Customer Reviews

Bass Culture: The John Entwistle Guitar Collection

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First off let me qualify my review and just put it right out on the table that I am a huge fan of John Entwistle. This book was something that I always wanted but was never available.

This composition of pictures are a fantastic exhibition of the collection. The collection itself is outstanding. John's estate was the perfect backdrop for the book. If you are a fan of JE then you will love this book. If you are a guitar or bass collector you will love this book.

John Entwistle, always the consumate collector and influential bassist of the Who, maintained one of the most enviable bass and guitar collections of all time. This book gives everyone a chance to share in it. Clear, interesting photographs and John's own unique perspective on each instrument make it a nice addition to any music enthusiast's library.

Apart from being no slouch on bass, John Entwistle (the former bass player with The Who) was a renowned collector of guitars and basses.

At the time of his death in 2002 he owned approximately 200 instruments. Some of them were integral to The Who's enduring contribution to rock - song's like "My Generation" and "Won't Get Fooled Again". Others are rare vintage Fenders, Gibsons, Rics, etc. Of course there are a few Alembics.

John had been working with a photographer to catalogue and photograph his collection and had written the introduction and descriptive notes to a book which has now been published.

A must for anyone interested in electric guitars or basses. Could be your only chance to see a Gibson Moderne, Fender Swinger or Alembic Narrow V.

The book speaks for itself, a fantastic collection of some of the most fabled basses (and guitars) in rockdom. I confess to wanting some or nearly all of these guitars at one time or another; to see them gave me a severe case of GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome)! The only thing I would've liked more was to see more of the background on the guitars, how Mr. Entwistle happened to acquire them.

If you are a fan of guitars in general... this is a must have. John Entwistle had a wonderful collection of guitars and basses, acoustic and electric, and the variety within the collection was amazing. Reading his personal anecdotes about each instrument was quite entertaining as well as educational.
I only wish that it had included his Status Graphite Buzzard bases, which were his personal instrument of choice his last couple of years of playing.

This book not only shows the love of the bass by the Ox, but his personality rings out in his notations of how he obtained the guitars and what they met to him personally. His wit, modesty and timelessness is obvious in this book. As a dedicated Entwistle fan, and a fan of the bass guitar, I found his chronological collection also a fantastic tour of beautiful instruments, with great backgrounds. If you're a guitar lover, or an Entwistle fan, this is a must have. Brilliant!

Well, as a bass player, a Who fan and a John Entwistle fan, I don't think it would be too surprising that I love this book. But, think it's the bass player in me that makes it so great. Seeing the evolution of the electric bass in print is very interesting. I really love the picture of one of the original 5 Fender Basses. WOW!!!!

As a stand-up player, I own similar books for the double bass. This book can easily compare with them. Only they don't have such great humor in the form of John's notes about the instruments. BTW, I didn't think that the electric bass existed in hell (have to read the book to understand this one).

In all honesty, I am not an enormous fan of The Who -- I do like their work enough to own some of it, though. And far and away, my favorite member has always been John Entwistle. The man is more than likely the greatest bass player of all time (which is hard for me to say being a John Paul Jones and Paul McCartney fan), and most definitely had the finest collection of basses this world has seen. And now, finally, in living colour... a sort of catalog, if you would. A tremendous piece for your collection if you love The Who or just like the bass -- just great, I must say!

This is a lovely coffee-table photo book. Entwistle's comments are usually pretty brief, save for a couple detailed descriptions. Too many guitars; I would have preferred basses only! The backgrounds, both interior and exterior, provide a nice glimpse into life on an English country manor. (On one of the instruments shot outdoors, there's a bee sitting on the pickguard.)

As a bass player, myself, this book is like walking through a time machine. It is a great portrayal of classic to modern guitars. Anyone who has any interest in the bass or electric guitar will love this. The Ox has one of the most incredible collections and adds his personal touch with the excerpts of where and when. The pictures are amazing and the presentation is fabulous! The collection was very personal to John, and the way this book was put together takes you into his world, so you can see the guitar from his own intimate perspective! Definitely a MUST HAVE!!!!!