The Electric Guitar, a history

[Sgt. Pepper]

1 minute ago, kidblast said:

Sure.. there is some of that,  there's no magic there

I play like me, you play like you, the "magic" happens when two good players get together and it happens.

we can spend a bazillion bucks trying to nail some one else rig to a "T".. plug that sh-t in, and you're still going to sound like you...

Think of the money that doesn't need to be spent!!  I cold buy two Slash signature Les Pauls.. and..  oh wait,,, never mind...

yea,,  spell check knew how to spell antagonistic. so that was cool!

 

 

 

Yeah anyone who thinks they can plug in David G's or Mark K's Strat and they will sound like them are fooling themselves.

[kidblast]

47 minutes ago, Sgt. Pepper said:

Yeah anyone who thinks they can plug in David G's or Mark K's Strat and they will sound like them are fooling themselves.

Their sound is in their hands 

it's not the arrow, it's the indian..

 

[Retired]

23 hours ago, jaxson50 said:

Wrong on all accounts,  Charlie did not take a guitar and attach anything. Watch the video. 

Ok, If you say so but Thats what I read on the net. I just copied it. I asked what was the first electric guitar and that is what I found. So the Net must be wrong? 

[Retired]

15 hours ago, kidblast said:

I dunno, I think it'd be pretty cool to play something like that for a half hour.  I'm not sure I can put a $ to what I'd pay,  certainly have to be a reasonable ask,

$10k, to play Jimi's strat for an hour!!!  uhm, no that's ok

For $25 to play Jimi's strat for 15 minutes..   yep.. you bet I would.

My hunch is it would probably play like pooh, and I'd be glad to get my hands back on my own strats..

Then again, we're blue sky'ng here.  in reality, no one who is charged with taking care of those things would ever let any one of us clowns play it.. 🙂 

Guess I was thinking along the line; Yes, there guitar would be cool to play, How much would they want? Would i make it sound as great as them? NO. Would I make it sound better than my own? No. So, I would have no interest to pay anything.  I'd rather drive a fast race car. 

[SteveFord]

Interesting video, thanks for posting that.

Now I know a little more than I did before.

I would like to try Johnny Winter's Firebird but wouldn't pay to do so.

[jaxson50]

31 minutes ago, SteveFord said:

Interesting video, thanks for posting that.

Now I know a little more than I did before.

I would like to try Johnny Winter's Firebird but wouldn't pay to do so.

Thanks Steve , I'm glad you enjoyed it,  when I posted this I didn't think the content of the presentation would be over shadowed by the question,:

What would you pay to play Charlie Christian guitar.  I thought that would just perk others interest. 

The development of the pickup, the  pre Charlie Christian artist and  work bench inventors,  the evolution of the modern  electric guitar.  

 

Edited April 17, 2021 by jaxson50

[SteveFord]

The most interesting bit was post WWII everyone forgot about the other inventors and how Gibson was really late to the scene.

 

[Whitefang]

10 hours ago, Retired said:

Ok, If you say so but Thats what I read on the net. I just copied it. I asked what was the first electric guitar and that is what I found. So the Net must be wrong? 

AGAIN.....   Just read this. 

https://www.angelfire.com/music2/myguitar/ggcov.html

Whitefang

[kidblast]

11 hours ago, Retired said:

Guess I was thinking along the line; Yes, there guitar would be cool to play, How much would they want? Would i make it sound as great as them? NO. Would I make it sound better than my own? No. So, I would have no interest to pay anything.  I'd rather drive a fast race car. 

yep!

everyone loves what they love.

Me?  guitars!

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

Sure it would be cool to say I stummed some famous guitarists guitar, but it's like a autograph. I will not pay someone for it. 

[jaxson50]

On 4/15/2021 at 8:04 PM, Retired said:

The earliest electric guitar that I know of was around 1936. Charlie Christian, a jazz guitarist took an acoustic guitar and attached a pickup to the body to play in his band. That was the birth of the electric guitar. As for what I would pay to play someone else's guitar? Nothing. Why would I want to when I have my own? 

Charlie Christian played a Gibson ES 150, with a factory fitted pickup that Gibson engineers designed.  Charlie was discovered by Benny Goodman in 1939,  the ES 150 had been on the market ( under the Montgomery Ward and the Spiegel  label as the model 1270 beginning in 1936,.)

Charlie was twenty three in 1939, he played with Benny Goodman until 1942 when he died from TB. 

The fact that Charlie started as a piano player and took guitar lessons from Eddie Durham,  a jazz guitarist himself, should be evidence that there were others already playing electric guitar, Charlie was the first jazz guitarist of note.

