Playing the Guitar

A Brief History of the Electric Guitar

As bands grew larger in the 30s and 40s, hence the term "the big band era", they got louder. Brass instruments are naturally loud and as these horn sections were added in strength to bands, who could hear an acoustic guitar over the din? As is usually the case necessity became the mother of invention and luthiers (guitar makers), engineers and musician's thoughts turned to finding a way to amplify a guitar's sound. Little did they know that the groundwork they laid would evolve into the modern technology of music made available today.

Initial attempts utilized microphones attached to hollow body guitars but the volume needed just could not be produced. In 1931 the Electro String Instrument Corporation created an electric guitar using tungsten pickups. It was called a Rickenbacker named after one of the company's owners, Adolf Rickenbacher. He changed the spelling of his last name to Rickenbacker partly because his cousin was the famed World War I combat ace Eddie Rickenbacker.

In the 1940's two of the most famous names in the electric guitar's history, Les Paul and Leo Fender, created their versions of this modern day instrument. Les Paul worked for the Epiphone Guitar company and in his spare time experimented with various electric guitar designs. Through the years the solid body Gibson Les Paul has become a mainstay of many rock guitarists instrument arsenals. The Fender Guitar company began with the Esquire, a solid body with a single magnetic pickup, followed with a two pickup model, the Broadcaster, whose name was changed to the Telecaster and in 1953, the Stratocaster was introduced.

Through the years many different models and designs of the electric guitar have appeared. Some mindbogglingly expensive and some quite affordable. There is also a wide variety of special effect devices and amplifiers to choose from. One of the coolest designs I've seen is the double neck electric six and twelve string used by Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi in the song Wanted Dead or Alive. Gibson also markets a Jimmy Page Signature double neck guitar.

One of rock's most prolific guitar owners is Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick. He owns a custom made five neck, yes you heard right, five neck guitar built by Hamer Guitars and has owned over 2,000 guitars at one time or another. I'm still working on mastering a single neck and this guy's on five. Amazing talent.