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Electric Guitars

Electric guitars differ from their acoustic cousins in that they require an external means of amplification. A plucked string on an electric guitar produces very little sound by itself. Instead, the vibrations from the string are “picked up” by magnetic coils which then transfer the sound through a cord to an electric amplifier.

The history of electric guitars dates back to the big band era of the 1930’s and 1940’s. The sheer size and number of instruments in these bands simply drowned out the sound of an acoustic guitar. Through a series of trial and error on the part of many different guitar makers and players, the electric guitar was born.

Magnetic pickups are what made electric guitars possible. A small electrical current is created within the pickups when the strings of the guitar are plucked or strummed. This current is then transferred to an amplifier which turns these currents into audible sound.

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