Amplified: A Design History of the Electric Guitar.

Atkinson suggests that the problem was that, apart from being extremely expensive and not very reliable, guitar synths were essentially different instruments, which could not be played like a normal guitar - and few guitarists were willing to make the effort to learn to play them from scratch. "Iconic" is a grossly over-used term; yet the electric guitar genuinely is iconic, held in high reverence by many musicians and fans, and instantly evoking a strong set of cultural associations. Also, discussed is the guitar-synth - electronic guitars (or guitar-like instruments) designed to control a synthesiser. [Extracted from the article]