The guitar is not quite as logical as the piano. And when something is done that is truly spectacular like a Django Reinhardt solo, it tends not to be noticed as much by people who haven't had a musical background. The electric guitar changed this by becoming an agressive solo instrument in rock bands. Jimmy Hendrix was noticed by the general public. Eddie Lang comparitively was not.

The volume of the accoustic guitar is the reason. The harder you beat to get it to sound loud or have carrying power, it the worse it sounds. Even Count Basie's Freddie Greene was miced a lot of the time.

Bottom line. The accoustic guitar was never meant to be a showy instrument, Doc or Django withstanding. It's a rotten instrument if blazing virtuosity is what you're looking for such as in the hands of a Horowitz, Eddy Peabody, Dizzy Gillespie, Hendrix or ?. It will always be upstaged by a flashy fiddler, pianist, even mandolinist or banjo player. But as an accompaniment instrument, I believe it has no equal. It's more intimate than the piano, friendlier to the voice, supportive of other instruments, a great rhythm instrument, a versatile instrument accepted worldwide and beautiful to look at. What more could anyone ask for?

Frank Hamilton