Instruments of Desire: The Electric Guitar and the Shaping of Musical Experience – Steve Waksman Op = Op

Around 1930, a group of guitar designers in Southern California fitted instruments with an electromagnetic device called a pickup–and forever changed the face of popular music. Taken up by musicians as diverse as Les Paul, Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix, and the MC5, the electric guitar would become not just a conduit of electrifying new sounds but also a symbol of energy, innovation, and desire in the music of the day. Instruments of Desire is the first full account of the historical and cultural significance…