Although guitars of various forms have been around for thousands of years,
they were predominantly a rhythm instrument, or an accompaniment for
vocals due to their lack of volume.
It wasn’t until the twentieth century when that all changed: With the
birth of the electric guitar.
The First Electric Guitars
The push for electric guitars came from Hawaiian musicians, who primarily
used the guitar as an instrument to play melodies (or ‘lead’). The guitar
wasn’t just some instrument to be strummed incoherently in the background
for these musicians. It took pride of place.
Playing Hawaiian music in Los Angeles, musician and inventor, George
Beauchamp, allegedly created the very first crude electric guitar on his
dining room table.
This was following the invention in 1924 of the first magnetic pick-up.
Working for the Gibson guitar company, inventive engineer, Lloyd Loar,
devised a system of using a magnet which converted string vibrations into
electronic signals. These signals were then amplified through a speaker
system.
1931 saw the founding of the Electro String Company. It was formed by
George Beauchamp, Paul Barth, and Adolph Rickenbacker. This company
developed the first electric guitars to be marketed to the general public.
Made from aluminium, the guitars were designed to be played on the
musician’s lap using a slide; very similar to today’s steel guitars. Due
to their construction and shape, they were dubbed ‘The Frying Pan’.
Beauchamp received a patent for his invention in 1937. The patented design
was a small guitar body. Two horseshoe-shaped magnets were placed on top
of the body, with the guitar strings running between the magnets. However,
prior to this patent date, several other companies were already
manufacturing their own versions of electric guitars.
Due to the early success of the ‘Frying Pan’, the Gibson Guitar Company
was inspired to design and produce their legendary ES-150 electric guitar.
Early electric guitars, like most new things, had their critics. But the
new sound, which enabled the musician to not only be heard, but be more
expressive and individual in his guitar playing, soon won people over.
Technical headaches beset the earliest models. Traditional musicians
preferred the shape of the Spanish-style guitars, which were constructed
of wood and hollow-bodied. They looked less like frying pans and more like
genuine guitars. The problem was, when the sound resonated in the hollow
body, it often produced sharp feedback through the magnetic pick-ups. Rags
and newspapers were stuffed into the guitar bodies in an attempt to reduce
the problem.
The Solid-Body Electric
The obvious and permanent solution to this dilemma was a solid-body
guitar. There is some controversy over who actually invented the
solid-body electric guitar, but it is generally attributed to guitar
pioneer and legend, Les Paul. Paul developed an instrument that was
affectionately called ‘The Log’. He basically attached a Gibson neck to a
solid piece of wood and used telephone parts for a pick-up. Playing it for
the first time in a New York City night club, people really didn’t know
what to make of it. After that dubious performance, Paul decided to attach
the body off a Spanish guitar and glue it to ‘The Log’. Now resembling a
more traditional-looking guitar, it received a much more favourable
response.
Joining forces around this same time, engineer Paul Bigsby and guitarist
Merle Travis produced a solid-body electric guitar that resembles the
electric guitars in use today.
Further Innovations
1943 saw Californian radio repairman, Leo Fender, team up with musician,
Doc Kaufman. Together they built a solid-body guitar prototype that was a
lot like the original ‘Frying Pan’. This new design integrated much more
sophisticated pickups and tone controls however.
The Fender Musical Instruments Company was formed and by 1950, were
pumping out copies of the Esquire, the Broadcaster, and then the
Telecaster. The Fender Stratocaster made its debut in 1954. Fender was the
first company to mass produce electric guitars.
Up until this point the Gibson Guitar Company was the nations biggest
guitar producer. When Fender was looking like taking over the mantle,
Gibson launched the Gibson Les Paul in 1952, with the assistance of jazz
musician Les Paul himself.
Despite Rickenbacker having produced electric guitars in the 1930’s, the
Rickenbacker company didn’t really receive fame and reach prominence until
the 1960’s. On the Ed Sullivan show in 1964, John Lennon used a
Rickenbacker guitar for the Beatles’ debut performance. Later, George
Harrison was given one of the company’s earliest twelve string electric
guitars. Not to be left out, Paul McCartney made use of a Rickenbacker
bass guitar for recording. The Beatles were one of the mainstays for the
Rickenbacker company, and they used these guitars throughout their
careers. This went a long way in creating popularity for Rickenbacker with
other musicians.
The Modern Era
Today, the majority of modern electric guitars are still based on these
early models.
In the 1960’s and 70’s, brand name electric guitars were way too expensive
for the average player. Japanese technology throughout the 1980’s produced
more affordable electric guitars. Gradually the quality of these guitars
improved and the price stayed down. Americans brands such as Fender were
forced to start producing less expensive versions of their classic models.
Nowadays, there is decent-quality electric guitar on the market to suit
every budget; ranging from models costing tens of thousands of dollars
right down to the fifty dollar special from the discount shop.
Today, every budding enthusiast can afford to live the dream of becoming
the next electric guitar legend!
About The Author:
Born in Sydney, Australia, Darren G. Burton has been writing for more than
20 years. He has written numerous full length works of fiction and
non-fiction. In addition to his books, he has had many articles and short
stories published in major Australian and international publications.
