4 Biggest Innovations For Electric Guitar

[Shawn@PRS]

A spin-off discussion from the Mount Rushmore thread.

Name the 4 biggest innovations/contributions to the electric guitar.

The Frying pan?
P-Bass?
Humbucking pickup?
Floyd Rose?

What ya got?

 

[Stephen J.]

Not necessarily exclusive to electric guitars, but:

• Double action truss rods
• Wood drying process for stability
• Increased precision of fret/nut/bridge placement
• Sustainable supply and manufacturing technologies

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Wing collared cam locking tuning pegs.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Birds on fretboards.

 

[CandidPicker]

Double-action truss rod
Humbucker (Hum-cancelling pickups)
Wraparound (Piezo) High-Mass Adjustable Bridge
Locking Tuners

 

[Lister]

Floyd
Locking tuners
lighter gauge string sets
humbuckers

 

[Davey]

Here's my list

1. Absolutely the "Frying Pan" or at least magnetic pickups.
2. Steel strings
3. Floating bridge
4. Computers/computing- i.e. effects, modeling, online lessons, music transcription, etc

Honorable mention:
Piezo- Electric/Accoustic guitars

 

[jxe]

steel strings.
magnetic pickups.
metal bridge instead of ebony.
double cutaway.

 

[11top]

Maple
Mahogany
Rosewood
Ebony

 

[shinksma]

Neck
Body
Strings
Pickups

OK, seriously:

1. Stable trems - I don't know if the FR is the epitome of that, but the PRS trems are great, IMHO, and represent a relatively simple, elegant, yet effective design. I have a Shift2000 trem from the 1980s, FR-type stability, not nearly as finicky.

2. Humbuckers.

3. Truss rods. Yeah, the double-action or graphite ones are awesome, but just the basic evolution of the truss rod has been awesome for all guitars, not just electric!

4. Dedicated guitar amps with overdrive/distortion. Without those, electric guitars would just sound like weird, louder, acoustic guitars.

 

[xjbebop]

For the last 15-20 years, I'd give the award to Joe Naylor for at least 3 of the 4...

 

[Tony M.]

The cutaway.
CNC.
Advances in amplification.
Effects.

 

[dmatthews]

P
R
S
H

 

[RC Mike]

CNC manufacturing for sure.

 

[László]

The solid body electric. Several potential claimants to that one, but a lot of folks think it was Les Paul.

The trem. Doesn't matter which one.

The magnetic pickup; if the first was the one on the frying pan, it was genius.

The guitar case (just kidding).

 

[aphantomvaper]

Electricity

Metallurgy

Woodsmithery

Marketing

 

[SinSir]

PRS for many reasons and not just because this is PRS board
Trus rod
Humbucker
Floyd Rose

 

[SteelHorse]

CNC Machines, wood choices and talented finishing.

Floyd Rose and/or Locking Tuners.

On board buffers and preamps / Active Pickups

Tube Amps.

 

[Mozzi]

Experience
Research
Development
Dedication

Have I just described PRS?? LOL

 

[Mike Duncan]

Cut aways
Synchronized tremolo (always "tremolo", never vibrato)
Interchangable parts - to include necks and bodies
Non-microphonic electronics...