The electric guitar is one of the most interesting instruments to date and contains some very interesting facts and knowledge that people are unaware of especially considering those that play the instrument. This instrument has been around for decades and has improved tremendously along the way.
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A Brief History of the Electric Guitar
Electric guitars became a need during the big band era in the 30s and 40s as jazz music orchestras; containing large brass sections that became larger with time. The first electric guitars that were used were made of a hollow arch-top acoustic guitar body with electromagnetic transducers attached.
Les Paul dared to experiment with the idea of electric guitars and attached microphones to a guitar. One of the earliest electric guitars used tungsten pickups with the acoustic guitar bodies.
The first use of an acoustic-electric guitar was by Gage Brewer, bandleader, and guitarist, who used two of the electric guitars in a performance in Wichita, Kansas in October 1932.
Coming closer to the style of the electric guitar we have today (a solid body that is made with solid wood and no resonating space) was the Frying Pan or Pancake Guitar, which was produced in 1931. As early as the mid-30s, Audiovox may have been the first to build a solid body guitar. Les Paul came to the scene with a solid body electric guitar in the early 40s.
Then came the popular brand Fender with the first commercially successful electric guitar in 1946, called the Esquire. This was a stretch from the hollow-bodied electric guitars and had only one pick up. These two pick-up versions of the Esquire were originally called the Broadcaster, but it was changed to Telecaster. In 1953, Fender introduced the Stratocaster, which was a deluxe version over the Telecaster.
The emergence of players like Chuck Berry, Jimmy Page, Jimmy Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Van Halen would revolutionize the world of music forever. These and other iconic guitarists would inspire generations of young musicians who would change the face of popular music all over the world, as they themselves had done. With electric guitars being affordable and easily accessible, mostly every boy (or girl) could mimic the techniques of their idols and propel this musical revolution into the future. The electric guitar had burst onto the scene, and it was clear that it would not be leaving any time soon.
Here are a few interesting electric guitar facts.
- George Beauchamp invented the first electrically amplified guitar in 1931. This is a perfect example of the great invention ideas created for humankind!
- Gibson Les Paul is named after early guitar experimenter and musician Les Paul.
- No electric ever cross or interferes with the instrument.
- Electromagnetic waves are utilized by an electric guitar to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric signals.
- No other musical instrument than an electric guitar has encountered as much impact on how music has evolved since the beginning of the twentieth century.
- It is capable of producing numerous styles of music such as jazz, rock, blues, Funk, soul, metal all from just 6 six strings.
- Solid wood is the main material used in this instrument.
- There are numerous versions of the electric guitar, such as 7, 8 and 9 and 12 stringed guitars, double-necked guitars, and even a five-necked guitar.
- Electric guitars use tremolo arms which can be fixed and removed easily which is used to change the pitch of the guitar strings.
- Jimi Hendrix experimented with the sound of the guitar in many different ways and went on to become the most famous guitarist.
- Quite interestingly, the Right-handed guitars are made differently to the Left-handed guitars although a right-handed instrument can be played by left-handed players but strung differently.
Points to Remember On What To Look For When Buying An Electric Guitar
- One has to consider several characteristics when choosing an electric guitar.
- Firstly understand the kind of sound you are looking for and what type of music do you enjoy playing.
- They are specifically designed uniquely for most types of music.
- Hard rockers want a specific sound and a specific kind of action (how the strings feel and operate on the fretboard).
- A Jazz guitarist would want a different action and a more natural or clear sound.
- A country music player uses an instrument that has more of a twang.
- Moreover, a country player might also want to check out an electric steel guitar.
- Electric acoustic guitars are also available for creating higher volume and still retaining the acoustic guitar sound. These guitars can also be played without amplification.
How Much To Spend
After it is decided as to what your needs are for the type of music you want to play, the next step is to decide how much your budget will you have to invest. All kinds of guitars including electric models are offered on the market at every price range.
If you are just beginning to learn to play, it might be reasonable to start with a less expensive model and graduate up in quality and price as your playing improves.
For the seasoned or professional player typical guitars can cost thousands. Rogue Guitar Shop offers quality built guitars in both acoustic-electric and electric guitars that range in Affordable prices.
Test and Play Lots Of Guitars
When you are ready to buy an electric guitar but don’t have much experience in the field, it’s a good idea to go to your local guitar store and research or really investigate all the possibilities. Have a chat with a knowledgeable sales person. Test out a few guitars to get a feel for what you really like. Select a store that has a huge stock of guitar brands, which may also have other items like akustik trennwand, so you can test out several different styles and types.
If you know exactly what kind of music you want to play, it will help narrow down your search for the right guitar.
Take a look at The Rogue Shop for their quality at great prices. If you have a larger amount of money to spend you may consider a higher quality guitar that you can play indefinitely no matter how good a guitar player you become.