Everything else (while the art has been greatly advanced) seems like a variation on these themes. Certainly Bill Lawrence, Seymour Duncan, DiMarzio, Floyd Rose and many others have widened the flow of this river of innovation. But as far as I know Les Paul's pursuit of the solid body is what brought all this to the fore.
From my perspective Leo Fender did three great things. He timed the start of business just right and he taught the world how to manufacture guitars. Gibson had an acoustic guitar background as did almost everyone else. However Leo looked at the solid body with fresh eyes. Bolt on necks may or may not have been introduced by him (they existed on other instruments) but he pulled together the art of manufacturing guitars like no one else. And of course, he created the electric bass.
In all this I also overlook the input of many players who helped develop various features and ideas. As an example, I believe Alan Holdsworth was one of the first folks to put a humbucker in a Strat (which was sometimes made out of lighter weight wood than a Les Paul) and started a revolution which can be seen in any music store today. The ES-335 and its variations and knockoffs are still extremely popular. Even the modern archtop, a very different instrument today than the ones built by Gibson, Stromberg, Epiphone et cetera, during those times has benefitted from the humbucker and piezo pickup development.
The instrument that I've played for the longest time is an Ibanez AH-10 which is Strat like, but with a single humbucking pickup in the neck position. It didn't come that way, and various experiments show on the pickguard. It has a fairly light basswood body, a knife edge whammy which has three springs tightened down and maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard. It's the classic story of finding an inexpensive guitar that with a little tweaking becomes something special. Yeah!
This article's permanent home is here, in Daniel Berlinger's weblog Archipelago.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - James Russell
I'm pretty sure I saw a picture once of an electric guitar made in 1910. If I recall it correctly (and it's been many years, so I can't remember where I saw it), it was a mighty odd-looking instrument...
2 - Ian
thank you very much I used some of your information if that is alright with you...
I hope you don't mind it was just for a school project so don't worry about sending it out on the web or anything. you can contact me if you need to.
THanks
ian
3 - chad girard
this place roks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4 - Tom Johnson
Yes, yes Chad, it does.
5 - hilary
hey, this web site really is excellent. I go on here in my spair time! i find it truley helpful when i need reasearch! thancks a lot!
yours truly,
hilary
xxooxx
6 - HW Saxton Jr.
Since were on the subject of E-Lek-Triss-A-Tee:
Tampa Red was the first bluesman to play slide on a standard 6 stringed ELECTRIC guitar,thereby
helping to set the standard for cats like Robert
Nighthawk,Elmore James,Earl Hooker,Muddy Waters,
Hound Dog Taylor and all of the rest.
7 - Loa curfew III
What is the oldest guitar in the world? (Electric)
8 - Garrbear
this site relly rocks i love it
9 - Michael Edelhofer
While using your information for a school project, I noticed a mistake in your 8th paragraph, 2nd line, after the comma, the word, I believe, should be "and" and not "an".
10 - Jman
Hey, was EVH or Alan Holdsworth first to put the single humbucker in the Strat body? EVH was totally famous for it, and I remembered reading about how he had a "Les Paul Strat" guitar. Evh was a huge guitar innovater anyway and I can't believe he wasn't mentioned (along with many other big names...) Who produced the first whammy bar? What about Floyd Rose's floating bridge? Seymour Duncan?
11 - Nicole
this site rocks! hey check out my site too! i cant find like alot of info on the history of electric guitars.
12 - StuartP
Tampa Red was the best bluesman.
13 - Roger
Cool posting Daniel. I beleive it was George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacker who officially invented the first electrc guitar. Wasn't one of Les Pauls first working pickups made from telephone parts? I own a Gibson SG. It's currenlty is the only "Axe" I own. At one time in the 80's and early 90's I owned several Gibsons including a Melody Maker, Sonex 180 and Flying-V. I regret letting them go even though they were fairly inexpensive, except for the V.
On a different note: To Josh and Nikk who posted above, go fuck-off and play with your Superman dolls!
14 - Eric Olsen
I believe Daniel is long gone, though his post lives on. If I am wrong Daniel, please let me know.
15 - Roger
Didn't pay attention to the Sept 02 date. Just thought I'd provide what little knowledge I had.
16 - Eric Olsen
and fine knowledge it is
17 - elzie
thankies for the info!! , it made my essay a loot easier , not i didnt copy starigh what you wrote but yea , thankiez!!! ( A+ , FIRST EVA!!)
18 - Bennett
Hey Rhys. Try to avoid typing words that long, please. It really messes up the page.
Thanks!
19 - Victor Plenty
Antidisestablishmentarianism is the longest word allowed in a Blogcritics comment.
20 - Bennett
Yeah, and even that one tweaked out the "Hot Topics" column...
[ya bastid]
21 - Ross O'Dell
The first electric guitar was made in 1925 by Adolph Rickenbacker and the first guitar smash was an accident by Jimmi Hendrix when he fell off stage and threw his guitar back on stage and it broke. The very first guitar company was "Electro String Company" it was founded in 1931 by Adolph Rickenbacker and George Beauchamp. The same year that the Great Depression came.
22 - mike
thanks man that was kool
23 - justin
i am doing a really in depth research paper for my class
all of the previous sources ive been to were about 10 pages of text
though i doubt daniel looks at these comments, i give him kudos for making the info on the page short and to the point
24 - Jake
This is really cool it really helped for a school progect and i found it interesting. This was not like researching it was fun
25 - kenny
this site is dumb