Most people if asked as when they think the guitar was invented, would probably answer recently... that is within the last few hundred years or so. In actuality, the history of the guitar is quite extensive. In fact, few are aware that the present day guitar is the descendant of some of the most ancient instruments often referred to as tars. The word "tar" actually means STRING in. These instruments, and the name tar, go back thousands of years to the area we have come to call "The Fertile Crescent". There are artifacts in museums around the world that prove the existence of these early guitar type instruments (some also apparently with frets), played with picks, fingers and sometimes even a bow (pointing to the tar family preceding the violin). This means not only is the guitar much older than many are aware of, but that some of our most respected instruments today might not have even come to be if not for their ancient ancestor, the tar. Keep this in mind when those who do not know say unfavorable things about your choice of an instrument... the guitar.Craig Smith