Covering eight more years of models and updated with new photos and industry revelations, this handy book is an indispensable tool for novice and expert collectors to date instruments from the four most popular guitar manufacturers. Good for either your own instruments or a guitar that you are considering buying, this classic includes serial numbers and common features to help you date instruments quickly and accurately. This new edition features a suggested reading list, author bio, and over 150 illustrations.

This book recounts the story of all the electric steel guitars - or electric 'Hawaiian' guitars, as they were called during most of their tenure - that were built by Gibson between 1935 and 1967. Hawaiian guitars were the most popular form of electric guitars until the 1950s, and they contributed to some crucial developments in pickups and amplification in addition to lending their voice to the earliest solid body electrics. Esthetically, the early postwar instruments are also amongst the coolest designs ever produced by Gibson. The following are the highlights of this title: over 450 illustrations, including a wealth of color pictures, catalog reproductions, and patent drawings; a comprehensive section on dating instruments; as well as detailed shipping totals for the 1935-1967 period.