Alway wondered when Guitar Distortion began

[Ed_Chambley]

I have heard many time and it makes sense that amps were not intended to distort (only recently have they been designed to overdrive) and if this was happening we are basically asking more from the amp than it was designed to provide.  This said, I know other effects were already being used like the echo on Hank Garlands Sugarfoot Rag.  These effects distort the original signal too by making echo, but also each echo is a tad overdriven.

But what I did not know is overdrive (guitar distortion) came before.  Reviewing this article:
http://ontheaside.com/uncategorized/a-brief-history-of-guitar-distortion/


I found the first recording of overdriven amp to be 1949.  A song by Goree Carter named Rock Awhile which is the first in the article linked just above.  The first amp called a guitar amp really a Bass amp and Pickup was 1933.  Audio-Vox, but later the Hawaiian Guitar craze of the 30's and 40's.  The Audio-Vox did not do very well, but the later Valcos and then of course Fenders changed this.


So we as guitar players stumbled across overdrive fairly quickly in the realm of time and overdrive has been a viable effect thickening the tone almost longer than any other effect other than natural reverb from a room.  If it were not for DeArmond (Nathan Daniel) in 1945 making the tremolo for an organ.  As with any invention, other manufacturers quickly designed their own type.  Specifically Gibson and Multivox, Multivox being 1947.


So it really hasn't been a short time for players to start using overdrive.  Guitar players have been using amps incorrectly (overdriven) according to a lot of folks longer than they have been using amps correctly (Clean).  Much longer.


And if it were not for historical recordings, we may have to believe a lot of folklore others regirgitate.

[tubenit]

So it really hasn't been a short time for players to start using overdrive.  Guitar players have been using amps incorrectly (overdriven) according to a lot of folks longer than they have been using amps correctly (Clean).  Much longer.

Well said!!   

Thanks for sharing the Hank Garland tune.  He is quite a player, I looked at some of his other YouTubes.  (I've heard Junior Brown do that also and it's a great tune.)

I think some of the early black blues players really got heavy distortion with their slide playing and overdriving their amps.  Elmore James recorded "Dust my Broom" in 1951 for example.

Thanks, Jeff

[sluckey]

The first distortion I remember hearing was Marty Robbins' "Don't Worry ('bout me)". The story I heard back in the '60s was that during recording the bass amp speaker failed. The producer liked the sound so they worked out a fuzzy bass riff to use as part of the song. Wikipedia has a slightly different story...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Worry_(Marty_Robbins_song)

[Ed_Chambley]

Thanks Sluckey, new info and of all folks ole El Paso and I know you know it.  Wow, that is Grady Martin playing one of those 6 string basses just like Glen Campbell used for the solo in Galviston he borrowed from Carol Kaye.  I have heard that so many times and never noticed a distorted bass.  I can see why they left it in.


Tubenit, the article actually has a link to Dust My Broom.  He is really overdriving.  The guys at Chess Records, the engineers were recording a lot of this.


And even though I really like the Reverend Billy Gibbons playiing on Dust My Broom, the Elmore James version is very cool and has the raw feel old blues needs.  Sadly, Hank Garland lost the ability to play when he was 31 due to a bad accident, but had already made his place in history.  Later he became a Gibson Guitar collector, but to this day everyone who is a dedicated country player still is influenced by him.

[pompeiisneaks]

Weird, I thought I heard a story about one of the pioneers of rock and roll had an amp fall off a vehicle and it was moderately damaged, and therefore distorting, but they didn't realize this until they got into the performance and it was the only amp he could play, but I'm so fuzzy on what/who/when that it's a but useless and anecdotal, I wish I could find who etc.

~Phil

[PRR]

I don't have the exact cite handy (iTunes fail), but Bob Wills' Texas Playboys guitarists sure were clipping in the 1940s.

also http://bobwills.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/slideshow-19.jpg - under horse's tail

[EL34]

I thought it was Link Wray?

[PRR]

Wray sliced or stabbed his speaker cones (and probably messed-up his amp). A site in his name claims he invented distortion. But distortion just happened long before Wray took it further.

[jjasilli]

I thought:  Sister Rosetta Tharpe

[Ed_Chambley]

I thought:  Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Oh yes, she sure would overdrive that White Les Paul SG looking 3 pup guitar.  Love to see the video of her at the train stop with the audience.  Sort of minor blues version of Jimmy Rogers.


The article I read and linked text copy: Imagine a blues player trying to cut through the noise of a loud bar or dance hall, cranking up the volume, and discovering a whole other thick, warm, dirty sound. That’s basically all it took, and where there was loud music, there was usually some distortion. But in the studio, recording engineers considered it an error and kept guitars clean and clear. This started changing with a handful of rock n’ roll, soul, and blues songs in the late 40s and early 50s.

These captures of live performaces show that a lot of players in a genres overdriving or clipping, whichever term you prefer.  It did take a bit longer to show up on recording.  There is a comment in the article which I believe says it all.  The commnet is where this was loud music, there was usualy some distortion.

Here in this link confirms PRR's Bob Wills comment. https://noisey.vice.com/en_ca/article/wn7ja9/ride-the-feedback-a-brief-history-of-guitar-distortion


Then Leo Fender came in with a F'n bomb:
The Super Amp. Fender's 1947 amplifier pushed 18 watts, resulting in an immediately noticeable increase in loudness. Guitarists across the country scrambled to get their hands on a Super, quickly discovering that the device had something unintentionally beautiful to offer. When you turned its volume up all the way, the amp went into overdrive, wrapping guitar notes in fuzzy distortion. As with many world changing advancements in technology, guitar distortion came about by accident.


The article mentiones Junior Bernard's pickup made earlier which was a high output humbucker he made from 2 single coils prior to the Super Amp.  But, When word got out in 1947 that you could get a tone similar to Barnard's just by cranking the Fender Super, every guitarist that wasn't a total square bought one, or started saving up to get one.


This one is informative and funny to me. 


Best I can find on the acceptance of distortion by recording engineers is 1949, Rock Away.  Listen to the intro.