A History of Electric Guitars.
I don't know about you, but I like to read about the history of all of these vintage instruments that I see, repair, and play. The history of Fender, Gibson, and some of the other electric guitar manufacturers is fanscinating to me. Here are a bunch of quality books that I have found with details about the history of electric guitars.
The Stratocaster Chronicles: Celebrating 50 Years of the Fender Strat
The world's most famous guitar has a golden anniversary in 2004, and this official, authorized book/CD package offers the best photos, quotes, facts and sounds to properly celebrate this achievement. From Buddy Holly to Jimi Hendrix to todays' hottest players, the Fender Stratocaster defines rock'n'roll for generations of fans and players.Special features include exclusive photos from the world's greatest guitar collection, as well as a CD with musical examples of famous Strat sounds and styles - even spoken excerpts from the author's interviews with the Strat's beloved inventor, Leo Fender.This book also recognizes that the Stratocaster's deeper significance lies in the music that guitarists have created with it. You'll hear what Strat players have to say about their instrument, their music and each other. The Fender Stratocaster both reflects and influences popular culture worldwide. The Stratocaster Chronicles focuses on the people who brought it into the world, the designers and builders who refined it, and the players who have taken it from there.
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Guitar History: Guitars Made by the Fender Company
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The Soul of Tone: Celebrating 60 Years of Fender Amps
From the same "dream team" that created The Fender Stratocaster Chronicles (Vintage Guitar magazine's 2004 Book of the Year) comes this new publication covering the other side of Fender's legacy, the instrument amplifier. Revered as much as one's guitar, the Fender amplifier gets its due in this full-color, richly illustrated book. Features over 400 images, including legendary guitarists such as Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Neil Young, Pete Townshend, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Muddy Waters, Robbie Robertson and Dick Dale, and two CDs featuring over 100 tracks that make terms and topics come alive.
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The Gibson Les Paul Book: A Complete History of Les Paul Guitars
The Les Paul guitar has been the instrument of choice for many of the world's top rock guitarists since its introduction in 1952. This book, which follows the authors' The Fender Book (Miller Freeman, 1992) as the second in a guitar profile series, documents the instrument's history and development. The guitars are discussed within the context of both popular music and the international guitar market. All models are covered, and the appendix includes a comprehensive reference section listing information needed to identify and date each model. High-quality photos highlight differences in model specifications and showcase many beautiful and collectible pieces. Designed to appeal to musicians, guitar collectors, and rock fans alike, this volume will prove useful in most libraries. --Eric C. Shoaf, Brown Univ. Lib., Providence
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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The Gibson Guitar from 1950
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The PRS Guitar Book: A Complete History of Paul Reed Smith Guitars
This spectacular volume showcases the stunning designs, technical innovations, and ingenious workmanship of Paul Reed Smith Guitars -- today's most important maker of electric guitars. It portrays every facet of this cutting-edge company's evolution, and spotlights outstanding PRS models. A breathtaking photographic gallery displays the Signature, signed by Smith; the Dragon, featuring opulent shell inlays; the Swamp Ash Special and Rosewood Limited, using non-standard materials; and the Santana models, honoring the best-known player of PRS guitars, Carlos Santana. A special section highlights exquisite examples of PRS' penchant for guitar building with the finest maple woods to create striking "flame-top" and "quilt-top" designs. Featuring 200 color photos, 5 fold-out spreads and a handsome slipcase, this book joins a line of lavish numbered limited Collector's Editions.
