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110-414: The Danelectro Commando is a combo guitar amplifier manufactured by Danelectro from 1954 to 1960. There is some evidence that it may be one of the many different amplifiers used by Little Walter . The circuitry of this 30-watt amplifier is typical of its day, with a 5Y3 rectifier tube, one 12AX7 preamp tube, one 12AX7 for phase inversion, a 6SN7 additional gain stage, four 6V6 power tubes, and

220-418: A 6SJ7 (1954-1958) or a 6AU6 (1958-1960) for the built-in vibrato unit. What makes it unique is the cabinet. Employing a "suitcase" design, it contains eight 8-inch Rola 10610 alnicos speakers wired series / parallel in two arrays one in either side of the suitcase, with the amplifier and controls located at the top and bottom of one side. The suitcase opens out so that both sides face forwards. When closed,

330-527: A Bigsby vibrato tailpiece and regularly changing the control knobs. Lennon played this guitar for the Beatles' 1964 debut on The Ed Sullivan Show (as well as for their third Sullivan appearance, pre-taped the same day but broadcast two weeks later). During Lennon's post-Beatles years in New York, he had this guitar restored to its original natural wood finish and the cracked gold pickguard replaced with

440-873: A balanced output from the preamp section to a PA system or recording input. Instrument amplifiers are available in a wide range of price, quality, and performance levels. Some are designed for beginners, such as small, low-wattage practice amps , which typically have a single 8" speaker and about 10 watts, or smaller combo amps with relatively low wattage (15 to 20 watts) and a single 10" speaker. Mid- to large-size combo amps with 30 to 50 watts and one 12" speaker or four 10" speakers are best for high-volume situations, such as band rehearsals and onstage performances. For large venues, such as outdoor music festivals , guitarists may use one or more 100 watts (or several hundred watts) heads with one or more 8x10” cabinets. Vacuum tubes (called valves in British English) were by far

550-517: A drum machine ), send and return jacks to create an effects loop, a line out jack, and an extension speaker jack. Practice amps sometimes have a 1/4" headphone jack, or stereo RCA or mini jacks for connecting a CD player , portable media player or other sound sources. Some guitar amps have an XLR input so that a microphone can be plugged in for singing. Guitar amps that include a mic input are in effect small, portable PA systems . Some amps, typically bass amps, have an XLR connector to provide

660-524: A luthier with a workshop in San Francisco, California. He continued to offer all eight models of the Rickenbacker flat top guitar line, building each instrument to order, until his license expired on February 1, 2013. Rickenbacker manufactures three pickups for their current standard models: high-gain single-coil, Vintage Toaster single coil, and humbucking . All three pickup designs share

770-497: A speaker cabinet —a head on top of one cabinet is commonly called a half stack , a head atop two cabinets a full-stack . The cabinet that the head sits on often has an angled top in front, while the lower cabinet of a full stack has a straight front. The first version of the Marshall stack was an amp head on an 8×12 cabinet, meaning a single speaker cabinet containing eight 12" guitar speakers. After six of these cabinets were made,

880-523: A zero fret ). Along with McCartney, other early adopters of the 4001 were Roger Waters of Pink Floyd , John Entwistle of The Who, Pete Quaife of The Kinks , Chris Squire of Yes (who technically used the RM1999 British import) and Geddy Lee of Rush . The model 4003S ("standard") arrived in 1985, was discontinued in 2000, and relaunched in 2015. This was similar to the 4001S with its dot neck markers and no binding. From 1985 to 2002,

990-404: A 100-watt amplifier is only just noticeably louder than a 50-watt amplifier. Such generalizations are also subject to the human ear's tendency to behave as a natural compressor at high volumes. Power attenuation can be used with either low-power or high-power amplifiers, resulting in variable-power amplifiers. A high-power amplifier with power attenuation can produce power-tube distortion through

1100-485: A Minnesota music store, presented Harrison with a second model 360/12 FG "New Style" 12-string electric guitar, distinguishable from Harrison's first 12-string by its rounded cutaways and edges. A television documentary produced by KSTP-TV in Minneapolis documents the event. Harrison used this guitar on the song " If I Needed Someone " and during the Beatles' 1966 tours. This 12-string's whereabouts are unknown, as it

1210-613: A carrying handle, and many combo amplifiers and cabinets have metal or plastic-reinforced corners to protect the amp during transportation. Control knobs and buttons are typically on the front of the cabinet or chassis, though in some cases, the knobs are on a recessed panel at the back of the top of the amplifier. The most basic amps only have a few knobs, which typically control volume, bass, and treble. More expensive amps may have several knobs that control pre-amp volume (or gain), distortion or overdrive, volume, bass, mid and treble, and reverb. Some older amps (and their re-issued versions) have

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1320-812: A combination ("combo") amplifier that includes an amplifier and one or more speakers in a single cabinet, and a standalone amplifier (often called a head or amp head ), which passes the amplified signal via a speaker cable to one or more external speaker cabinets . A wide range of speaker configurations are available in guitar cabinets—from cabinets with a single speaker (e.g., 1×10" or 1×12") or multiple speakers (e.g., 2×10", 4×10" or 8x10"). Guitar amplifiers vary widely in price and quality. Many music equipment companies import small, low-powered practice amplifiers for students and beginners that sell for less than $ 50. Other companies produce expensive custom-made amplifiers for professional musicians, which can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars (USD). Most combo amplifiers have

1430-473: A computer running tone-shaping software. Using a modeling amp or a multi-effects pedal used with line level output, a guitarist can plug in the guitar into a flat response mic input or into a keyboard amplifier . Acoustic amplifiers are intended for acoustic guitars and other acoustic instruments, especially for the way these instruments are used in relatively quiet genres such as folk and bluegrass . They are similar to keyboard amplifiers, in that they have

