️ Want more articles like this? Becoming an SDC Rewards Member is the best way to show your support.️️️ ️

Note from the Editor:
This article was kindly written for the SDC by member @Doctor Alan.

The History of Electric Guitars:​

Electric guitars were invented simply to make guitars in Jazz Bands more easily heard. They were usually ‘drowned out’ by the other instruments.


Microphones were placed close to the strings of the acoustic guitars. Still, electrification came about in the form of ‘pickups’ in which the steel vibrating string caused a change in the magnetic field of a coil, in the same way a speaker diaphragm moves a coil in a magnetic field to produce sound.

Surprisingly, the first ‘electric guitar’ was made commercially available as early as 1931, with the Rickenbacker Electro A22, renamed the ‘Frying Pan’ model.


In the 1950s, solid-body electric guitars like the Fender Stratocaster became popular. This type of guitar had a single or double cutaway to allow access to the neck's high notes.

Skiffle Groups:​

These groups preceded the Rock era. People didn’t have a lot of money in those days, and they formed ‘Skiffle Groups’ that usually consisted of a ‘double bass’ in the form of a broomstick and a tea-chest, a washboard, played often with thimbles, and possibly a tambourine.

The only real instrument used was a guitar. I bought a book by Bob Cort that details how to form a skiffle group. I should have kept it!

The ‘Instrumental’:​

In the rock era, which began in the late 1950s, the rock ‘instrumental’ became popular, and a ‘Twangy Guitar’ was key.

Instead of being used as backing, the guitar produced the central theme. Guitar artists such as Bert Weedon and Duane Eddy became very popular, and Duane Eddy featured on the LP ‘The Twang’s the Thang’.

Not just solo artists but groups like The Shadows, The Spotnicks, The Ventures, Johnny and the Hurricanes, Percy Faith and Booker T and the MGs, among others, were very successful.

I believe ‘The Spotnicks’ used to ‘transmit’ to their amplifiers rather than have those trip-hazard leads all over the stage. (My father made me a small transmitter to be picked up on a certain radio frequency, but it certainly wasn’t HiFi!)

Sound Effects:​

A ‘tremolo arm’ was a valuable addition to the electric guitar. Instead of pushing a string to make a slight change in the pitch, the tremolo arm would change the tension of all the strings at once. Duane Eddy used this very effectively on ‘Rebel Rouser’.

Later, ‘echo chambers’ gave the illusion of the instrument being played in a very large hall. (I think this is why one’s ‘singing voice’ always seems better in the bathroom!)

I used to have a record with Bert Weedon advertising the ‘Selmer True-Voice Echo Chamber’, which relied on a rotating drum and several heads for recording and pick-up. I bought a tape recorder with three heads and made a tape loop to give me quite a decent echo.

My guitar days:​

My first guitar was an acoustic, which only cost me £4 because it had a small hole on the bottom of the body.

I bought a book called Play in a Day by Bert Weedon, and tried very hard to master ‘Guitar Boogie Shuffle’. It wasn’t until I visited my older brother’s friend with my guitar, and he just sailed through the tune, that I realised I just HAD to learn to play it properly. After all – if he could do it, so could I!


After a while, as my fingers got more calloused and therefore not as painful, it all started coming together. I ‘graduated’ to an electric guitar when I heard ‘Rebel Rouser’ by Duane Eddy. I bought a Hofner ‘Colorama’ guitar and initially used a home-made amplifier. (My father made the electronics, and I made the case!)

The guitar cost 26 guineas, and by paying it off over 6 months, I didn’t have to pay any interest on the instalments they allowed me to make. I added an extra pick-up and made the circuitry to change between pick-ups or have them all on. It was a very nice guitar, with a ‘close action’ – the strings didn’t require much pressure because they were pretty close to the frets – a mark of good quality.


I was ‘in a group’ at university, but only played for petrol money. We never really crossed over into the ‘Big League’, but it was fun at the time!

Later, while working at Butlins, I was preparing to play the Shadows’ ‘Theme for Young Lovers’ in a talent contest. My rhythm guitarist suddenly started playing a couple of Beatles numbers, and I was hooked! (We came second in the talent contest, by the way).


Shortly after, I bought an ‘f-hole’ acoustic guitar and concentrated on being a singer/songwriter. As a student, I wrote loads of songs and used to walk around the West End of London following my trusty guide: How to Form a Beat Group by The Hollies. (I had delusions of being rich and famous!)


I eventually got three of my songs ‘accepted’ by Francis, Day and Hunter, who said they’d make a ‘demo’ disc, but it never got further than that. I did manage to perform in another talent contest, though, when I went back to work at Butlins over an Easter break. I was actually able to play a couple of my own songs!


Of course, this is getting away from that ‘Twangy Guitar’ that to this day, still ‘moves me’.

At one stage, I almost managed to go to a Duane Eddy concert. I pumped up my bicycle tyres and got everything ready for the hour-long trip, and it started raining. My parents never stopped me from doing some of those ‘teenage’ things, but they put their foot down this time. The trip from Dorking to Guildford was just too risky in the rain. So, that was it.


I’ve watched Duane Eddy on YouTube, but there has never been a video of him playing as a young man.

I’m pleased to say, though, that I’ve been to several ‘Cliff and the Shadows’ concerts and those performed by The Shadows alone – not ‘Twangy’, like Duane, but jolly good, nonetheless.

From the Editor:
Music has a way of weaving itself into our memories — a favourite riff, a concert we almost made it to, the feel of an instrument in our hands. In this week’s reflection, Dr. Al takes us on a warm, twang-filled journey from the early days of electric guitars to the personal milestones that shaped his love for music.

It’s a story about sound, but also about passion, persistence, and the little moments that stay with us — from homemade amplifiers to near-misses with musical heroes.

Do you have a song, sound, or instrument that takes you back in time when you hear it? We’d love to hear your story in the comments below!


Love Alan’s writing and want to read more? You might also like to read:
Being Lucky
Are We All Liars?
The Coo of the Doves, The Hiss of the Guzunder
‘Till Death Us Do Part
Living in Retirement
Alan G.’s Member Spotlight: ‘Almost Famous’
The Ice Cream Job: The Tech Guy – Dr Al
The Lucky Man: The Tech Guy – Dr Al
‘Ten Pound Pom’ Hostel Living: The Tech Guy – Dr Al
Becoming a Better Driver by Accident!
Tech Talk with Dr Al: Accessibility Aids for the Home
Flying Round the World: The Tech Guy – Dr Al
Many Happy Returns of the Day!
Reaching for the Stars!
My great-grandfather’s journal of 1908: The Tech Guy – Dr Al
Pocket Money
University Days
Nasty Words and Silly Gestures
Up-Sticks and Move Interstate!