Solid Body Electric Guitars
Solid Body Electric Guitars Fast Facts
In themselves, solid-body guitar necks are very similar to those of acoustic guitars. However, there is far more latitude as to where the neck joins the body. The solid-body electric guitar has evolved as a solo lead instrument, frequently played above the 12th fret. Consequently, to allow the guitarist easier access to the upper part of the fingerboard, a single or double cutaway is usually incorporated into the body design and the neck joins the body at a much higher fret. The point at which the joint occurs is sometimes called the “body fret.” The neck on the Gibson SG Deluxe, for example, effectively joins the body at the 20th fret.
A Brief History of the Solid Body Electric Guitar
The solid-body electric guitar developed from early, amplified acoustic guitars. These were simply acoustic instruments with pick-ups attached to them. Like so many innovations in the history of the guitar, it came about as a result of the quest for greater volume.
The heat of the solid body electric guitar is the magnetic pick-up. It responds directly to the vibration of the strings and transforms this energy into electrical impulses which are then amplified and fed to a loudspeaker. To do this efficiently, the pick-up should be as stable as possible and should not be disturbed by vibrations from the body.
When a pick up is fitted to the soundboard of an acoustic guitar, two problems can arise. First, the pick-up may move as the soundboard vibrates. Second, speaker “feedback” may be generated. With electric guitars, the solution is to increase the mass of the guitar body so that its ability to receive and transmit vibrations is reduced. If this idea were taken to its logical conclusion, the body might be made from concrete or perhaps even lead. In practice, a compromise is reached. Through experiments with various prototype instruments, pioneer makers of electric guitars found that a solid body made of high-density hardwood reduced the problems to a manageable level.
There is far more scope for solid body guitar design than there is for acoustic guitar design. This is because an acoustic guitar has to be constructed within certain design parameters if it is to produce sufficient volume and an acceptable tone. As long as the solid body of an electric guitar keeps the pick-ups fairly stable and provides a mounting for the necessary components, its shape is limited only by practicability and the designer’s imagination. Gibson’s Flying V and Explorer the Vox Phantom and the Ovation Brad winner illustrate some of the endless possibilities that are available.
Well-seasoned or kiln-dried hardwoods such as mahogany, walnut, ash, alder and maple are frequently used in solid-body construction. However, laminated timbers are also common. The original Les Paul guitars actually had a mahogany body with a maple “cap” or front. Several other materials have also been successfully employed – Dan Armstong’s plexiglass guitars, for example.
The material used in the construction of a solid body can in fact affect the sound of the guitar. The denser the material, the longer the natural sustain the instrument will have. The tone can be altered by changing the wood used for both the body and the neck.
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