| Originally guitars were all acoustic, and the | | | | guitar was not made of wood however, and was |
| volume achievable by such guitars was quite | | | | in fact made of cast aluminium, with steel |
| enough for the environments in which they | | | | strings. This was officially named the |
| were played. However, as music developed and | | | | Rickenbacker, but was more commonly referred |
| the locations in which it performed grew | | | | to as the Frying Pan or Pancake Guitar for |
| larger, and with the introduction of | | | | obvious reasons. The sound of this guitar was |
| accompanying instruments, it became necessary | | | | quite aggressive, with a very modern feel to |
| to increase the volume and sound of the | | | | its voice. |
| guitar. Especially with jazz gaining in | | | | |
| popularity, the brass instruments would | | | | In the 1940s Les Paul was still developing |
| simply drown out the guitar, and so solutions | | | | ideas for the electric guitar, and in his own |
| had to be found. | | | | time he created the log guitar, which derived |
| | | | its name from the fact that it was |
| It was Les Paul, a major innovator in the | | | | constructed from a simple 4x4 wooden post, |
| world of guitars, experimented with attaching | | | | with a neck attached to one end. The pickups |
| microphones to guitars, and this led to some | | | | were home made, and there were two halves of |
| of the earliest electric guitars, although | | | | the body attached purely for appearance sake. |
| these were generally simply hollow acoustic | | | | This guitar was patented, and was the first |
| guitars with tungsten pickups. In 1931 these | | | | of its kind, although the Gibson Electric |
| were being manufactured by the Electro String | | | | Guitar designed later by Les Paul shares no |
| Instrument Corporation, and the design of an | | | | characteristics at all, and it seems to have |
| acoustic guitar with a hollow body and a | | | | been a one off. |
| tungsten pickup was devised by Harry Watson, | | | | |
| and this model was called the Rickenbacker. | | | | The next major development in the world of |
| This was officially the very first electric | | | | the electric guitar was in the mid 1940s when |
| guitar, although still a very long way off | | | | Richard D Bourgerie, who was employed making |
| the ones we see today. Although they were | | | | electrical equipment during the second World |
| used, and popular, straight away, the first | | | | War for the US military at the Howard Radio |
| documented record of an early electric guitar | | | | Company, created an electric guitar pickup |
| being used in a public performance was in | | | | and amplifier combination for George Barnes. |
| Kansas in 1932, when Gage Brewer helped to | | | | Barnes in turn showed this new design to Les |
| publicise this new type of guitar in a | | | | Paul who requested another be constructed for |
| special Halloween performance. | | | | himself. |
| | | | |
| The first recording of an electric guitar is | | | | Today there seem to be as many different |
| often attributed to Eddie Durham, but in fact | | | | makes and models of electric guitar as there |
| this is incorrect, and fifteen days earlier | | | | are players, and if you are entering the |
| George Barnes, a jazz guitarist, recorded | | | | world of the electric guitar yourself for the |
| Sweetheart Land and It's a Low-Down Dirty | | | | first time, you may be slightly taken aback |
| Shame in Chicago in 1938. It was Durham, | | | | by the sheer range of options, features and |
| however, who introduced the early electric | | | | designs available. Essentially, however, they |
| guitar to Charlie Christian, who became one | | | | all share more or less the same basic |
| of the most significant influences for many | | | | features, with a body that is either solid or |
| decades on electric guitars in jazz music. | | | | hollow, usually six steel strings, and |
| | | | perhaps the biggest and most significant |
| The electric guitar we know and recognise | | | | choice, the pickup. Depending upon the type |
| today usually has a solid body, although not | | | | of pickup, the guitar may well sound quite |
| always. The solid body electric guitar is | | | | different, and this is perhaps the one place |
| made of wood - often a single piece where | | | | to look most carefully. |
| possible. The earliest solid body electric | | | | |