Google doodle honors guitar legend Les Paul

Google’s hit another high note in their boundless search for frivolity.

Remember when the Google doodles actually spelled Google?

Today, the online giant’s “doodle” is a working musical instrument of sorts — an homage to guitar legend and inventor Les Paul — who was born on this date in 1915.

The electric guitar pioneer and inveterate tinkerer, who died in 2009, would be impressed. The oddly-shaped virtual instrument allows users to pluck strings and concoct tunes.

Turn it up to 11 to really annoy office co-workers.

Paul, one of the first to overdub musical tracks, would appreciate the “record” button, which provides a URL so you can send your composition to those who actually work at work or create a backing track for an epic solo.

Curiously, different Google sites have different versions of the doodle. The one at Google UK has a keyboard button, which makes it a bit easier to create tunes. The Godfather theme would go something like this: d h k j h k h j h f g d.

Check out YouTube, another Google product, for a plethora of virtual rockers.

Nicely done, but you have to think the working Pac Man doodle, which absorbed 5 million man hours of productivity, is still Google’s greatest work of interactive art.

If that’s not enough to keep you slacking, consider the free Angry Birds game.