Electric Guitars Flashcards
Why were electric guitars invented?
To be audible over a brass section when playing in big bands.
How were the first guitars made?
Hollow bodied, arch top
1932?
First electromagnetic pickup which registered string vibration.
Give an early example of a hollow bodied electric guitar
Frying Pan by George Beauchamp.
Why were solid bodies invented? /2
To combat feedback problems when hollow bodies were played at higher volumes.
Cheaper to make with a glue in or bolt on neck.
What are the two main types of bridges found on an electric guitar?
Fixed bridge and tremolo bridge
How does a tremolo bridge work?
Tremolo arm is fixed to the bridge that alters the tension of the string to create vibrato effects.
What system was created to reduce tuning problems caused by tremolo bridges?
Locking nut and floyd rose systems with finer tunings at bridge
What is the nut?
Strip of metal or plastic with grooves for strings to pass over as they go over the fretboard.
What does the headstock feature?
Tuning pegs.
What does the truss rod do?
Alters tension of neck
What is a synonym for volume knob?
Potentiometer
What does the tone of a bridge pickup sound like?
Bright, thin / cuts more easily
What does the sound of a neck pickup sound like?
Warmer
What is a pickup?
A magnet wrapped in coils of wire, 1 pole piece for each string. They are transducers that convert sound energy into electrical energy.
