Customer Reviews

50 Years of the Gibson Les Paul (Softcover)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

50 Years Of The Gibson Les Paul by music author and guitar expert Tony Bacon is a superbly presented and succinct history of a classic model of electronic guitar invented by the legendary Les Paul and which was originally launched in 1952, going on to be favored by grand musicians throughout the last half century. Photographs enhance and illustrate this landmark presentation of the Gibson Les Paul's creation, and its prevalence in every decade to the modern day. A detailed, informative, highly readable and welcome presentation, 50 Years Of The Gibson Les Paul is especially recommended for the legions of Les Paul fans and electric guitar enthusiasts.

Tony Bacon books are always top notch: stunning photos, accurate descriptions and very well researched. This book is no exception. It is, however in my opinion, an excellent overview of the famous Les Paul guitar---not a resource book. At 160 pages it does a very fine job of detailing how this legendary guitar has blossomed into SO many different models over the last 50 plus years (up to 2001). Sticklers for details, however, will probably find it lacking in some areas (year by year pix and descriptions,for example), but then one would need a book twice as thick to serve as this kind of encyclopedia on the subject. I highly recommend it as an introduction to Les Pauls, and it will probably be all that most guitarists want to know about the subject. It would make a great gift!

Very informative and extremely well illustrated. I now feel like an authority on the LP.

Good general overview of Gibson Les Paul guitars. A good book for those interested in Gibson and Les Paul.

If you love guitars you probably love GIBSON Les Pauls. This book will relax you through the dreamworld of priceless guitars in perfectly clear photograpghy and information. You won't put it down, I guarantee it. This is a 'must have' book to settle questions and just cheer you up to flip through it again and again. Buy. Love it. Enjoy it for life. DO NOT LEND IT TO ANYONE.

Very detailed about the evolution/history of Les Paul guitars. A nice and pleasant book to read. Wonderful photos. It doesn't go too much into pure technical aspects, and I don't know if it is good or bad..:-) It depends on your mood along the reading, but sometimes I wished it had a little more "dates and numbers" or maybe a section dedicated to it...
Even so, I give it a ten out of ten.

This is a great book to have if you love the Les Paul. It's really that simple, although for the serious collector or afficionado, more information about dates & numbers would be good. As that doesn't apply to me, and the book delivers elsewhere, five stars, no question.

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After reading Tom Wheeler's incredible 50th anniv of the Fender Strat book, I wanted to complement it with a similar book about the Les Paul. This book wasn't it. Perhaps it's because the Les Paul (guitar) story isn't quite as riveting as the Fender story, and that's not meant as a swipe. The Fender story is about Leo Fender and a few others building an empire. The Les Paul story, however, is more "corporate". There's less personal drama.

Tony Bacon does a decent job with the facts at hand, but I'm done reading the book, and I'm left wanting more. It's not a bad book, it will remain in my music book library. But I'm on the hunt for more info on the Les Paul's history.

I've always found it fascinating that the one man who did so much for rock and roll guitar isn't a rock and roller himself. But who cares if Les Paul is a jazz or country artist? He inspired a fantastic instrument, and this is a wonderful guide to those greatest electric guitars. Highly recommended.

A great book on Gibsons and also for references.