The Electrifying Journey of the Electric Guitar

by Micheal M. I'm a professional Writer

When you pick up your high-performance guitar and start making music, do you know that you’re tapping into nearly a century’s worth of history? Over the last 90 odd years, electric guitars have been constantly improved and refined, resulting in the instrument you hold in your hands today.

We take a closer look at the evolution of the electric guitar below:

Back to the Beginning

The acoustic guitar has been around for centuries, evolving from primitive stringed instruments. In the 1800s, acoustic guitars were played in an ensemble with other instruments. The increasing popularity of musical performances meant more and more people were interested in listening, and this change was reflected in the increasing size of performance venues.

Eventually, it got to a point where the sound of stringed instruments—such as the guitar—would be dominated during performances by larger instruments like horns. In search of a louder volume, guitarists began experimenting with the traditional acoustic guitar. Factors such as size, shape, and design were tweaked in an attempt to get clearer sounds.

In 1931, Ro-Pat-In Corporation—now known as Electro String—introduced its first instrument. Built from cast aluminum and boasting a gold-enamel finish, the new electric guitar was called the Rickenbacker Model A-22. As its popularity grew and commercial success followed, the Model A-22 became known as the Frying Pan, a nickname that’s well-known to guitar players everywhere even today.

The success of the Frying Pan inspired others and created the first major chapter in the history of the electric guitar.

From Hollow to Solid

The one issue plaguing all electric guitars at the time was that their design was based on the Spanish-style acoustic guitars, which had a hollow body. While the hollow design worked well for acoustics, it caused problems like distortion and feedback for electric guitars.

These issues could be adjusted in live performances, but were a hassle while recording music.

As a result, guitar makers and guitar players alike spent years trying to refine the newly invented electric guitar and overcome these problems.

Even though it had been in business since 1902, the world-famous guitar maker Gibson was a late entrant to the electric guitar market and only introduced the ES-150 in 1936.

Sometime around 1936, Slingerland launched the Songster 401. It made history by retaining the iconic Spanish shape but pairing it with a solid body. It’s considered the first solid-body Spanish electric guitar, but it failed to make an impression upon release, and production stopped in 1939.

The Fender Effect

Electric guitars were never the same once Leo Fender introduced his solid-body Esquire in 1950. The guitar proved to be an instant success and had a design simple enough to be easily replicated for mass production. Fender followed this with a double-pickup version, which was initially called the Broadcaster, and was later renamed to Telecaster.

Esquire and Telecaster opened the doors to an electric guitar revolution, and ignited a rivalry between Fender and Gibson for dominance over the electric guitar market. Once dismissive of the potential of Fender’s guitars, Gibson was forced to step up its game in response.

It turned to Les Paul, a skilled musician, luthier, and inventor whose designs for a solid-body guitar had been rejected by Gibson a decade earlier. In 1952, the company came out with the Gibson Les Paul, which went on to become one of the best-known electric guitars of all time.

Not to be outdone, Fender introduced the Stratocaster in 1954. The Stratocaster once again revolutionized the industry with its double-cutaway design, three pickups, and a unique tremolo system that enabled players to increase or decrease the pitch of its strings.

Led by the Stratocaster and the Gibson Les Paul, this group of electric guitars offered musicians a versatility that had never been available before. As a result, they were embraced by the music industry wholeheartedly. Rock guitarists loved experimenting with their instruments to discover new sounds and techniques; a practice made easy for them by electric guitars.

Continuous improvements made electric guitars louder and much more efficient. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, electric guitars played a major role in shaping the heavy metal genre. In the 1990s, the instrument had a similar impact on grunge and alternative rock.

Today, the electric guitar continues to be as versatile as ever, used in a variety of ways across a number of genres.

To Sum It Up

The biggest irony of electric guitars is that Leo Fender wasn’t a musician or even a big fan of rock and roll music. But his interest in electronics and experience in radio repairs led him to invent a guitar that changed the music scene forever.

What does the future hold for the electric guitar? Only time will tell.

About the Author

The author is affiliated with Rock Guitars. Founded by the guitarist EddieA, Rock Guitars offers a range of beautiful guitars that are assembled using premium components and given a custom artistic finish by hand.

You can buy high-performance guitars online on the company’s website. Check out their range of custom guitars today, and contact them for details or sales inquiries.