Gibson Guitars: 100 Years of an American Icon

by Walter Carter

Book Overview

The ultimate Gibson Guitars coffee-table" book. This full-color, 300-plus page volume spans the entire history of the preeminent guitar manufacturer. Full-color pictures highlight the development of the Gibson product line from its early mandolins through the ground-breaking Lloyd Loar archtops and on through the penultimate rock guitar -- the Gibson Les Paul. This is a great gift for guitar lovers everywhere Available both in hardcover and softcover...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0972751017
• ISBN13: 9780972751018
• Release Date: May 2003
• Publisher: Gibson Publishing
• Length: 316 Pages
• Weight: 2.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 8.7" x 11.6"

Customer Reviews

Best buy I have ever made on Amazon.

This was the one in a million find. I would buy from seller without any reservations. A-Plus all the way around. Didn't gorge me for shipping like most selleres do.

Excellent History of the Company, Not the Instruments

This book delivers an intricate history of one of the most well-known and respected musical instrument manufacturers in the world today. Gibson Guitars: 100 Years of an American Icon is comprised of a series of articles edited together by Walter Carter. The articles chronicle the entire span if the company from Orville Gibson's humble beginnings to the goliath manufacturer the company is today. This article setup is helpful in dividing the detailed account into multiple segments, each specific to a certain time period, person or instrument. It also provides the reader with an ever changing smorgasbord of authorial voice. All of the different sections are jam packed with full color photographs and illustrations, each with their own explanatory caption. The articles are grouped into seven main categories named for the company's owner(s) during a specific period of time. This makes the book a powerful reference for those wishing to study Gibson at specific points in the history of the company. It also allows the different segments to include and elaborate on Gibson's influence toward specific musical styles of the last century. However, with the exception of the Les Paul, it seems that those wanting to study particular Gibson instruments in detail will find that the book falls a little short. While it does mention and describe some of the classic instruments the company is responsible for, it does not go into any sort of depth with regard to guitar specifics and some of the lesser-known and rarer models are not even mentioned at all. Overall, this is a well-rounded account of the Gibson company and its history, but those seeking a reference book of all the fine instruments Gibson is responsible for might be a little disappointed.

INSIDE VIEW OF A MUSICAL GIANT: Gibson Musical Instruments

Anyone with an interest in music, whether it be a curiosity over which guitar (The Super 400) that Roy Rogers played, to the very stars themselves, like Little Jimmy Dickens, Emmylou Harris or Cindy Walker, will be delighted with the 314 page history of Gibson USA, GPG's "Gibson GUITARS: 100 Years of an American Icon," by Walter Carter.This amazing collaboration of works (every specialist or researcher methodically covers each and every era of Gibson's ownership, management, philosophy, stars, and more) is jam packed with information on the performers, their instruments, carefully interwoven with a history of the fast changing musical trends of the times. Gibson nearly always lead the way, from the very beginning, and how they did it is clearly, concisely written about here.From fans of mandolins, laptops, archtops, dreadnaught acoustics, and the rock and roll heritage of Gibson (known as THE TONE) will get more than their money's worth from this veritab! ! le chronicle of the company's entire history, beginning with the day Orville H. Gibson conceived his first guitar. Each and every era is given full coverage, from the artists and their instruments of the 1930's, generation by generation, all the way to fans of rock legends Jimmy Page and Pete Townsend, will find everything they ever wanted in a book on GIBSON, in this work. And, frankly, far from being a Gibson-is-the-only-way ad, this book frankly, if brutally, deals with the steep decline of Gibson under Ecuadorian railroad and beer distributors, in the early 1980's, the loss in quality, and the modern day heros that rescued the legendary manufacturer from certain extinction, to pre-eminent leadership yet again, and perhaps greater status (and quality) than ever known before. This an exemplary book, graciously adorned with plenty of pictures of mint condition Vintage (read 1930, 1940 and 1950 - and later) Gibson Instruments from various vintage collectors such as Geor! ! ge Gruhn. In my opinion, this book rates FIVE (5) stars PLU! S, and is a must read for anyone who ever wondered about the music of the 20th century: who created it, and what devices were used in doing it. There are some technical schematics to please the most picky purists.If you are interested in any area of American music, you will more than likely find some reference to it in this book. So will your parents, and maybe your grandparents! There is something for everyone in this enjoyable and fascinating story of a modern musical legend.

