guitars

Main > Entertainment > Music



Click here to go back to the normal view!



How Electric Guitars Work

by Marshall Brain


Photo courtesy Gibson Guitars
The Gibson Flying V Guitar

From a popular culture standpoint, the electric guitar is one of the most important inventions of the 20th century. More than any other instrument, it defines the tone and character of rock and roll music. But when the electric guitar first hit the scene in the 1930s, few people saw its potential. It took quite a while for the instrument to find its place in American music.

Despite the slow start, the electric guitar did find its place. It has inspired and defined entirely new types of music. The electric guitar remains the most prominent instrument in rock music, and the most famous instrument ever to come out of the United States.

In this edition of HowStuffWorks, you will learn exactly how the guitar itself works, and we will also discuss the system that the guitar and the am...