Electric guitar

An electric guitar is a guitar that uses one or more pickups to convert the vibration
Electric guitar
of its strings into electrical signals. The vibration occurs when a guitar player
strums, plucks, fingerpicks, slaps or taps the strings. The pickup generally uses
electromagnetic induction to create this signal, which being relatively weak is fed
into a guitar amplifier before being sent to the speaker(s), which converts it into
audible sound.

The electric signal can be electronically altered to change the timbre of the sound.
Often, the signal is modified using effects such as reverb, distortion and "overdrive";
the latter is considered to be a key element of electric blues guitar music and rock
guitar playing.

Invented in 1931, the electric guitar was adopted by jazz guitar players, who wanted
to play single-note guitar solos in large big band ensembles. Early proponents of the
electric guitar on record include Les Paul, Lonnie Johnson, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, T-
1954 Gibson Les Paul Custom
Bone Walker, and Charlie Christian. During the 1950s and 1960s, the electric guitar
electric guitar
became the most important instrument in popular music.[1] It has evolved into an
instrument that is capable of a multitude of sounds and styles in genres ranging from
String instrument
pop and rock to country music, blues and jazz. It served as a major component in the Other names Guitar, electric
development of electric blues, rock and roll, rock music, heavy metal music and guitar, solid-body
many other genres of music. guitar
Classification String instrument
Electric guitar design and construction varies greatly in the shape of the body and
(fingered or picked
the configuration of the neck, bridge, and pickups. Guitars may have a fixed bridge
or strummed)
or a spring-loaded hinged bridge, which lets players "bend" the pitch of notes or
chords up or down, or perform vibrato effects. The sound of an electric guitar can be Hornbostel– 321.322
modified by new playing techniques such as string bending, tapping, and Sachs (Composite
hammering-on, using audio feedback, or slide guitar playing. classification chordophone)
Developed 1930s
There are several types of electric guitar, including: the solid-body guitar; various
Playing range
types of hollow-body guitars; the six-string guitar (the most common type), which is
usually tuned E, B, G, D, A, E, from highest to lowest strings; the seven-string
guitar, which typically adds a low B string below the low E; and the twelve-string
guitar, which has six pairs of strings.

In pop and rock music, the electric guitar is often used in two roles: as a rhythm (a standard tuned guitar)
guitar, which plays the chord sequences or progressions, and riffs, and sets the beat
(as part of a rhythm section); and as a lead guitar, which provides instrumental melody lines, melodic instrumental fill passages, and
solos. In a small group, such as a power trio, one guitarist switches between both roles. In large rock and metal bands, there is often a
rhythm guitarist and a lead guitarist.

Contents
History
Types
 Solid-body
Chambered-body
Semi-acoustic
Full hollow-body
Electric acoustic
String, bridge, and neck variants
Construction
Bridge and tailpiece systems
Pickups
Guitar necks
Sound and effects
Built-in sound shaping
Guitar amplifier
Effects units
Synthesizer and digital guitars
Playing techniques
See also
References
Sources
External links

History
Many experiments at electrically amplifying the vibrations of a string instrument were made dating back to the early part of the 20th
century. Patents from the 1910s show telephone transmitters were adapted and placed inside violins and banjos to amplify the sound.
Hobbyists in the 1920s used carbon button microphonesattached to the bridge; however, these detected vibration from the bridge on
top of the instrument, resulting in a weak signal.[2] With numerous people experimenting with electrical instruments in the 1920s and
early 1930s, there are many claimants to have been the first to invent an electric guitar
.

Electric guitars were originally designed by acoustic guitar makers and instrument
manufacturers. The demand for amplified guitars began during the big band era; as
orchestras increased in size, guitar players soon realized the necessity in guitar
amplification & electrification.[3] The first electric guitars used in jazz were hollow
archtop acoustic guitar bodies with electromagnetic transducers. Early electric guitar
manufacturers include Rickenbacker in 1932; Dobro in 1933; National, AudioVox
and Volu-tone in 1934; Vega, Epiphone (Electrophone and Electar), and Gibson in
1935 and many others by 1936.

The first electrically amplified stringed instrument to be marketed commercially was

designed in 1931 by George Beauchamp, the general manager of the National Guitar
Corporation, with Paul Barth, who was vice president.[4] The maple body prototype
for the one-piece cast aluminium "frying pan" was built by Harry Watson, factory
superintendent of the National Guitar Corporation.[4] Commercial production began
in late summer of 1932 by the Ro-Pat-In Corporation (Electro-Patent-Instrument
Company), in Los Angeles,[5][6] a partnership of Beauchamp, Adolph Rickenbacker
(originally Rickenbacher), and Paul Barth.[7] In 1934, the company was renamed the
Rickenbacker Electro Stringed Instrument Company. In that year Beauchamp The "Frying Pan", 1932
applied for a United States patent for an Electrical Stringed Musical Instrument and
the patent was later issued in 1937.[8][9][10][11]
 By early-mid 1935, Electro String Instrument Corporation had achieved mainstream
success with the A-22 "Frying Pan" steel guitar, and set out to capture a new
audience through its release of the Electro-Spanish Model B and the Electro-Spanish
Ken Roberts, which was the first full 25" scale electric guitar ever
produced.[12][8][9][10][11]

The Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts was revolutionary for its time, providing players a
full 25" scale, with easy access to 17 frets free of the body.[13] Unlike other lap-steel
electrified instruments produced during the time, the Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts
was designed to play standing vertical, upright with a strap.[13] The Electro-Spanish
Ken Roberts was also the first instrument to feature a hand-operated vibrato as a
standard appointment,[13] a device called the "Vibrola," invented by Doc
Kauffman.[13] [14] It is estimated that fewer than 50 Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts
were constructed between 1933 and 1937; fewer than 10 are known to survive
today.[8][9][10][11]

The solid-body electric guitar is made of solid wood, without functionally resonating
Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts, 1935
air spaces. The first solid-body Spanish standard guitar was offered by Vivi-Tone no
later than 1934. This model featured a guitar-shaped body of a single sheet of
plywood affixed to a wood frame. Another early, substantially solid Spanish electric guitar,
called the Electro Spanish, was marketed by the Rickenbacker guitar company in 1935 and
made of Bakelite. By 1936, the Slingerland company introduced a wooden solid-body electric
model, the Slingerland Songster 401 (and a lap steel counterpart, the Songster 400).

