also produced a one pickup version called the Fender Esquire starting in 1950 . These were followed by the Gibson Les Paul in 1952 . </P>

When was the first solid body electric guitar made