Yes, on pop records - but NOT in skiffle/folk clubs, which were going by 1954-55, & were ALL guitarsguitarsguitarsguitars wall·2·bloody·wall, weren't they? Look at the title of this thread again — we are not talking about guitars in mainstream pop; we are talking about them in Folk. If you had gone into any record shop anywhere, here or in US, in late 40s, & asked for records by Burl Ives or Josh White,[even Elton Hayes or Woody Guthrie or Big Bill Broonzy] do you think there was a single shop, even in Poole, who would have looked blank at you & declared they had never heard of them? Away you!!!

Furthermore, one of you said the banjo was more common in jazz groups of the time — but what of BLUES, FFS!? I heard Cyril Davies & Alex Korner first off in 1955.