Free Gibson's Fabulous Flat-Top Guitars: An Illustrated History & Guide Ebooks To Download
(Book). Finally back in print! The must-have book on Gibson's killer acoustic guitars, now updated. From the 1920s to the present, Gibson and its flat-tops have been synonymous with American music. Whether the music you listen to is from the North or the South, the country or the city, it is likely that a Gibson guitar was involved in creating it. Through more than 200 photos and detailed text, this book chronicles the development and evolution of Gibson's fabulous flat-tops, showing why these guitars have been the choice of so many great musicians, professional and amateur alike, over the last 70 years.
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Backbeat; New Upd edition (December 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0879309628
ISBN-13: 978-0879309626
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.6 x 11 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #571,571 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #965 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Reference #1731 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Instruments > Guitar #1882 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > History & Criticism
This book is a must-have for Gibson flattop devotees. Gibson's classic guitars, especially the popular J-45 and the big J-200, defined a certain sound in popular acoustic music of the mid-Twentieth Century. Think of the bouncy opening chords of "Bye Bye Love" -- they were played by Don Everly on his Gibson Southern Jumbo (a J-45 variant); or the power strumming of Pete Townsend's 1968 J-200 on most of the Tommy album. Acoustic blues music from the 1930's onward? Almost all of it was played on Gibson guitars.This book covers the history and development of each model of Gibson acoustic guitars and paints a graphic picture of how Gibson inexorably changed the specs on most models. A few changes improved the sound of the guitars, but from the late-50's onward, money concerns trumped sound and quality and Gibson acoustics began a long downward spiral. They reached rock bottom in the '70s when the company was owned by a giant South American conglomerate. Fortunately for music lovers, Gibson began to rebound under new ownership in the 80's, which culminated in the development of the Bozeman, Montana, facility where flattops are being made now that rival -- or surpass -- the early models for quality. It's all there in the book, with many good pictures of each model.The caveat: Even though this is a second edition, it doesn't seem to have been revised much if any since the early 90's. However, there probably have not been many significant changes in the details or the high quality of the guitars in the last dozen years, so that doesn't seem like too big a detriment.Bottom line: If you love Gibson flattops and want to know more about them, this is THE book.
Firstly the 4 stars is for the quality of the publishing, not the writing. Page 106 has the text missing down the right hand side. Otherwise it's a great book. It lacks the human storys that the Washburn & Johnston book on Martin Guitars hashttp://www..com/Martin-Guitars-Illustrated-Celebration-Guitarmaker/dp/0875967973/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413497008&sr=1-1&keywords=washburn+johnstonbut that's no surprise; a faceless corporation vs family company. Still I now understand and appreciate Gibson flat-top acoustics a whole lot better than I did. Lots of great colour photos too. I will be rereading this book for many years to come. Great read!
A solid resource all the way around on the world of Gibson acoustic guitars. I read the other reviews of my fellow ers and cannot really disagree with any of them and the points they make. I certainly learned lots by reading it and will definitely keep it handy as a reference as years go by.The book itself makes a great point of reminding readers that this work cannot compare to those written about Martin guitars. Martin has never changed hands as a company and keeps impeccable records. The same cannot be said of their Gibson counterparts. The book is a nice summary of some early models too with some pretty sweet pictures to boot (e.g. "The King Biscuit Flour Hour"); my major complaint is that it does truly need to be updated given all the good stuff that is coming out of Bozeman on a daily basis - take the new J-35 as an example. You'll find very little/none of that here. I'd wager that a 3rd edition is in order.But hey, all in all, a great resource. Each well-made Gibson guitar (I am NOT talking about the bad years of the late 60's to early 80's) stands out as a true individual. Their variability makes them a wonderful thing, and I'd take the Pepsi challenge with a good Gibson any day.
I purchased "Gibson Guitars: 100 Years of an American Icon" a number of years ago and was extremely disappointed. Not that there wasn't a lot of information in there but because the author was kind of all over the place in presentation and really didn't give very specific information on any one guitar.But "Gibsons Fabulous Flat-Top Guitars An Illustrated History & Guide' is the exact opposite of that book. It gives great detail on each flat top's construction and history. I highly recommend this book for any aficionado of Gibson flat tops!
Gibsons Fabulous Flat-Top Guitars An Illustrated History & Guide gives the reader a thorough history of the Classic Accoustic Gibson Guitars. Many pictures of vintage guitars and their history of building these origional Gibson product lines.
Length: 8:05 Mins
Not often I bother to review anything but Gibsons are so dear to me and this book was a case of so close but no cigar that I just had to share my anorak angst in a bid to get something more up to date published. You can go guitar-spotting as you listen... 10 pts for identifying the two Martin models on the wall and 50 points for correctly identifying the Gibson. Happy trails...R
When it comes to steel-string acoustic guitars, two names stand out - Martin & Gibson! Martin were the pioneers & Gibson became their closest competitor. Both companies made superb instruments and still do so today. There are plenty of excellent books available about the history of Martin Guitars, and now we have a definitive book on the history of Gibson acoustic guitars and it is a must-have volume if you love and/or play acoustic guitars. It is well illustrated and starts at the beginning of the Gibson story and chronicles their progress to today. It is an essential resource if you are trying to identify a vintage Gibson flattop. Well-written, it is an entertaining read as well as being an essential reference tool. Very highly recommended!
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