Customer Reviews

Acoustic Guitars: The Illustrated Encyclopedia

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

 

 

If you love acoustic guitars, you'll love this book. I pored over it hour after enjoyable hour. And used it to design my own "vintage-style" custom guitar made by luthier Jim Worland. All the great makers are here, as well as a number of obscure ones (nearly 150 in all). Contains literally hundreds of beautiful photos, showing numerous models from the late 1800s right up to the present day, plus photos of famous artists who played them. Interesting short history of each maker, including little known facts. Just a great reference work. Dave Hunter and his staff of 10 "contributing editors" have done a fabulous job here. There is only one problem with buying this book -- it'll make you want to buy more guitars!

Gorgeous full-page and large-sized color photos throughout pack an illustrated encyclopedia of acoustic guitars which surveys the history, changing styles, and evolution of both acoustic guitars and playing methods. Here is a book any music history library will want: its oversized presentation allows for some lovely displays, its chapters organized by guitar maker encourages audiences to browse by specialty, and its lively interviews with major guitar players and makers alike are both fun and informative.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This is a must own book for Acoustic Guitar fans. It provide an extensive history of the acoustic guitar makers and a brief history of some of its well know artist. My used book arrive in excellent condition and could not be more satisfied.

I am just getting into guitar playing, along with a couple members of my family. I got this as a source of info and education. I didn't like the flow of the text or the info as much as I hoped. It was just not that interesting. Maybe my problem. The pictures are good and offer a glimpse into many styles and models.

I got the large hardback version of this from my daughter for Father's Day and every spare minute since I've been pouring through it. The images of the guitars, the artists who play them, and the marketing ads, coupled with the intriguing company histories make this a must for any guitar lover. Reading those stories made me wish I had completed the guitar I had started in highschool, using the same guide to guitar-making mentioned as the inspiration for many of the luthiers written about.

Acoustic Guitars: The Illustrated Encyclopedia will be sitting on my coffee-table for years to come.

A neat little reference. I gave it a four, because I didn't like the indexing, and it didn't have some of the models that I was looking for.