1540-469: A different feel. Known for their bright jangle and chime, early Rickenbacker guitars were often favored by folk rock , and British Invasion bands such as the Searchers , The Beatles and The Who . The early models were equipped with low-output toaster pickups. With the late-1960s advent of heavy rock, these were phased out circa 1969–70, and replaced by high-gain pickups with twice the output. Still,

1650-551: A guitar amplifier and other guitar equipment. Electric guitars and basses have a volume control on the instrument that attenuates the signal from selected pickups. There may be two volume controls on an electric guitar or bass, wired in parallel to mix the signal levels from the neck and bridge pickups. Rolling back the guitar's volume control also changes the pickup's equalization or frequency response, which can provide pre-distortion equalization. The simplest guitar amplifiers, such as some vintage amps and modern practice amps, have only

1760-474: A home computer or laptop. Line 6 is generally credited with bringing modeling amplification to the market. Modeling amplifiers and stompbox pedals, rackmount units, and software that models specific amplifiers, speakers cabinets, and microphones can provide a large number of sounds and tones. Players can get a reasonable facsimile of the sound of tube amplifiers, vintage combo amplifiers, and huge 8x10” speaker stacks without bringing all that heavy equipment to

1870-470: A knob that controls a vibrato or tremolo effect. The 1/4" input jack is typically mounted on the front of the amplifier. In the simplest, least expensive amplifiers, this 1/4" jack is the only jack on the amplifier. More expensive amplifiers may have a patch bay for multiple inputs and outputs, such as a pre-amp out (for sending to another guitar amplifier), a second low gain input, to use with active basses, an in jack to create an effects loop (when used with

1980-472: A lawsuit in 1929, with Dobro suing National for $ 2 million in damages. Problems within National's management, as well as pressure from the deepening Great Depression , led to a production slowdown at National. This ultimately resulted in part of the company's fractured management structure organizing support for George Beauchamp's newest project: development of a fully electric guitar. By the late twenties,

2090-506: A long-time Rickenbacker proponent. Cisneros's 4003AC model features a signature pickguard, green inlays on the fingerboard, and a removable thumb rest. The sound of Rickenbacker basses featured early on in the UK punk/ New wave music explosion of the late 1970s and early 80s and was used by: Glen Matlock ( Sex Pistols ), Paul Simonon ( The Clash ), Peter Hook ( Joy Division ), Bruce Foxton ( The Jam ), Paul Gray ( The Damned , Eddie &

2200-432: A microphone, either for the guitar amp to be used for singing (in effect as a mini- PA system ), or, for acoustic guitar, to mix a mic signal with a pickup signal. The vast majority of guitar amps can only be powered by AC mains power (plugging into a wall outlet); however, a small number of practice amps are designed for buskers also have battery power so they can be used for street performances. A combo amp contains

2310-528: A particular guitarist's sound, recording engineers and PA system techs typically put a microphone in front of the guitar speaker, rather than only use the guitar amp's pre-amp out signal. A sound engineer or music producer may send the DI out signal from the pickups to a separate track at the same time, so they can re-amp the signal later. In contrast, it is fairly common to use a DI box with electric bass . Distortion sound or "texture" from guitar amplifiers

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2420-635: A patent on the so-called tri-cone guitar on April 9, 1927. Thereafter, Dopyera and his brothers made the tri-cone guitars in their Los Angeles shop, under the brand name National . On January 26, 1928, the National String Instrument Corporation opened, with a new factory located near a metal-stamping shop owned by Adolph Rickenbacher and staffed by experienced and competent craftsmen. The company made Spanish and Hawaiian style tri-cone guitars as well as four-string tenor guitars , mandolins, and ukuleles. Adolph Rickenbacher

2530-410: A prototype electric pickup that met their satisfaction, Beauchamp asked former National shop craftsman Harry Watson to make a wooden neck and body to hold the pickup. Somebody nicknamed it the "fry-pan" because of its shape, though Rickenbacker liked to call it the pancake. The final design Beauchamp and Barth developed was an electric pickup consisting of a pair of horseshoe-shaped magnets that enclosed

2640-503: A range of electric guitars and basses . Adolph Rickenbacher and George Beauchamp founded the company in 1931 as the Ro-Pat-In Corporation (Elect Ro-Pat ent- In struments) to sell electric Hawaiian guitars . Beauchamp designed his instruments in collaboration with Paul Barth and Harry Watson, who had been active in the National String Instrument Corporation . The Ro-Pat-In brand name would eventually transform into

2750-518: A range of listening volumes but with a decrease in high-power distortion. Other technologies, such as dual rectifiers and the sag circuit —which should not be confused with attenuation—allow high-power amplifiers to produce low power volume while preserving high power distortion. Speaker efficiency is also a major factor affecting a tube amplifier's maximum volume. For bass instruments, higher-power amplifiers are needed to reproduce low-frequency sounds. While an electric guitarist would be able to play at

2860-496: A regular wall socket "quickly became popular with musicians"; indeed, "... Leon McAuliffe (with Bob Wills ) still used a carbon mic and a portable PA as late as 1935." During the late 1920s to mid-1930s, small portable PA systems and guitar combo amplifiers were fairly similar. These early amps had a "single volume control and one or two input jacks, field coil speakers" and thin wooden cabinets; remarkably, these early amps did not have tone controls or even an on-off switch. In 1928,

