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From: rusty@deltanet.com (Rusty Wilson)
Subject: ARTICLE: EVOLUTION OF THE GUITAR
Date: 16 Nov 1995 01:48:32 GMT
Dear fellow and female players,
Following is the text of an article I found in Music Trades magazine, a
publication that is normally only available to music industry
professionals (retailers, distributors, manufacturers, etc.). I found it
interesting, in that it not only give some factual history on the
development of the guitar, but also raises an interesting question about
the future of the instrument.
The following is republished with the permission of Music Trades Magazine,
who asked me to pass along their email address: musictrades.com
Hope you enjoy it.
Rusty
IS THE GUITAR FULLY EVOLVED? Or is the best yet to come?
1925 John Dopyera creates the first resonator guitar
1929 Martin introduces the renowned Dreadnaught
1934 Gibson defines the modern jazz guitar with the Super 400
1935 Rickenbacker unveils the Frying Pan, the first electric
1948 Leo Fender introduces the Telecaster
1951 Fender debuts the Precision Bass
1952 Gibson presents the first Les Paul Guitar
1954 Fender releases the Stratocaster
1965 Kayman Corp. successfully uses plastic in the Ovation guitar
1977 ARP unveils the first guitar synthesizer, the Avatar
1981The Steinberger headless bass is introduced
1993 The unique composite Parker "Fly" guitar is released
Dinosaurs ruled the earth for nearly 200 million years during the
Mesozoic era. Then, in a comparatively brief ten million year time span,
the massive lizards were rendered extinct by mammals, who have remained
dominant for over 100 million years. Scientists refer to these short
bursts of dramatic change as ''punctuated evolution," and this view of
change sheds an interesting light on the development of the guitar.
Comparing the evolution of the guitar with the passing of dinosaurs may
seem a bit incongruous, but in both cases long periods of status quo were
abruptly brought to an end by a short flurry of revolutionary events. The
origins of the guitar remain shrouded in history, but we do know that the
first six-stringed instruments with a flat back and a waisted body emerged
in Spain sometime in the late 13th century. Lacy rosettes in the
soundholes testify to the Moorish influence in the development of the
instrument.
The guitar gained modest popularity in the 17th century because it was
much easier to play than the lute. Nevertheless, it remained something of
a sideshow, totally overshadowed by the keyboard and the violin. What' s
more, for the better part of 600 years, the instrument changed little at
all. Just as a Stradivarius is visually indistinguishable from a
contemporary violin, guitars made in the Asturias region of Spain in the
1500s reflect the same basic design and construction principles found in
today' s classical guitars. Contemporary builders even rely on the bracing
patterns developed in Spain over 400 years ago.
In the mid-19th century improved metallurgy produced new types of steel
that had the flexibility, light weight, and strength to serve as a guitar
string. And, in pursuit of greater volume, guitar makers began making
steel string instruments. But, with the exception of some added
reinforcement to accommodate the increased tension of steel, these
instruments were little different from the traditional classical guitars.
Thus, for the 500+ years between the birth of the guitar and the early
20th century, there was little change in instrument design. Then all hell
broke loose.
In the roughly 35 years between 1923 and 1958 the guitar industry
experienced an unprecedented period of innovation that witnessed a steady
stream of new designs that revolutionized the world of music. The violin
design that currently dominates the market was created in Cremona, Italy,
in the 1680s. The most popular piano and wind instrument configurations
came into being at the turn of the century. In the case of the guitar,
however, without exception, the instrument designs that captured the
hearts and minds of players throughout the world were introduced between
1923 and 1958. Certainly there have been top-selling
instrument models introduced after 1958; however, they were in effect
''copies" of earlier instruments.
Attempting to trace the dramatic evolution of the guitar during this
tumultuous period would make for a lengthy and engaging book, but for the
sake of this limited space, a few noteworthy highlights deserve special
recognition.
Founded in 1894, the Gibson Mandolin Company, as the name indicates,
got its start with a unique mandolin. At that time mandolins had a
bowl-shaped back and a flat top. Seeking a more expressive instrument,
Orville Gibson borrowed design techniques from the violin makers and
created an arch-top mandolin with a carved back. In 1923 Lloyd Loar, one
of the most influential instrument designers of all time, created the
Gibson L-5, an arch-top guitar that picked up many of the styling cues of
the famed Gibson mandolins. With its large body, arched f-hole top, and
20-fret neck, the L-5 was the forerunner of the entire family of jazz
guitars, including the Epiphone Emperor, the Stromberg 400, the D'
Angelico New Yorker, and dozens of others.
In 1929, in the midst of the Great Depression, Frank Henry Martin, head
of the Martin Guitar Company, and Harry Hunt, head of the musical
instrument department at Oliver Ditson & Co., a leading retailer, began
brainstorming for a new product to help stimulate sales. The two came up
with a largebodied guitar, which they named the "Dreadnought" after the
largest class of battleship in the U.S. Navy ("dread nought" or "fear
nothing.") The instrument was a quick success and has been the mainstay of
the Martin Guitar Company ever since. What's more, the dreadnought style
is the mainstay of just about every other acoustic guitar maker around the
world.
