WEB PAGE NO 848

FIRST PICTURE

: Who remembers The Ship In in Cosham High Street? As far as I can remember this was not a pub I ever ventured into!!!

SECOND PICTURE

: Sorry about the size of the picture but it is the only one I have showing the Paulsgrove area before the estate was built.

The Electric Guitar

Have you thought where would Rock ‘n’ Roll have been without the electric guitar? And what is the history of this form of guitar any rate!

The amazing popularity of the guitar over the last 50+ years is really nothing new because guitars (the word deriving from the Greek instrument the kythara) and guitar-like instruments date as far back as 2500 BC. The guitar as we know it today has its roots in Spain, where by the 19th century it was respected as a proper classical instrument rather than the 'tavern instrument' as it became known as by the rest of Europe. After a time larger far more resonant guitars were developed to meet the demands of the concert hall, and after a time it was these type of instruments that became the favoured by the growing blues and folk movements.

In 1931 George Beauchamp together with the engineer Adolph Rickenbacker invented the electric guitar by attaching a magnetic pickup to the guitar's body. It made a new sound but there were still problems - this new electrified guitar produced literally mountains of noisy, unpleasant feedback due to its hollow body; so in the late 1940’s Les Paul, a Chicago jazz musician, who sadly passed away last year, and Leo Fender, a Californian inventor both independently developed their own solid-body guitars, and in so doing revolutionising and popularising the instrument.

Les Paul (whose first solid-body guitar, which he called the Log, was created from a 4x4 plank of wood) would go on to work with the Gibson guitar manufacturers, while Fender founded the Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company to mass-produce his new guitar the Broadcaster which he renamed the Telecaster.

With the invention of the solid body, it no longer mattered how a guitar was shaped - the sound would remain the same, a fact that led to some very odd designs and creations over the years.

But five of the classic electric guitars have to be these I have listed below:-

The Fender Telecaster, 1950. The Telecaster was the first mass-produced electric guitar, with a simple design that made it light, cheap and easy to repair or modify it soon became very popular. Though superceded by Fender's Stratocaster a few years later, the Telecaster still has a massive fan base even today owing to its unique twangy, bright sound.

The Fender Precision Bass, 1951. This was the first mass-produced bass guitar, the Precision gradually replaced the cumbersome double bass from the classical or jazz worlds, whose sound was being drowned out by the amplified guitars that Fender had released a year earlier. The Precision, with its clean, focused tone, remains popular among professionals and amateurs, and has been used by almost every great bassist with two notable exceptions: Paul McCartney, who played a Rickenbacker, and John Entwistle, who played the harder Fender Jazz Bass.

The Gibson Les Paul, 1952. Ostensibly a collaboration between the Gibson Guitar Corporation of Nashville, Tennessee and legendary inventor Les Paul (although the Gibson company claim that Les Paul's only contribution was limited to choosing the gold colour for the first instruments), the ‘Les Paul’ was designed as a classier, more upmarket alternative to the popular Telecaster.

The Fender Stratocaster, 1954. This has to be the world's best selling and most copied guitar in the World. The Strat, as it is known, was created after complaints that Fender's Telecaster was uncomfortable to hold and play. It was on this model that the first vibrato arm and the new curvy, lightweight design were introduced, but the most important change was technical and this was the addition of an extra - third - pickup, which gave a new versatility to the guitar's sound.

The Rickenbacker 300 Series, 1958. Adolph Rickenbacker, inventor of the electric guitar in 1931, introduced the Capri series - later known as the 300 series - to compete with Fender and Gibson for the attentions of the new rock 'n' roll musicians. It worked: the guitars' distinctive sound became synonymous with the Sixties and I am sure you have seen hundreds of pictures of player holding one, even though you did not recognize it.

Well I tried but never mastered the guitar, how about you? Are there any closet Hank Marvin’s out there?

Take care

Yours

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com
Pj.keat@ntlworld.com

You Write:

Tina Writes: I was just catching up on your blog when the picture of Drayton Institute hall reminded me that my mother and father used to run old time dance evenings there. Every Tuesday evening I used to go with them, up until I was about 16, then going out with friends took over. I wonder if anyone remembers if their mum and dad used to go. I don't remember for sure but I think they had to give it up in 1966/67.

News and Views:

Paul McCartney tour bus was reportedly threatened by gangs after his Mexico City concert in May 28. Security called police and the thugs scattered when they heard the sirens.
On this day 24th June 1960-1965
On 24/06/1960 the number one single was Three Steps to Heaven - Eddie Cochran and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 24/06/1961 the number one single was Surrender - Elvis Presley and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 24/06/1962 the number one single was Good Luck Charm - Elvis Presley and the number one album was West Side Story Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 24/06/1963 the number one single was I Like It - Gerry & the Pacemakers and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 24/06/1964 the number one single was You're My World - Cilla Black and the number one album was Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 24/06/1965 the number one single was I'm Alive - Hollies and the number one album was The Sound of Music soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.