Did you know that in 2020, 1.1 million of the guitars sold in the U.S. were electric guitars? In fact, Music Strive noted that electric guitars made up nearly half (48%) of all guitar types bought in the U.S. in that year.
Here are some interesting facts about the electric guitar that can pique your curiosity about the well-known instrument:
Most Expensive Guitar
According to Guinness World Records, Kurt Cobain's "MTV Unplugged" guitar is the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction and was bought for $6,010,000 on June 19, 2020 at Julien's auctions in Los Angeles, California. In November 1993, Cobain recorded Nirvana's renowned MTV unplugged performance on the modified, left-handed 1959 Martin D-18E.
When Did the Electric Guitar We Know Today Invented
The first prototypes of the electric guitar as we know it today didn't arrive until the 1920s, despite the fact that inventors like George Breed had been experimenting with strings and electric currents to make sound as early as the 1890s, as per BBC.
Who Manufactured the First Commercial Electric Guitar
BBC said that previously, acoustic guitars were not loud enough to be heard over the multitude of other instruments. Many people started exploring solutions to this issue by trying to find ways to increase the guitar's sound.
The first commercially available electric guitar was made by instrument manufacturers Stromberg-Voisinet in 1928. Even though the Stromberg-Voisinet made the instrument louder, the sound it created was still far from ideal.
Who Created the First Amplified Electric Guitar
Les Paul, who invented the solid-body electric guitar, is frequently credited with creating the electric guitar, according to PBS.
However, the current electronically amplified guitar with high sound quality was initially created by guitarist George Beauchamp and electrical engineer Adolph Rickenbacker. They debuted the Rickenbacker Electro A-22, also known as the "Frying Pan," in 1931.
Les Paul Made 'The Log'
PBS mentioned that Les Paul built an electric guitar known as "The Log" in 1940 by literally putting a 4x4 block of wood in the middle of a wooden acoustic guitar in order to reduce body vibrations. It wasn't the first electric guitar created, but it was among the newest to enter the music scene.
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Gibson Mocked 'The Log'
BBC stated that Gibson, the leading maker at the time, mocked "The Log," and it never went into production.
Les Paul Got Into a Car Accident
According to B&B Music Lessons, in 1948, after being involved in a vehicle accident, Les Paul requested that the doctor place his arm permanently in a guitar-playing position.
1952 Gibson Guitar Has No Serial Number
Gibson did not use serial numbers in 1952. Therefore, a Gibson guitar without a serial number is a model from 1952, as per B&B Music Lessons.
Electric Guitars Were Not Exclusively Used by Rockers
PBS noted Jazz musicians, blues musicians, and country music singers were the first to use the electric guitar in their songs when it first appeared on the music scene in the 1930s and 1940s.
Jazz performers Eddie Durham and Oscar Moore, country music legends Noel Boggs and Merle Travis, and blues musicians T-Bone Walker and Muddy Waters are some other well-known musicians who used the electric guitar in its early years.
Enthusiast Were Obsessed in Guitar Looks As Well
PBS mentioned that by the 1980s, guitarists appeared to be equally obsessed with the appearance of their instruments as they were with their sound, changing the guitar's role into more of a distinctive signature.
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