As guitars became more popular and auditoriums became larger, guitar
makers began looking for ways to increase the instrument's volume. In 1925
John Dopyera, a Czech immigrant, created the resonator guitar, a new type
of instrument that featured a metal body and a thin, spun-aluminum
diaphragm that dramatically amplified the string vibration. The instrument
was dubbed the "Dobro" and remains popular today. Aside from developing a
new style of guitar, Dopyera also was the first of a series of immensely
creative southern California guitar makers.
The California Tradition
Dopyera was assisted in his work by George Beauchamp, an accomplished
guitarist. In addition, he had contracted with Adolph Rickenbacker, a
local machinist, to produce the aluminum resonators. Then Beauchamp and
Dopyera had a falling out, and Beauchamp left to work for Rickenbacker. In
1933 Beauchamp and Rickenbacker introduced the Rickenbacker "A-22" laptop
steel electric. Better known as the "Frying Pan," the A-22 was the first
commercially available instrument to utilize electro-magnetic pickups to
amplify the strings. Driven by the Hawaiian music craze, Rickenbacker did
a brisk business selling Frying Pans, and numerous other manufacturers
began incorporating pickups in their instruments.
The evolution of the guitar was put on hold for the four years of World
War II when the production of all consumer items was suspended by
government edict. While production lines may have been shut down, a number
of creative minds were continuing to experiment with new ideas for the
guitar. In 1948 Leo Fender introduced the Broadcaster guitar, the first
commercially successful "Spanish Style" solid-body. The success of that
unique instrument quickly established Fender as a major factor in the
music industry.
As Fender rapidly gained market share, executives at Gibson were
concerned about being frozen out of the new solidbody market. To
retaliate, they teamed up with guitar wizard Les Paul and in 1952
introduced the nowfamous Les Paul model. That same year Fender came up
with another major innovation: the Precision Electric bass, the first
solid-body bass guitar. Two years later came the Fender Stratocaster, Leo
Fender's self-described attempt to "design the best instrument in the
world, once and for all."
In the late '50s a burgeoning folk music movement, Elvis Presley, and
the birth of rock and roll sent guitar sales to new heights, and
manufacturers responded with scores of new models. Fender introduced the
Jaguar, the Jazzmaster, the Marauder, the Mustang, and numerous others.
Gibson unveiled the Explorer, the Flying V, the Firebird, and the Futura.
Makers like Gretsch, Harmony, Guild, Epiphone, and Kay also introduced a
dizzying array of new instruments.
Yet by the mid-'60s, for all the feverish product development, a
pattern was clearly set. Over 80% of all acoustic guitars sold were based
on the Martin dreadnought design of 1929, and roughly 75% of the electrics
sold could either be classified as Les Paul derivatives or Stratocaster
derivatives. Thirty years later the market picture remains very much the
same.
Is Evolution All Over?
The unanswered question is, was the dynamic period between 1923 and
1958 an example of "punctuated evolution" that will be followed by a much
longer period of little or no change? Or are we still in the midst of
ongoing and dynamic evolution? Despite the continued commercial dominance
of a small number of guitar types, the industry has not wanted for new and
innovative designs. Witness products like the groundbreaking all composite
Steinberger headless bass, the new lightweight composite Parker "Fly"
guitar, or the Brian Moore guitar, profiled elsewhere in this issue. Each
of these instruments represents a new approach to construction and design,
and each offers new musical performance characteristics. But will they
ever replace the tried and true?
The unseen revolution in the guitar industry over the past 15 years has
taken place on the factory floor. Ever since Peavey Electronics embraced
advanced computer automation to build guitars, electric guitar prices have
steadily dropped in inflation-adjusted dollars. (Consider the fact that
the basic Stratocaster has sold for the same price since 1982.)
Dramatically improved production techniques have resulted in better
quality and lower prices.
The production revolution, however, has not been limited to the low end
of the market. Boutique guitar makers, like Paul Reed Smith and Santa Cruz
Guitar (the latter of which is profiled elsewhere in this issue), have
helped elevate industry-wide standards by producing instruments of
breathtaking beauty and exquisite musical capabilities.
The economist Friedrich August Hayek noted that all of business takes
place in the future and that the past is at best only marginally useful as
a guide for preparing for events to come. Thus, attempts to extrapolate
the past into bold predictions for the future are generally fraught with
peril. Does the future hold dramatic breakthroughs in guitar design? Only
time will tell, but the instrument continues to inspire such passion that
it is a certainty that dedicated luthiers will continue to push the
boundaries of design for a good long time.
--END of ARTICLE--
--
Rusty Wilson
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