The Beauty of the 'Burst [Paperback]

Yasuhiko Iwanade (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1999

Finally, the long-awaited English edition of this historic Japanese book is here! The Beauty of the 'Burst pays tribute to Gibson's magnificent Sunburst Les Pauls made between 1958 and 1960, the most highly prized solidbody electric guitars ever. The magnitude of their value is directly related to their look (outrageous wood patterns, or "figured" timber), since non-players are paying top dollar for them. The book features lavish full-color photos of these beautiful instruments throughout; the guitars of famous players; a foreword by Ted McCarty; a bio of the author, world renowned collector Yasuhiko Iwanade; and the "Science of the Burst" section with over 30 pages of detailed reference facts on every facet of the guitar, including colors, wood figure, pick-ups, hardware and qualities of "voice." This may be the closest guitarists will ever be able to get to these incredibly collectible beauties! 216 pages, 8-1/2 inch. x 11 inch. Softcover

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Hal Leonard (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0793573742
• ISBN-13: 978-0793573745
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #199,165 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Look no further, March 31, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Beauty of the 'Burst (Paperback)

This is hands down the best book on 58'-60' 'Bursts there is. Tons of info, gobs of gorgeous photos...you name it...its' all here and then some. Price is also fair, for what you get...quite alot. This book completly documents 50 or so sunbursts with a front shot, back, close-up front and back head stock shot, and an angled shot of the top that best highlights the flame. All specs are recorded on each example (nut width, weight,etc,) If you have any other Burst books (Vic Dapras'and a couple other come to mind)you must get this one. Its' as good as it gets(so far)

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of its Kind, January 15, 2003

By 

Brian W Robinson (Newburyport, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Beauty of the 'Burst (Paperback)

This book is a one trick pony, but it nails its subject matter cold. If you know anything about the vintage guitar market you already know that the Gibson Les Pauls made between 1958 and 1960 are some of the most valuable and highly sought after instruments ever made. The people that collect them are absolute freaks when it comes to amassing encyclopedic knowledge of every minute detail that relates in any way to the construction and performance of these guitars. This book is tailor made for those 'Burst-a-holics.

The book is also a terrific coffee table book for any guitar collector, or enthusiast who shares the love and interest of high end collectors for this celebrated model but doesn't have a few million dollars in spare cash kicking around the house to build a collection of 'bursts. The photographs are magnificent and the book on the whole does a marvelous job of entertaining and informing. It's like buying a multi-million dollar guitar collection for the price of the book. You don't get to play them and hold them, but you sure can look at them and learn all there is to know about why they play and sound the way they do.

Functional sculpture . . . that's what a vintage Les Paul really is and this book does both the art and the craft of the historic '58-'60 Les Pauls justice.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A labor of love for a classic electric guitar, February 7, 2001

By 

Mark Rael (Santa Fe, New Mexico United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Beauty of the 'Burst (Paperback)

What I admire most about this outstanding book is that the author takes a back seat to the guitars themselves; and lets face it, long after we're gone these fantastic instruments will be valued and treasured. This book could only have been created by someone who really loves the old Les Paul, and turning the pages makes me love them too. I only wish the page size was maybe 4 or 5 times as big! This is a very special book, and I appreciate the intelligence of the author in presenting these guitars in the way that he has.