A solid body electric instrument is a string instrument such as a guitar, bass or violin built without its normal sound box and relying on its electric pickup system to directly receive the vibrations of the strings. A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. ... An electric guitar is a type of guitar with a solid or semi-solid body that utilizes electronic pickups to convert the vibration of the steel-cored strings into electrical current. ... Bass guitars typically have four strings instead of six as found on regular guitars. ... The violin is a bowed stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a perfect fifth apart, the lowest being the G just below middle C. It is the smallest and highest-tuned member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello. ... In a stringed instrument, a sound box amplifies the vibrations made by the strings. ... A picku device acts as a transducer that captures mechanical vibrations (usually from suitably equipped stringed instruments such as the electric guitar, electric bass guitar or electric violin) and converts them to an electronic signal which can be amplified and recorded. ...

Solid body instruments are preferred in situations where acoustic feedback may otherwise be a problem, and are inherently both cheaper to build and more rugged than acoustic electric instruments.

Solid body instruments include:

• Some electric guitars.
• Most bass guitars.
• Electric upright bass.
• A few electric mandolins.
• Most electric violins.
• Electric cello.

Solid body instruments do not include: An electric guitar is a type of guitar with a solid or semi-solid body that utilizes electronic pickups to convert the vibration of the steel-cored strings into electrical current. ... Bass guitars typically have four strings instead of six as found on regular guitars. ... Dean Pace 4 string EUB The electric upright bass (abbreviated EUB) is an electronically amplified version of the double bass with a minimal or skeleton body, to reduce size and weight and cost. ... Carved and round backed mandolins (front) A mandolin is a stringed musical instrument. ... This electric violin, made by Fender, has a non-traditional design. ... The electric cello is a type of cello that relies on electronic amplification (rather than acoustic resonance) to produce sound. ...

• Semi-acoustic instruments.
• Electric pianos, even those with strings such as the electric grand piano.
• Pedal steel guitar.

Electric lap steel guitars without sounding boards are considered to be solid body instruments by some autborities, and not by others. This has a major effect on some claims of historical priority, as they predate the first models of solid body electric guitar, which may otherwise be claimed to be the first commercially successful solid body instruments. While noting this, it will be assumed that electric lap steels without sounding boards are solid body instruments for the purposes of this article. An electric piano (e-piano) is an electric musical instrument of the 1960s and 1970s, which was built to replace a (heavy) piano on stage. ... An electric grand piano is a particular type of piano manufactured and marketed by Yamaha, Kawai and Helpinstill during the 70s and 80s, although experimental instruments of similar type were made as early as the late 1920s. ... The pedal steel guitar (also called steel guitar) is a type of guitar, and a method of playing the instrument. ... The lap steel guitar (also called Hawaiian guitar or simply lap steel or steel guitar) is a type of guitar, and a method of playing the instrument. ... An electric guitar is a type of guitar with a solid or semi-solid body that utilizes electronic pickups to convert the vibration of the steel-cored strings into electrical current. ...

History

Early prototypes

A solid body electric violin was proposed by Thomas Edison. This electric violin, made by Fender, has a non-traditional design. ... Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847–October 18, 1931) was an inventor and businessman who developed many devices which greatly influenced life in the 20th century. ...

Commercial models

The first commercially successful solid body electric guitar was the Fender Esquire in 1950. It was followed by the Gibson Les Paul in 1952. An electric guitar is a type of guitar with a solid or semi-solid body that utilizes electronic pickups to convert the vibration of the steel-cored strings into electrical current. ... The Fender Esquire is a solid body electric guitar manufactured by Fender, and was the first guitar sold by Fender, in 1950. ... The Gibson Les Paul signature model is among the most recognized solid-body electric guitar designs. ...

Impact on musical styles

Solid body instruments have particularly influenced heavy rock and surf music. Without solid body guitars, neither of these genres could have developed as they did. Hard rock is a form of rock and roll music that finds its closest roots in early 1960s garage rock. ... Surf music is a genre of popular music associated with surf culture. ...

See also

• Semi-acoustic guitar.

link titlebearA semi-acoustic guitar is a modified version of the classical guitar with steel strings. ...

External links

• The History of the Electric Solid Body Guitar.
• From Frying Pan to Flying V: The Rise of the Electric Guitar at the Smithsonian Institute site.
• The Les Paul Story at the Gibson Guitar Corporation site.