The Grail Guitar

In The Grail Guitar: The Search for Jimi Hendrix’s Purple Haze Telecaster, Chris Adams takes readers on a fascinating mystery tour to determine whether a Fender Telecaster bought secondhand in a London music store in 1973 was the one used by Jimi Hendrix to record “Purple Haze” in January 1967. The only clues are its left-handed tuners and the salesman’s chance remark that the guitar was brought into the shop by a Hendrix roadie. But these are enough to set the author off on this intriguing journey into Hendrix history. With firsthand details from model Linda Keith, who discovered Hendrix in New York, Adams recounts how the rising star left for London with a white Stratocaster belonging to Keith Richards. The man who made Hendrix’s pedals explains how this Strat failed to make the “Purple Haze” recording session and how it was replaced by a borrowed Telecaster. As Adams tracks down the surviving musicians, they shed light on the fate of that Telecaster and gradually the two guitars begin to merge into one. Throughout, Adams weaves his own story as a rock musician and tells how, against the odds, he managed to hold on to this remarkable instrument. Here is a riveting story of one man seeking the truth about a cultural artifact that changed rock history, a story for rock fans and guitar aficionados, treasure hunters and antique dealers, as well as anyone who likes a detective story.

(Guitar). The Moderne is an electric guitar designed by Gibson in 1957 alongside the Flying V and Explorer as part of a stylistically advanced line. Sources claim that Gibson made a handful of prototypes, but an original has yet to surface. The Moderne was eventually put into production in 1982. Because of their very limited production and forward design, Modernes are highly sought by collectors. Here is the story, explained in interviews and photos, of this curious development associated with the golden era of guitar making.

Don’t fret! The music historian and guitar sleuth brings you more astounding stories of rare guitar finds and the legends who owned them. Do you dream of finding a 1954 Stratocaster or 1952 Gibson Les Paul online, at a garage sale, or in the local penny saver? How about virtually rubbing elbows with one of your favorite rock legends? Following up his first-of-its-kind The Strat in the Attic, musician, journalist, and “guitarchaeologist” Deke Dickerson shares the stories behind dozens of more astounding finds including: A rarer-than-hens-teeth 1966 Hallmark Swept-Wing that originally belonged to Robbie Krieger of the Doors, stashed away in an attic in Alaska for forty years! A crazy-valuable 1958 Gibson Flying V belonging to a Chicago bluesman—who, it turns out, also happens to have an equally rare 1958 Gibson Explorer! An out-of-the-blue, a “to whom it may concern” email leads the author to a trailer park in Salem, Oregon, where one of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys’ original 1940s Epiphone Emperor archtops is waiting to be purchased for a song! Luthier R.C. Allen relates the tales of buying Nat “King” Cole Trio guitarist Oscar Moore’s Stromberg Master 400 archtop and of being gifted a 1953 Standel amp from Merle Travis! Buddy Merrill, the amazingly talented guitarist from the Lawrence Welk show, gives his 1970 Micro-Frets Huntington to the author, but only if he “promises to PRACTICE.” Photos of the guitars and other exciting memorabilia round out a package that no vintage-guitar aficionado will want to be without! “The man knows how to tell a great story.” —Jonathan Kellerman, #1 New York Times–bestselling author

"The reasoning behind the guitar's unique tuning + chords, scales, and arpeggios complete"--Cover.

2004 Silver Award Winner for Best Instructional Materials by Acoustic Guitar Magazine.Correct Practice is what all good players do, whether they know they are doing it or not! That's how they get to be good players. Whether you are a beginner or a player with the usual problems, here is your Foundation book, "The Principles of Correct Practice for Guitar!"- for ALL styles and ALL levels. "The Principles of Correct Practice for Guitar" is composed of three elements:Understandings: Concepts which you must understand in order to begin to practice effectivelyTools: Practice Approaches to be used to solve problems in playing. These approaches are based on certain key Understandings, such as Muscle Memory and Sympathetic Tension, as well as Attention and Awareness.Exercises: Specific routines to be done during practice, that will build technique, (playing ability) in a step by step fashion, each step building on the previous one, and preparing for the next.

First published in 2010, Ultimate Star Guitars, the first illustrated history of ticonic guitars and their owners, is now expanded to include 32 additional instruments. Where other best-selling guitar histories look at the rank-and-file models, Ultimate Star Guitars is unique in profiling the specific favorites of famous players - oftentimes million-dollar babies, such as the 1968 Stratocaster that Jimi Hendrix burned at Woodstock and which sold at Sotheby's in 1993 for $1.3 million. Guitar journalist Dave Hunter explains the stories behind each: the important sessions on which they were used, landmark tours and gigs on which they were played, modifications made by their owners, and more. From twangy country to scorching metal, from full-throttle punk to sophisticated jazz, and from gut-punch blues to lo-fi indie rock, Ultimate Star Guitars is illustrated with performance and candid photography of the artists with their star guitars, relevant memorabilia, and more often than not, studio shots of the guitars or signature models based on them. An information-packed visual feast for guitar enthusiasts!

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.

The original sunburst Gibson Les Paul - known as the 'Burst' - is the most celebrated electric guitar of all time. Manufactured at the end of the 50s, it was the instrument of choice for players such as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck (left). Now, examples of the guitar are changing hands for high six-figure sums. Million Dollar Les Paul tells the story of these legendary instruments and explores why they have become so desirable. It seems only a matter of time before a Burst sells for a million dollars. By the time you read this book, in fact, it may already have happened. This book, by renowned guitar historian Tony Bacon, combines meticulous research with a series of new interviews with players, technicians, and collectors, including Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top and Mr. Les Paul himself. It takes readers on a fascinating journey from a factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan, through the British blues scene of the 60s, to the salerooms and concert stages of the present day.