2970-629: A relatively flat frequency response with minimal coloration. To produce this relatively clean sound, these amplifiers often have powerful amplifiers (providing up to 800 watts RMS), to provide additional Headroom and prevent unwanted distortion. Since an 800-watt amplifier built with standard Class AB technology is heavy, some acoustic amplifier manufacturers use lightweight Class D amplifiers , which are also called switching amplifiers. Acoustic amplifiers produce an uncolored, acoustic sound when used with acoustic instruments with built-in transducers, pickups or microphones. The amplifiers often come with

3080-414: A similar combo amp that added metal corner protectors to keep the corners in good condition during transportation. In 1933, Dobro released an electric guitar and amp package. The combo amp had two 8" Lansing speakers and a five- tube chassis. Dobro made a two speaker combo amp that was on the market over 12 years before Fender launched its two-speaker Dual Professional/Super combo amp. In 1933, Audio-Vox

3190-448: A similar tone to a Gibson mini-humbucker pickup, and comes standard on the Rickenbacker 650C and 4004 basses. Vintage reissue models, and some signature models, come with Toaster Top pickups, which resemble a classic two-slotted chrome toaster. Despite their slightly lower output, Toasters produce a brighter, cleaner sound, and are generally seen as key to obtaining the true British Invasion guitar tone, as they were original equipment of

3300-428: A simple mixer, so that the signals from a pickup and a condenser microphone can be blended. Since the early 2000s, it has become increasingly common for acoustic amplifiers to provide a range of digital effects, such as reverb and compression . As well, these amplifiers often contain feedback -suppressing devices, such as notch filters or parametric equalizers . An amplifier stack consists of an amplifier head atop

3410-521: A single volume control. Most have two volume controls: a first volume control called "preamplifier" or "gain" and a master volume control. The preamp or gain control works differently on different guitar amp designs. On an amp designed for acoustic guitar , turning up the preamp knob pre-amplifies the signal—but even at its maximum setting, the preamp control is unlikely to produce much overdrive . However, with amps designed for electric guitarists playing blues , hard rock and heavy metal music , turning up

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3520-415: A slightly more raw, open and edgy sound." The relationship between power output in watts and perceived volume is not immediately obvious. The human ear perceives a 5-watt amplifier as half as loud as a 50-watt amplifier (a tenfold increase in power), and a half-watt amplifier is a quarter as loud as a 50-watt amp. Doubling the output power of an amplifier results in a just noticeable increase in volume, so

3630-616: A small club with a 50-watt amplifier, a bass player performing in the same venue would probably need an amplifier with 200 or more watts. Distortion is a feature available on many guitar amplifiers that is not typically found on keyboard or bass guitar amplifiers. Tube guitar amplifiers can produce distortion through pre-distortion equalization, preamp tube distortion, post-distortion EQ, power-tube distortion, tube rectifier compression, output transformer distortion, guitar speaker distortion, and guitar speaker and cabinet frequency response. Because many factors beyond preamp distortion contribute to

3740-485: A tube power amp fed by a solid-state pre-amp circuit, as in most of the original MusicMan amplifiers. Alternatively, a tube preamplifier can feed a solid-state output stage, as in models from Kustom , Hartke, SWR , and Vox . This approach dispenses with the need for an output transformer and easily achieves modern power levels. Microprocessor technology allows the use of digital onboard effects in guitar amps to create numerous different sounds and tones that simulate

3850-546: A white one. Rickenbacker made two new 325s for Lennon and shipped them to him while the Beatles were in Miami Beach, Florida, on the same 1964 visit to the United States: a one-off custom 12-string 325 model and an updated six-string model with modified electronics and vibrato. He used this newer six-string model on the Beatles' sequentially "second" appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Lennon accidentally dropped

3960-632: A wider frequency range and need a full-range speaker system. Much more amplifier power is required to reproduce low-frequency sound, especially at high volume. Reproducing low frequencies also requires a suitable woofer or subwoofer speaker and enclosure , with bass cabinets often being larger than a cabinet for mid-range or high-range sounds. As well, the open-back cabinets used on many electric guitar amps, while effective for electric guitar, do not have good bass reproduction. Woofer enclosures must be larger and more sturdily built than cabinets for mid-range or high-frequency ( tweeter ) speakers. As such, in

4070-487: Is a 1/4" jack , which is fed a signal from an electro-magnetic pickup (from an electric guitar) or a piezoelectric pickup (usually from an acoustic guitar) using a patch cord , or a wireless transmitter. For electric guitar players, their choice of amp and the settings they use on the amplifier are a key part of their signature tone or sound. Some guitar players are longtime users of a specific amp brand or model. Guitarists may also use external effects pedals to alter

4180-680: Is a preamplifier . It amplifies the audio signal to a level that can drive the power stage. The preamplifier also changes the tone of the signal; high preamp settings add overdrive . The power amplifier produces a high current signal to drive a loudspeaker and produce sound. Various types of tone stages may affect the guitar signal: Tone stages may also provide electronic effects—such as equalization , compression, distortion, chorus , or reverb . Amplifiers may use vacuum tubes (called valves in Britain), solid-state (transistor) devices, or both. The two common guitar amplifier configurations are

4290-427: Is associated with acts such as The Jam and R.E.M. The 4000 series were the first Rickenbacker bass guitars , introduced in 1957. They followed the 4000 with the 4001 (in 1961), 4002 (limited edition bass introduced in 1977), 4008 (an eight-string model introduced in the mid-1970s), 4003 (in 1979, replacing the 4001 entirely in 1986 and still in production in 2024), and most recently the 4004 series. They also made

4400-421: Is further shaped or processed through the frequency response and distortion factors in the microphones (their response, placement, and multi-microphone comb filtering effects), microphone preamps, mixer channel equalization, and compression. Additionally, the basic sound produced by the guitar amplifier can be changed and shaped by adding distortion and/or equalization effect pedals before the amp's input jack, in

