Gretsch electric guitars have a style all their own a a glitzy wacky retro charm that over the years has drawn players from all kinds of popular music from timeless stars to unknown teens. The Beatles Chet Atkins Duane Eddy and Brian Setzer all made their mark with Gretsch and new bands continually discover and fall in love with the Falcons Gents 6120s Jets and the rest.THEThe Gretsch Electric Guitar BookE comes right up to the present including Gretsch's alliance to the powerful Fender company a move that has done wonders for the reliability and playability of the modern Gretsch axe. Every great model is here but the book also tells the story of the lesser-known guitars and the projects that almost never happened. There are archival and fresh interviews with Gretsch personnel over the years and with many leading Gretsch players including Chet Atkins Billy Duffy Duane Eddy and Brian Setzer.THIn the tradition of Tony Bacon's best-selling series of guitar books his updated and revised story of Gretsch is three great volumes in one: a compendium of luscious pictures of the coolest guitars; a gripping story from early exploits to the most recent developments; and a detailed collector's guide to every production electric Gretsch model ever made.

In California in the early '50s the Fender company introduced the world's first electric bass guitar. They couldn't have known known it then but the Precision Bass would start a revolution in the sound of popular music. This book explains how that revolution happened and how its reverberations are still felt today.ÞThe two-guitars-bass-and-drums lineup that would define pop music found its heart with the Fender bass. In the coming decades the bass guitar provided the solid foundation upon which much modern music is still built. ÊThe Bass BookÊ is the first to study its story with the full lowdown of the most important bass players and bass makers. Brands featured in the book include Alembic Danelectro Epiphone Fender Fodera Gibson Hofner Ibanez Lakland Line 6 Music Man Peavey Rickenbacker Sadowsky Spector Squier Steinberger Wal Warwick and Yamaha.ÞOriginal interviews with makers of bass guitars from the past and present illuminate the book with the popular establishment of the bass during the '60s and '70s examined in detail along with more recent developments such as the popularity of the five-string bass. There is an exclusive interview with Paul McCartney and other bassists who feature in the story including Stanley Clarke Flea James Jamerson Jaco Pastorius and Robert Trujillo.ÞDozens of unusual desirable and rarely seen basses are presented in high-quality photos. A reference section provides a wealth of information on the key makers. ÊThe Bass BookÊ has all you need to know about the story of the bass guitar in one stylish readable volume and this revised and refreshed third edition brings the story right up to date.

EThe Gibson 335 Guitar BookE tells the story of Gibson's ES-335 and related models as played by B.B. King Alvin Lee and Eric Clapton among other virtuosos. It's full of great guitars cool players and fascinating historical detail. The book traces the story from Gibson's first thinline models to the company's signature instruments and modern re-creations of today.THThe book is in the tradition of Tony Bacon's bestselling guitar series with a carefully researched story a gallery section of full-color pictures of the most important guitars and players and a reference section detailing production years and specifications.THThe 335 was launched in 1958. It had a double-cutaway body but the interesting features were hidden inside. A solid block in an otherwise hollow body created a new semi-solid structure cleverly combining the sonic qualities of a hollowbody guitar and a solidbody. Variants included the stereo 345 and the upscale 355 and players have lined up ever since for a taste of these attractively different flavors.THSome of those players featured in the book include Larry Carlton Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) Peter Hayes (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) Justin Hayward (Moody Blues) Eric Clapton Pepper Keenan (Down) B.B. King Elvin Bishop (Butterfield Blues Band) Alvin Lee (Ten Years After) Alex Lifeson (Rush) Eddie Phillips (the Creation) Johnny Marr (the Smiths) Lee Ritenour Andy Summers (the Police) Bill Nelson (Be-Bop Deluxe) and Andrew White (Kaiser Chiefs).

(Book). Ibanez is the most important Japanese guitar brand, and this new book tells the story of its electric guitars, tracking the fortunes of this impressive brand. At first the guitars were cheap and basic, and in the 1970s, Ibanez was best known for its copies of leading Gibson instruments, including Les Pauls, SGs, and Explorers. As the Japanese music industry gained maturity and increased quality, Ibanez made more assured instruments with original features; and in the late '70s and early '80s, it hit new peaks of achievement. The big break came in the late '80s with the arrival of Steve Vai's impressive and spectacular JEM signature models. In recent years, the company has continued to provide great modern electric guitars. Ibanez guitarists featured in the book include George Benson, Charlie Burchill (Simple Minds), Phil Collen (Def Leppard), Allan Holdsworth, Pat Metheny, Steve Miller, Joni Mitchell, John Petrucci (Dream Theater), Lee Ritenour, Joe Satriani, John Scofield, Paul Stanley (Kiss), Mick Thompson (Slipknot), Steve Vai, and Bob Weir (Grateful Dead). The book is in the tradition of Tony Bacon's best-selling guitar series, with a carefully researched story, including exclusive interviews with Vai and Satriani, a gallery of full-color pictures of famous guitars and players, and a reference section detailing production years and specifications of all Ibanez's electric models.

