ELECTRIC GUITARS AND BASSES, A Photographic History. George Gruhn Walter Carter

ELECTRIC GUITARS AND BASSES, A Photographic History. George Gruhn Walter Carter

REVISED AND UPDATED EDITION

Series: Book
Publisher: Backbeat Books
Format: Softcover
Author: George Gruhn
Author: Walter Carter

Electric Guitars and Basses tells the story in full color of one of the most influential forces on American culture in the 20th century – the electric guitar. From the earliest “lap steels” that reshaped the sound of Hawaiian music, through the “Spanish-neck” models that created a new voice in the jazz world and powered the early rock and rollers, and on to the solidbody models that shattered conventional ideas of guitar design and guitar music, all of the classic and historically important models are displayed and discussed by guitar experts George Gruhn and Walter Carter. This new edition features an additional 16 pages of important instruments and newly discovered information. 272 pages

... years of instrument evolution, and it focuses primarily on guitars-Hawaiian "steel guitars," conventional "Sparushneck" guitars, and bass guitars. Electric banjos were never more than curiosities; electric mandolins were marginally more successful but never a threat to acoustic mandolins. The electric guitar has struggled, more so than the various acoustic fretted instruments that preceded it, for acceptance as an instrument to be judged on its own merits. Musicians and music lovers have derided it for not having a true amplified acoustic-guitar sound. Designers and craftsmen have dismissed it on the simplistic grounds that little luthiery skill is required to attach a set of electronics to a plank of wood. Consequently, the aesthetic qualities of electric guitars have not always been fully appreciated, even though the very nature of the instrument- the secondary importance of acoustic qualitiesoffers a freedom of design unavailable to designers of acoustic instruments.

The electric guitar has come into its own in the last decade, with its own set of classic designs, legends, and lore. The Fender Stratocaster solidbody and the Gibson ES-335 semi-hollowbody are to the electric guitar world what the Martin dreadnought flat-top and the Gibson L- 5 archtop are to the acoustic world. The parallel extends to the-obscure Coral electric sitar of the late 1960s, which is much like the harp guitar of the early 1900s; both featured an extra set of strings, and both were interesting experiments and commercial failures. To the guitar aficionado nowadays, a prominent tiger-stripe wood grain in the maple top of a 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard looks as beautiful as a highly figured piece of Brazilian rosewood on a prewar Martin D-45 acoustic flat-top, and the curves and contours of a Fender Stratocaster body are as classic as the scroll and f-holes of a Gibson F-5 mandolin. The names Adolph Rickenbacker and Leo Fender have become as familiar and revered as C. F. Martin and Orville Gibson. The instruments alone deserve a book, but the stories of the major manufacturers-whether they involve revolutionary innovations, utter lack of foresight, or both-have proven irresistible. For example, it seems inconceivable that Gibson would have failed to recognize a growing demand in the 1960s for its discontinued Les Paul Standard and then, when it finally noticed the demand, would reintroduce the wrong version of the Les Paul. Some of today's most collectible models, such as Gibson's Flying V and Explorer, were dismal commercial failures and are consequently quite rare, while others, like Fender's Stratocaster and Gibson's Les Paul Standard were successful in 1950s versions and are not rare at all by vintage guitar standards, yet they are still highly sought after because of the perfection of their design. In the world of vintage fretted instruments, one story leads to another, and we could go on forever. We have tried to let the photographs do most of the talking, however, and they are offered for your enjoyment and appreciation. We would like to thank the many collectors and dealers who let us photograph their instruments. We are indebted to the following people for sharing their knowledge in specialized areas: for early electric instruments: A. R. Duchossoir and Mike Newton; for Vivi- Tone: Roger Siminoff and John Sprung; for early Fender: Gary Bohannon and John Sprung. -George Gruhn and Walter Carter Nashville, 1994