Gibson's first production electric guitar, marketed in 1936, was the ES-150 model ("ES" for
"Electric Spanish", and "150" reflecting the $150 price of the instrument, along with matching
amplifier). The ES-150 guitar featured a single-coil, hexagonally shaped "bar" pickup, which
was designed by Walt Fuller. It became known as the "Charlie Christian" pickup (named for
the great jazz guitarist who was among the first to perform with the ES-150 guitar). The ES-
150 achieved some popularity but suffered from unequal loudness across the six strings.

A functioning solid-body electric guitar was designed and built in 1940 by Les Paul from an
Epiphone acoustic archtop. His "log guitar" —— a wood post with a neck attached and two
hollow-body halves attached to the sides for appearance only — shares nothing in common
for design or hardware with the solid-bodyGibson Les Paul later introduced in 1952.
Fender Stratocaster has one
of the most often emulated The feedback associated with amplified hollow-bodied electric guitars was understood long
electric guitar shapes[15][16] before Paul's "log" was created in 1940; Gage Brewer's Ro-Pat-In of 1932 had a top so heavily
reinforced that it essentially functioned as a solid-body instrument.[2] In 1945, Richard D.
Bourgerie made an electric guitar pickup and amplifier for professional guitar player George
Barnes. Bourgerie worked through World War II at Howard Radio Company, making electronic equipment for the American military.
Barnes showed the result to Les Paul, who then arranged for Bour
gerie to have one made for him.

Early proponents of the electric guitar on record include Alvino Rey (Phil Spitalney Orchestra), Les Paul (Fred Waring Orchestra),
George Barnes (under many aliases), Eddie Durham, Lonnie Johnson, Floyd Smith, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Big Bill Broonzy, T-Bone
Walker, George Van Eps, Charlie Christian (Benny Goodman Orchestra), Tampa Red, Memphis Minnie, and Arthur Crudup.
According to jazz historian James Lincoln Collier, Floyd Smith can be credited as the first person to rig up an amplified guitar.
record.[17]
According to Collier, "Floyd's Guitar Blues" may be the first important use of the electric guitar on

Types
Solid-body
Unlike acoustic guitars, solid-body electric guitars have no vibrating soundboard to
amplify string vibration. Instead, solid-body instruments depend on electric pickups
and an amplifier (or amp) and speaker. The solid body ensures that the amplified
sound reproduces the string vibration alone, thus avoiding the wolf tones and
unwanted feedback associated with amplified acoustic guitars. These guitars are
generally made of hardwood covered with a hard polymer finish, often polyester or
lacquer. In large production facilities, the wood is stored for three to six months in a
wood-drying kiln before being cut to shape. Premium custom-built guitars are Paul Reed Smith Standard 22
frequently made with much older, hand-selected wood.

One of the first solid-body guitars was invented by Les Paul. Gibson did not present their Gibson
Les Paul guitar prototypes to the public, as they did not believe the solid-body style would catch
on. Another early solid-body Spanish style guitar, resembling what would become Gibson's Les
Paul guitar a decade later, was developed in 1941 by O.W. Appleton, of Nogales, Arizona.[18]
Appleton made contact with both Gibson and Fender but was unable to sell the idea behind his
"App" guitar to either company.[19] In 1946, Merle Travis commissioned steel guitar builder Paul
Bigsby to build him a solid-body Spanish-style electric.[20] Bigsby delivered the guitar in 1948.
The first mass-produced solid-body guitar was Fender Esquire and Fender Broadcaster (later to
become the Fender Telecaster), first made in 1948, five years after Les Paul made his prototype.
The Gibson Les Paul appeared soon after to compete with the Broadcaster.[21] Another notable
solid-body design is theFender Stratocaster, which was introduced in 1954 and became extremely
popular among musicians in the 1960s and 1970s for its wide tonal capabilities and more
comfortable ergonomics than other models.

The history of Electric Guitars is summarized by Guitar World magazine, and the earliest electric Gittler electric guitar, a
guitar on their top 10 list is the Ro-Pat-In Electro A-25 "Frying Pan" (1932) described as 'The bodyless guitar without
first-fully functioning solid-body electric guitar to be manufactured and sold'.[22] The most recent fingerboard or neck
electric guitar on this list is the Ibanez Jem (1987) which featured '24 frets', 'an impossibly thin
neck' and was 'designed to be the ultimate shredder machine'. Numerous other important electric
guitars are on the list including Gibson ES-150 (1936), Fender Telecaster (1951), Gibson Les Paul (1952), Gretsch 6128 Duo Jet
(1953), Fender Stratocaster (1954), Rickenbacker 360/12 (1964), Van Halen Frankenstein (1975), Paul Reed Smith Custom (1985)
many of these guitars were 'successors' to earlier designs.[22] Electric Guitar designs eventually became culturally important and
visually iconic, with various model companies selling miniature model versions[23][24] of particularly famous electric guitars, for
example the Gibson SG used by Angus Young from the group AC/DC.

