Rosewoody Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I have a lot of guitar books, as I like to read as much as play, and it's always fun to learn about the instruments we love, right? I thought I might offer a short list of books that I have found useful, either for information regarding set-up (always a topic), care and feeding, or general info. Then there are the sources for history and identification, that sort of thing. Acoustic Owner's Manual, String Letter Publishing, 111 pgs paperback. This is an anthology covering construction, repair, selection, string info, set-up, and other solid advice. I think I bought my copy for less than $5 on Amazon. The Acoustic Guitar Guide, Larry Sandberg, a cappella books, subtitled "everything you need to know to buy and maintain a new or used guitar." 260 ppgs. In-depth study of types, construction, materials, finishes and just about everything else. Amazon, cheap. Acoustic Guitar, Hal Leonard pub, 376 ppgs. The authors of this neat little book are the boys over at Acoustic Forum and Acoustic Magazine, including Frank Ford and Terja Gerken. This is a great book, covering everything that matters in buying and maintaining a good guitar. Guitar Player Repair Guide, Dan Erlewine, Miller Freeman Books, 308 ppgs. Well, I don't know if this is the bible for repair or not, but it is for me. Covers electric and acoustic and includes a LOT of information that involves techniques way beyond my skill level but nonetheless fascinating. The set-up section is worth price of admission, which is low on Amazon again...$10 or so. The best for last, Gibson's Fabulous Flat-Top Guitars, Whitford, Vinopal, Erlewine, Miller Freeman pub., 206 ppgs. Best $7.00 I ever spent, and wish now I had bought the other dozen or so copies on the cut-out table! It is now regrettably out of print, and the ones I've seen offered used are expensive. A second edition has been in the offing for a year or so, not available yet. This is a nice discussion of the acoustic Gibbie lineup over the years, with fine pics. What a great book. Maybe you know of some particularly interesting or useful books to recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnt Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 NIce thread dude Thanks for starting it looking forward to seeing what comes out. Will give it some thought Br John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 American Guitars by Tom Wheeler. Bought mine in '84 and it's dog eared and ratty. I think there have been updated printings. Of all the books I have, that's the one that jumps to mind if asked for a recommendation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosewoody Posted July 11, 2008 Author Share Posted July 11, 2008 American Guitars by Tom Wheeler. Bought mine in '84 and it's dog eared and ratty. I think there have been updated printings. Of all the books I have' date=' that's the one that jumps to mind if asked for a recommendation. [/quote'] Mine is 1990, and KSD, take a look at Roy Smeck on page 235--looks like Tony Soprano! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnt Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 The best for last' date=' [u']Gibson's Fabulous Flat-Top Guitars[/u], Whitford, Vinopal, Erlewine, Miller Freeman pub., 206 ppgs. Best $7.00 I ever spent, and wish now I had bought the other dozen or so copies on the cut-out table! It is now regrettably out of print, and the ones I've seen offered used are expensive. A second edition has been in the offing for a year or so, not available yet. This is a nice discussion of the acoustic Gibbie lineup over the years, with fine pics. What a great book. Maybe you know of some particularly interesting or useful books to recommend? From your description I really fancied getting a copy, nipped on to Amazon.c.uk and they only want £86 which I think is sometning like $125!! So it won't be coming yet LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWilson Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 I just got a used copy of "Fabulous Flattops" on ebay for $30. It's in great shape but isn't the newest copyright. I was a bit surprised not to find any mention of the SJ-150. Are they that new? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosewoody Posted July 12, 2008 Author Share Posted July 12, 2008 "From your description I really fancied getting a copy, nipped on to Amazon.c.uk and they only want £86 which I think is sometning like $125!!"Yikes, that is expensive. Keep hoping for the new edition. "I was a bit surprised not to find any mention of the SJ-150. Are they that new? " I think the book preceded the J 150. