Gibson Guitars

Provides a history of the guitar company from its founding in the late 1800s to its present status as one of the leading makers of guitars.

The Gibson Les Paul is possibly the electric guitar most associated with rock ’n’ roll. The result of a collaboration between Gibson’s Ted McCarty and jazz guitarist Les Paul in response to the success of Fender’s Telecaster, the Les Paul has gone on to become a prized instrument played by most of the greatest guitarists in rock history. This massive illustrated history of the guitar examines its prehistory and origins as well as its evolution in the 60-plus years since its 1952 introduction. In addition to the Standards and Customs guitarists admire so much, author Dave Hunter also gives ample coverage to variations like Les Paul Juniors, Melody Makers, and SGs. And to bring the music to life, there are profiles of players well known for using Les Pauls and their offspring through the years, including Hubert Sumlin, Carl Perkins, Eric Clapton, Mike Bloomfield, Peter Green, Paul Kossoff, Jimmy Page, Neil Young, Peter Frampton, Keith Richards, Bill F Gibbons, Bob Marley, Mick Ronson, Steve Jones, Johnny Thunders, Angus Young, and more. Illustrated throughout with studio photography of the guitars, candid and performance photography of the artists, and relevant memorabilia, this book is prefect for music lovers and guitar enthusiasts.

Paperback Original w/French flaps

"Through detailed text and more than two hundred photos, this book chronicles the development and evolution of Gibson's fabulous flat-tops, discusses the musical properites of individual models, and shows why these guitars have been the choice of so many great musicians, professional and amateur alike, over the last eighty years." --Book Jacket.

Gibson Guitars: Ted McCarty's Golden Era is a long overdue book that covers the greatest period of guitar manufacturing. As CEO of Gibson Guitars From 1948 to 1966, Ted McCarty presided over the production of nearly 1 million instruments and amplifiers, including some of the most valuable fretted instruments in the world, like the original Les Paul Standard, as well as the Flying V, Explorer, and ES-335.

(Book). The Gibson Electric Guitar Book is a comprehensive, richly illustrated guide to Gibson electrics past and present. Starting with the ES-150 generally acknowledged as the first commercially successful electric guitar through the 335s, Les Pauls, SGs, Firebirds, and more, it is packed with facts, stories, and images that tell the story of Gibson's great guitars and their most famous and influential players.

According to company lore, Gibson, the guitar manufacturer, had ceased guitar production during World War II with only "seasoned craftsmen" too old for battle doing repairs and completing the few instruments already in progress at their Kalamazoo, Michigan factory. However, beginning in 1942, Gibson started producing wartime guitars each marked with a small, golden "banner" displaying the slogan: "only a Gibson is good enough." Over 9000 of these "Banner" guitars were produced between 1942 and 1945 and they are considered to be some of the finest acoustic guitars ever produced but who was making them? In this work of musical and social history, Thomas explores the origins of the Gibson "Banner" guitars and the remarkable women, many of whom had no prior training in instrument construction, who built them.