Like the acoustic guitar, the electric guitar is usually a six stringed instrument. Unlike the acoustic guitar, it is usually made with a solid body instead of a hollow body. The natural sound produced by an electric guitar is very soft, so small microphones called pick-ups are used to send the sound to an amplifier where it can be made louder and even changed with special effects like reverb or distortion.

The first electric guitars appeared in the early 1930s to help jazz guitarists be heard when playing in big bands. In the 1950s and 60s, the electric guitar became the primary instrument driving the new music known as rock n' roll. It still plays a dominant role in popular music today.