Turn it up to eleven!
- John Bessant
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
The fascinating history of the guitar amplifier - and how Edison's lightbulb finally helped it get heard
I’m glad I got that off my chest.
Part of my preparations for our bi-annual village music festival, a sort of mini-Glastonbury by the sea in which all sorts of local musicians get to strut their stuff in the sunshine. Everything from gentle folk to screaming rock via close harmony, celtic roots, ska and salsa.
A great day out, wonderful weather, great company and some not unimpressive music being made. And it got me thinking about some of the innovation history that enables something like that to happen….
Once upon a time…
Now part of the challenge for any band, and particularly any band member, has always been getting yourself heard. That’s not such a big deal if you’re the drummer, you can hammer away on all sorts of surfaces and make a feral row. Jungle drums didn’t become a primary communication medium by accident.
And it’s not too bad if you’re a brass player. Whether your particular noise is joyful or otherwise doesn’t really matter if you’ve got several feet of piping and some kind of amplifying bell at the end to blast it out.
The difficulty comes if you’re in the band and all you’ve got are six strings and a little soundbox made of wood. Doesn’t cut through, doesn’t carry very far. In fact, the only person who’s probably got it even worse than you is the singer, desperately mouthing like a drowning swimmer trying to call for help above the roar of the waves!
Fortunately human beings are particularly good at coming up with solutions - and the guitar’s route to being heard turns out to be a masterclass in how innovation actually works.
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