When were amplifiers first used in music?
Any guitarist would tell you that their playing ability is one thing, but really, in order to get up on stage and have any chance of taking the roof off – or even just being heard – they would be nothing without amplifiers. In many respects, it’s a humble piece of equipment for all the power it holds. When you think about it, it’s merely a cubed weighted box that is the ultimate transmitter to all of our favourite guitar greatness.
As much as amplifiers have become a total staple and necessity to music for as far back as we can remember, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that there was a time before they existed, and as such, their invention was a revolution that changed musicians’ lives. Despite this, the equipment is actually one that was more commandeered for sonic purposes over time, as music output wasn’t its first intended use. In truth, the amplifier itself was first invented in the early 1900s for sound projection in cinemas and public address systems.
However, throughout the 1920s and 1930s, musicians were becoming increasingly experimental in turning to the amp as a means of electrifying their sound, much like its use in the movies. The story has it that the first person to play a guitar into an amplifier – albeit a smaller, more portable version than the original – was a jazz musician called Jack Miller in 1932. He used a new Rickenbacker Electro Spanish guitar during a performance at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in LA, and as such, in his own seemingly insignificant way, changed the course of music forever.
Of course, in the nine decades since then, the evolution of the amplifier as a medium of musical output has been revolutionary and transformative, not just in terms of sound but in creating entire genres and even instruments. In no uncertain terms, we have the amplifier to thank for the sound of the rock and roll canon that we all worship today because, beneath all the rock star bravado, that piece of equipment is the unsung hero.
How has the use of amplifiers evolved over time?
From the 1930s, when the amplifier first became used in the music scene, it never really looked back. Indeed, as its role became increasingly popularised, so also did potential methods of maximising its capacity. To that end, the first instrument to be invented solely for the use of amplification was arguably the Hawaiian guitar.
Over time, naturally, this became overwhelmingly commandeered by the emergence of rock and roll. Most predominantly, during the 1960s, The Beatles were the poster boys of the genre, which meant that, in turn, they were also the faces of the amplifier. Famously, they used small combo amps for their guitar while having a separate PA system for vocals, distinguishing the two as different entities to hone their sound and define the hallmarks of rock.
With the rate of technological innovation being what it is, it goes without saying that amplifiers have evolved a long way since they were invented and even since the heyday of The Beatles. Any act involving a guitar wouldn’t be seen without one, and as the world continues to move on, you can be sure that amplifiers will also grow with that. The musical world may be completely turned on its head in the next 50 years, but the amplifier probably has the best chance of staying put.
