Les Paul, recording-tech pioneer, dies at 94  Legendary jazz
guitarist Les Paul's reputation as a guitarist and recording
artist are overshadowed by his contributions to music
technology.  Les Paul with his iconic Gibson Les Paul guitar.
Legendary jazz guitarist Les Paul, known for his contributions
to guitar design and recording technology, has died at the age
of 94, according to a joint statement released by Gibson Guitar,
the company that produced his iconic Gibson Les Paul guitar, and
New York's Iridium jazz club, where he continued to play weekly
gigs almost until the end of his life.  Paul's reputation as a
guitarist and recording artist are overshadowed by his
contributions to music technology. He pioneered many sound
recording techniques still in use today, and was also
instrumental in developing the modern solid-body electric
guitar, which formed the backbone of decades of popular music.
In the mid-1930s, Paul experimented with building an amplified
guitar, using a plank of lumber as the starting p