What is the history of the electric guitar

A.� The evolution of the modern electric guitar is relatively recent, in comparison with that of other instruments, but its impact on music has been both immediate and long lasting.

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The electrification of the guitar was a result of practical requirement�- jazz musicians in the large jazz bands of the 1920s found themselves rendered inaudible by the instrumentation around them, a situation that was only slightly alleviated by the introduction of steel strings on acoustic guitars.

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Q.� So someone had the idea of amplification

A.� They did.�George Beauchamp and John Dopyera invented a guitar based on the long-standing Spanish acoustic principle, but made of metal, and incorporating aluminium discs, which made the sound between three and five times louder than had been heard previously. The two men formed a company to market their new invention,�The National String Instrument Company, but after a short time, Dopyera was dismissed. He turned to the production of steel body guitars, joining forces with his brother. In an effort to find a name for his particular line of instruments, the Dopyera Brothers shortened their name, and the Dobro guitars were born.

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Q.� What about Beauchamp

A.� George Beauchamp made the really significant breakthrough in the electrification of the guitar, the invention of the magnetic pickup. Beauchamp reasoned correctly, that a magnetic pickup could be linked into a speaker system, which would amplify the sound to an acceptable level and put guitarists on a sound level with the rest of the large jazz combos in which they played. Beauchamp called his prototype electric guitar the 'frying pan', given its long neck and rounded end shape, the label seemed appropriate, although unlikely to encourage musicians to buy them. Having joined forces with a the owner of a local tool and dye company to produce the new guitars, Beauchamp bowed to common sense, realising that his name (pronounced Beecham) was never going to catch on. Adopting the name of his industrial partner proved a landmark in guitar manufacture, Mr Beauchamp's partner was one Adolph Rickenbacker.

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Q.� What about the other famous names in guitar production

A.� First to realise the potential was the Gibson Company which had begun, as did most other instrument manufacturers, with the traditional Spanish acoustic guitar. The first electric Gibson guitar was the soon-to-be classic model the ES150, named 'ES' for 'electro Spanish', and '150' for its $150 dollar price. Gibson actually pioneered the first solid body guitar, created by their genius inventor Les Paul, but Gibson doubted the potential longevity of the 'new' guitar, and declined to move into mass production.

Q.� What happened then

A. The idea was taken up by Leo Fender, who produced his own unique solid body design, the Esquire, which evolved into the Broadcaster, and finally, the Fender Telecaster. This was 1949, and the burgeoning country blues scene took to the new guitar shape and sound, and soon after that came rock and roll, and the rest really is history.

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Q.� But what about Gibson

A.� Gibson soon saw the error of their ways, and their main man, Les Paul, created the first guitar with the unique shape, which was to bear his name. The first in the line of classic solid body guitars to bear the name Gibson Les Paul was produced in 1952.

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Q.� Was that the end of the electric guitar evolution

A.� Almost, but not quite. In 1961, Gibson further refined the original electronic pickups by creating a pair of pickups which were out of phase with each other, thus reducing the problem of feedback whine and hum. The new pickups 'bucked' the proverbial hum hence the soon-to-be-legendary name�- the 'humbucker' pickups, taken for granted by generations of rock and pop guitarists who followed.

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By� Andy Hughes