History of the Electric Guitar

1. History of the Electric Guitar By Justin Hayes

2. Invention of the electric pickup • Invented in late 1920’s by Lloyd Loar • Faraday’s Law of Induction • Didn’t catch on at all. • Adolph Rickenbacker and George Beauchamp • Perfected Loar’s design • Rickenbacker began selling the “Frying Pan” • Hawaiian lap steel players love it… …other players didn’t

4. Mass Production • Leo Fender invents the Telecaster • First mass produced solid body electric guitar • Cheap to produce, affordable • Gibson introduces the Les Paul • Higher end model endorsed by Les Paul • Both models are still sold today • “Solid Body” guitars are designed for amplification • Sound much better than old style modified hollow bodies, less feedback.

6. Continued • Guitars shapes have become increasingly modern (ex. Flying V) • Preamplifiers inside guitar • Basic construction and operation has stayed the same • Much cheaper now • Ex. Gibson and Epiphone, Fender and Squire

7. Amplifiers • Can’t have the electric guitar without the amplifier Guitar ---> Pre-Amp--->Power-Amp--->Speaker • First amplifiers were modified stereo equipment • Manufacturers started building guitar specific amp in the 1930’s • Until 1970’s most amps were tube powered • Refinement of silicon transistors led to “solid state” • Tube sound is sought after, solid state amps emulate tube amps, distortion. • Computer technology has lead to modeling amps • Can often emulate many (20+) different models

9. Questions?