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