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wastold Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 (edited) deleted by ksdaddy Edited November 27, 2020 by ksdaddy spam link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 WEIRD 12 YEAR OLD ZOMBIE THREAD. First time poster. Comment off topic. Click on Link At Your Own Risk ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 (edited) With what seems to be an increasing number of newbies joining up it is not surprising that old threads are being resurrected. But I do have a question. At the time the thread was originally posted I believe the Fabulous Flattops Book was out of print. It was reissued in 2010. While the original edition had some inaccuracies and was not complete was the reissue updated at all or just simply a straight ahdea reprint. My copy, which was given to me by a friend who stumbled across it when cleaning out the back room of his store, is the one that came out in 1994. Edited November 27, 2020 by zombywoof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 Yeah the reanimator is a spammer and will go away anon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin_Jacob Posted October 24, 2022 Share Posted October 24, 2022 In fact, books are extremely convenient for a musician - sheet music is always at hand and there is no need to think about what to learn. I am very curious, which books do you have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted October 24, 2022 Share Posted October 24, 2022 Quote With what seems to be an increasing number of newbies joining up it is not surprising that old threads are being resurrected. But I do have a question. At the time the thread was originally posted I believe the Fabulous Flattops Book was out of print. It was reissued in 2010. While the original edition had some inaccuracies and was not complete was the reissue updated at all or just simply a straight ahdea reprint. My copy, which was given to me by a friend who stumbled across it when cleaning out the back room of his store, is the one that came out in 1994. Yea, the Fabulous Flattops Book was a straight reprint as far as I can tell and the original had -- and still has - some serious errors. Some of these mistakes actually led us to some badly informed buying in the 1990s. At the time it came out, it also provided a lot of actually good information too. The authors seemed to have assumed that Gibson was far, far more consistent than they actually were -- a reasonable mistake I would say. But it is still a flawed reference, so take care. A much more complete picture emerged when the VINTAGE CORNER of the UNOFFICIAL MARTIN GUITAR FORUM started in 2001 (vintage Gibsons were a major topic ever since) and the data piled up. The remarkable scholarship of Joe Spann followed, and the rest is history. I actually bought a actually guitar feature in the book a couple of years ago -- a 1940 RW J-55 Gibson. The book says it might be the only one ever built. The work you see in this picture is visible in the picture in the book, so it is clearly the same guitar. The book says it is likely the only one. Now -- with the internet -- I easily found credible reports of three more and TR Crandall has one for sale originally priced at 80K. I personally collect sounds, so I am not impressed by rare models per se -- but this one is also a rare sound: in the same class as other golden era RW Js (AJ, SJ RW, etc.) Let's pick, -Tom 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin_Jacob Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 On 7/11/2008 at 2:24 PM, Rosewoody said: I have a lot of guitar books, as I like to read as much as play, and it's always fun to learn about the instruments we love, right? I thought I might offer a short list of books that I have found useful, either for information regarding set-up (always a topic), care and feeding, or general info. Then there are the sources for history and identification, that sort of thing. Acoustic Owner's Manual, String Letter Publishing, 111 pgs paperback. This is an anthology covering construction, repair, selection, string info, set-up, and other solid advice. I think I bought my copy for less than $5 on Amazon. The Acoustic Guitar Guide, Larry Sandberg, a cappella books, subtitled "everything you need to know to buy and maintain a new or used guitar." 260 ppgs. In-depth study of types, construction, materials, finishes and just about everything else. Amazon, cheap. Acoustic Guitar, Hal Leonard pub, 376 ppgs. The authors of this neat little book are the boys over at Acoustic Forum and Acoustic Magazine, including Frank Ford and Terja Gerken. This is a great book, covering everything that matters in buying and maintaining a good guitar. Guitar Player Repair Guide, Dan Erlewine, Miller Freeman Books, 308 ppgs. Well, I don't know if this is the bible for repair or not, but it is for me. Covers electric and acoustic and includes a LOT of information that involves techniques way beyond my skill level but nonetheless fascinating. The set-up section is worth price of admission, which is low on Amazon again...