George D. Beauchamp (1899 - 1941), inventor of musical instruments and co-founder of National Stringed Instrument Corporation and Rickenbacker. Born in Texas, he played the violin and the lap steel guitar in vaudeville before his venture into the manufacturing of electric lap steel guitars, electric guitars, electric bass guitars, electric violins and combo instrument amplifiers. He is well known for his creation of the Frying pan electric guitar. He died in Los Angeles, California while deep-sea fishing.
Chronology of Beauchamp's Inventions:
- 1929: Patent applied for the single-cone dobro guitar, patent # 1,808,756
- 1934: Patent applied for the electric lap steel guitar (nicknamed the frying pan), patent # 2,089,171
- 1936: Patent applied for the electric guitar (called the electro Spanish guitar, which was a hollow-body electric guitar)
- 1936: Patent applied for the electric violin (called the electro violin)
The electric lap steel guitar was marketed by Beauchamp's Ro-pat company in 1932, and the electric guitar was supposedly marketed in the same year, although early catalogues showing the instrument are not dated. As currently assessed, Beauchamp was the first to invent and produce the electric guitar. Catalogues from the Electro String Instrument Corporation show a range of electric instruments. One of Beauchamps most prized guitars was not one that he made, but it was an acoustic guitar that Gibson made him as a gift for his contributions to the guitar world.
References
Rickenbacker by Richard Smith (1988)
External links
- The Earliest Days of the Electric Guitar
- Which Came First- Electric Guitar or Amp?
- Digital Violin - Article examining Beauchamp's Electro violins
