electric guitar
A guitar that uses magnetic pickups to convert string vibration into electrical signals for amplification.
In Depth
The electric guitar uses electromagnetic pickups — coils of wire wrapped around magnets — to detect string vibrations and convert them into electrical signals. These signals are sent to an amplifier, which shapes and projects the sound. The solid body of an electric guitar does not amplify sound acoustically; all projection comes through electronics.
The electric guitar emerged in the 1930s and transformed popular music. Les Paul, Leo Fender, and Gibson developed the iconic designs (the Les Paul and Stratocaster) that are still the most popular models today. The ability to control volume, sustain, and tone through electronics — plus effects pedals for distortion, delay, and more — gave guitarists an unprecedented palette of sonic possibilities.
Leo Fender, who designed the Stratocaster and Telecaster — two of the most iconic electric guitars ever made — could not play the guitar himself. He was an electrical engineer, not a musician.