Electric Guitar

Electric Guitars are a type of guitar that relies on electric signals and an amp to create sound. Electric guitars have a  wide range of sounds, from classic clean, to a heavily distorted metal sound.

Electric guitars are credited for starting a new category of music. Notably Rock. Another notable music category is heavy metal.

General
The electric guitar is very similar to that of an acoustic or any other type of guitar. Except, electric guitars can come in far more types of shapes in the body. Also, instead of a sound hole, electric guitar's rely on pickups to pickup the vibrations of the strings.

Electric guitar's rely on pickups and magnetic forces to create the sound found on the electric guitar. When the strings are strummed on an electric guitar, the vibrations create soundwaves. The soundwaves are very quite, because unlike an acoustic, electric guitar's are not hollow. (Some electric guitar's are hollow, called Hollowbodies. Most electrics are solid bodies.) The vibrations of the strings are then read by the pickups, using magnetic forces. The pickups then convert the vibrations into an electric signal, to then be over by a cable to an amp, where the signals are then converted into sound.

When the signals are in the amp, the sounds created by the strings are subject to change. In the amp, the player can add more distortion, effects, reverb, delay, or any other type of sound the amp or his pedal board allows.

History
The electric guitar can date back to the 1900's when guitar innovator Les Paul (And other guitar manufacturers) began to experiement with adding microphones to guitars. In the 1930's, the first prototype for the modern electric guitar was born. Called the "Frying Pan", it began commercial production 1932. The company in 1934 became Rickenbacker. Named after Adolph Rickenbacker.

For then year's following the creation of pickups and electric instruments, constant improvements were made.

Some of the most dramatic were made when Leo Fender created the "Telecaster", a solid-body electric guitar. The guitar became very popular due to its playability, quality of sound, etc. Not long after, the "Stratocaster" was made.

Amps were also under huge upgrades at that time to. Going from 10 watt amps to 50 were a huge step in bands and music.