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The History of The Electric Guitar

The History of the Electric Guitar presented by IndigoBoom.com Around 1800 The introduction of the modern six string Spanish style guitar. 1830s Christian Frederick Martin - German born American luthier makesthe first guitar. By the 1850s Martin develops "Xbracing" to reinforce the guitar's body plus other innovations leading to a new American flattop guitar design. 1890s Orville Gibson's carved-body guitar increases its volume, sets standards for instrument makers & blazes the trail for the archtop guitar. Around 1900 Steel strings became widely available. The Hawaiian, or steel, guitar differs from the standard Spanish-style guitar in that it's designed to be played horizontally with a sliding steel bar, a much easier technique than fingering the strings. 1920s & 1930s Engineers, makers & musicians begin to solve the challenges of electronic amplification. The electric guitar is born! Early 1920s Designer Lloyd Loar joins Gibson & refine the archtop "jazz" guitar into its now familiar form with f-holes, floating bridge and cel- lo-type tailpiece. Late 1920s Pickups are added to Hawaiian and "jazz" guitars. 1928 The first commercially advertised electric guitar. Made by the Stromberg-Voisinet company. 1932 The first commercially successful model: the Frying Pan. Developed and marketed by George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacker. They produce an electromagnetic pickup = a current passed through a coil of wire wrapped around a magnet, creates a field which amplifies the strings' vibrations. Around 1936 Gibson introduces the ES150 model. 1939 The Slingerland company commercially intro- duces a Spanish solid-body electric guitar. 1939 Charlie Christian is the first artist to develop a playing style unique to the electric guitar. Around 1940 Guitarist and inventor Les Paul mounts strings and pickups on a solid block of pine ("the Log“) to minimize body vibrations. Did you know? Controversy still exists as to whether Les Paul, Leo Fender, Paul Bigsby or O.W. Appleton constructed the very first solid-body guitar. 1930s & 1940s Electric guitar pioneers jazzmen Eddie Durham and Oscar Moore, country pickers Noel Boggs & Merle Travis, & blues masters T-Bone Walker & Muddy Waters. All experimented with the inst- rument's tonal and harmonic possibilities. 1940s Paul Bigsby & Leo Fender begin experimenting with Spanish-style solid-body guitar design. Radio repairman Leo Fender is the first to successfully mass-produce and market a Spanish-style solid-body electric guitar. 1950s The electric guitar is at the heart of rock and roll. 1952 Gibson becomes Fender's first major competitor, introducing its own solid-body guitar with the help of celebrity endorser Les Paul. 1950s - 196Os Rock stars secure Gibson and Paul's designs, as well as Fender's famous Stratocaster, a perma- nent place in American culture. 1960s • Electric guitarists become the superstars of rock • Time to experiment with new sounds and textures, like distortion and feedback • Jimi Hendrix: master of manipulated sound 1970s – 1980s • Loud, raunchy power chords, flashy solos & overall volume • Heavy metal • Floyd Rose improves solid-body guitar tremolo systems, making it possible to "dive bomb" repeatedly • Experiments with a wider range of guitar designs • The Fender "Strat" recalls the modern tail fins and imaginative colors of Detroit's cars • Gibson Flying V literally appears ready for takeoff ... and the story goes on Morshall RESOURCES: http://www.guyguitars.com/eng/handbook/BriefHistory.html http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/electricguitar3.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki:Christian_Frederick_Martin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_guitar http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/electric- guitar/invention htm presented by IndigoBoom.com Morshal indig bom!

The History of The Electric Guitar

shared by davidgjester on Sep 19
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From the first Spanish guitar introduced in the 1800`s and right up to the modern day axes, the electric guitar has a fascinating history. This infographic tells the story.

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