(Guitar Reference). Until the launch of the Flying V and Explorer in 1958, electric guitars were supposed to look like...guitars. Suddenly, Gibson turned conventional design upside down, almost literally, by using straight lines and angular body shapes, changing the way electrics could look and, in the process, creating a set of rare future collectables. Flying V, Explorer, Firebird tells the story of those first peculiar instruments and goes on to describe Gibson's second attempt at nonstandard designs with the Firebird of the early '60s. The book shows how most of these were a commercial failure at first and goes on to detail the influence of the designs on guitar-makers such as Hamer, Jackson, Dean, Ibanez, and BC Rich, all of whom embraced Gibson's original weird-is-good design ethic. In parallel with the story of the makers is an absorbing account of the players who discovered these odd-shaped instruments, including Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society), Edge (U2), and Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick). Interviews with players and makers illuminate the story of this fascinating assortment of electric guitar innovations, alongside specially commissioned images of every key model and brand and an enviable collection of guitar memorabilia, plus a gallery of leading guitarists photographed in action with their instruments. If it's weird and has strings, it's in Flying V, Explorer, Firebird .

Paul McCartney is one of the best pop bass players in the world, and he was at a creative peak during the time he played with The Beatles. This is the first book to present a musical analysis of his consistently inventive and influential bass playing of the period. At the core of the work are full transcriptions (including Tab and chord names) of ten of McCartney's most revered bass parts: "You Won't See Me", "Drive My Car", "The Word", and "In My Life" from "Rubber Soul"; the classic b-side "Rain"; "Taxman" and "I'm Only Sleeping" from "Revolver"; "Lovely Rita" from "Sgt Pepper"; "Dear Prudence" from the "White Album"; and "Something" from "Abbey Road". Each of these ten key tracks is taken apart and examined in detail to show today's bassists how much we can still learn from McCartney's remarkable playing skills. How does his phrasing and choice of notes shape each bassline? What are McCartney's melodic sources, and how does this relate to his abilities as a songwriter and composer? The ten transcriptions are set in the context of McCartney's role as bass player in The Beatles from the first single, "Love Me Do" in 1962, to the last album, "Let It Be" in 1970. Drawing on an interview with McCartney, much of which has not been published before, the authors show how he started as a guitarist in the group but soon came to expand and transform bass playing, bringing new musical ideas and a fresh outlook on sound that virtually defined the role of the modern bassist in pop music. All bass players owe a debt to McCartney's groundbreaking and revolutionary work with The Beatles, and for the first time this book shows exactly why.

(Book). In 1982, Fender revived an old guitar-string name for its new line of Japanese-made electric guitars. Millions of guitars later, and celebrating its 30th anniversary, Squier is almost as important to the company as the main Fender brand. Guitar pundit Tony Bacon reveals the stories behind the original (and collectible) Japanese-made Squier Series models, the way that Fender has often been more adventurous and experimental with Squier, away from its protected main brand, and the famous musicians who have chosen to play Squier instruments, from Courtney Love and her Venus model to blink-182's Tom DeLonge and his one-pickup/one-control signature Stratocaster. Full of the luscious pictures, absorbing narrative, and collector's data that characterize Bacon's best-selling instrument books, Squier Electrics is the only guide to one of the most popular guitar brands of recent times.

To many vintage guitar fans it seems inconceivable that Gibson dumped the Sunburst Les Paul in 1960 and during the following year introduced a completely new design the one that we know now as the SG ( solid guitar ).THAt the time however it made good business sense. Sales of the Les Paul were faltering and Gibson decided to blow a breath of fresh air through its solidbody electric guitar line. The company described the result as an ultra-thin hand-contoured double-cutaway body. The modernistic amalgam of bevels and points and angles was a radical departure and this new book tells the story of all the SG models that followed: the Junior Special Standard Custom and more.THThere are interviews with and stories about Gibson personnel through the years and all the major SG players including Pete Townshend Frank Zappa Eric Clapton Angus Young George Harrison Gary Rossington Tony Iommi and Derek Trucks.THIn the tradition of Tony Bacon's bestselling series of guitar books EThe SG Guitar BookE is three great volumes in one package: a collection of drool-worthy pictures of the coolest guitars; a gripping story from the earliest prototypes to the latest exploits; and a detailed collector's database of every production SG model ever made.

Innovation. Disruption. Thought leadership. Today's hottest tech sector buzzwords would prove just as apt in describing the twentieth century crucible of guitar development. Imagine an electric guitar. Is it a Strat? A Les Paul? Some third party variant on one of these classics? Or is it something more uniquely memorable: a Warlock a Flying V a Razorback? There's a reason that default image popped into your mind. Electric guitars do not happen by chance. They look and sound and play the way they do by design. In the prolific Tony Bacon's latest book EElectric Guitars Design and Invention: The Groundbreaking Innovations That Shaped the Modern InstrumentE the world's leading guitar historian traces the modern axe to the iconic designs at its roots. Musicians artisans luthiers and designers alike will delight in this far-reaching exploration of the craftsman trends and technological advances that shaped an industry a and countless generations of popular music.

Is the sunburst Gibson Les Paul Standard really the greatest electric guitar ever made? This book answers that question, even if so many players and collectors have already sounded a loud 'yes '.