Blog: Was the Slingerland Songster Model 401 the First Electric Guitar?

[Evan Skopp]

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[Ashurbanipal]

Re: Blog: Was the Slingerland Songster Model 401 the First Electric Guitar?

Interesting guitar; nice burst. It's made of maple I suppose?

Those guys who boast about their double thick ceramic mags have nothing on this!

[jimfackert]

Re: Blog: Was the Slingerland Songster Model 401 the First Electric Guitar?

I agree, the facts point to this beig the first truly magnetic pickup electric guitar. The technology ... huge magnet, flux return path over the strings, etc. indicate that it was a struggle, with the permanent magnet technology of the day, to get enough signal out of the pickup to drive the tube amp technology of the day. Lohr's "pickups" in that era were crystal pickups that sensed vibration of the sounding board, with some mechanical amplification even, to get high enough voltage out. Ditto the ceramic mic.
I would love to know who conceived this design.
He was the true inventor of the electric guitar as we know it, with pickups converting string vibration directly to electric signal, no sound involved, no physical vibration of anything but the string itself involved.
I wish someone would do detailed pics and diagrams of this beast.

[ehdwuld]

Re: Blog: Was the Slingerland Songster Model 401 the First Electric Guitar?

Welcome to the forum
I too wish we had more pictures of this one

[orpheo]

Re: Blog: Was the Slingerland Songster Model 401 the First Electric Guitar?

Ah, an old article of mine.

[Ascension]

Re: Blog: Was the Slingerland Songster Model 401 the First Electric Guitar?

Sounds pretty darned good!

[Zombiwoof]

Re: Blog: Was the Slingerland Songster Model 401 the First Electric Guitar?

This sort of taints Les Paul's claim to having disigned the first solid body, although I think he does mention the Rickenbacker Pan in some interviews I've read.
Where does that Bigsby electric guitar with the 6-on-the-side tuner headstock that is thought to be inspiration for the Fender headstock fit into all of this?.
Al

[Chistopher]

Re: Blog: Was the Slingerland Songster Model 401 the First Electric Guitar?

This sort of taints Les Paul's claim to having disigned the first solid body, although I think he does mention the Rickenbacker Pan in some interviews I've read.
Where does that Bigsby electric guitar with the 6-on-the-side tuner headstock that is thought to be inspiration for the Fender headstock fit into all of this?.
Al

Les Paul made the first semi-hollow guitar. The Fender Broadcaster in 1950 was the first commercially successful solid body guitar. The Les Paul wasn't released until 1952.

I always thought the Rickenbacker Frying Pan was the first electric guitar and the ES-150 was the first Spanish-style electric guitar.