Instruments Electric Guitars
The guitar itself and its ancestors have been known and loved for centuries. The electric guitar as we know it today, is quite new, and it hasn´t even been around for a hundred years.
The electric guitar only learned to walk during the middle of the last century, when inventors like Les Paul (with Gibson), or Leo Fender came up with completely new designs.
The basic idea of the electric guitar was to make the sound of an acoustic guitar just louder. But musicians being musicians, the new possibilities inspired them instantly to create new sounds. And what began with Archtop and Jazz guitars in a very conservative way, quickly developed into energetic rock music, driven by the electric guitar, just as we know and love it today.
Less air, more rock!
As soon as the new models from manufacturers like Fender or Gibson were on the market, especially young musicians found ways to misuse the new electric guitars in a not intended way. Amplifiers kept getting bigger and louder, and the music moved further and further away from the acoustic sounds of a hollow body, like the Gibson ES335. And while the 1950s, with rock n' roll, and the early 1960s, with instrumental artists, like the Shadows, were still comparatively conservative, the flower power generation really got going in the mid-sixties.
What artists like Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton or Pete Towshend got from electric guitars like Strat, Les Paul, Telecaster, would have been absolutely unimaginable, just a few years earlier!
More volume!
The quickly advancing development of amplifiers and effects undoubtedly contributed to this. Also, huge strides were made in recording technology. In addition to their deafening and bloodcurdling sound, the amplifiers made by Marshall and Vox looked really impressive as well.
At that time, no self-respecting guitarist wanted to go on stage without a big wall of amplifiers. And also, between the musicians of a band (guitar, bass, drums), a true battle of volume developed. 50 watts, 100 watts, 200 watts. The more, the better! New sounds developed at the same time because the amplifiers were still torn up beyond measure and thus became more and more distorted, while the powerful feedback became an important part of the whole experience.
Effects shot the sound into the stratosphere
The third piece of equipment that led to completely new sounds, were effect devices, which were quickly used in an unintended and unconventional way as well. Just like the so-called wah pedal, which was, in its now well-known mass-produced version, invented by Vox.
Initially intended for the use with wind instruments, such as trumpet and saxophone, it quickly became clear, that guitarists were a much more adventurous and therefore more suited target group. And try to imagine guitarists like Jimi Hendrix or Slash without their wah pedals! When it came to giving the amplifier even more distortion and assertiveness, effects pedals quickly became the first choice. No matter if booster, distortion or octaver, everything was tried out enthusiastically, in search of new sounds.
The way into the mainstream
Acoustic guitars and archtop models were fine, handcrafted instruments, and so they were correspondingly expensive. Definitely nothing for the masses!
Turning the guitar into a mass-compatible product, was the ingenious step! And Leo Fender succeeded, with his "Broadcaster", that soon became the "Telecaster", and above all, just a little later, with the legendary "Stratocaster". A completely new type of electric guitar was born. Beside the fact that these guitars were top-notch instruments, with their own unique sound that also worked great for the professionals, the ingenious thing about the construction was, that Fender could manufacture these guitars industrially, in very large numbers. This also had a major impact on the price, and in consequence, many more people could afford a guitar. In no time, various manufacturers followed, and the electric guitar began its global triumph!
From the USA to the whole world
The triumph of the electric guitar undoubtedly began in the USA. And the first relevant manufacturers, such as Fender and Gibson, are American companies as well. With their success, companies in Japan and Germany, such as Ibanez and Framus, also entered the scene.
Both companies initially began with imitating and interpreting the legendary designs from the USA, like the Strat or the Les Paul, but at much more attractive prices.
And Ibanez and Framus learned quickly, so they soon built and offered an excellent quality. The manufacturers of the successful originals took notice of this, and soon there were first lawsuits against the Japanese brand, in order to protect their designs and ideas. The solution to avoid legal consequences was very simple and courageous at the same time: creating own designs! So it's no wonder that Ibanez, for example, quickly designed and sold its own models from the 1970s onwards. People knew that the offered quality was very good. And so, the new designs quickly became successes.
Let´s shred!
As guitarists are, the end of the road was not yet reached! Why settle for six strings on a guitar, when you can have seven or eight? And once more, Ibanez was one of the first companies to bring a trend into the mainstream. Accordingly, the bands tuned deeper and deeper. In today´s guitar shops, you can find classic guitar designs, next to the most extreme heavy guitars, peacefully united. The selection is larger than ever, and the quality is convincing throughout all price ranges. So, you can easily get a cheap electric guitar that is still a good instrument.
But which one?
With this huge selection of guitars, the question naturally arises as to which one to buy?
How do you find a good electric guitar that suits your taste and needs as much as possible?
First tip if you want an affordable and convincing guitar: It's better to get one with fewer and simple features, than one that supposedly offers everything, but certainly can't do so at a low price. Another important factor is, that the guitars´ maintenance, such as changing strings, and playing the electric guitar in the first place, is much easier if you buy a guitar with a solid, simple construction. You can go more complex later, and the trend is towards a second or third guitar anyways, especially when you perform live.
Fair prices - good electric guitars
The good news for everyone who wants to start playing guitar now:
Even for 100,- EUR, or a little more, you can get decent instruments, that are completely sufficient for the beginner! Take the Ibanez GRG170DX BKN as an example. It offers a good mix of flexibility, quality and fair price! But not only Ibanez offers really good instruments for little money. You can also get great guitars from Squier (Fender), Epiphone (Gibson), Jackson, Slick or various house brands from large dealers. And if you want to step up a bit and get something more valuable, you can buy various models from Mooer (https://shop.warwick.de/de/instrumente/e-instrumente/mooer-gtrs-guitars) or Framus (https:// shop.warwick.de/de/instrumente/e-guitars/framus-d-series).
One thing is clear, regardless of the manufacturer: you have a huge choice!
Let's go!
That should be enough inspiration to start looking for your own electric guitar. So what are you waiting for? Happy Guitar Hunting!
P.S.: If you still have questions, we recommend visiting your local guitar dealer or looking online.