$10 or so. There are not many guitar guides on the Internet, and even less useful content in general. I would like to share with you a service where you can find good examples of essays: https://samploon.com/free-essays/cyber-bullying/ and not spend time writing them yourself, so it will be a good option for students who want to pay more attention to playing instruments or work. The best for last, Gibson's Fabulous Flat-Top Guitars, Whitford, Vinopal, Erlewine, Miller Freeman pub., 206 ppgs. Best $7.00 I ever spent, and wish now I had bought the other dozen or so copies on the cut-out table! It is now regrettably out of print, and the ones I've seen offered used are expensive. A second edition has been in the offing for a year or so, not available yet. This is a nice discussion of the acoustic Gibbie lineup over the years, with fine pics. What a great book. Maybe you know of some particularly interesting or useful books to recommend? Thank you very much for the post! Informative and interesting about the most important things. I started playing only recently, and at the same time I am still studying in college. It's hard to combine my hobby and studies, but so far I'm trying to cope. Have a good day everyone! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 Wow- Tom, your book collection has got to be better than the New York Public Library. I couldn't help but notice that you had one on the 2nd shelf up that looked like it was in Korean? I assume you bought it for the pictures. (Sort of the opposite of why we use to buy Penthouse). Nice to see Carl Sandburg's classic there. Also good to see a few on banjos. And Alan Lomax - the man who many credit for the folk music revival of the 60s. And it looks like there is another full bookshelf on the side of the one you photographed. Wow ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted October 26, 2022 Share Posted October 26, 2022 (edited) Quote Wow- Tom, your book collection has got to be better than the New York Public Library. I couldn't help but notice that you had one on the 2nd shelf up that looked like it was in Korean? I assume you bought it for the pictures. (Sort of the opposite of why we use to buy Penthouse). Nice to see Carl Sandburg's classic there. Also good to see a few on banjos. And Alan Lomax - the man who many credit for the folk music revival of the 60s. And it looks like there is another full bookshelf on the side of the one you photographed. Wow ! Well my late wife and I had a 50+ year extensive musical hobby that not only included playing first folk revival and then bluegrass music, (retirement) investing in (and playing) vintage instruments, studying (and playing) North American traditional music history, and socializing with like minded people all over the country (and some times abroad) at jams, bluegrass clubs and festivals. It was our primary social life and stress relief. When you jam music with people, all our petty differences fade away and you acquire and love friends of every political, religious, and cultural persuasion. I was slightly known in the bluegrass world from an article I published in BLUEGRASS UNLIMITED in 1999 called AN INTRODUCTION TO BLUEGRASS JAMMING https://barnwell.ece.gatech.edu/rolesx.htm. It was pretty popular and it was picked up and republished over the years (that I know of) about 400 times (on every continent but Antarctica) and translated into 10 different languages -- mostly for bluegrass clubs. When I traveled for work -- mostly presenting papers at research conferences -- I would use the internet to find a club or jam and meet and play music with the locals. I did the same thing in 2002 on a trip to Japan, and I met the woman who had translated my article into Japanese -- I was hosted by the Japanese bluegrass community for a full week and was taken to a festival on one weekend and a show on the next. I also visited the home of the woman and her linguistic professor (and banjo playing) husband -- his PhD was from the University on MA, and his advisor was a Professor I had known at MIT in the late 60s -- small world. She had also translated Neal Rosenberg's classic book on the history of bluegrass, and she gifted me a copy. The last weekend, I stayed with a bluegrass family (the whole family played, and the 16 year old daughter was learning English.) They included me in their monthly show in Okayama. There audio equipment was far better than what you find in bluegrass in the US. Here is a picture of the wife singing harmony with me. She did not speak English and when she sang the rote memorized words, her ascent was very strong -- but her pitch was right on! You could not make this stuff up -- no one would believe you.😎 Best, -Tom Edited October 26, 2022 by tpbiii 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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