Legendary Guitars is a new 132-page edition that examines the timeless designs of historic instruments and amps from the golden era of music, with reference-grade descriptions, lavish, detailed photography and tips on identifying rare vintage guitars. Feast your eyes on a host of retro-themed offerings from Fender, Gibson, Epiphone, Gretsch, Rickenbacker and Martin, all illustrated in stunning photographic detail and complete with expert commentary on why these timeless designs remain relevant today.
Welcome to LEGENDARY GUITARS • HISTORIC INSTRUMENTS & AMPS FROM THE GOLDEN ERA
Guitarist Presents: Legendary Guitars
ELECTRIC GUITARS
Rick ’N’ Roll • Martin Kelly, co-author of Fender: The Golden Age 1946-1970 and Rickenbacker Guitars 1931-1999: Out Of The Frying Pan Into The Fireglo, retraces the evolution of Rickenbacker guitars
Rickenbacker 12-String Capris • A favourite of The Beatles and The Byrds, these era-defining electrics still resonate
THE FENDER TELECASTER From Prototype To Present • FEW DESIGNS EVOLVE FROM PROTOTYPE TO SHOWROOM FLOOR IN JUST A COUPLE OF YEARS AND THEN GO ON TO REMAIN RELEVANT – AND, IN THEIR ESSENCE, UNCHANGED – FOR THE NEXT 70-PLUS YEARS. HERE, WE PAY TRIBUTE TO THE FIRST, AND JUST MAYBE THE GREATEST, SOLIDBODY ELECTRIC GUITAR: THE FENDER TELECASTER. JOIN US AS WE TRACE ITS EVOLUTION FROM SINGLE-PICKUP ESQUIRE ANCESTRY TO THE DEFINITIVE INCARNATION OF THIS AGELESS ELECTRIC
Fender Telecaster Custom (version 1) • Fender’s first foray into Telecaster variants was an upmarket alternative
CBS FENDER TELECASTERS • Custom Telecaster or Telecaster Custom? We clear up the confusion on CBS-era Teles
1950s Fender Stratocasters • Launched in the 50s, Fender’s iconic solidbody soon reached the heights of success
1960s Fender Stratocasters • The Strat continues its journey towards iconic status as a new decade unfolds
Fender Jazzmaster • Fender’s original offset solidbody makes a splash in the surf and new wave scenes…
Fender Jaguar • Riding the wave of 60s surf, the Jag topped Fender’s big-game guitars…
Fender Electric XII • Fender chimes in with its answer to an electric 12-string…
Fender VI • Fender gets to third bass with a minor hit, the VI…
ROYAL RUMBLE • Gibson’s head of Product Development, Mat Koehler, and Fender historian Terry Foster explain how the two industry titans battled it out over the electric bass in the early days – and changed the course of popular music in the process…
GIBSON ELECTRIC ARCHTOPS • We shed light on some of the key differences between Gibson’s early flagship models…
Gibson ES-175 • With its Florentine cutaway, this hollowbody electric archtop was a Gibson first
Gibson ES-125TDC • How Gibson’s first budget electric archtop evolved (one letter at a time)…
Gibson ES-330TD • Far from being a poor man’s 335, the ES-330 is in a class of its own
Gibson ES-335TD • The archtop that presented the best of the solidbody and acoustic worlds
Gibson Les Paul Standard • The guitar that launched a thousand heroes
Late-60s Gibson Les Paul Custom • Back by popular demand, the ‘black beauty’ returns ready to rock
Gibson Les Paul/SG Standard • This classic-rock machine has been a mainstay of Gibson’s catalogue
Gibson Melody Makers • Gibson’s “greatest value ever” electric solidbodies appeared in an array of designs
REVERSE GIBSON FIREBIRDS • With eight designs, four models and two body shapes, Gibson’s Firebirds were anything but one and the same…
NON-REVERSE GIBSON FIREBIRDS • Following the reverse instruments, we take a look at Gibson’s second wave of Firebirds – the ‘non-reverse’ models…
EPIPHONE EPIPHANY • Gibson...