A Short History of the Electric Guitar

Electric guitars are strongly associated withuntil the 1950's, when Fender released its first
famous musicians of the twentieth century-andsolid-body model: the Esquire. The Esquire was
may be the iconic musical instrument of our time.followed by the Telecaster and finally, in 1954, the
Here's a brief history of their rise in popular music.Stratocaster.
During the Big Band Era in the 20's and 30's,The aggressive sound of the electric guitar
performers experimented with attachingbecame characteristic of rock and roll in the 60's
microphones to acoustic guitars in order toand 70's. It was a high-profile instrument during
amplify the sound. Most electric guitars werethis time, appearing on stage with dozens of
hollow-bodied acoustics with electric pickups. Butfamous bands and musicians.
the hollow space within the guitar producedThis created demand for affordable electric
vibrations that made harsh feedback whenguitars. In the 60's and 70's, electric guitars were
interacting with electric pickups.too expensive for ordinary buyers. But it wasn't
Manufacturers experimented with solid-bodyuntil the 1980's that Japanese manufacturers
guitars to get rid of the feedback. One of thestepped forward with affordable electric guitars
earlier solid-body guitars was an aluminiumthat sounded good. This put pressure on
instrument known as the "Frying Pan" or "PancakeAmerican companies such as Gibson and Fender
Guitar." In 1940, Les Paul attempted a solid-bodyto provide their own affordable lines.
instrument called the "log guitar," so called becauseToday, the electric guitar is one of the most
it was a simple post equipped with neck, strings,prolific instruments in popular music. You can find it
and pickups.in a wide variety of genres, from metal to New
The electric guitar did not hit commercial successAge.