| When you think of electric guitars, you envision rock | | | | six years later in 1938 featuring guitarist George |
| and roll, heavy metal, and screaming punk bands. | | | | Barnes, and 15 days after Barnes' recording was |
| These genres depend heavily on the amplification and | | | | made, young Eddie Durham made another that went |
| special effects that this sort of guitar provides. It is | | | | on to become famous. |
| natural to assume that the inventor of electric guitar | | | | Early Solid Body Electrics |
| would be a rock and roller or a metal head, but an | | | | The more commonly known solid body electric guitar |
| unlikely player in the game, jazz, actually contributed | | | | started to appear in 1931. It is rumored that a version |
| heavily to the development of the modern day | | | | of it may have been available in stores in the early |
| electric guitar. | | | | 1930's, but the instrument did not take off with great |
| Early Concepts | | | | success. Guitar giant Fender became the first |
| The 1930's and 1940's, the big band era was in full | | | | company to commercially manufacture an electric |
| swing. Jazz orchestras were increasing in size, and | | | | guitar and sell it with a great deal of success. |
| the powerful bass sections were simply drowning out | | | | Early Electric Guitarists |
| guitarists, who were an integral part of the ensemble. | | | | Charlie Christian is often heralded as the very first |
| Inventors and guitar makers experimented with | | | | true electric guitarist. He developed many techniques |
| attaching microphones to guitars, but the excess | | | | and best practices for the instrument, and he applied |
| noise created by the player's hands and the rest of | | | | them in his career as a jazz guitarist. His work |
| the body were distracting and not pleasing to the | | | | contributed to the transition of jazz from the big |
| ears. Bandleaders and guitarists saw a pressing need | | | | band era into cool jazz, bebop, and modern styles. |
| to amplify the sounds of the guitar in order to make | | | | The foundation he laid made it possible for people like |
| it a more obvious presence on the bandstand. | | | | Les Paul, B.B. King, and Jimi Hendrix to transform |
| Early Hollow Electrics | | | | musical styles and create new avenues for the |
| Just one person cannot be credited as the inventor | | | | electric guitar. |
| of electric guitar, and the credit is therefore generally | | | | Since its early concepts, the electric guitar has gone |
| bestowed upon the entire genre of jazz, which | | | | on to penetrate all genres of music. Elements from |
| created a need and practical use for it. The first | | | | the electric guitar are now applied to amplify acoustic |
| electric guitars were basically designed from hollow | | | | electric instruments as well, such as violins, classical |
| acoustic guitar bodies and featured an | | | | guitars, and mandolins. A great number of special |
| electromagnetic transducer attachment. A | | | | effects and distortions can add to the diverse |
| documented performance using an electric guitar | | | | offerings that electronics can give musicians, and it is |
| took place in 1932, the earliest appearance of | | | | all thanks to jazz - the unlikely inventor of electric |
| anything of its kind. A recording would be made just | | | | guitars. |