Electromuse

Electromuse was an American maker of musical instruments that operated in the 1940s and 1950s.[1]

It was probably best known for its line of Hawaiian lap steel guitars.[2] Electromuse also made Spanish acoustic guitars, hollowbody acoustic-electric guitars, and other stringed instruments. Vacuum tube instrument amplifiers manufactured by subcontractors such as Valco were also sold under the Electromuse brand, often as part of a package deal offered to consumers that included a lap steel guitar and matching amplifier in complementary colors.[3] In his youth, steel player Curly Chalker, who performed and recorded with Willie Nelson, learned to play with an Electromuse lap steel, his first instrument.[4] Duane Eddy's first instrument was an Electromuse lap steel.[5]

Electromuse was an early adopter of electrified musical instruments and their patented Eye-Beam pickup was one of the first practical electromagnetic pickups on the market. The pickup converts the vibration of the instrument's metal strings in a magnetic field into an electrical signal that can be externally amplified (electromagnetic induction).[6] Similar pickups are now commonplace on electric guitars and other electrified instruments. Electromuse promotional advertisements in 1946 touted the pickup's ability to "play all strings with equal power and richness of tone".[7]

Valco manufactured many of the amplifiers that were sold under the Electromuse brand.

References
  1. Cunningham, Eddie (April 7, 2007). "Anybody remember "Electromuse" lap steels ?". bb.steelguitarforum.com. The Steel Guitar Forum. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  2. Greenwood, Alan; Hembree, Gil (2009-10-01). The Official Vintage Guitar Magazine Price Guide. Hal Leonard. ISBN 978-1-884883-21-7.
  3. Electromuse (Advertisement) (Vol. 45, No. 6 ed.). Popular Science Magazine. December 1, 1945. p. 42. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  4. Humphrey, Mark; Kingsbury, Paul, Ed. (1998). The Encyclopedia of Country Music : the ultimate guide to the music. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195176087. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  5. January 19, Michael Ross; 2018. "Duane Eddy: Sultan of Twang". www.premierguitar.com. Retrieved 2021-01-15.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. "Guitar Pickup/ Interactive Tutorial". nationalmaglab.org. National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  7. "Haw. Elect. Guitar". (advertisement) (Vol 68. No.10). The Evening Sun (Hanover, Pennsylvania). September 26, 1946. p. 7. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
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