Electric Guitar Research Paper

A great many technological advancements have shaped music into what it is today. The phonograph, FM radio, and editing software are just a few examples of inventions that have had pivotal roles in shaping music into what it is currently. Though many of these technological revolutions have had a great effect on music thus far, the electric guitar is perhaps the invention that most important to the powerful sound of rock and roll. The coming of the electric guitar has had a profound effect on the sound, aggressiveness, and feel of the music. It is clear that the electric guitar will continue to be a mainstay of and shape the sound of rock music for many years to come. The patent for the first electric guitar was filed in 1931 by the company Rickenbacker Electro. This aluminum guitar was designed by George Beauchamp with the assistance of Adolph Rickenbacker, an electrical engineer. This model was called a frying pan after its round, small body and long neck ("The Invention of the Electric Guitar."). Many attempts at amplifying guitars had come prior to this patent, but most were attempts to amplify instruments with resonant bodies such as violins and acoustic guitars. The patent filed by Beauchamp was the first for an …show more content…
At the time, big band and jazz music was commonplace, and the moderately large size of these ensembles easily covered up the sound coming from an acoustic guitar. In the case of Rickenbacker, the company was eager to make money on the back of the popularity of Hawaiian music at the time. This inspired Beauchamp to place a pickup under the strings of the guitars to carry electrical signals to an amplifier. The decision to make the guitar non-resonant in the absence of an amplifier was reached due to the creation of feedback from the vibrations of the bodies of amplified acoustic guitars ((Campbell, Brody, 2008, p.