4510-573: Is more common for bass amplifiers than for electric guitar cabinets), two 10" speakers, four 10" speakers, four 12" speakers, or eight 10" speakers. Less commonly, guitar cabinets may contain different sizes of speakers in the same cabinet. Cabinets with eight 10" speakers are large and heavy, and they are often equipped with wheels and a towel bar -style handle for transport. Some cabinets use mixed speaker types, such as one 15" speaker and two 10" speakers. Combo guitar amplifier cabinets and guitar speaker cabinets use several different designs, including

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4620-441: Is not the same company as Stromberg Electro Instruments) introduced a guitar amp with "high output" and a "string driven magnetic pickup". Electro set out the standard template for combo amps: a wooden cabinet with the electronic amplifier mounted inside, and convenient carrying handles to facilitate transporting the cabinet. In 1933, Vivi-Tone amp set-ups were used for live performances and radio shows. In 1934, Rickenbacker launched

4730-482: Is the first instrument of any type to feature a hand-operated vibrato as standard equipment. It also marks Rickenbacker's first link to the unit's originator, Clayton Doc Kauffman , who would become a design collaborator for the company a couple of years later. In 1935, the company introduced several new models including the Model "B" Electric Spanish guitar, which is the first known solid-body electric guitar. Because

4840-432: Is the use of two truss rods to correct twists and curvature in the neck. Rickenbacker guitars typically have a set neck made of multiple pieces of wood laminated together lengthwise, while their basses have a one-piece neck that extends through the entire body . Rickenbacker instruments are known for narrower necks (41.4 mm versus 43 mm at the nut for most competitors) and lacquered rosewood fingerboards, giving them

4950-436: The 'Rickenbacher' brand, and ultimately the modern 'Rickenbacker’ was adopted. Early examples bear the brand name 'Electro'. The early instruments were nicknamed "frying-pans" because of their long necks and small circular bodies. They are the first known solid-bodied electric guitars , though they were a lap-steel type. They had a single pickup with two magnetized steel covers, shaped like horseshoes, that arched over

5060-690: The Electro-Spanish Model B and the Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts . Both models had been experimental, produced as early as 1931, and officially released in 1935. The Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts model was subject to a limited production of forty-six. There were several new design elements found on the Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts. The instrument was the first of its kind to be named for an endorser. While most arch-top guitars had 14- fret neck joints,

5170-562: The cleaner sound of solid-state amplifiers. Only a few solid-state amps have enduring attraction, such as the Roland Jazz Chorus . Solid-state amplifiers vary in output power, functionality, size, price, and sound quality in a wide range, from practice amplifiers to combos suitable for gigging to professional models intended for session musicians who do studio recording work . A hybrid amplifier involves one of two combinations of tube and solid-state amplification. It may have

5280-475: The impedance of the system. Two 8 ohm speakers wired in parallel have 4-ohm impedance. Guitarists who connect multiple cabinets to an amplifier must consider the amp's minimum impedance. Parallel vs. series also affects tone and sound. Speakers wired in parallel slightly dampen[s] and restrain[s] them, giving what some describe as tighter response and smoother breakup . Some describe speakers wired in series (usually no more than two) as sounding "...looser, giving

5390-434: The preamplifier , equalization filters, power amp , guitar speakers , and cabinet design. The FRFR approach assumes the tone is shaped by sound processors in the signal chain before the amplifier and speaker stage, so it strives to not add further coloration or dedicated combo-style amplifiers with a broad frequency range. Such processors can be traditional guitar effects, a modeling amplifier (without power amplifier), or

5500-511: The "Nationals" being produced by the National String Instruments Corporation, Rickenbacker was a highly skilled production engineer and machinist. Adolph Rickenbacker became a shareholder in National and, with the assistance of his Rickenbacker Manufacturing Company, National boosted production to fifty guitars a day. Unfortunately, National's line of instruments was not well diversified and, as demand for

5610-482: The "gain" knob is equivalent to the distortion control on a distortion pedal and similarly may have a side-effect of changing the proportion of bass and treble sent to the next stage. Rickenbacker Rickenbacker International Corporation is a string instrument manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California . Rickenbacker is the first known maker of electric guitars , with a steel guitar in 1932, and produces

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5720-538: The 1930s and 1940s craze for Western Swing and Hawaiian music , which extensively used amplified lap steel guitars . In fact, the very first recording of an electrically amplified string instrument was the September 1933 recordings of Milton Brown and his Musical Brownies, featuring steel guitarist Bob Dunn In the 1920s, the earliest combo amplifiers had no tone controls. The first tone controls were simple, mainly providing treble adjustment. The limited controls,

5830-623: The 1930s and beyond. The first amplifiers and speakers could only be powered with large batteries, which made them heavy and hard to carry around. When engineers developed the first AC mains -powered amplifiers, they were soon used to make musical instruments louder. Engineers invented the first loud, powerful amplifier and speaker systems for public address systems and movie theaters . These PA systems and movie theatre sound systems were very large and very expensive, and so they could not be used by most touring musicians. After 1927, smaller, portable AC mains-powered PA systems that could be plugged into

5940-676: The 1950s, when Ampeg introduced bass amplifier and speaker systems, bass guitarists began to use them. Similarly, Hammond organ players used a specialized keyboard combo amplifier, the Leslie speaker cabinet, which contains a woofer for the low frequencies and a horn for the high frequencies. The Leslie horns rotate and a baffle around the woofer rotates as well, producing a rich tremolo and chorus effect . Typically, guitar amplifiers have two amplifying circuit stages, and frequently have tone-shaping electric circuits, which usually include at least bass and treble controls, which function similarly to