Chambered-body
Some solid-bodied guitars, such as the Gibson Les Paul Supreme, the PRS Singlecut, and the Fender Telecaster Thinline, are built
with hollow chambers in the body. These chambers are designed to not interfere with the critical bridge and string anchor point on the
solid body. In the case of Gibson and PRS, these are called chambered bodies. The motivation for this may be to reduce weight, to
achieve a semi-acoustic tone (see below) or both.[25][26][27]

Semi-acoustic
Semi-acoustic guitars have a hollow body (similar in depth to a solid-body guitar) and electronic pickups mounted on the body. They
work in a similar way to solid-body electric guitars except that, because the hollow body also vibrates, the pickups convert a
combination of string and body vibration into an electrical signal. Whereas chambered guitars are made, like solid-body guitars, from
a single block of wood, semi-acoustic and full-hollowbody guitars bodies are made from thin sheets of wood. They do not provide
enough acoustic volume for live performance, but they can be used unplugged for quiet practice. Semi-acoustics are noted for being
able to provide a sweet, plaintive, or funky tone. They are used in many genres, including blues,
funk, sixties pop, and indie rock. They generally have cello-styleF-shaped sound holes. These can
be blocked off to prevent feedback, as in B. B. King's famous Lucille. Feedback can also be
reduced by making them with a solid block in the middle of the soundbox.

Full hollow-body
Full hollow-body guitars have large, deep bodies made of glued-together sheets, or "plates", of
wood. They can often be played at the same volume as an acoustic guitar and therefore can be
used unplugged at intimate gigs. They qualify as electric guitars inasmuch as they have fitted
pickups. Historically, archtop guitars with retrofitted pickups were among the very earliest electric
guitars. The instrument originated during the Jazz Age, in the 1920s and 1930s, and are still
considered the classic jazz guitar (nicknamed "jazzbox"). Like semi-acoustic guitars, they often
have f-shaped sound holes.

Having humbucker pickups (sometimes just a neck pickup) and usually strung heavlly, jazzboxes
are noted for their warm, rich tone. A variation with single-coil pickups, and sometimes with a
Bigsby tremolo, has long been popular in country and rockabilly; it has a distinctly more twangy,
biting tone than the classic jazzbox. The term archtop refers to a method of construction subtly
different from the typical acoustic (or "folk" or "western" or "steel-string" guitar): the top is
formed from a moderately thick (1 inch (2.5 cm)) piece of wood, which is then carved into a thin
(0.1 inches (0.25 cm)) domed shape, whereas conventional acoustic guitars have a thin, flat top.
Fender Esquire

Electric acoustic
Some steel-string acoustic guitars are fitted with pickups purely as an alternative to using a
separate microphone. They may also be fitted with a piezoelectric pickup under the bridge,
attached to the bridge mounting plate, or with a low-mass microphone (usually a condenser mic)
inside the body of the guitar that converts the vibrations in the body into electronic signals.
Combinations of these types of pickups may be used, with an integral mixer/preamp/graphic
equalizer. Such instruments are called electric acoustic guitars. They are regarded as acoustic
guitars rather than electric guitars, because the pickups do not produce a signal directly from the
vibration of the strings, but rather from the vibration of the guitar top or body
.

Electric acoustic guitars should not be confused withsemi-acoustic guitars, which have pickups of
the type found on solid-body electric guitars, or solid-body hybrid guitars with piezoelectric
pickups.

String, bridge, and neck variants

Epiphone semi-acoustic
hollow-body guitar
One-string
The one-string guitar is also known as the Unitar. Although rare, the one-string guitar is
sometimes heard, particularly in Delta blues, where improvised folk instruments were popular in the 1930s and 1940s. Eddie "One
String" Jones had some regional success. Mississippi blues musician Lonnie Pitchford played a similar, homemade instrument. In a
more contemporary style, Little Willie Joe, the inventor of the Unitar, had a rhythm and blues instrumental hit in the 1950s with
"Twitchy", recorded with the Rene Hall Orchestra.

Four-string
The four-string guitar is better known as the tenor guitar. One of its best-known players was Tiny Grimes, who played on 52nd Street
with the beboppers and played a major role in the Prestige Blues Swingers. Multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis (musician) of Dirty
Three and Nick Cave and the Bad Seedsis a contemporary player who includes a tenor guitar in his repertoire.

The four-string guitar is normally tuned CGDA, but some players, such as Tiny Grimes, tune to DGBE to preserve familiar 6-string
guitar chord fingerings. The tenor guitar can also be tuned like a soprano, concert, or tenor ukulele, using versions of GCEA tuning.

Seven-string
Most seven-string guitars add a low B string below the low E. Both electric and classical
guitars exist designed for this tuning. A high A string above the high E instead of the
low B string is sometimes used. Another less common seven-string arrangement is a
second G string situated beside the standard G string and tuned an octave higher, in the
same manner as a twelve-stringed guitar (see below). Jazz guitarists using a seven-string
include George Van Eps, Lenny Breau, Bucky Pizzarelli and his son John Pizzarelli.

Seven-string electric guitars were popularized among rock players in the 1980s by Steve
Vai. Along with the Japanese guitar company Ibanez, Vai created the Universe series
seven-string guitars in the 1980s, with a double locking tremolo system for a seven-
Stephen Carpenter playing a 7-
string guitar. These models were based on Vai's six-string signature series, the Ibanez
string electric guitar in 2009
Jem. Seven-string guitars experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 2000s,
championed by Deftones, Limp Bizkit, Slayer, KoRn, Fear Factory, Strapping Young
Lad, Nevermore, Muse and other hard rock and metal bands. Metal musicians often prefer the seven-string guitar for its extended
lower range. The seven-string guitar has also played an essential role in progressive metal rock and is commonly used in bands such
as Dream Theater and Pain of Salvation and by experimental guitarists such as Ben Levin.

Eight- and nine-string

In 2008, Ibanez released the Ibanez RG2228-GK, the first mass-produced eight-string guitar. Another Ibanez player is Tosin Abasi,
lead guitarist of the progressive metal band Animals as Leaders, who uses an Ibanez RG2228 to mix bright chords with very heavy
low riffs on the seventh and eighth strings.

