Some of the most popular electric instruments you will already be aware of are the Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster, both solid body electric guitars with single coil pick ups fitted as standard.
Refining the Fender design through personal customisation or manufacture by companies like Ibanez makes the ‘super strat’ a ubiquitous instrument, which incorporates humbucker pick ups and a more sophisticated tremelo system together with a locking nut.
Equally popular the Gibson Les Paul features as an instrument of choice for many rock players. Twin coil or humbucker pick ups eliminate buzz and interference when playing with high gain settings and distortion. The Gibson SG, Explorer and Firebird are also favourites for stadium fillers.
Gibson, Gretch and Rickenbacker manufacture semi-acoustic or hollow body electric guitars and though ‘other brands are available’ most of the sounds you’ve heard on record for the last 50 years will have been made by one of these instruments.