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).

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.

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 '.

(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 .

(Book). This new version of Tony Bacon's Six Decades of the Fender Telecaster shows how the world's first commercially successful solidbody electric guitar still attracts musicians more than 60 years since its birth in California. Today, it is more popular than ever and for many guitarists has overtaken the Stratocaster as the Fender to own and play. The Tele is the longest-lived solidbody electric, played by everyone from Muddy Waters to Keith Richards, from Radiohead to Snow Patrol. Its sheer simplicity and versatility are vividly illustrated here through interviews with Jeff Beck, James Burton, Bill Kirchen, John 5, and more. The book is three great volumes in one: a compendium of luscious pictures of the most desirable Teles, a gripping story from the earliest days to the latest exploits, and a detailed collector's guide to every Tele ever made. Packed with pictures of great players, collectable catalogs, period press ads, and cool memorabilia, The Telecaster Guitar Book is the one Tele book that all guitar fans will want to add to their collection.

(Book). The definitive history of the world's most famous 12-string electric guitar. When the Byrds recorded their hit version of Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man," they popularized a new sound in pop music: the electric 12-string guitar. Rickenbacker is the guitar maker that brought the electric 12-string to market and has since been almost single-handedly responsible for establishing what such a guitar should do. The California company gave one of its earliest 12-strings to George Harrison of the Beatles on the group's first tour of the United States in 1964. He immediately used it live and in the studio and showed off the sound of electric jangle to the rest of the world. This book tells the story of those heady days in the '60s, of the competitors who tried and failed to match the sound, and of the instrument's continuing production by Rickenbacker and use by many modern guitarists. Complete with high-quality photos and exclusive interviews with many of the 12-string's leading players, this is the best guide yet to the history of the sound of jingle-jangle.

(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.

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.

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.

(Book). Tony Bacon's definitive guide to Gibson's most famous guitar moves into its latest and most complete version yet with this new and thoroughly revised edition. Now with 16 more pages and 45 new pictures, this timely (and re-titled) update of 50 Years of the Gibson Les Paul (2002) tells the story of one of the greatest musical instruments of the 20th century and one that is still holding center stage today. Since Gibson's Les Paul solid body electric guitar first appeared in the early 1950s, it has always been easier to list the famous guitarists who have not used one at some point or another in their careers. This improved edition of the book features a complete history of the guitar and its players from the original Goldtop through the Fretless Wonder and the revered 1958-60 "Burst," and on to the reissues of today. Richly illustrated with 250 archive and performance shots, ephemera, and specially commissioned studio photos, The Les Paul Guitar Book is the most complete guide ever to Gibson's best-known guitar, and a must-have for every player and collector.