Ibanez has since released several lines of nine string guitars that are similar to their eight string line but with an additional string.

Ten-string
B.C. Rich manufactured a ten-string six-course electric guitar, the Bich, whose radical shape positioned the machine heads for the
four secondary strings onto the body, avoiding the head-heaviness of many electric twelve-string guitars. However, many players
bought it for the body shape or electrics and simply removed the extra strings. The company recognized this and released six-string
models of the Bich, a shape now generally incorporated into their standard W
arlock.

Twelve-string
Twelve-string electric guitars feature six pairs of strings, usually with each pair tuned to the same note. The extra E, A, D, and G
strings add a note one octave above, and the extra B and E strings are in unison. The pairs of strings are played together as one, so the
technique and tuning are the same as a conventional guitar, but they create a much fuller tone, with the additional strings adding a
natural chorus effect. They are used almost solely to play harmony and rhythm parts, rather than for guitar solos. They are relatively
common in folk rock music. Lead Belly is the folk artist most identified with the twelve-string guitar
, usually acoustic with a pickup.

George Harrison of the Beatles and Roger McGuinn of the Byrds brought the electric twelve-string to notability in rock and roll.
During the Beatles' first trip to the United States, in February 1964, Harrison received a new 360/12 model guitar from the
Rickenbacker company, a twelve-string electric made to look onstage like a six-string. He began using the 360 in the studio on
Lennon's "You Can't Do That" and other songs. McGuinn began using electric twelve-string guitars to create the jangly, ringing
sound of the Byrds. Both Jimmy Page, the guitarist with Led Zeppelin, and Leo Kottke, a solo artist, are well known as twelve-string
guitar players.

Third-bridge
The third-bridge guitar is an electric prepared guitar with an additional, third bridge. This can be a normal guitar with, for instance, a
screwdriver placed under the strings, or it can be a custom-made instrument. Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth plays a third-bridge
instrument. In the 1980s,Bradford Reed built his two-neck "pencilina" and continues to perform with it.

Double-neck
Double-neck (or, less commonly, "twin-neck") guitars enable guitarists to play both
guitar and bass guitar or, more commonly, both a six-string and a twelve-string. In the
mid-1960s, one of the first players to use this type of guitar was Paul Revere & the
Raiders' guitarist Drake Levin. Another early user was John McLaughlin. The double-
neck guitar was popularized by Jimmy Page, who used a custom-made, cherry-finished
Gibson EDS-1275 to perform "Stairway to Heaven", "The Song Remains the Same" and
"The Rain Song", although for the recording of "Stairway to Heaven" he used a Fender
Telecaster and a Fender XII electric twelve-string. Mike Rutherford of Genesis and
Mike + the Mechanics is also famous for his use of a double-neck guitar during live
shows. Don Felder of the Eagles used the Gibson EDS-1275 during the Hotel California
tour. Muse guitarist and vocalist Matthew Bellamy uses a silver Manson double-neck on
his band's Resistance Tour. Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson is also known for using double-
neck guitars in the live performance of several songs. In performances of the song
"Xanadu" during the band's 2015 R40 anniversary tour, Lifeson played a white Gibson A Gibson EDS-1275
EDS-1275 double-neck guitar with six-string and twelve-string necks, while bassist
Geddy Lee performed with a double-neck Rickenbacker guitar with four-string bass and
twelve-string guitar necks.

Construction
Electric guitar design and construction vary greatly in the shape of the body and the configuration of the neck, bridge, and pickups.
However, some features are present on most guitars. The photo below shows the different parts of an electric guitar. The headstock
(1) contains the metal machine heads (1.1), which use a worm gear for tuning. The nut (1.4)—a thin fret-like strip of metal, plastic,
graphite or bone—supports the strings at the headstock end of the instrument. The frets (2.3) are thin metal strips that stop the string
at the correct pitch when the player pushes a string against the fingerboard. The truss rod (1.2) is a metal rod (usually adjustable) that
counters the tension of the strings to keep the neck straight. Position markers (2.2) provide the player with a reference to the playing
position on the fingerboard.[28]

The neck and fretboard (2.1) extend from the body. At the neck joint (2.4), the neck is either glued or bolted to the body
. The body (3)
is typically made of wood with a hard, polymerized finish. Strings vibrating in the magnetic field of the pickups (3.1, 3.2) produce an
electric current in the pickup winding that passes through the tone and volume controls (3.8) to the output jack. Some guitars have
piezo pickups, in addition to or instead of magnetic pickups.

Some guitars have a fixed bridge (3.4). Others have a spring-loaded hinged bridge called a vibrato bar, tremolo bar, or whammy bar,
which lets players bend notes or chords up or down in pitch or perform a vibrato embellishment. A plastic pickguard on some guitars
protects the body from scratches or covers the control cavity, which holds most of the wiring. The degree to which the choice of
woods and other materials in the solid-guitar body (3) affects the sonic character of the amplified signal is disputed. Many believe it
is highly significant, while others think the difference between woods is subtle. In acoustic and archtop guitars, wood choices more
clearly affect tone.
Woods typically used in solid-body electric guitars include alder (brighter, but well
rounded), swamp ash (similar to alder, but with more pronounced highs and lows),
mahogany (dark, bassy, warm), poplar (similar to alder), and basswood (very
neutral).[29] Maple, a very bright tonewood,[29] is also a popular body wood, but is
very heavy. For this reason it is often placed as a "cap" on a guitar made primarily of
another wood. Cheaper guitars are often made of cheaper woods, such as plywood,
pine or agathis—not true hardwoods—which can affect durability and tone. Though
most guitars are made of wood, any material may be used. Materials such as plastic,
metal, and even cardboard have been used in some instruments.

