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George Delmetia Beauchamp (; March 18, 1899 – March 30, 1941) was an American inventor of musical instruments. He is known for designing the first electrically amplified stringed instrument to be marketed commercially. He was also a founder of National Stringed Instrument Corporation and Rickenbacker (originally Rickenbacher) guitars.
He was born in Coleman County, Texas on March 18, 1899. Beauchamp performed in vaudeville, playing the violin and the
The Earliest Days of the Electric GuitarWhich Came First- Electric Guitar or Amp?
- Article examining Beauchamp's Electro violins *2014 thesis by Matthew Hill
George Beauchamp and the rise of the electric guitar up to 1939
1899 births 1941 deaths American luthiers Vaudeville performers 20th-century American inventors {{US-music-bio-stub
Biography
He was born in Coleman County, Texas on March 18, 1899. Beauchamp performed in vaudeville, playing the violin and the lap steel guitar
The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of playing a traditional ...
, before he settled in Los Angeles, California. During the 1920s, he experimented with the creation of electric lap steel guitars, electric guitars, electric bass guitars, electric violins, and instrument amplifiers. In 1931, he joined with Paul Barth and Adolph Rickenbacker to form the Ro-Pat-In Corporation to produce and sell electrified string instruments. The most notable of these, the Rickenbacher A-22 (and A-25) lapsteel guitar – known as the "frying pan" – is widely regarded as the first mass-produced electric guitar. Production of the instrument began in 1932. In 1937, Beauchamp secured a United States patent for his version of the electric guitar.
Beauchamp married Myrtle Johnston in 1917. They had two children, Frances and Nolan. He died of a heart attack in 1941 while deep sea fishing near Los Angeles.
Inventions
*1929: Patent applied for the single-conedobro
Dobro is an American brand of resonator guitars, currently owned by Gibson and manufactured by its subsidiary Epiphone. The term "dobro" is also used as a generic term for any wood-bodied, single-cone resonator guitar.
The Dobro was originally ...
guitar, patent #1,808,756
*1930: Patent applied for metal finger picks (now commonly used for steel guitars and banjos), patent #1,787,136
*1934: Patent applied for the electric lap steel guitar
The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of playing a traditional ...
(nicknamed "the frying pan
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...
"), patent #2,089,171
*1936: Patent applied for the electric guitar (called the electro Spanish guitar, which was a hollow-body electric guitar), patent #2152783
*1936: Patent applied for the electric violin (called the electro violin), patent #2130174
Catalogues from the Electro String Instrument Corporation show a range of electric instruments. In 1932, Beauchamp's Ro-Pat-In company marketed the electric lap steel guitar. The electric guitar was supposedly marketed the same year; early catalogues showing the instrument are not dated.
References
*''Rickenbacker'' by Richard Smith (1988) *External links
*RickenbackerThe Earliest Days of the Electric Guitar
- Article examining Beauchamp's Electro violins *2014 thesis by Matthew Hill
George Beauchamp and the rise of the electric guitar up to 1939
1899 births 1941 deaths American luthiers Vaudeville performers 20th-century American inventors {{US-music-bio-stub