What is a Solid Body Electric Guitar?

Guitars built with a pickup which turn the vibrations of the strings into an electrical signal which can be used with an amplified speaker or plugged directly into a recording device. The need for louder guitars had begun at the end of the 19th Century. Makers had played with the pickup idea using the traditional hollowed-body design but the distortions and feedback created difficulties.

Timeline . . .
• In 1931, The Rickenbacker Company produced the first steel stringed guitars, nicknamed “The Frying Pan.” Hawaiian slide guitars were the first instruments that required electric sound amplification.
• The Slingerland Company produced a Spanish solid body amplified guitar in 1939.
• The Esquire in 1950 evolved into The Broadcaster and quickly became the Telecaster put out by Fender in 1951.
• Gibson enlisted the help of early rock star Les Paul to design the guitar and named it after the icon. This design included a curved body shape.
• Fender came back with a Stratocaster in 1954 and threw in a synchronized tremolo arm which gave a vibrato to the electric sound.

Results . . .
If you find yourself in a room lacking in acoustics, an electric guitar will effectively amplify the sound. The electric guitar immediately changed the world with its new tones and sounds. Jazz and country musicians were the first to experiment with the sounds. Big bands were quick to use the electric guitar to make it heard above the large number of instruments. Rock and roll wouldn’t exist without an electric sound. The solid body electric guitar changed the way music was played, heard and understood. It is now apart of our culture and a symbol of rebellion and freedom.

See - Types of Guitar