The guitar output jack typically provides a monaural signal. Many guitars with
active electronics use a jack with an extra contact normally used for stereo. These
guitars use the extra contact to break the ground connection to the on-board battery
to preserve battery life when the guitar is unplugged. These guitars require a mono
plug to close the internal switch and connect the battery to ground. Standard guitar
cables use a high-impedance 1⁄4 inch (6.35 mm) mono plug. These have a tip and
sleeve configuration referred to as a TS phone connector. The voltage is usually
around 1 to 9 millivolts.

A few guitars feature stereo output, such as Rickenbacker guitars equipped with
Rick-O-Sound. There are a variety of ways the "stereo" effect may be implemented.
Commonly, but not exclusively, stereo guitars route the neck and bridge pickups to
separate output buses on the guitar. A stereo cable then routes each pickup to its own
signal chain or amplifier. For these applications, the most popular connector is a
high-impedance 1⁄4 inch (6.35 mm) plug with a tip, ring and sleeve configuration,
also known as a TRS phone connector. Some studio instruments, notably certain
Gibson Les Paul models, incorporate a low-impedance three-pin XLR connector for
balanced audio. Many exotic arrangements and connectors exist that support features
such as midi and hexaphonic pickups.

1. Headstock
Bridge and tailpiece systems 1.1 machine heads
1.2 truss rod cover
The bridge and tailpiece, while serving separate purposes, work closely together to 1.3 string guide
affect playing style and tone. There are four basic types of bridge and tailpiece 1.4 nut
systems on electric guitars. Within these four types are many variants. 2. Neck
2.1 fretboard
A hard-tail guitar bridge anchors the strings at or directly behind the bridge and is 2.2 inlay fret markers
fastened securely to the top of the instrument.[30] These are common on carved-top 2.3 frets
2.4 neck joint
guitars, such as the Gibson Les Paul and the Paul Reed Smith models, and on slab-
3. Body
body guitars, such as the Music Man Albert Lee and Fender guitars that are not
3.1 "neck" pickup
equipped with a vibrato arm. 3.2 "bridge" pickup
3.3 saddles
A floating or trapeze tailpiece (similar to a violin's) fastens to the body at the base of
3.4 bridge
the guitar. These appear on Rickenbackers, Gretsches, Epiphones, a wide variety of 3.5 fine tuners and tailpiece
archtop guitars, particularly Jazz guitars, and the 1952 Gibson Les Paul.[31] assembly
3.6 whammy bar (vibrato arm)
Pictured is a tremolo arm or vibrato tailpiece style bridge and tailpiece system, often 3.7 pickup selector switch
called a whammy bar or trem. It uses a lever ("vibrato arm") attached to the bridge 3.8 volume and tone control knobs
that can temporarily slacken or tighten the strings to alter the pitch. A player can use 3.9 output connector (output jack)
(TS)
this to create a vibrato or a portamento effect. Early vibrato systems were often
3.10 strap buttons
4. Strings
unreliable and made the guitar go out of tune easily. They also had a limited pitch 4.1 bass strings
range. Later Fender designs were better, but Fender held the patent on these, so other 4.2 treble strings
companies used older designs for many years.

With expiration of the Fender patent on the Stratocaster-style vibrato, various

improvements on this type of internal, multi-spring vibrato system are now
available. Floyd Rose introduced one of the first improvements on the vibrato
system in many years when, in the late 1970s, he experimented with "locking" nuts
and bridges that prevent the guitar from losing tuning, even under heavy vibrato bar
use.

The fourth type of system employs

string-through body anchoring. The
Detail of a Squier-made Fender strings pass over the bridge saddles,
Stratocaster. Note the vibrato arm,
then through holes through the top
the 3 single-coil pickups, the volume
of the guitar body to the back. The
and tone knobs.
strings are typically anchored in
place at the back of the guitar by
metal ferrules. Many believe this design improves a guitar's sustain and timbre. A
few examples of string-through body guitars are the Fender Telecaster Thinline, the
Tune-o-matic with "strings through
Fender Telecaster Deluxe, the B.C. Rich IT Warlock and Mockingbird, and the
the body" construction (without
Schecter Omen 6 and 7 series. stopbar)

Pickups
Compared to an acoustic guitar, which has a hollow body, electric guitars make
much less audible sound when their strings are plucked, so electric guitars are
normally plugged into a guitar amplifier and speaker. When an electric guitar is
played, string movement produces a signal by generating (i.e., inducing) a small
electric current in the magnetic pickups, which aremagnets wound with coils of very
fine wire. The signal passes through the tone and volume circuits to the output jack,
and through a cable to an amplifier.[32] The current induced is proportional to such
factors as string density and the amount of movement over the pickups.
Pickups on a Fender Squier "Fat
Because of their natural inductive qualities, magnetic pickups tend to pick up Strat" guitar—a "humbucker" pickup
ambient, usually unwantedelectromagnetic interferenceor EMI.[33] This mains hum on the left and two single-coil pickups
on the right.
results in a tone of 50 or 60 cycles per second depending on the powerline frequency
of the local alternating current supply.

The resulting hum is particularly strong with single-coil pickups. Double-coil or "humbucker" pickups were invented as a way to
reduce or counter the sound. The high combined inductance of the two coils also leads to the richer, "fatter" tone associated with
humbucking pickups.

Guitar necks
Electric guitar necks vary in composition and shape. The primary metric of guitar necks is the scale length, which is the vibrating
length of the strings from nut to bridge. A typical Fender guitar uses a 25.5-inch (65 cm) scale length, while Gibson uses a 24.75-inch
(62.9 cm) scale length in their Les Paul. While the scale length of the Les Paul is often described as 24.75 inches, it has varied
through the years by as much as a half inch.
Frets are positioned proportionally to scale length—the shorter the scale length, the closer the fret spacing. Opinions vary regarding
the effect of scale length on tone and feel. Popular opinion holds that longer scale length contributes to greater amplitude. Reports of
playing feel are greatly complicated by the many factors involved in this perception. String gauge and design, neck construction and
relief, guitar setup, playing style and other factors contribute to the subjective impression of playability or feel.