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The PRS Guitar Book:
A Complete History of the Paul Reed Smith Guitars - 3rd Edition
The PRS Guitar Book details every facet of the wonderful electric guitars made by PRS, the Maryland-based company founded in 1985 by musician and guitar builder Paul Reed Smith. The paperback edition is updated to include all the latest information on the acclaimed Singlecut models, as well as the intriguing story of the Santana SE - the company's first venture into overseas manufacture. An inviting narrative describes the evolution of this internationally renowned guitar maker, while dynamic color photography spotlights outstanding PRS guitars such as the Signature, signed by Smith; the Dragon, sporting opulent shell inlays; the Swamp Ash Special and Rosewood Limited, using non-standard materials; and ultra-rare models from limited and custom runs. Other featured guitars include the latest acoustic-electrics, and the Santana models that celebrate the partnership between PRS guitars and their best-known player, Carlos Santana. A special section highlights the company's famed use of highly patterned maple woods, displaying the most stunning "flame-top" and "quilt-top" examples. This definitive book also provides an absorbing photo-essay on the making of a PRS guitar, plus specifications for identifying and dating PRS instruments. "The PRS Guitar Book is a must-have for any collector, PRS owner, or anyone who appreciates PRS guitars." -Guitar Digest "Masterful ... tons of gorgeous, full-color photos." -Guitar Player "This hefty volume of brilliantly colorful guitars made by Paul Reed Smith exemplifies the best and the brightest..." -Dirty Linen "A fitting tribute to a company which has, in a short time, come to symbolize a quality alternative to the 'big two' American electric guitar manufacturers." -Vintage Guitar
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With Strings Attached: The Art and Beauty of Vintage Guitars
For thirty-five years, bestselling author and accomplished musician Jonathan Kellerman has been, as he puts it in his Introduction to this lavishly illustrated, endlessly fascinating volume, “chasing fabulous sound.” The result of that quest is a world-class collection of guitars, mandolins, and other stringed instruments that number more than 120 and counting. Kellerman takes us on a fascinating guided tour through his collection, complete with rich personal histories of his favorite instruments and of the brilliant, often eccentric craftsmen and musicians who brought them to life. It is a record of one man’s lifelong love affair with the guitar . . . and it is much, much more. Whether writing about household names such as Fender, Gibson, Martin, and Dobro or about marques revered by aficionados–D’Angelico, Hauser, Stromberg, and Torres–Kellerman brings to bear the same sure storytelling instincts and keen attention to detail that characterize his bestselling fiction, making each entry a sparkling mini-essay as much to be savored as the sensual photographs that follow.
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The Ultimate Guitar Book
The guitar is the most popular and versatile of all musical instruments, lending its humble presence to musical forms and genres from rock, country, and bluegrass to classical, jazz, and blues. In The Ultimate Guitar Book, the guitars on display show an almost infinite range of variations and refinements on one basic theme "a box with a neck," as the editors put it in the introduction to the acoustic guitar. From 17th century Stradivari to the latest guitar-synthesizer hybrids, it's all here: instruments famous and rare, antique and novel, including guitars owned or used by notable musical figures from Les Paul to Paul McCartney. The text includes helpful notes on the instruments' construction, as well as information about legendary designers like Martin, Gibson, and Fender. Whether you are a guitarist, collector, or simply an admirer of exquisite musical craftsmanship, this lovely book is a testament to human ingenuity in search of the perfect sound.
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Guitars: A Celebration of Pure Mojo
Celebrate the world’s most seductive instrument. An obsessive, full-color book in the irresistible format of Shoes and Handbags—which together have over 700,000 copies in print—guitarS delivers a feast of 500 guitars in vibrant color, plus players, makers, legends, myths, and more.
Here are guitars that made history, that changed the course of music, that inspired new generations of players and listeners. Here are milestones in the guitar's search for its true self—Torres's classical, the amazing Gibson L-5—and experiments that ushered in a new world of sound—Rickenbacker's "Frying Pan" and Les Paul's "Log." Plus B. B. King's Lucille, Willie Nelson's Trigger, Eric Clapton's Brownie, the J-160E that John Lennon played during his 1968 "bed-in" with Yoko, Jimi Hendrix's hand-painted Flying V in full psychedelic regalia. And the far-out Gittler—no body, no neck, no peghead, yet every inch a guitar.
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Guitar Rigs: Classic Guitar and Amp Combinations
This unique guide examines the classic combinations of guitars, amps, and pedals used to create the most unforgettable sounds in pop, rock, and blues music. Dissecting a wide range of setups, the book pinpoints specific elements that contribute to sought-after tones, and it teaches guitarists of all levels how to get these sounds with gear available today. It also explores how mixing and matching gear can change each setup's tonal properties, making this book a must-have for both die-hard gear fanatics and those just beginning their quest for fantastic tone. The accompanying CD provides myriad combinations of guitar, amp, and effect setups. Includes 70 color photos, and 40 black-and-white photos.
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