6050-543: The 35JDR8419 only being available in 1954). The schematic is readily available on the web under the name Montgomery Ward GDR 8517a. Guitar amplifier Guitar amplifiers can also modify an instrument's tone by emphasizing or de-emphasizing certain frequencies, using equalizer controls, which function the same way as the bass and treble knobs on a home stereo, and by adding electronic effects ; distortion (also called overdrive) and reverb are commonly available as built-in features. The input of modern guitar amplifiers

6160-419: The 4003 and 4003S had black hardware and black binding options available. Later special editions included the 4003 Blue Boy, 4003 CS ( Chris Squire ), Blackstar, Shadow Bass, Tuxedo and 4003 Redneck. Rickenbacker basses have a distinctive tone. The 4001 and 4003 basses have neck-through construction. The 3000 series, made from the mid-1970s to mid-1980s, were cheaper instruments with bolt-on 21-fret necks. There

6270-469: The 4005, a hollow-bodied bass guitar (from 1965 to 1984)—which did not resemble other 4000 series basses, but rather the new style 360-370 guitars . The 4001S (introduced 1964) was basically a 4001 but with no binding and dot fingerboard inlays. It was exported to England as the RM1999. However, Paul McCartney received one of the early 4001S instruments (his unit was left-handed, and later modified to include

6380-569: The 600 series. Neck Thru consists of a single wooden piece from the neck through the central body section. In 1958, Hall introduced prototype called "capris" (the same name of Hall family's cat from the pronunciation of the French noun for whim). In 1963, Rickenbacker developed an electric twelve-string guitar with an innovative headstock design that fit all twelve machine heads onto a standard-length headstock by mounting alternate pairs of machine heads at right-angles to each other. After including

6490-554: The Electro String Company from Adolph Rickenbacker in 1953. Hall overhauled the business and began focusing on standard electric and acoustic guitars rather than the steel guitars the company pioneered. In 1956, Rickenbacker introduced two instruments with the " neck through body " construction that became a standard feature of many of the company's products, including the Combo 400 guitar, the model 4000 bass, and, later,

6600-459: The Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts fingerboard joined the body at the 17th fret allowing much greater access to the higher frets, creating a full 25-1/2" inch scale. This addition made the Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts the first production full-scale (25-1/2") electrified guitar. Another new feature on the Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts is the stock Kauffman Vib-rola tailpiece, the world's first patented tremolo ( U.S. patent 2241911A ). The Ken Roberts

6710-510: The Hot Rods ), Tony James ( Generation X ), Michael Bradley ( The Undertones ), Youth ( Killing Joke ) and in the U.S., Mike Mills ( R.E.M. ) and Kira Roessler ( Black Flag ). Brazilian bassist Alex Malheiros from Azymuth used a 4001 bass during the band's early years (most notably between 1972 and 1977). His very rich approach to samba, jazz and funk has some echoes of Chris Squire and Paul McCartney these genres can be tackled by

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6820-605: The Lansing Manufacturing Company designed the speaker in the Rickenbacker professional model. During the early 1940s, Rickenbacker amps were sometimes repaired by Leo Fender , whose repair shop evolved into the Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company . George Beauchamp was a vaudeville performer, violinist, and steel guitarist who, like many acoustic guitarists in the pre-electric-guitar 1920s,

6930-467: The Rickenbacker brand, many sixties guitarists adopted them, including John Fogerty ( Creedence Clearwater Revival ), Paul Kantner ( Jefferson Airplane ), and John Entwistle and Pete Townshend of The Who . As both the British Invasion and the 1960s wound down, Rickenbacker guitars fell out of fashion for a time. Rickenbacker basses, however, remained popular through the 1970s and beyond. In

7040-550: The Ro-Pat-In company's name was changed to Electro String Instrument Corporation and its instruments were labeled simply as "Electro". In 1934 the name of "Rickenbacker" was added in honor of the company's principal partner, Adolph Rickenbacker. During the early production of the A-22 Fry-Pan, Beauchamp and Rickenbacker would experiment with wooden-bodied Spanish guitars and solid body prototypes; ultimately giving birth to

7150-522: The Stromberg-Voisinet firm marketed an electric stringed instrument and amplifier package. There are no records as to how many—if any—of the amps were ever built and sold, beyond marketing materials. Stromberg-Voisinet still launched a new idea: a portable electric instrument amp with a speaker, all in a transportable wooden cabinet. In 1929, Vega electrics launched a portable banjo amplifier. In 1932, Electro String Instruments and amplifier (this

7260-530: The amplifier and one or more speakers in a single cabinet. In a head and speaker cabinet configuration, the amplifier and speaker each have their own cabinet. The amplifier (head) may drive one or more speaker cabinets. In the 1920s, guitarists played through public address amplifiers, but by the 1940s this was uncommon. Besides instrument inputs and speaker outputs (typically via 1/4" jacks), an amp may have other inputs and outputs. These can include an auxiliary input jack (sometimes with its own level control, for

7370-501: The amplifier is 22" × 22" x 10". It weighs 38 lbs, relatively lightweight for a valve combo amplifier. The same amplifier was made by Danelectro under the following names: Danelectro Commando Model 88, Silvertone 1337, Montgomery Ward 35JDR8419, Montgomery Ward 55JDR8437, Montgomery Ward Airline 85GDR8518 where the first two letters of the Montgomery Ward code backwards represent the first year of design/production (but with

7480-598: The amps and electrified or electric guitars that had been made from 1928 through the end of 1934. The first electric instrument amplifiers were not intended for electric guitars, but were portable PA systems . These appeared in the early 1930s when the introduction of electrolytic capacitors and rectifier tubes enabled economical built-in power supplies that could plug into wall sockets. Previously, amplifiers required heavy multiple battery packs . People used these amplifiers to amplify acoustic guitar , but electronic amplification of guitar first became widely popular in