Necks are described as bolt-on, set-in, or neck-through, depending on how they

attach to the body. Set-in necks are glued to the body in the factory. They are said to
have a warmer tone and greater sustain. This is the traditional type of joint. Leo
Fender pioneered bolt-on necks on electric guitars to facilitate easy adjustment and
replacement. Neck-through instruments extend the neck the length of the instrument,
so that it forms the center of the body, and are known for long sustain and for being
particularly sturdy. While a set-in neck can be carefully unglued by a skilled luthier,
and a bolt-on neck can simply be unscrewed, a neck-through design is difficult or
A bolt-on neck
even impossible to repair, depending on the damage. Historically, the bolt-on style
has been more popular for ease of installation and adjustment. Since bolt-on necks
can be easily removed, there is an after-market in replacement bolt-on necks from companies such as Warmoth and Mighty Mite.
Some instruments—notably most Gibson models—continue to use set-in glued necks. Neck-through bodies are somewhat more
common in bass guitars.

Materials for necks are selected for dimensional stability and rigidity, and some allege that they influence tone. Hardwoods are
preferred, with maple, mahogany, and ash topping the list. The neck and fingerboard can be made from different materials; for
example, a guitar may have a maple neck with a rosewood or ebony fingerboard. In the 1970s, designers began to use exotic man-
made materials such as aircraft-grade aluminum, carbon fiber, and ebonol. Makers known for these unusual materials include John
Veleno, Travis Bean, Geoff Gould, and Alembic.

Aside from possible engineering advantages, some feel that in relation to the rising cost of rare tonewoods, man-made materials may
be economically preferable and more ecologically sensitive. However, wood remains popular in production instruments, though
sometimes in conjunction with new materials. Vigier guitars, for example, use a wooden neck reinforced by embedding a light,
carbon fiber rod in place of the usual heavier steel bar or adjustable steel truss rod. After-market necks made entirely from carbon
fiber fit existing bolt-on instruments. Few, if any, extensive formal investigations have been widely published that confirm or refute
claims over the effects of different woods or materials on electric guitar sound.

Several neck shapes appear on guitars, including shapes known

as C necks, U necks, and V necks. These refer to the cross-
sectional shape of the neck (especially near the nut). Several
sizes of fret wire are available, with traditional players often
preferring thin frets, and metal shredders liking thick frets. Thin
frets are considered better for playing chords, while thick frets
A neck-through bass guitar allow lead guitarists to bend notes with less effort.

An electric guitar with a folding neck called the "Foldaxe" was

designed and built for Chet Atkins by Roger C. Field.[34] Steinberger guitars developed a line of exotic, carbon fiber instruments
without headstocks, with tuning done on the bridge instead.

Fingerboards vary as much as necks. The fingerboard surface usually has a cross-sectional radius that is optimized to accommodate
finger movement for different playing techniques. Fingerboard radius typically ranges from nearly flat (a very large radius) to
radically arched (a small radius). The vintage Fender Telecaster, for example, has a typical small radius of approximately 7.25 inches
(18.4 cm). Some manufacturers have experimented with fret profile and material, fret layout, number of frets, and modifications of
the fingerboard surface for various reasons. Some innovations were intended to improve playability by ergonomic means, such as
Warmoth Guitars' compound radius fingerboard. Scalloped fingerboards added enhanced microtonality during fast legato runs.
Fanned frets intend to provide each string with an optimal playing tension and enhanced musicality. Some guitars have no frets—and
others, like the Gittler guitar, have no neck in the traditional sense.
Sound and effects
While an acoustic guitar's sound depends largely on the vibration of the guitar's body and the air inside it, the sound of an electric
guitar depends largely on the signal from the pickups. The signal can be "shaped" on its path to the amplifier via a range of effect
devices or circuits that modify the tone and characteristics of the signal. Amplifiers and speakers also add coloration to the final
sound.

Built-in sound shaping

Modern electric guitars most commonly have two or three magnetic pickups. Identical pickups produce different tones depending on
location between the neck and bridge. Bridge pickups produce a bright or trebly timbre, and neck pickups are warmer or more bassy.
The type of pickup also affects tone. Dual-coil pickups sound warm, thick, perhaps even muddy; single-coil pickups sound clear,
bright, perhaps even biting.

Where there is more than one pickup, a switch selects between the outputs of individual pickups or some combination; two-pickup
guitars have three-way switches, and three-pickup guitars have five-way switches. Further circuitry sometimes combines pickups in
different ways. For instance, phase switching places one pickup out of phase with the other(s), leading to a "honky", "nasal", or
"funky" sound. Individual pickups can also have their timbre altered by switches, typically coil tap switches that effectively short-
circuit some of a dual-coil pickup's windings to produce a tone similar to a single-coil pickup (usually done with push-pull volume
knobs).

The final stages of on-board sound-shaping circuitry are the volume control (potentiometer) and tone control (a low-pass filter which
"rolls off" the treble frequencies). Where there are individual volume controls for different pickups, and where pickup signals can be
combined, they would affect the timbre of the final sound by adjusting the balance between pickups from a straight 50:50.

Guitar amplifier
The solid-body electric guitar does not produce enough sound for an audience to hear it
in a performance setting unless it's electronically amplified—plugged into an amplifier,
mixing console, or PA.

