Although the Fender Esquire was the first popular solid-body electric guitar, it was far from the first. That accolade almost certainly belongs to George Beauch

Although the Fender Esquire was the first popular solid-body electric guitar, it was far from the first. That accolade almost certainly belongs to George Beauchamp while working for Rickenbacker - he has a patent for a solid-body instrument dated 1932. Lloyd Loar released a number of popular semi-hollow instruments through the Vivi-Tone company in the mid-1930s. https://reverb.com/uk/news/who-really-invented-the-electric-guitar https://reverb.com/uk/news/who-really-invented-the-electric-... https://patents.google.com/patent/US2089171 https://patents.google.com/patent/US2089171