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Guitars
While fretted and stringed chordophones appear in many world cultures across several millennia, the modern guitar has a long history in popular music as a fundamental component of folk, jazz, blues, country, rock, and other music styles. With the advent of electric amplification in the 1930s, the guitar became a significant presence in the popular music landscape, where it remains today.
MoPOP has a large number of acoustic and electric guitars, basses, and related instruments in the permanent collection. These historic objects help illustrate the evolution of the guitar in the 20th century and beyond, as well as the musicians who used these instruments of wire and wood to create some of the most memorable sounds in popular music.