| In The Beginning | | | | "Log." |
| | | | |
| The guitar's soft melodic tone made it | | | | Around this same time, guitarist Merle Travis |
| difficult for people to hear it when being | | | | and engineer Paul Bigsby developed a |
| played alongside other instruments. So during | | | | solid-body electric guitar that resembled the |
| the 1930's an inventive individual decided to | | | | solid-body guitars that we're so familiar |
| change that and invented the first electric | | | | with today. |
| guitar. Little did he know, or have imagined | | | | |
| way back then how the invention of the | | | | The First Mass Produced Electric Guitar |
| electric guitar would significantly affect | | | | |
| the course of 20th century music. | | | | Leo Fender in 1950 was the first to mass |
| | | | produce an electric guitar which was |
| Like most new things, the electric guitar had | | | | originally called the Fender Broadcaster. |
| its critics but it quickly won people over | | | | This guitar was quickly re-named to the |
| because of its ability to allow musicians to | | | | infamous Telecaster because the name |
| play much more creatively and express their | | | | "Broadcaster" was already being used by |
| own individual styles. | | | | another company. Leo followed this up in 1954 |
| | | | with the most renowned guitar of all |
| The First Pickup | | | | time…the Stratocaster. |
| | | | |
| In 1924 an inventive engineer working for the | | | | Leo's success led other guitar manufacturers |
| Gibson guitar company named Lloyd Loar, | | | | into developing their own mass-produced |
| designed the first magnetic pickup. Using a | | | | electric guitars. Most notable was the |
| magnet, he converted guitar string vibrations | | | | teaming-up of the Gibson guitar company with |
| into electrical signals, which then were | | | | Les Paul to create the famous Gibson Les Paul |
| amplified through a speaker system. This | | | | electric guitar. |
| first pickup was crude, but it was a great | | | | |
| beginning. | | | | More Affordable Electric Guitars |
| | | | |
| The First Electric Guitar | | | | During the 1960's and 1970's famous brand |
| | | | name electric guitars were too expensive for |
| In 1931 the Electro String Company was | | | | the average person to buy. Less pricey |
| founded by Paul Barth, George Beauchamp and | | | | imitations quickly came to market but they |
| Adolph Rickenbacker, and developed the first | | | | were sub-standard in sound and playability. |
| electric guitars marketed to the general | | | | The Japanese, in the 1980's started |
| public. They made their guitars from cast | | | | manufacturing electric guitars of similar |
| aluminum and were played on a person's lap | | | | quality to the more expensive American made |
| using a steel slide much like today's steel | | | | models, but with much more affordable |
| guitar. Because of their unusual material, | | | | pricing. This prompted Fender and other |
| they were affectionately called "Frying | | | | leading guitar manufacturers into producing |
| Pans." | | | | less expensive versions of their classic |
| | | | models. This resulted in electric guitars now |
| The early success of the frying pans prompted | | | | being more affordable and accessible to more |
| the Gibson guitar company to build their | | | | people. |
| first electric guitar, the ES-150 which is a | | | | |
| legend today. | | | | Today, the Gibson and Fender guitar companies |
| | | | are still producing some of the most |
| The First Solid-Body Electric Guitar | | | | well-known and best made electric guitars on |
| | | | the market. But it's getting crowded with |
| Electric guitars were quickly becoming | | | | other high quality brands such as BC Rich, |
| popular, even though there was a major | | | | ESP and Peavey. Innovative designs, shapes |
| problem with their construction. Their bodies | | | | and materials are being incorporated with new |
| would vibrate due to the amplified sounds | | | | technologies to produce better sounding |
| coming through the speakers they were played | | | | electric guitars. |
| into, causing what we know as feed-back. The | | | | |
| obvious remedy was to build a guitar made | | | | Modern guitars have built-in software |
| with a solid body which wouldn't vibrate so | | | | allowing them to sound like other types of |
| easily. | | | | guitars. Some are even fitted with pickups |
| | | | that synthesize the sound of different |
| As with most innovations, there is | | | | instruments or record the notes in musical |
| controversy over who invented the first solid | | | | notation. |
| -body electric guitar. Guitar legend Les Paul | | | | |
| in the 1940's developed his affectionately | | | | The electric guitar has come a long way with |
| called "The Log" solid-body guitar by | | | | an interesting and inventive past and many in |
| attaching a Gibson neck to a solid piece of | | | | the industry say it has an even brighter |
| wood…a railroad tie, hence the name | | | | future. |