The Misunderstood History and Prehistory of the Electric Guitar

doi:10.1017/9781009224420.002

2 - The Misunderstood History and Prehistory of the Electric Guitar

from Part I - History

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 November 2024

Matthew W. Hill

Edited by

Jan-Peter Herbst and

Steve Waksman

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Jan-Peter Herbst: Affiliation:
University of Huddersfield
Steve Waksman: Affiliation:
Smith College, Massachusetts

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Summary

The story of the electric guitar is as much folklore and mythology as it is history. While the public embrace of the electric guitar, both musically and socially, is very much a phenomenon of the twentieth century, its roots go back to mid-eighteenth century Europe, and its journey to becoming a modern cultural icon includes stops in the Czech Republic, France, Hawaii, Germany, and the US Naval Academy in Annapolis. Even its history during the twentieth century is typically not well understood, with significant confusion over the people, events, and timeline of the electric guitar’s invention. This chapter examines the hidden history of the electric guitar, and puts the electric guitar’s development within the larger context of the electrification of musical instruments.

Keywords

Rickenbacker Miessner Denis d’or electromagnetic Electro String Instrument Corporation Beauchamp Delaborde Dopyera Neo-Bechstein Diviš

Type: Chapter
Information: The Cambridge Companion to the Electric Guitar , pp. 19 - 35

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009224420.002 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2024

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References

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