Guitar History, Vol. 5: Guild Guitars [Paperback]

Ted Beesley (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 124 pages
• Publisher: Pro Am Music Resources (January 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0933224788
• ISBN-13: 978-0933224780
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,443,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Guitar History #5 Guild Guitars, April 28, 2000

By 

Richard A Walter (New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guitar History, Vol. 5: Guild Guitars (Paperback)

This book is a paper back about the size of an A4 leaf and is in black and white which was a bit of a disapointment. It begins with a brief acknowledgment, a list of artists that use Guild guitars and a history lesson on the Guild name. Although the history is limited to 6 pages, it is quite informative and will give you an insight on some of the ways to identify Guilds. Then there is a section on specifications, which contains pictures of pickguards, headstocks etc. The main body of the book is divided into Acoustics, Classicals and then Electrics (solids and archtops). The author lists the model, when it was introduced and discontinued, materials used and what controls and bridge were used. There is also a small comment if applicable. Not every description has a photo but there are numerous throughout the book.

I would say that this book is written for the collector who needs information on a particular guitar before purchasing. Because Guild is a relatively small company, it has the ability to alter it's guitars by way of including a cutaway or maybe changing the bridge or tailpiece. Hence the "collectable" and rare models often advertised. This makes the book a valuable asset as it is quite comprehensive and includes some of these "others". I'm not a collector but do own two Guilds. The book, for me is no more than a reference which I don't think I will use alot. However it is a must for anyone considering bidding on an older Guild or strting a collection. Guild guitars will appreciate and this book will assist the player or collector to make accurate assessments. Recommended for the collector (4 stars) but overall three stars as it will be sitting in my bookshelf aquiring dust for most of it's life.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative, January 18, 2007

By 

Michael Jones (NYC) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Guitar History, Vol. 5: Guild Guitars (Paperback)

This book doesn't try to compete with The Guild Guitar Book by Hans Moust, which is the definitive account of Guilds through 1977. For example, this book does not cover the historical details of people and places, but it does have the basics. Likewise Beesley doesn't include a lot of beautiful photos. But it does have a lot of useful photos.

Nonetheless, given the book's purpose of providing a no-frills concise reference, it's excellent. And since the Moust book cuts off at 1977, the Beesley book is the best resource for the second half of Guild's existence.

3.0 out of 5 stars Reference for Guild lovers only, December 3, 2007

By 

Dudley-Brian Smith (Louisiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guitar History, Vol. 5: Guild Guitars (Paperback)

While part of a set - this is the type of book only useful for devotees of Guild guitars and dealer/repairmen. More like an annotated catalog - not nearly the depth and dimension of Hans Moust's book - it still deserves a place on those book shelves for reference sake. Notable as much for what it doesn't include as what it does.