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It would really be borderline impossible to try to pinpoint the origins of the distorted electric guitar sound. Well before 1960, most amplifiers would begin t
by kevincennis 13y ago
It would really be borderline impossible to try to pinpoint the origins of the distorted electric guitar sound.
Well before 1960, most amplifiers would begin to distort at higher gain levels. And even if you only want to count "deliberate" distortion, there's the famous example of Link Wray poking holes in his amp's speakers in '58.
This is an interesting story, but it's kind of overstating the significance. Or maybe just oversimplifying the history.
- ajross 13y agoAll amplifiers will go non-linear at high gain, so certainly the technical effect can be pushed well back into the 20's. I'm sure someone, most likely an engineer in broadcast radio, "heard" distorted audio long before this. I think it's reasonable and interesting to ask how it became art, though.
- rombdn 13y agoNot the first distortion but the first 'fuzz'. Distortion is created by amp saturation at high levels while fuzz is created trough transistors which produce nearly square waves (http://www.geofex.com/effxfaq/distn101.htm http://www.geofex.com/effxfaq/distn101.htm fig.4)