Guitar amplifier design uses a different approach than sound reinforcement system
power amplifiers and home "hi-fi" stereo systems. Audio amplifiers generally are
intended to accurately reproduce the source signal without adding unwanted tonal
coloration (i.e., they have a flat frequency response) or unwanted distortion. In contrast,
most guitar amplifiers provide tonal coloration and overdrive or distortion of various A Fender Bassman amp head
types. A common tonal coloration sought by guitarists is rolling off some of the high with a 15" speaker cabinet.
frequencies.

Guitar amplifiers generally incorporate at least a few effects, the most basic being tone controls for bass and treble. There may be
some form of "overdrive" control, where the preamplifier's output is increased to the point where the amplitude overloads the input of
the power amplifier stage, causingclipping.

Effects units
In the 1960s, the tonal palette of the electric guitar was further modified by introducing effect units in the signal path before the
amplifier.

Effects units have been created in several formats, the most common of which are the stompbox "pedal" and the rackmount unit. A
stomp box (or pedal) is a small metal or plastic box containing the circuitry, which is placed on the floor in front of the musician, and
is activated by one or more switches intended to be pressed with the foot. Pedals are smaller than rackmount effects. A rackmount
effects unit may contain an electronic circuit nearly identical to a stompbox-based effect, but cased to be mounted in a standard
equipment rack. Rack-mount effects units often contain several types of effect. They
are controlled by knobs or switches on the front panel or by a MIDI digital control
interface.

Typical effects include:

Effects such as stereo chorus, phasers and flangers, which shift the
pitch of the signal by a small and varying amount, creating swirling,
shimmering and whooshing noises
Effects such as octavers, which displace pitch by an exact musical
interval
Distortion, such as transistor-style fuzz, effects incorporating, emulating A Boss distortion pedal in use
vacuum tube distortion or overdrive
Filters, such as wah-wah
Envelope shapers, such ascompression/sustain or volume/swell
Time-shift effects, such as delay and reverb
A multi-effects device is a single electronics effects pedal or rack-mount device that contains
many electronic effects. Most of these devices allow users to use "pre-set" their desired
combinations of effects, offering the ability to easily alter the guitar's tonal dynamics, even mid-
song. Some multi-FX pedals contain modelled versions of well-known effects pedals or
amplifiers.

By the 1990s, software effects became capable of digitally The Zoom 505 multi-
replicating the analog effects used in the past, with varying effect pedal
degrees of quality.

Synthesizer and digital guitars

The Boss GT-8, a higher-
end multi-effect
processing pedal; note
the preset switches and
patch bank foot switches
and built-in expression
pedal.
Playing techniques
The sound of a guitar can not only be adapted by
electronic sound effects but is also heavily
affected by various new techniques developed or
becoming possible in combination with electric
amplification. This is calledextended technique.

Many techniques, such as axial finger vibrato, pull-offs, hammer-ons, palm muting,
harmonics and altered tunings, are also used on the classical and acoustic guitar.
Shred guitar is a genre involving a number of extended techniques.

See also
List of electric guitar brands
Bass guitar
Bahian guitar A prepared guitar
Distortion (guitar)
Effects pedal
Electric pipa
Electromagnetic induction
Electronic tuner
Guitar harmonics
Guitar synthesizer
Guitar amplifier
 Keytar
List of guitars
Pickup
Sitarla
Stars and Their Guitars: A History of the Electric Guitar
(documentary film)
Vintage guitar
Guitar portal

