Guitar Fun Facts: 5 Interesting Trivia about an Instrument Dating Back Several Millennia

Guitars are among the oldest string elements known to human history. This wonderful instrument's earliest-known version has been traced back thousands of years to ancient Egypt.

Since its first rendition many years ago, the guitar has undergone revolutionary changes in the world of music as artists and scientists alike experimented with its limits and sound.

Musicians have broken records and made pivotal history with the stringed instrument, with some even going as far as naming and even marrying their guitars. Although there are numerous mind-blowing guitar fun facts, this article will focus on the five most interesting.

A close-up of electric guitars lined up in a music shop | Source: Getty Images

1. The earliest known guitar is over 3000 years old.

One of the oldest known guitar-like instruments was found in Egypt. It is estimated to be over 3500 years old and is believed to have been used to entertain Queen Hatshepsut, who ruled around 1450 BC. It was discovered in the Valley of Kings inside the late pharaoh's tomb.

It was also associated with a historical musician of the time named Har-Mose, and its structure drastically differed from modern guitar models. It had three strings with a round shape and was made of cleaned cedar and a rawhide soundboard.

2. A British guitarist married his guitar.

Chris Black made headlines in the early 2000s after marrying his red Fender Stratocaster. The British guitarist had acquired the guitar in the 1960s and had it for 35 years when he tied the knot with it.

"We've had such a long engagement that I decided it was time we did the decent thing," he explained. Black admitted his wife disapproved. "My wife thinks I'm crazy," he said. "When I die, I want to be buried with it." Black died in 2016.

3. The smallest guitar in the world is the nano guitar.

The smallest playable guitar in the world was built and introduced to the world in the late 1990s by Harold G. Craighead and Dustin W. Carr at Cornell University. It was dubbed the Nano Guitar.

Measured at 10 microns, it is smaller than a human blood cell and can only be seen with a powerful microscope. Despite its size, the tiny six-string instrument is playable, though it exudes a sound unintelligible to the human ear.

4. The Fender factory produces enough strings to circle the earth daily.

The renowned Fender factory produces over 90,000 strings a day, which equates to 20,000 miles of string annually, enough to circle the earth.

Different guitar necks are seen at the Fender factory, in Corona, California, on October 6, 2022. | Source: Getty Images

5. A musician from Dublin broke the Guinness World Record with the longest guitar-thon.

"I am absolutely ecstatic! It feels surreal. I have to say, I am incredibly lucky to have had such great support from friends, family, and fellow musicians and visitors to the pub, as they really kept me going. It was an amazing experience," Browne said of his victory.

The artist made a significant contribution to guitar history. The instrument may be thousands of years old, but as the facts listed above illustrate, it continues to have a real impact.

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