Gibson Electric Hawaiian Model E-150, c. 1935

Around 1935, Gibson finally entered the electric guitar race with this aluminum-bodied Model E-150 Electric Hawaiian guitar. The company would have started earlier, but Guy Hart (d. unknown), president of Gibson from 1924-1948, viewed the early attempts at electric amplification as a joke. In his mind the sound quality that came from electric instruments left little to be desired with their whispering and crackling sounds, and early electric efforts by guitar pioneers Lloyd Loar (1886-1943) and Stromberg-Voisinet (later known as Kay Musical Instruments) flopped on the market. For Hart, competition for acoustic models with Martin and Epiphone seemed to be a much more pressing issue. 

The scene changed when sales for Rickenbacker’s “Frying Pan” electric steel guitar took off in 1935. Hawaiian guitarists had been looking for improved amplification for years, and they found it in Rickenbacker’s model. Hart took notice and he launched research into an improved electromagnetic pickup, which resulted in the E-150’s design. Hart then improved the guitar’s sound by replacing aluminum with maple the following year. To further cinch the market, he coupled the guitar with an amplifier for the bargain price of $150.