History of the Electric Guitar

The history of the electric guitar is not as long as many people may think. Invented about 70 years ago by Adolph Rickenbacker, the electric guitar has not been around for as many years as its acoustic friend. Learning about the history of the electric guitar may help a player learn more about their own guitar as many of the present guitar features players take advantage of are the result of the guitar's evolution.

Early electric guitars were fitted with tungsten pickups. The idea of the electric guitar had been around for a few decades before anyone really gave much thought to creating an electric version. The radio recording industry that blossomed in the 1920's gave rise to new advents in relation to the electric guitar. Technology had become slightly more advanced and more readily available. An early version of the electric guitar was made by Stromberg-Voisnet in 1928 and involved vibrations being picked up by a soundboard.

In the late 1920's, guitar makers Beauchamp and Rickenbacker collaborated together to create a resonator for their guitars. Later, in the early 1930's, Rickenbacker began to use pickups to transmit the sound. Once Rickenbacker began to mass-produce their electric guitars, guitar players starting with Charlie Christian began to use the new guitar to create their own style of playing.

In the 1940's, the electric guitar began to increase in both popularity and style. Gibson and Fender both became known names in the world of guitars. Les Paul created the first solid body electric guitar in 1941. Unlike prior editions of the electric guitar, the solid body did not have any sound holes. While some may think of the early Les Pauls as primitive guitars since they were made of little more than strings and a solid block of wood, they helped set an important pathway for future advancements. Fender started a company called K&F and began to produce steel guitars and amplifiers. He also started a new type of pickups.

The two main guitars to come forth in this era, the Gibson Les Paul and the Fender Broadcaster Electric, still remain two of the most well known and popular guitar models out there.

In the 1960's, sound effects in the guitar began to evolve. Distortion, gain and clipping all became popular electric guitar sounds. The style became especially popular in the late 1960's when bands such as Led Zeppelin began using bows and other elements to make trippy noises not heard prior.

The 1970's saw more advances in sound effect technology while the 1980's and 1990's saw the increase of digital capabilities. Now, sound effects that could only be performed manually could now be replicated through the guitar, its amplifier or in software.

In the early 2000's, Gibson created the first digital guitar. This advancement was the result of the past advancements in the electric rig.

Over the years, there have been numerous advancements in the style of the guitar. Though some may consider some of these advancements silly, many have come to enjoy the opportunities that they gave. Styles include such elements as multiple string guitars (such as the twelve string or seven string guitar) or double necks. There are also now acoustic-electric guitars, solid bodied, hollowed body and numerous other types of electric guitars. There are even numerous different styles of pedals and tuners that can be used to produce a plethora of different effects.

To some, the connection between the history of the electric guitar and their own playing may not be clear. After all, what does the first electric guitar have to do with a player's individual guitar? While it may not be obvious, the two are connected as one would not be possible without the other. The way that players use their guitars nowadays will set the future advancements that the electric guitar will take in the coming years.

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