7590-472: The baffle material (the wood panel that holds the speaker), and the way the baffle attaches to the cabinet all affect tone. When two or more speakers are used in the same cabinet, or when two cabinets are used together, the speakers can be wired in parallel or in series, or in a combination of the two (e.g., two 2x10" cabinets, with the two speakers wired in series, can be connected together in parallel). Whether speakers are wired in parallel or in series affects

7700-418: The band and their manager, and gave Harrison a model 360/12 (the second electric twelve-string built by Rickenbacker). This instrument became a key part of the Beatles' sound on their LP A Hard Day's Night and other Beatles songs through late 1964. Harrison played this guitar sporadically throughout the remainder of his life. On August 21, 1965, during a Beatles concert tour, Randy Resnick of B-Sharp,

7810-481: The cabinet arrangement was changed to an amp head on two 4×12 (four 12" speakers) cabinets to make the cabinets more transportable. Some touring metal and rock bands have used a large array of guitar speaker cabinets for their impressive appearance. Some of these arrangements include only the fronts of speaker cabinets mounted on a large frame. There are many varieties of speaker combinations used in guitar speaker cabinets, including one 12" speaker, one 15" speaker (this

7920-437: The dominant active electronic components in most instrument amplifier applications until the 1970s when solid-state semiconductors ( transistors ) started taking over. Transistor amplifiers are less expensive to build and maintain, reduce the weight and heat of an amplifier, and tend to be more reliable and more shock-resistant. Tubes are fragile and they must be replaced and maintained periodically. As well, serious problems with

8030-569: The early loudspeakers , and the low amplifier power (typically 15 watts or less before the mid-1950s) gave poor high treble and bass output. Some models also provided effects such as an electronic tremolo unit. In confusion over nomenclature, Fender labeled early amplifier tremolo as vibrato and called the vibrato arm of the Stratocaster guitar a tremolo bar (see vibrato unit , electric guitar , and tremolo ). Some later amplifier models included an onboard spring reverb effect, one of

8140-431: The early 1960s onward. From about 1959 through 1994, very few Rickenbacker acoustic guitars were made. In 1995, an effort was made to re-introduce Rickenbacker acoustics, with factory production beginning in their Santa Ana manufacturing facility in 1996. Four models of flat top acoustic Rickenbackers were depicted in factory literature (maple or rosewood back and sides, jumbo or dreadnaught shape). Each of these four models

8250-527: The early models were viewed by Pete Townshend as pivotal in his refinement of feedback techniques and the eventual development of the Marshall sound. Since the 1960s, a diverse cross-section of artists have played Rickenbacker guitars. In 1979, Tom Petty and Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers used vintage 1960s models to attain that toaster-pickup jangle. The high-gain pickup sound

8360-412: The effect was a growling, grinding, "concrete mixer" tone that continues to be admired and emulated. In the hard rock vein, Deep Purple 's Roger Glover was a prominent Rickenbacker aficionado. Geddy Lee of Rush used a Rickenbacker on the band's earlier material. Another enthusiast was Metallica bassist Cliff Burton , whose heavily modified 4001, red with white hardware and trim, debuted during

8470-405: The effects loop just before the tube power amp, or after the power tubes. Power-tube distortion is required for amp sounds in some genres. In a standard master-volume guitar amp, as the amp's final or master volume is increased beyond the full power of the amplifier, power-tube distortion is produced. The "power soak" approach places the attenuation between the power tubes and the guitar speaker. In

8580-461: The equivalent controls on a home hi-fi system. More expensive amplifiers typically have more controls for other frequency ranges, such as one or two midrange controls and a presence control for high frequencies. Some guitar amplifiers have a graphic equalizer , which uses vertical faders to control multiple frequency bands. Some more expensive bass amps have a parametric equalizer , which enables precise control of tone. The first amplifier stage

8690-686: The expensive and hard-to-manufacture tri-cone guitars began to slip, the company realized that it would need to produce instruments with a lower production cost to remain competitive. Dissatisfaction with what John Dopyera felt was mismanagement led him to resign from National in January 1929. He subsequently formed the Dobro Manufacturing Corporation, later called Dobro Corporation, Ltd, and began to manufacture his own line of resonator-equipped instruments ( dobros ). Patent infringement disagreements between National and Dobro led to

8800-416: The first 100-watt guitar amplifier. He pushed the limits of electric amplification technology, helping to develop new equipment that was capable of producing "thick, clearly defined tones" at "previously undreamed-of volumes." Distortion became more popular from the mid-1960s, when The Kinks guitarist Dave Davies produced distortion effects by connecting the already distorted output of one amplifier into

8910-545: The first being the Ampeg Reverberocket amp. In the 1950s, several guitarists experimented with producing distortion by deliberately overdriving amplifiers. These included Goree Carter , Joe Hill Louis , Elmore James , Ike Turner , Willie Johnson , Pat Hare , Guitar Slim , Chuck Berry , Johnny Burnette , and Link Wray . In the early 1960s, surf rock guitarist Dick Dale worked closely with Fender to produce custom made amplifiers, including

9020-442: The gatefold sleeve of Four Wheel Drive . In the 1970s, the Rickenbacker bass became a staple of progressive rock , as exemplified by British bassists Mike Rutherford ( Genesis ) and Chris Squire ( Yes ). Squire was one of the first to run a Rickenbacker in stereo by splitting the signal, sending the signal through both a guitar amp and a bass amp. Combined with his aggressive picking technique on Rotosound roundwound strings,

