If you adore rock and roll music then you probably have some favorite guitar players from over the years. And regardless of if you you are not a massive rock and roll fan, you may be familier with the names I'm going to say.
But I bet you didn't notice that you might not have heard about any of them without the invention of the electrical guitar. In fact , rock and roll might not even exist if guitars weren't invented that would play at the volume and with the sound that we've all come to know and love. The invention of the electrical guitar was really an invention that modified music for evermore. Here's how...
The Beginning of Electric Guitar
The electric guitar as it is known today hasn't truly been around all that long. There were early designs in the 1920's and 30's, and Gibson offered a commercially available electrical guitar in 1936. But none really caught on in any large way.
Although you could find electrified guitars back then, they were never that effective in a live music setting because they were based on hollow-body arch top guitars. If you attempted to turn them up they tended to feed back and make a howling noise. That is the reason why they were mostly used for rhythm and seldom could be loud enough to take leads in a full band band setting.
And early guitars had an uneven sound with some strings being louder than others. In general, the electric guitar wasn't ready for prime time. And it certainly wasn't prepared for Rock and Roll.
Leo Fender changed all that.
Leo Fender was the inventor of the first available solid body electrical guitar. With the solid body electric, players could actually turn the instrument up loud enough to cut through an entire band. Leo radically modified music, and the rock and roll of the 50's and 60's may not have happened without him. It certainly would have sounded very different.
And the first solid body electric guitars were radically different than what had come before. They looked like creatures from another planet compared to typical guitars of the time. Most guitars of the 30's and 40's looked like a typical acoustic guitar with a big, hollow body and had a typical acoustic sound you'd expect. It was a beautiful sound but only acceptable for certain styles of music.
When Leo Fender invented the Broadcaster guitar in 1951, which would soon be called a Telecaster due to trademark issues, it was totally different than anything else around. It was angular with a totally new shape and only about 2 inches deep with 2 specially designed microphones, called pickups, that captured the sound of the strings. It was light but really compact yet still had a solid piece of wood that resonated with a really, well, solid sound. It is a complete sea change from other guitars.
Inside a couple of years, Gibson Guitars created their own solid-body guitar, the Les Paul. It was based totally on an invention by jazz guitar player Les Paul who also had been working on a solid body electric guitar individually. Some even say that he was the first inventor of a solid body electric, and that may be true, although it was not commercially popular till a bit later .
Guitar Amps Were A Big Factor Too
Although the guitar could now be played loudly it needed to be amplified. Many of these early guitar amplifiers came from Fender also , but Gibson and others offered them also. Many of these early amps are valued by collectors and guitarists for their unique and pleasing sounds.
And the amplifier itself had a major impact on the sound as well. You can say the sound of the electric guitar was a wedding between the guitar and the amp used. The amp modified the sound that was produced and when turned up loudly created a distortion that was quite enjoyable to guitar players. Early blues guitarists and later rock and roll guitar strummer sought that distorted sound. This sound was something that was totally new to music and spawned that early blues and rock and roll sound we came to enjoy in the 1950's.
At last, players like Jimi Hendrix and Pete Townsend of The Who used this distortion to extreme levels to create the sound of the 60's and psychedelic music. Amps had gotten louder and the sound was more creative than ever. The 1960's truly was the decade when the electric guitar and amplification evolved to the point at which it is today.
And it all started with Leo Fender and his invention, the solid-body electric guitar. Blues guitarists and rock and roll guitarists alike, owe it all to Leo.
But I bet you didn't notice that you might not have heard about any of them without the invention of the electrical guitar. In fact , rock and roll might not even exist if guitars weren't invented that would play at the volume and with the sound that we've all come to know and love. The invention of the electrical guitar was really an invention that modified music for evermore. Here's how...
The Beginning of Electric Guitar
The electric guitar as it is known today hasn't truly been around all that long. There were early designs in the 1920's and 30's, and Gibson offered a commercially available electrical guitar in 1936. But none really caught on in any large way.
Although you could find electrified guitars back then, they were never that effective in a live music setting because they were based on hollow-body arch top guitars. If you attempted to turn them up they tended to feed back and make a howling noise. That is the reason why they were mostly used for rhythm and seldom could be loud enough to take leads in a full band band setting.
And early guitars had an uneven sound with some strings being louder than others. In general, the electric guitar wasn't ready for prime time. And it certainly wasn't prepared for Rock and Roll.
Leo Fender changed all that.
Leo Fender was the inventor of the first available solid body electrical guitar. With the solid body electric, players could actually turn the instrument up loud enough to cut through an entire band. Leo radically modified music, and the rock and roll of the 50's and 60's may not have happened without him. It certainly would have sounded very different.
And the first solid body electric guitars were radically different than what had come before. They looked like creatures from another planet compared to typical guitars of the time. Most guitars of the 30's and 40's looked like a typical acoustic guitar with a big, hollow body and had a typical acoustic sound you'd expect. It was a beautiful sound but only acceptable for certain styles of music.
When Leo Fender invented the Broadcaster guitar in 1951, which would soon be called a Telecaster due to trademark issues, it was totally different than anything else around. It was angular with a totally new shape and only about 2 inches deep with 2 specially designed microphones, called pickups, that captured the sound of the strings. It was light but really compact yet still had a solid piece of wood that resonated with a really, well, solid sound. It is a complete sea change from other guitars.
Inside a couple of years, Gibson Guitars created their own solid-body guitar, the Les Paul. It was based totally on an invention by jazz guitar player Les Paul who also had been working on a solid body electric guitar individually. Some even say that he was the first inventor of a solid body electric, and that may be true, although it was not commercially popular till a bit later .
Guitar Amps Were A Big Factor Too
Although the guitar could now be played loudly it needed to be amplified. Many of these early guitar amplifiers came from Fender also , but Gibson and others offered them also. Many of these early amps are valued by collectors and guitarists for their unique and pleasing sounds.
And the amplifier itself had a major impact on the sound as well. You can say the sound of the electric guitar was a wedding between the guitar and the amp used. The amp modified the sound that was produced and when turned up loudly created a distortion that was quite enjoyable to guitar players. Early blues guitarists and later rock and roll guitar strummer sought that distorted sound. This sound was something that was totally new to music and spawned that early blues and rock and roll sound we came to enjoy in the 1950's.
At last, players like Jimi Hendrix and Pete Townsend of The Who used this distortion to extreme levels to create the sound of the 60's and psychedelic music. Amps had gotten louder and the sound was more creative than ever. The 1960's truly was the decade when the electric guitar and amplification evolved to the point at which it is today.
And it all started with Leo Fender and his invention, the solid-body electric guitar. Blues guitarists and rock and roll guitarists alike, owe it all to Leo.
About the Author:
Rick Honeyboy Hart is a long time blues guitarist. He's played in several bands over the years and now helps others learn how to play the blues guitar on his website www.BluesGuitarInsider.com
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