References
1. Hempstead, Colin; Worthington, William E. (2005). An electric guitar store
Encyclopedia of 20th-Century Technology, Volume 2 (http
s://books.google.com/books?id=0wkIlnNjDWcC&pg=P A79
3). Taylor & Francis. p. 793.ISBN 1-57958-464-0.
2. Wheelwright, Lynn; Carter, Walter (28 April 2010). [1] (htt
p://www.vintageguitar.com/3588/ro-pat-in-electric-spanis
h/). Vintage Guitar. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
3. Center, Lemelson. "Invention: Electric Guitar"(http://invent
ion.si.edu/invention-electric-guitar/p/35-invention)
.
www.invention.si.edu. Lemelson Center for the Study of
Invention and Innovation. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
4. Wheeler, Tom (1978). The Guitar Book: A Handbook for
Electric & Acoustic Guitarists. Harpercollins. p. 153.
ISBN 0-06-014579-X.
5. Smith, Richard R. (1987).The History of Rickenbacker
Guitars (https://books.google.com/?id=NlscjoFVcs0C&pg=
PA10). Centerstream Publications. p. 10.ISBN 978-0-
931759-15-4.
6. "Guitar E – berichte und fotos"(https://web.archive.org/we
b/20111025012719/http://www.viewgoods.de/allgemeine/g
uitar-e.html). viewgoods.de. Archived from the original (htt
p://www.viewgoods.de/allgemeine/guitar-e.html) on 25
October 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
7. Evans, Tom (1977). Guitars: Music, History, Construction
and Players from the Renaissance to Rock. Paddington
Press. p. 344. ISBN 0-448-22240-X.
8. Editorial, Retrofret. "An Important and Historical
Instrument" (http://www.retrofret.com/products.asp?Produ
ctID=6407). Retrofret Vintage Guitars. Retrofret. Retrieved
16 March 2017.
9. Corporation, Richenbacker International."The Earliest
Days of the Electric Guitar"(http://www.rickenbacker.com/
history_early.asp). Rickenbacker. RIC. Retrieved 8 August
2015.
10. USPTO, USPTO. "Stringed Instrument (Tremolo)" (https://
www.google.com/patents/US2241911?dq=ininventor:%22
Clayton+O+Kauffman%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj
Dj7DKkLfOAhXKKiYKHbQwCqIQ6AEIIzAB). Google
Patents. USPTO. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
11. USPTO, USPTO. "Electric Stringed Musical Instrument"(h
ttps://www.google.com/patents/US2089171?dq=inassigne
e:%22Electro+String+Instr+Corp%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=
0ahUKEwiJiJa4kLfOAhVDWSYKHf44CGoQ6AEIMT AD).
google.patents. USPTO. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
12. Maloof, Rich. "Who Really Invented the Electric Guitar"(ht
tps://reverb.com/news/who-really-invented-the-electric-guit
ar). Reverb.com. Reverb.com. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
13. Writer, Staff. "Rickenbacker Ken Roberts Model Hollow
Body Electric Guitar" (http://www.retrofret.com/products.as
p?ProductID=6407). Retrofret.com. Retrofret.com.
Retrieved 21 July 2018.
14. USPTO, USPTO. "Apparatus for producing tremolo
effects" (https://patents.google.com/patent/US1839395A/e
n?inventor=Clayton+O+Kauffman). US Patent Trade Mark
Office. USPTO. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
15. D'arcy, David (12 November 2000).
"ART/ARCHITECTURE; Strummed by One Hand,
Sculptured by Another"(https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullp
age.html?res=9405E2DD1139F931A25752C1A9669C8B6
3&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all). The New York Times.
Retrieved 2 May 2010.
16. Ed Mitchell (Total Guitar) (28 December 2011). "IN
PRAISE OF: The Fender Stratocaster | IN PRAISE OF:
The Fender Stratocaster"(http://www.musicradar.com/new
s/guitars/in-praise-of-the-fender-stratocaster-521292/)
.
MusicRadar. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
17. James Lincoln Collier, The Making of Jazz: AComplete
History, Dell, 1978,
18. "O. W. Appleton Home Page"(http://www.owappleton.co
m/). Worldwide Filmworks. 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
19. Wheeler, Tom (1982). American Guitars: An Illustrated
History. Harper & Row. p. 8. ISBN 0060149965.
20. Ross, Michael. "Forgotten Heroes: Paul Bigsby"(http://ww
w.premierguitar.com/articles/Forgotten_Heroes_Paul_Bigs
by?page=2). Premier Guitar. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
21. Ratcliffe, Alan (2005) Electric Guitar Handbook, UK: New
Holland Publishers, p. 11.ISBN 1-84537-042-2.
22. "Guitar World Magazine Tolinkski and Di Perna" (https://w
ww.guitarworld.com/gear/10-most-important-electric-guitar
s). 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
23. "Companies selling Models of Guitars"(https://axeheaven.
com/). 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
24. "Companies selling Models of Guitars 2"(https://rockguitar
miniatures.com/). 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
25. Hunter, Dave (19 October 2007)Chambering the Les
Paul: A Marriage of Weight and Tone (http://www.gibson.c
om/en-us/lifestyle/productspotlight/gearandinstruments/ch
ambering%20the%20les%20paul_%20a%20mar/) . Gibson
Lifestyle
26. "Does my Les Paul have weight relief holes or sound
chambers?" (http://www.lespaulforum.com/faqpage.html#
weighti). lespaulforum.com.
27. Irizarry, Rob (5 March 2007) Making Electric Guitars That
Won't Break Your Back (http://buildingtheergonomicguitar.
com/2007/03/guitar-building-making-electric-guitars.html)
.
Building the Ergonomic Guitar.
28. Bartolo, Joel Di. Serious Electric Bass: The Bass Player's
Complete Guide to Scales and Chords(https://books.goog
le.com/books?id=a2DCgcsrQkMC). Alfred Music. p. 7.
ISBN 1457460963. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
29. Warmoth Custom Guitars(http://www.warmoth.com/guitar/
bodies/options/bodywoodoptions.aspx), (retrieved 16
December 2013)
30. Hunter, Dave (2006). The Electric Guitar Sourcebook:
How to Find the Sounds You Like (https://books.google.co
m/books?id=qkVMAgAAQBAJ)(1. ed.). San Francisco:
Backbeat. p. 20. ISBN 0879308869.
31. "Electric Guitar (Les Paul model) by Gibson, Inc.,
Kalamazoo, 1952" (http://orgs.usd.edu/nmm/PluckedStrin
gs/Guitars/Gibson/5916/LesPaulGuitar.html).
Orgs.usd.edu. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
32. Vassilis Lembessis, Dr. (1 July 2001). "Physics... in action"
(http://www.europhysicsnews.org/10.1051/epn:2001402).
Europhysics News. 32 (4): 125–125.
doi:10.1051/epn:2001402 (https://doi.org/10.1051%2Fep
n%3A2001402). ISSN 0531-7479 (https://www.worldcat.or
g/issn/0531-7479).
33. Lemme, Helmuth. "The Secrets of Electric Guitar Pickups"
(https://www.princeton.edu/ssp/joseph-henry-project/electr
ic-guitar-pickup/Guitar-Pickup-Theory.pdf) (PDF). Build
Your Guitar. Electronic Musician. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
34. Cochran, Russ and Atkins, Chet (2003).Chet Atkins: Me
and My Guitars, Hal Leonard, p. 124, ISBN 0-634-05565-
8.

Sources
Broadbent, Peter (1997).Charlie Christian: Solo Flight – The Seminal Electric Guitarist
. Ashley Mark Publishing
Company. ISBN 1-872639-56-9.

External links
ON! The Beginnings of Electric Sound Generation– an exhibit at the Museum of Making Music, National Association
of Music Merchants, Carlsbad, CA – some of the earliest electric guitars and their history, from the collection of Lynn
Wheelwright and others
King of Kays Vintage guitar's from America, Japan, and Italy. Pictures, history, and forums.
The Invention of the Electric Guitar– Online exhibition at theSmithsonian Institution's National Museum of American
History

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Electric_guitar&oldid=892829662

"

This page was last edited on 17 April 2019, at 04:35(UTC).

Text is available under theCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this
site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of theWikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.