 

[RBSinTo]

Playing a guitar because it belonged to someone famous is something I have no interest in doing.

This person's __________________(insert guitar brand and model) is still only a ___________________(repeat), so I really don't see the point.

RBSinTo

[nelamvr6]

That was a very interesting and informative video. But it was all too short. Is that the entire documentary? Or just a trailer?

[Retired]

2 hours ago, jaxson50 said:

Charlie Christian played a Gibson ES 150, with a factory fitted pickup that Gibson engineers designed.  Charlie was discovered by Benny Goodman in 1939,  the ES 150 had been on the market ( under the Montgomery Ward and the Spiegel  label as the model 1270 beginning in 1936,.)

Charlie was twenty three in 1939, he played with Benny Goodman until 1942 when he died from TB. 

The fact that Charlie started as a piano player and took guitar lessons from Eddie Durham,  a jazz guitarist himself, should be evidence that there were others already playing electric guitar, Charlie was the first jazz guitarist of note.

 

Thanks for the info Jaxson, Yeah, I didn't know who Charlie Christian even was, I just typed, who made the first one and the site came to him so I wrote down Charlie. I'll admit I know very little about guitars, I learn most from all you guys. Now I just asked again and the net said, George Beauchamp invented the first electric guitar. Is that right? And he went in with some other guy. Yeah, thats what it did say about Charlie, that he put a pickup  on his guitar. thought it said acoustic. 

[Retired]

3 hours ago, Whitefang said:

AGAIN.....   Just read this. 

https://www.angelfire.com/music2/myguitar/ggcov.html

Whitefang

First I heard of that website WF.  I've heard of  Les Paul, Chuck Berry & Jimi Hendrix, but never Charlie before. I was only trying to participate but Jaxson already pointed out I was wrong. Thanks anyway. 

[Retired]

3 hours ago, kidblast said:

yep!

everyone loves what they love.

Me?  guitars!

 

Nothing wrong with that Kidblast. Most everyone here does too, It is a guitar site, I probably shouldn't really be here as I don't know half of what you guys know . I have learned everything I do know from this site alone though. Yeah, Drag racing was my first love and I do know much more about racing than guitars.  I'll still try & commit here and there where I can and if I'm wrong just tell me so. I've been a gun collector for about 40 years and I would probably pay to fire certain guns that I don't have. I have been thinking of paying to take some more guitar lessons again! 

[jaxson50]

Eddie Durham  played trombone and guitar,  he was the first electric guitar player to be recorded in 1935, there had been others who played electric Hawaiian guitar,  Eddie was the first to record an electric guitar using an amplifier built specifically for the guitar, he wrote the jazz classic , I don't want to set the world on fire.

Eddie was Charlie's teacher and mentor, but both already had a understanding of music theory,  Eddie went on to play with Duke Ellington.  

What we should appreciate is how these pioneer's broke out from the traditional roll guitars had been relegated to in orchestras , this was when radio ruled the entertainment industry when it came to music. 

Guitarist played rhythm,  mostly cords, in a supporting role. Eddie started experimenting with resonators and megaphones  to compete with the horn section.  It must have been an exciting time,. Others used banjos, 4 string  tenor banjos or guitars with a banjo type resonator body,  this led to the National Steel guitar. 

What made Charlie so important is he played cords and lead, not just scales, but he learned to copy saxophone and clarinet solos and he was in The Benny Goodman  Quartet,  his guitar was prominent in that setting, while other electric players were still in Big Bands or Orchestra's, where the solos were still the domain of horns and reed instruments. 

Benny Goodman deserves our thanks for allowing a great soloists the chance to showcase his talent

[Retired]

9 minutes ago, jaxson50 said:

Eddie Durham  played trombone and guitar,  he was the first electric guitar player to be recorded in 1935, there had been others who played electric Hawaiian guitar,  Eddie was the first to record an electric guitar using an amplifier built specifically for the guitar, he wrote the jazz classic , I don't want to set the world on fire.

Eddie was Charlie's teacher and mentor, but both already had a understanding of music theory,  Eddie went on to play with Duke Ellington.  

What we should appreciate is how these pioneer's broke out from the traditional roll guitars had been relegated to in orchestras , this was when radio ruled the entertainment industry when it came to music. 

Guitarist played rhythm,  mostly cords, in a supporting role. Eddie started experimenting with resonators and megaphones  to compete with the horn section.  It must have been an exciting time,. Others used banjos, 4 string  tenor banjos or guitars with a banjo type resonator body,  this led to the National Steel guitar. 

