Guitar collectors rejoice! The first book to examine pickups in detail is here! Covers everything from the first experiments to classic models conceived for Rickenbacker, Gibson, Fender, Gretsch, Danelectro, Epiphone and others, with an overview of Japanese and European manufacturers. Includes a 32-page color section of the most popular models and rarities, a timeline, info on building pickups and technical specs, and biographical notes on George Beauchamp, Leo Fender, Seth Lover, Larry DiMarzio and Seymour Duncan.
MORE»
| List | $29.99 |
The Guitarist's Guide to Music Reading features detailed step-by-step instruction, loads of sight-reading examples, invaluable tips and secrets from an industry pro, and access to online audio of over 600 audio files. “If you are reading this book I am excited for you. What you have in front of you is a powerful tool to help you understand the language of music. Chris Buono's explanations are sharply focused and designed for guitarists who have had minimal exposure to the concepts behind music notation. This is consistent with his approach to teaching guitar fundamentals. He has a gift for breaking down sophisticated musical concepts and replacing them with the salient points that kickstart your learning process.” –Dweezil Zappa
MORE»
| List | $22.99 |
The Ultimate Guitar Theory Chart has been created to assist you in learning basic music theory. It is a fast and fun way to gain instant access to essential interval, chord, scale, and key information. It features: easy-reference diagrams and charts • interval, chord and scale construction • and the circle of fifths.
MORE»
| List | $4.99 |
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.
MORE»
| List | $29.99 |
From shopping for a first electric guitar to setting customized action, this do-it-yourself primer for owning and maintaining an electric guitar explains the ins and outs of choosing the right guitar; cleaning, tools, and basic maintenance; personalizing and improving on a “factory setup;” troubleshooting; basic guitar electronics; choosing and installing replacement pickups, pots, switches, and capacitors; setups of the pros; and much more. This new edition is overhauled from top to bottom and re-organized to make it easy for the reader to make his electric guitar sound and play great. This edition also covers bass guitars and includes online video where Dan shows you how easy it is to set up your Strat, Les Paul, bass or Floyd Rose-equipped guitar so it plays in tune and feels great. Also includes cutout tool sheet with specialized guitar gauges at the back of the book!
MORE»
| List | $29.99 |
Already known as the bible of tubes and tube amps, The Tube Amp Book is now even better! This deluxe revised edition contains 40% new material, with a comprehensive A-Z section covering all the great tube amp manufacturers, with histories, photos and information. Brands include Ampeg, Dr. Z, Fender, Gibson, Hiwatt, Marshall, Matchless, Mesa/Boogie, Orange, Vox, Watkins and many others. Features online access to 800 available schematic and layout diagrams, from Ampeg to Western Electric. The book's technical tips, in-depth electronic specs and explanations, over 350 schematic diagrams, and full-color plates make it a must-have for the legions of tube-tone fanatics. Hardcover with convenient enclosed spiral binding.
MORE»
| List | $68.00 |
Introduced by Gibson in the 1930s, the ES (Electric Spanish) series would transform the role of the guitar in the world of the big bands and jazz groups. With amplification, the guitarist could solo along with the horn sections and mix with the percussion. Gibson featured many prominent guitarists naming them “Gibson Allstars.” An inspired marketing tool which helped Gibson become a world-leading manufacturer. The ES-5, Super 400s, artist models and hugely popular ES-175 were brand leaders. The 175 is the longest-running model still in production. It was the thin line series which caught the attention of the blues and rock world who appreciated the power and tone they produced. The classic “thin line” design was hugely popular as an alternative to the solid body type offering the ability to control feedback in a harmonic way. The ES series is an art form in its own right and are played and collected by guitar aficionados from all parts of the world.
MORE»
| List | $85.00 |
Learn to diagnose common problems relating to the adjustment, upkeep and repair of your acoustic guitar, as well as nylon-string guitars and ukuleles. Topics include: humidity • cracks • braces • bridge plates • frets • guitar action • intonation • neck angle • tuning machines • strings • strap buttons • end pins • buying a used guitar • cleaning & polishing • pickups • and much more.
MORE»
| List | $17.99 |
The Complete Guide to the Gibson Mandolins is a definitive source of information about the company that defined the modern mandolin. From the very beginning when Orville H. Gibson built the first carved-top instruments in the 19th Century to the instruments still being made by Gibson today, this book is a complete guide to the vast array of instruments the company produced in the mandolin family, including historical documentation, images, illustrations, detailed descriptions, photos and rare examples of existing instruments from sources around the world. In addition to all the information on these incredible instruments, this book also reveals some of the secrets behind many of the proprietary construction techniques used by Gibson throughout the decades. Many years of research have culminated in instrument histories that are well-documented, comprehensive and complete.