9130-428: The group's Kill 'Em All era. Also noteworthy was Motörhead vocalist/bassist Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister , for whom Rickenbacker produced a 60-bass run of "Lemmy Kilmister" signature basses: the 4004LK, fitted with three pickups, gold hardware, and elaborate wood carving in the shape of oak leaves. In 2019, the company produced a 420-bass run of Al Cisneros signature basses honoring the prominent Sleep and Om bassist,

9240-678: The idea for electrified string instruments had been around for some time, and experimental banjo, violin, and guitar pickups had been developed. George Beauchamp had experimented with electric amplification as early as 1925, but his early efforts, which used microphones, did not produce the effect he desired. Beauchamp also pursued the idea, building a one-string test guitar out of a 2X4 piece of lumber and an electric phonograph pickup. As problems at National became more apparent, Beauchamp's home experiments became more rigorous, and he began to attend night classes in electronics and collaborate with fellow National employee Paul Barth. When they finally developed

9350-475: The input of another. Later, most guitar amps were provided with preamplifier distortion controls, and fuzz boxes and other effects units were engineered to safely and reliably produce these sounds. Overdrive and distortion have become integral parts of many styles of electric guitar playing, ranging from blues rock to heavy metal and hardcore punk . Guitar combo amplifiers were at first used with bass guitars and electric pianos , but these instruments produce

9460-441: The instrument; it is not only a rock bass and, in the right hands, can be good fit for many genres. Rickenbacker has produced a number of uniquely designed and distinctively trimmed acoustic guitars . Although a small number of Rickenbacker acoustics were sold in the 1950s and were seen in the hands of stars like Ricky Nelson and Sam Cooke , the company concentrated on their electric guitar and western steel guitar business from

9570-423: The late 1970s and early 1980s, Rickenbacker guitars experienced a renaissance as new wave and jangle pop groups turned to them for their distinctive chime. Demand is particularly high among retro groups influenced by the sound and look of the 1960s. Some Rickenbacker models feature a stereo "Rick-O-Sound" output socket, allowing each pickup to be routed to different amplifiers or effects chains. Another feature

9680-524: The open back cabinet, the closed back cabinet (a sealed box), and, less commonly, bass reflex designs, which use a closed back with a vent or port cut into the cabinet. With guitar amps, most open back amp cabinets are not fully open; part of the back is enclosed with panels. Combo guitar amp cabinets and standalone speaker cabinets are often made of plywood . Some are made of MDF or particle board —especially in low-budget models. Cabinet size and depth, material types, assembly methods, type and thickness of

9790-428: The original aluminum Fry-Pans were susceptible to tuning problems from expansion of the metal under hot performing lights, they made many of the new models from cast Bakelite , an early synthetic plastic used in bowling balls . Rickenbacker continued to specialize in steel guitars well into the 1950s, but with the advent of rock and roll , F.C. Hall, owner of Radio & Television Equipment Co. (Radio-Tel), purchased

9900-576: The pickup coil and completely surrounded the strings. At the end of 1931, Beauchamp, Barth, Rickenbacker and several other individuals banded together and formed the Ro-Pat-In Corporation (elekt RO - PAT ent- IN struments) to manufacture and distribute electrically amplified musical instruments, with an emphasis on their newly developed A-25 Hawaiian Guitar, often referred to as the "fry-pan" lap-steel electric guitar, as well as an Electric Spanish (standard) model and companion amplifiers. In

10010-402: The pre-amp out jack), an external speaker output (for powering an additional speaker cabinet ), and stereo RCA jacks or a 1/8" jack, for connecting a CD player or MP3 player so that a player can practice along with recorded music. Some amps have a 1/4" jack for connecting a pedal to turn the amp's onboard overdrive and reverb on and off or to switch between channels. Some amps have an XLR jack for

10120-481: The preamp or gain knob usually produces overdrive distortion. Some electric guitar amps have three controls in the volume section: pre-amplifier, distortion, and master control. Turning up the preamp and distortion knobs in varying combinations can create a range of overdrive tones, from a gentle, warm growling overdrive suitable for a traditional blues show or a rockabilly band to the extreme distortion used in hardcore punk and death metal . On some electric guitar amps,

10230-512: The promo film for " Hello, Goodbye " and in the Magical Mystery Tour film. A year or so later, someone sanded off the finish. A second, over-zealous sanding in the early 1970s removed the "points" of the bass's cutaways. McCartney used the Rickenbacker bass during his time with Wings and through his '80s solo career. He continues to record with it to this day. Partly because of the Beatles' popularity and their consistent use of

10340-442: The re-amped or "dummy load" approach, the tube power amp drives a mostly resistive dummy load while an additional low power amp drives the guitar speaker. In the isolation box approach, the guitar amplifier is used with a guitar speaker in a separate cabinet. A soundproofed isolation cabinet , isolation box, isolation booth, or isolation room can be used. A variety of labels are used for level attenuation potentiometers (knobs) in

10450-514: The same footprint, so they can retrofit into most current or vintage models. The tone varies from one style to the next, partially because of the types of magnets used but also due to the amount of wire wound around the pickup's bobbin. Most contemporary models come with single-coil high-gain pickups as standard equipment. Many post-British-Invasion players such as Peter Buck , Paul Weller , and Johnny Marr have used instruments with these pickups. Rickenbacker's HB1 humbucker /dual coil pickup has

10560-629: The second 325 model during a 1964 Christmas show, breaking the headstock. While it was being repaired, Rickenbacker's UK distributor Rose Morris gave Lennon a model 1966 (the export version of a 325, available exclusively in a red finish and with an F-hole ). Lennon later gave the 1966 to fellow Beatle Ringo Starr . Beatles guitarist George Harrison bought a 420 during a brief visit to the United States in 1963. In February 1964, while in New York City, F.C. Hall of Rickenbacker met with

