Unitar (instrument)

"Unitar" redirects here. For other uses, see Unitar (disambiguation).

The unitar is a one-string electric guitar. Although rare, the one-string guitar is sometimes heard, particularly in Delta blues, where improvised folk instruments were popular in the 1930s and 1940s.

History

Eddie "One String" Jones had some regional success with a Mississippi blues musician, Lonnie Pitchford, who played a similar homemade instrument.^[1] In a more contemporary style, Little Willie Joe Duncan, the inventor of the Unitar,^[2] had a considerable rhythm and blues instrumental hit in the 1950s with "Twitchy", recorded with the Rene Hall Orchestra.

Design

The home-made unitar often has a piezoelectric sensor as a pick-up, requiring an external amplifier to be attached to produce a satisfactory sound.^[1] PVC piping is a common neck material. As with a normal electric guitar, the unitar does not require a reverberating body like an acoustic guitar.

Notable players

• Seasick Steve
• Brushy One String

See also

• Diddley bow
• Ektara
• Whamola