Who Invented the electric guitar?

1934 Rickenbacker Electro A-25 Frying Pan

Adolph Rickenbacker (1887-1976). He invented the electric guitar.

This fact seems a little obscure. The electric guitar has had so much impact on human society and yet Adolph Rickenbacker is hardly a household word or a face that is easily recognizable. He was Swiss, but the invention was developed in California, USA.

This is a good time to throw in a random fact. His cousin was Eddie Rickenbacker, America’s greatest flying Ace in World War I. This helped in marketing.

Rickenbacker’s partner was George Beauchamp, who was a co-founder of National String Instrument Company. They made banjos and resonator guitars, but couldn’t figure out how to make them electric. Rickenbacker had the skills to get it done. The patent was filed in 1934 and finally granted in 1937.

Hawaiian music played live over the radio became a popular wave that swept the nation along with tiki cocktails and Hawaiian shirts.

Rickenbacker also developed the ElectroSpanish Guitar in 1935,

The Beatles, The Byrds, Tom Petty all played Rickenbackers.

Steve Scorfina, one of the original members of REO Speedwagon shows his rare guitars.

He has one of each in this video.

Watch this episode of "Every Guitar Has A Story"

1939 Silvertone Lap Steel Guitar

A 1939 Silvertone Lap Steel made it to a video taping of Every Guitar Has A Story. Don Whetstine, the owner is in his 80s and likes the Silvertone because it is older than him.

Watch for a followup with a deeper dive on this video

For now, see this ancient instrument in the video. View All Episodes

1972 Gibson 325

I had never seen a Gibson 325. Eddie Prather brought his 1972 prototype to us.

We are used to the more common 335, but the 335 is a semi-hollow body guitar while the 325 is is fully hollow. The 335 has standard humbuckers. The 325 has Firebird mini-humbuckers. They were made in walnut and cherry finishes, but Eddie’s prototype was white. Most had only one F-hole, but a few like the one we saw had two F-holes. So this rare Gibson 325 is very collectible.

Since “Every Guitar Has A Story,” I thought I would tell the best 1972 Gibson 325 story I could find. Caleb Followill, the frontman for Kings Of Leon, began playing his on stage in 2002. In 2009, he lost his temper over an “unsolvable” sound problem and smashed it during his performance at the T in The Park Festival.  Experiencing immediate regret, he asked the audience to bring the pieces back on stage. The Gibson Repair & Restoration department made it whole again.

C’mon, that’s a really good story.

Watch this episode of "Every Guitar Has A Story"

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