Originally Posted by: acapella rapeme... What I AM saying is that the Les Paul was an original design ...

It was a fairly obvious evolution of traditional acoustic guitar design, including traditional construction techniques. And it was contemporary with several other designs that were very similar. For example, research some early Bigsby designs.

The Gibson Les Paul is basically a 'signature series' guitar. Les Paul was a big part in developing it along with the staff at Gibson, but it was not a ground-breaking, "original" design. The guitar that bears his name was a matter of recognising a popular and highly-skilled player, much like the Steve Vai JEM series, or the EVH Peaveys, or the Nuno Bettencourt and Dimebag Darryl Washburns.

The man's rightful reputation as a pioneer is based on his work in multi-track recording technology. That was something truly original, and it changed the course of musical history.