How the Frying Pan Guitar Created the Electric Guitar

George Beauchamp's 1937 patent for the first commercially successful electric guitar, which used a magnetic pickup to turn string vibrations into electrical signals.

What it covers

The patent describes an electrical stringed instrument that captures the vibrations of metal strings using a magnetic pickup. This pickup consists of a coil of wire wrapped around a magnet, which creates a magnetic field. When the metal strings vibrate, they disturb this field, inducing an electrical current in the coil that can be amplified by an external speaker. This design allowed guitars to finally be heard clearly in loud big-band settings.

What it doesn't cover

• —Does not cover acoustic guitars that rely solely on a hollow body for sound amplification.
• —Does not cover modern digital modeling or MIDI-based guitar synthesis.
• —Does not cover piezo-electric pickups that rely on physical pressure rather than magnetic induction.

The clever bit

By using a magnetic pickup, Beauchamp bypassed the need for a large, resonant wooden body, which was the primary source of feedback issues in earlier attempts to amplify string instruments.

Why it matters

This invention fundamentally changed popular music by allowing the guitar to move from a quiet rhythm instrument to a loud, expressive lead instrument. It paved the way for the development of rock and roll, blues, and jazz as we know them today.

Real-world examples

• 1.Rickenbacker A-22 Frying Pan
• 2.Modern electric guitars from Fender and Gibson
• 3.Electric lap steel guitars