He was also a founder of National Stringed Instrument Corporation and Rickenbacker (originally Rickenbacher) guitars.Beauchamp performed in vaudeville, playing the violin and the lap steel guitar, before he settled in Los Angeles, California.In 1931, he joined with Paul Barth and Adolph Rickenbacker to form the Ro-Pat-In Corporation to produce and sell electrified string instruments.In 1937, Beauchamp secured a United States patent for his version of the electric guitar.The electric guitar was supposedly marketed the same year; early catalogues showing the instrument are not dated.