MORE»
| List | $45.00 |
Debuting in 1949 and in continuous production ever since, the ES-175 is one of the most versatile and famous guitars in music history. The first Gibson electric to feature a Florentine cutaway, the ES-175 was also one of the first Electric Spanish guitars to be fitted with P.A.F. humbuckers and is prized for its playability, craftsmanship, and full rich tone. The list of players who have utilized the ES-175's distinctive sound reads like a who's who of historic and contemporary jazz, rock, blues and fusion, players such as: Joe Pass, Kenny Burrell, Joe Diorio, Toots Thielmans, Wes Montgomery, Pat Martino, Herb Ellis, Howard Roberts, Jimmy Raney, blues great B.B. King, progressive rock musician Steve Howe and fusion pioneer Pat Metheny. Scotty Moore played an ES-295, essentially a dual P90 equipped, all gold ES-175 on the Sun Sessions with Elvis Presley. Written by noted author/guitarist Adrian Ingram, contents include: the complete history of the 175, The Players, a beautiful ES-175 Color Gallery, Chronology, Shipping Totals, and more. This book is a must for every guitar player and enthusiast or collector.
MORE»
| List | $24.95 |
Most musicians are familiar with the famous Bigsby Vibrato, but not as many know about the wonderful guitars that Paul Bigsby built in the 1940s. Bigsby, who was responsible for developing and refining the pedal steel guitar, also built the first modern solid body electric guitar for Merle Travis in 1948, predating Leo Fender and Gibson's Les Paul by a number of years.
The Story of Paul A. Bigsby tells how Bigsby influenced Fender and Gibson, as well as a number of other guitar manufacturers, in building techniques and design. This deluxe illustrated coffee table book contains over 300 color and black & white photos. Many of these have not previously been published, and over 50 are actual Bigsby instrument photos taken by fine arts photographer Greg Morgan. The book also comes with an audio CD of Paul Bigsby, recorded in the late 1950s, telling stories of his business.
MORE»
| List | $50.00 |
The Essential Encyclopedia for Every Guitar Player! The Guitar Handbook is the complete guide to playing the guitar - from simple chords to advanced improvisations. Its uniquely devised learning program combines specially commissioned, step-by-step photographs with a chord dictionary containing over 800 easy-to-follow fingerings, and clear, concise text. It is also a comprehensive manual on guitar hardware and performance technology, sound equipment, special effects, and recording facilities. It examines every aspect of guitar maintenance, repair, and customizing, as well as highlighting over 20 world-famous guitarists. Contains 43 pages of full-color photos and illustrations.
MORE»
| List | $35.00 |
The Guitar Amp Handbook: Understanding Tube Amplifiers and Getting Great Sounds, Updated Edition brings fresh information to the table to help guitarists understand everything about what makes their amps tick and how to use them to sound better than ever. It builds on the popular original edition of the book, first published in 2005.
Central to the book's success is the way it walks musicians through the significance of each crucial circuit stage and component of a great number of classic and modern tube amp designs, helping guitarists get the most from the amps they already own or choose new amps that are best suited to their needs.
The Guitar Amp Handbook reveals many of the tips and tricks used by today's top designers and builders, and it debunks the hype used by the marketing departments at large manufacturers keen on selling specific amps that might not be right for particular players. The book is designed to help guitarists understand what really goes on inside tube amps and where the tone comes from. This new updated and expanded edition adds further knowledge to the foundation, ensuring it continues as the most thorough and authoritative publication on the subject to be found anywhere.
MORE»
| List | $29.99 |
Is the sunburst Gibson Les Paul Standard really the greatest electric guitar ever made? This books aims to answer that question, even if so many players and collectors have already sounded a loud “Yes!” Famously played by Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, this fabulous instrument, known simply as the Burst, has become a legend.
Through a series of interviews with players, collectors, guitar-makers, dealers, and more, Sunburst unravels a myth and puts into sharp focus how 1,400 or so guitars produced at the end of the '50s became the most desirable electrics of all time.
This guitar – a solidbody electric with mahogany body, twin humbuckers, and a two-color sunburst maple top – was first made from 1958 to 1960. The book examines those originals, the various reissues over the years, and the latest efforts by Gibson to re-create the hallowed guitars made more than 50 years ago in its original factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Sunburst is the latest book in Tony Bacon's bestselling guitar series, with a thoroughly researched story partnered by a gallery of full-color pictures of great guitars, rare memorabilia, and famous Burst players – from Keith Richards to Joe Bonamassa and Jeff Beck to Billy Gibbons. Its reference section reveals production details and dating clues for this most enigmatic and revered instrument.
MORE»
| List | $29.99 |
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.
MORE»
| List | $24.99 |