Electric Guitars: The Illustrated Encyclopedia

This book is very professional and entertaining to read. It covers all of the basics and then some. It is probably 10 yrs old by now, but the info shared is relevant and the pics bring you back to yesteryear. This book includes even the older obsolete popular guitars, such as Harmony which was mass produced and found on nearly every other teenagers bunk bed during the 70's. I have 3 vintage guitars, Fender Tele, Hamer Special and now Ibanez 540 S and these are all included. Also is Danelectro which I own and the history includes the company from NJ to when it shut down to Korean models. Very good coffee table book for anyone who is moderately interested in guitars. I have seen all of the books out there and this is probably the most direct and simple one without condescending tone.

This book is now showing up as a remainder at under ten dollars-- at that price there's no reason anyone interested in electric guitars would not have a copy. It offers a generic history of the electic guitar that will be familiar to anyone at all versed in the intstrument; what's unique here is the comprehensive coverage of factory-built guitars over the past 80 years. Every company I've heard of (and several I've not) is covered. Gibson, Fender, et al. get long sections and dozens of photos, but even lesser-known importers like Aria are given strong coverage. For those who have only heard about makes like Mosrite, Teisco, Framus, etc. there are great photos and strong histories. As an aspiring guitar builder I bought the book for the photos; the well written text is an added bonus.

Bought this as a gift for a brother-in-law...after reviewing it, I've got to have my own copy. Not only great pictures of guitars but very interesting commentary. Guitar brands are in alphabetical order so it's easy to look up a particular model...many I've never heard of. I highly recommend it.

I got this book as a gift and I can't stop looking through it. It has great historical info on the electric guitars and lots of beautiful photos of various models, odd and not so odd. I'm surprised at how many rock legends contributed their axes to be photographed for this publication, the Beatles, and many more are included in this feast for guitar lovers.I'm impressed, I only wish it was three feet thick...

This book has the greatest wealth of quality guitar pictures of any "coffee table" guitar book I have yet seen. As a bonus, there is a quite good history of a large number of guitar companies, from obscure to famous. I found that it leaned a little too heavily towards a few top brands (ie: 34 pictures of Fender Stratocasters), but others may find this to be a plus. I would rather have seen more equal space given to brands like Peavey, Yamaha and Ibanez, who have also produced a large variety of great electric guitars. All in all though, a wonderful book.