... guitar were built along the lines of a standard guitar. This instrument would seem to be a shortcut-a synthesizer made for guitarists who do not know how to play a keyboard, much as the tenor guitar was, for a time, a shortcut for tenor banjo players who were not proficient on guitar. However, despite a promising start in the 1980s, neither the synth guitar nor the keyboard synthesizer were able to unseat the guitar as the most popular mass-market instrument. Unlike the guitar synthesizer, which still plays like a guitar, the Chapman Stick is unique among descendants of the guitar. The playing technique for guitar and all other fretted instruments does not carryover to the Stick. It was designed to exploit fretboard tapping techniques that were developed on a standard guitar primarily by Gretsch employee Jimrnie Webster in the early 1950s and then taken to a new level in the late 1970s by rocker Eddie Van Halen. Although the Stick has the appearance of an electric guitar-with strings, frets, and a pickup unit-it frees all the fingers of both hands to produce tones, and it offers no easier transition for a guitarist than a piano would. Consequently it has attracted only a small following. Does the electric guitar really need to evolve further? Probably not, because it has succeeded like no other type of guitar in achieving its goal.The evolution of the electric guitar was driven by a quest for greater volume--the same force that drove the evolution of acoustic flat-top, archtop, and resonator guitars. By the end of the 1950s, the electric guitar per se no longer imposed a limit on volume. The limitation now was in the amplifier, and so that last leg in the quest for volul11.ewas handed over to amplifiers. The century-long driving force in guitar evolution was removed. Volume isn't the only element in the performance of an electric guitar.There is also tone. But just as the responsibility for volume was taken away,so the element of tone has been to a great extent handed over to outboard signal processors, aka effects. Pickup designs have been "tweaked," to be sure, but the sound of an electric guitar is seldom heard straight and unaltered from the guitar through the amplifier. Guitarists seem to be reasonably satisfied with the performance of the Gibson humbucker, the Gibson singlecoil P-90, and Fender's single-coil pickups. If they want different sounds, they are more likely to look for different effects units rather than for different pickups. In short, it seems that the electric guitar is a fully evolved instrument. While makers continue to perfect designs,we do not anticipate innovations that will displace or render existing designs obsolete. If the electric guitar has truly "had its run," then it has been quite a run compared to other fretted instruments. Starting in the late 1930s, with the emergence of Charlie Christian, the electric guitar has been in a prominent position for seventy years.That's about as along as the dominant eras of all its predecessors-the classic (five-string) banjo, mandolin, tenor banjo, and acoustic guitar-combined. It's even more impressive in an age when technological advances can make new TVs, computers, or even electronic keyboard instruments obsolete every few months. The afterword in the first edition of this book noted that, ironically, the future of electric guitars may well be in the past. One trend of the early 1990s was a greater appreciation for older, traditional designs, and that trend continues today. Many companies, including Fender, Gibson. Rickenbacker, and a revived Gretsch, are enjoying a strong market for vintage reissues.What started as a demand for replicas has broadened to include "aged" replicas-new guitars that look old. This sub-genre now supports a number of independent businesses specializing in "relic" treatments as well as vintage-style pickups and other parts. Considering that acoustic flat-top design was well evolved by the 1850s and perfected by the end of the 1930s, and violin design peaked around 300 years ago, this backward-looking trend in electric guitar development is not necessarily cause for concern about the future of electric guitars. The need for major improvements in electric guitars may not exist, but interest in electric guitars is still healthy and strong, as evidenced by the growing popularity of video games that use a fake guitar as the game controller. It's not just the electric guitar now, but the "electric guitar experience" that·is embedded in our culture. With or without any further evolution, the electric guitar should be around for a long time to come.

Gibson Les Paul Robot, 2008. Gibson applied modern technology to a mechanical aspect of the guitar and came up with the Gibson Robot featuring automatic string tuners. Gruhn Guitars/KV

"This book is a visual feast, but collectors will also enjoy Gruhn and Carter's historical information, which is written with meticulous attention to detail and accuracy."---Vintage Gallery"

"A colorful, informative book that will have guitar junkies positively writhing with unrequited desire."---Los Angeles Reader"

"Another stunner featuring page after page of full-color musical instrument portraits (the pictures are so loving and attentive you couldn't call them anything else)... Practically everyone who cares deeply about America's idiomatic musics...will pour over this book like a Hendrix flourish over that morning crowd at the original Woodstock."---Booklist"

In this revised and updated edition of their popular book, guitar experts George Gruhn and Walter Carter trace the technical and aesthetic development of the electric guitar, with an updated history of the iconic instrument. Accompanied by hundreds of colorful photographs, here is the history of the instrument---including newly discovered information on the most innovative models yet---along with irresistible stories of the major manufacturers: Fender, Gibson, Gretsch, Rickenbacker, and more. From the earliest lap steels that reshaped the sound of Hawanan music, through the Spanish neck models that created a new voice in the jazz world and powered the sounds of early rock án' roll, to the solidbody models that shattered conventional ideas of guitar design and guitar music, all of the classic and historically notable models are covered here, bringing this compelling story completely up to date.

George Gruhn is recognized worldwide as a leading authority on vintage fretted instruments. He established Gruhn Guitars in Nashville in 1970. It has since become one of the largest dealers of vintage and fretted instruments.

Walter Carter has been involved in the Nashville music scene since 1971 as a journalist, songwriter, and musician. He is the former historian for the Nashville-based Gibson Guitar Corp. and the author of several books on vintage guitars and guitar companies.

Table of Contents
Introduction to the 2010 Edition 
Introduction to the 1994 Edition 

PART ONE ELECTRIC ROOTS: 1928 TO WORLD WAR II 

1 Hawaiians
Rickenbacker 
National 
Gibson 
Fender 
Other Makers 

2 Spanish-Necks
Hollowbodies 
Vivi-Tone 
Solidbodies 

PART TWO BRANCHES OF THE ELECTRIC FAMILY: 1947 TO TODAY 

3 Full-Depth Hollowbodies
Gibson 
Epiphone 
Gretsch 
Other Makers 

4 Solidbodies
Fender 
Fender Basses 
Fender Colors 
Gibson 
Gretsch 
Rickenbacker 
Other Makers 

5 Thinbodies
Gibson 
Epiphone 
Rickenbacker 
Other Makers 
Afterword 
Bibliography 
Recommended Reading 
Index