The electric guitar is an exceptional object. Its sound is heard every day by hundreds of millions of people. Yet this beloved instrument started as an experimental project, hand-built by lone inventors and warily regarded by audience and players alike. Amplified traces the history of the design and development of the electric guitar as it became a mass-produced object made, sold and played all over the world. Paul Atkinson shows how, over the years, amateur makers, part-time tinkerers, musicians, enthusiasts, designers and corporations have developed its design, its looks and its sound.

Featuring new interviews with players and makers, and many illustrations sure to inspire ‘guitar envy’, this book shows how the electric guitar went from an instrument to an icon.

Paul Atkinson is Professor of Design and Design History at Sheffield Hallam University. He is the writer of the BBC guitar documentary Cigar Box Blues: The Makers of a Revolution (2019).

Contents:

Introduction
Chapter One: Emergence
Chapter Two: The Holy Trinity
Chapter Three: Expansion
Chapter Four: Diversity
Chapter Five: Technology
Epilogue

References
Select Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index