10670-425: The sound of a range of tube amplifiers and different sized speaker cabinets, all using the same amplifier and speaker. These are known as modeling amplifiers , and can be programmed with simulated characteristic tones of different existing amplifier models (and speaker cabinets—even microphone type or placement), or dialed in to the user's taste. Many amps of this type are also programmable by way of USB connection to

10780-418: The sound of their tone before the signal reaches the amplifier. In the 1920s, it was very hard for a musician playing a pickup-equipped guitar to find an amplifier and speaker to make their instrument louder as the only speakers that could be bought were "radio horns of limited frequency range and low acoustic output". The cone speaker, widely used in 2000s-era amp cabinets, was not widely offered for sale until

10890-401: The string vibration, a potentially dangerous approach that did not become popular. In 1934 Dobro released a guitar amp with a vacuum tube rectifier and two power tubes. By 1935, Dobro and National began selling combo amps for Hawaiian guitar. In 1934, Gibson had developed prototype combo amps, but never released them. By 1935, Electro/Rickenbacher had sold more amps and electric guitars than all

11000-478: The strings. By the time they ceased producing the "frying pan" model in 1939, they had made several thousand units. Electro String also sold amplifiers to go with their guitars. A Los Angeles radio manufacturer named Van Nest designed the first Electro String production-model amplifier. Shortly thereafter, design engineer Ralph Robertson further developed the amplifiers, and by the 1940s at least four different Rickenbacker models were available. James B. Lansing of

11110-402: The studio or stage. The use of full range, flat response (FRFR) amplification systems by electric guitarists has received an extra impetus from modeling amplifiers. Before widespread availability of modeling, guitarists did not commonly plug electric guitars straight into PA systems or powered speakers because most genres relied on the tonal coloration of a regular guitar amplifier setup—from

11220-588: The summer of 1932, Ro-Pat-In began to manufacture cast aluminum production versions of the Fry-Pan as well as a lesser number of standard Spanish Electrics also known as "Electro-Spanish" models, built from wooden bodies similar to those made in Chicago for the National Company. These instruments constitute the origin of the electric guitar by virtue of their string-driven electro-magnetic pick-ups. In 1933

11330-704: The tubes can render an amplifier inoperable until the issue is resolved. While tube-based circuitry is technologically outdated, tube amps remain popular since many guitarists prefer their sound. Tube enthusiasts believe that tube amps produce a warmer sound and a more natural "overdrive" sound. Most inexpensive and mid-priced guitar amplifiers are based on transistor or semiconductor (solid-state) circuits, which are cheaper to produce and more reliable, and usually much lighter than tube amplifiers. Solid-state amps are less fragile than tube amps. High-end solid-state amplifiers are less common, since many professional guitarists favor vacuum tubes. Some jazz guitarists favor

11440-545: The twelve-string guitar in the Rickenbacker 300 Series . In the 1960s, Rickenbacker benefited tremendously when a couple of Rickenbacker guitar models became permanently intertwined with the sound and look of The Beatles . In Hamburg, in 1960, Beatles guitarist John Lennon bought a Rickenbacker 325 , which he used throughout the early days of The Beatles. He eventually had the guitar's natural alder body refinished in black, and made other modifications, including adding

11550-465: Was also a glued-in "set neck" 4000 version in 1975-76 (neck set like a Gibson Les Paul ), which featured a 20-fret neck, dot inlays, no binding (similar to the 4001S) and only a single bridge-position mono pickup. Fred Turner of Bachman-Turner Overdrive used the 4000 extensively on the Not Fragile album, as seen in a promotional clip for " You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet ." This bass also appears on

11660-467: Was also available in both six- and twelve-string configurations, yielding a range of eight distinct instruments. (The 760J "Jazzbo", an archtop model, was only built as a prototype, with three examples known to exist.) It is estimated that fewer than 500 Rickenbacker acoustic guitars were built before the factory shut down the acoustic department in mid-2006. In late 2006, Rickenbacker gave a license to build Rickenbacker-branded acoustics to Paul Wilczynski,

11770-550: Was born in Basel, Switzerland in 1887 and emigrated to the United States to live with relatives after the death of his parents. Sometime after moving to Los Angeles in 1918, he changed his surname to "Rickenbacker". In 1925, Rickenbacker and two partners formed the Rickenbacker Manufacturing Company and incorporated it in 1927. By the time he met George Beauchamp and began manufacturing metal bodies for

11880-556: Was founded by Paul Tutmarc , the inventor of the first electric bass (Tutmarc's instrument did not achieve market success until Leo Fender 's launched the Precision Bass ). In 1933, Vega sold a pickup and amplifier set for musicians to use with existing guitars. In that same year, the Los Angeles-based Volu-Tone company also sold a pickup/amplifier set. Volu-Tone used high voltage current to sense

11990-596: Was looking for some way to make his instrument cut through an orchestra. He first conceived of a guitar fitted with a phonograph-like amplifying horn. He approached inventor and violin-maker John Dopyera , who made a prototype that was, by all accounts, a failure. Their next collaboration involved experiments with mounting three conical aluminum resonators into the body of the guitar beneath the bridge. These efforts produced an instrument that so pleased Beauchamp that he told Dopyera that they should go into business to manufacture them. After further refinements, Dopyera applied for

12100-413: Was stolen at some point after the band ceased touring. After the Beatles' 1965 summer tour, Paul McCartney frequently used a left-handed 1964 4001S FG Rickenbacker bass rather than the lightweight Höfner basses he had used previously. The instrument became popular with other bassists influenced by McCartney's highly melodic style. In 1967, McCartney gave his 4001 a psychedelic paint job, as seen in

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