What made Charlie so important is he played cords and lead, not just scales, but he learned to copy saxophone and clarinet solos and he was in The Benny Goodman  Quartet,  his guitar was prominent in that setting, while other electric players were still in Big Bands or Orchestra's, where the solos were still the domain of horns and reed instruments. 

Benny Goodman deserves our thanks for allowing a great soloists the chance to showcase his talent

You looked like you needed another plus for that one. Yes, so much info, I couldn't even remember it all. Weird huh? And I still can remember the firing order on Chrysler engines from the 70's. 

[jvi]

as I read a lot in the early days  of my guitar gassing and  subscribed to vintage guitar mag from early , as well as pouring over the  gruhn and mandow and elderly pricelists I learned quite a bit. not sure how much I know tho .As far as paying to play charlies git Im not sure ,I do know Id rather pay to see or play an old git than pay for looking at art.

[mihcmac]

Johnny B Goode was one early guitar song that I couldn't get out of my head then a little later Tobacco Road going into the early 60's, not to forget Peter Gunn and Pipeline. These were all early electric guitar songs that stood out for some reason. Comparing the early 60's to the late 60's extreme evolution took place, it was the era of electrics I think. Introducing the first power trios, some times with an additional vocalist, for the first time 3 instruments could produce enough sound for permanent ear damage.

[jaxson50]

1 hour ago, Retired said:

You looked like you needed another plus for that one. Yes, so much info, I couldn't even remember it all. Weird huh? And I still can remember the firing order on Chrysler engines from the 70's. 

Geez, I can't remember my name if I don't get mail once a week,  trivial crap is all I hang onto!

Don't get me going on American history though,  if you think I'm a pain in the butt now, 

[jaxson50]

53 minutes ago, mihcmac said:

Johnny B Goode was one early guitar song that I couldn't get out of my head then a little later Tobacco Road going into the early 60's, not to forget Peter Gunn and Pipeline. These were all early electric guitar songs that stood out for some reason. Comparing the early 60's to the late 60's extreme evolution took place, it was the era of electrics I think. Introducing the first power trios, some times with an additional vocalist, for the first time 3 instruments could produce enough sound for permanent ear damage.

IMO we all stand on the shoulders of those who came along before us,  Country and Western,  Swing, Big Band, Jazz in its many forms, Blues, Alt, and Rock and Roll are all forms of popular music,  nobody I know plays music without being inspired by some other musicians.  Just when one may think the music is stagnant,  a new artist comes along with a new take, and soon they are old news. 

[Retired]

2 hours ago, jaxson50 said:

IMO we all stand on the shoulders of those who came along before us,  Country and Western,  Swing, Big Band, Jazz in its many forms, Blues, Alt, and Rock and Roll are all forms of popular music,  nobody I know plays music without being inspired by some other musicians.  Just when one may think the music is stagnant,  a new artist comes along with a new take, and soon they are old news. 

We can remember things and other things not. I can't remember or how to pronounce that Joe's name who plays the Blues. I'm always calling him Joe Bonanza or Joe Monomasa to my wife. She laughs and tells me his name every time and I can't even pronounce it.  I'm like that guy on Petes Dragon who can't pronounce that town. I'd like to learn Slow Blues this year though. 

[Retired]

3 hours ago, mihcmac said:

Johnny B Goode was one early guitar song that I couldn't get out of my head then a little later Tobacco Road going into the early 60's, not to forget Peter Gunn and Pipeline. These were all early electric guitar songs that stood out for some reason. Comparing the early 60's to the late 60's extreme evolution took place, it was the era of electrics I think. Introducing the first power trios, some times with an additional vocalist, for the first time 3 instruments could produce enough sound for permanent ear damage.

I love Johnny B Goode, Still remember the days watching Chuck Berry play it live. Pipeline, I have to include it every time I get a guitar out. First I check the tuning on the guitar and then I run through Pipeline to see how it sounds. Or House Of The Rising Sun and many times both songs.  

[Retired]

3 hours ago, jaxson50 said:

Geez, I can't remember my name if I don't get mail once a week,  trivial crap is all I hang onto!

Don't get me going on American history though,  if you think I'm a pain in the butt now, 

I married a teacher, I get corrected all the time. I think the only reason she stays married to me is because I make her laugh each day and many times a day at times.  When we first got married, she told me I wasn't allowed to attend teacher parties as I would embarrass with the way I talked. Not using proper words. Like, "Deb, I ain't got no reason to say so." Haha.  So she's done a lot of work on me and I've done a lot of work on her as well.