The Electric Guitar

by PaulTrynka (Foreword), KeithRichards (Foreword), PaulTrynka (Editor), KeithRichards (Foreword)

• Used

  Sheet music
  1993

  $5.08

  The day an electric pick-up was placed on top of an acoustic guitar, a musical revolution took place, and the foundations were laid for the creation of rock 'n' roll. With the power to cut through any rhythm section, and at a price any punk kid could afford, it freed guitarists to become the crucial musicians in rock culture. Produced in conjunction with The Design Museum, this book looks at the history, the looks and the sound of the electric guitar, focussing on all the key models from the durable Strat, Telecaster and Les Paul, all first produced in the 1950s and still going strong, to the Steinberger headless basses and the latest Parker prototype from the States. The book profiles each guitar, giving close-up detail and an insight to what makes their distinctive sounds, plus a history of the development of the electric guitar from contributors including American specialist Tom Wheeler on the early days to Charles Shaar Murray on the moment Hendrix at Monterey changed the face of rock forever. With in-depth guitar profiles, specially commissioned photography, a visual glossary and quotes and anecdotes from the musicians, this book is a guitarist's book about guitars and a guide for the rock 'n' roll generation to the instrument that made it all possible.

• Used

  Paperback
  2002

  $4.74

  Despised as an aberration when it appeared in the 1930s, the electric guitar won credibility by the 40s - and in the 50s it started to change the musical world. This is the story of how it was invented, how it developed and how it electrified popular music. Examples of the key models have been sourced, profiled and photographed to capture their design and character, and to explain how the way they were put together affects the way they play and sound. Profiles include pioneering models such as the Gibson ES150, classics like the Strat, Telecaster and Les Paul, the new generation Paul Reed Smith and the Parker Artist, plus revival and reissue instruments such as America's Danelectro. The book also tells how each great guitarist, from Charlie Christian to Jimi Hendrix to Kurt Cobain, changed the way the instrument was used, and it includes a visual glossary, explaining each element that defines the sound of an electric guitar.