[78-L] electric guitar 1929

[warren moorman]

Here's several more photos pertinent to the Gage Brewer story. The first shows his bandstand circa 1933-34, and clearly visible leaning on their speaker are the guitars from the newspaper story, as well as a standard acoustic at stage left:

  http://www.wichitaphotos.org/graphics/wschm_H5-36.2.2.jpg

And here's that band, by then a regular dance band rather than a Hawaiian style lineup, with Brewer holding a sax and another player at right sitting beside another acoustic (and speaker, that one for the vocal mic). Presumably he doubled on guitar in either a Hawaiian segment or guitar parts within the dance band arrangements.

http://www.wichitaphotos.org/graphics/wschm_H5-36.2.1.jpg


Indeed, here we see the second guitarist, apparently unamplified, while Brewer appears to play his electric lap guitar:

http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/It1Gb0wl9ug/mqdefault.jpg

For completeness, here's three photos of earlier Gage Brewer bands, apparently all Hawaiian oriented, with a pre-electric Brewer still on lap acoustic:

http://www.wichitaphotos.org/graphics/wschm_H5-36.1.1.jpg

http://www.harpguitars.net/history/epiphone/1931_Washburn_octo-fox.jpg

http://www.wichitaphotos.org/graphics/wschm_H5-36.3.1.jpg


And here's a video of the Wichita historical society's 2010 exhibit on the early electric guitar, including Brewer, Lowell Keisel, (Carvin guitar founder), Milo Wiley (early Fender dealer) and more, including a 78 signed from Sol Hoopi to Gage Brewer, and apparently, Brewer's original 1932 Rickenbacker frying pan electric, although it's not featured in the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEdtyrsY5js

Here's a photo with the Hoopi signed 78 shown:

http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/AEdtyrsY5js/hqdefault.jpg 

It's understandable that Wichita's boosters are eager to claim that the electric guitar debuted there, however as Joe and Malcolm point out, it's hardly that simplistic or certain. Sort of reminds me of the efforts of Marshall Texas to declare itself the unequivocal birthplace of boogie woogie piano. Or as Prof. Harold Hill declared, "River City needs a band"!  




On Friday, February 14, 2014 4:49 PM, Ron L'Herault <lherault at verizon.net> wrote:
  
This looks more like a microphone type pick up for the whole instrument
rather than a pick up on each string.  It would be nice to hear one though.

Ron L 

-----Original Message-----
From: 78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com
[mailto:78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com] On Behalf Of Joe Scott
Sent: Friday, February 14, 2014 2:02 PM
To: 78-L Mail List
Subject: Re: [78-L] electric guitar 1929

Here is a 1929 ad for Stromberg's commercially marketed electric guitar (and
other electric instruments):

https://www.google.com/search?q=%22electric+guitar%22+stromberg&source=lnms&
tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=bWDUq2pCKPEyQGq8YHgBw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1600&bih=799#facr
c=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=pMTQvdSXCWmohM%253A%3Bc9arDVIcojcp8M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252
Fwww.vintageguitar.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F3566%252F01stromberg.j
pg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.vintageguitar.com%252F3657%252Fstromberg-electro
%252F%3B250%3B349

So any time anyone claims someone invented the electric guitar and that
happened in the '30s (such as George Barnes fans claiming he had the first
electric guitar in 1931, which he did wave his hands at but to my knowledge
didn't actually claim), we know that doesn't add up, and to question that
person's research ability (or effort!).

Seems to me there may well be electric guitar on some isolated sweet record
from 1930-1932 (even though relatively few records were made during those
years) that we don't know about, because collectors of sweet music generally
aren't asking themselves electric vs. acoustic on some brief Hawaiianish
embellishments or whatever.

Joseph Scott
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