INSIDE VIEW OF A MUSICAL GIANT: Gibson Musical Instruments

Anyone with an interest in music, whether it be a curiosity over which guitar (The Super 400) that Roy Rogers played, to the very stars themselves, like Little Jimmy Dickens, Emmylou Harris or Cindy Walker, will be delighted with the 314 page history of Gibson USA, GPG's "Gibson GUITARS: 100 Years of an American Icon," by Walter Carter. ISBN # 1-57544-014-8.This amazing collaboration of works (every specialist or researcher methodically chronicles each and every era of Gibson's ownership, management, philosophy, stars, and more, epoch by epoch) is jam packed with information on the performers, their instruments, carefully interwoven with a history of the fast changing musical trends of the times. Gibson nearly always lead the way, from the very beginning, and how they did it is clearly, concisely written about here.From fans of mandolins, laptops, archtops, dreadnaught acoustics, and the rock and roll heritage of Gibson solid body and semi-hollow electri! ! cs (which in the industry, generates something known as 'THE TONE') will get more than their money's worth from this veritable chronicle of the company's entire history, beginning with the day Orville H. Gibson conceived his first guitar. Each and every era is given full coverage, from the artists and their instruments of the 1930's, generation by generation, all the way to fans of rock legends Jimmy Page and Pete Townsend, will find everything they ever wanted in a book on GIBSON, in this work. And, frankly, far from being a Gibson-is-the-only-way ad, this book frankly, if brutally, deals with the steep decline of Gibson under Ecuadorian railroad and beer distributors, in the early 1980's, the loss in quality, and the modern day heros that rescued the legendary manufacturer from certain extinction, to pre-eminent leadership yet again, and perhaps greater status (and quality) than ever known before. This an exemplary book, graciously adorned with plenty of pictures of m! ! int condition Vintage (read 1930, 1940 and 1950 - and later! ) Gibson Instruments from various vintage collectors such as George Gruhn. In my opinion, this book rates FIVE (5) stars PLUS, and is a must read for anyone who ever wondered about the music of the 20th century: who created it, and what devices were used in doing it. There are some technical schematics to please the most picky purists.If you are interested in any area of American music, you will more than likely find some reference to it in this book. So will your parents, and maybe your grandparents! There is something for everyone in this enjoyable and fascinating story of a modern musical legend.

The Full History (And Near Demise) of Gibson Guitars

Okay. I have a confession to make. I have a slight bias about Gibson Guitars. They are the ONLY guitars I play, ever have played, and, unless I get my hands on a Rickenbacker 12 string, the only guitar I ever will play."Gibson GUITARS 100 YEARS OF AN AMERICAN ICON", by Walter Carter, is a 314 page chronicle of each and every single era, dichotomised into a neat, organised and painstakingly concise tome of this musical titan, beginning with the Orville H. Gibson (creator of the Gibson instruments) era, and taking the reader on a roller-coaster ride of the triumphant ups, and near fatal decline, of this legendary manufacturer. This book is worth every penny you will pay for it, and more, because it expands on every phase of Gibson's development, every epoch of the sea changes in the industry, while entertainingly interweaving changes in musical tastes, trends, and featuring leading artists, mainly those who used Gibson instruments, such as Pete Townsend, ! ! Duane Allman, virtuoso Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, the legendary innovator and artist, Les Paul himself, Jeff Lynn, Mick Ronson, Chris Hillman, Billy Gibbons, and many, many others. It is no coincidence that most of them were or are the preminent artists of the world's musical stage.Make no mistake about it. This is no P.R. book, or propaganda espousing Gibson as the ALL TIME WINNER-greatest manufacturer ever jive; this book is painfully frank about the good times and the bad times with professional, dispassionate, objectivity, each chapter narrated era by era, by industry professionals from all corners of the musical field. This book also debunks many of the myths, misconceptions, and misinformation floating around about the company. It takes the reader through each level of ownership, outlining the strategic decisions, for better or worse, as a company with a passion for being the leader in a fast-changing industry. And, later, I will address some of the false presumptions ! ! about the more recent models.No doubt, Gibson was in its! hayday in the postwar period. It was a money maker and a winner. It's decisions were based upon well thought out and carefully crafted tactical decisions, a motivated workforce, and a desire for excellence. Quite equal time is devoted to the acoustical and electrical divisions of the company, the key players in each ownership regime, and the masterful unveiling of each new product, extraordinarily chronicled often by Gruhn Guitars' George Gruhn, co-collaborator with the author, Walter Carter on a variety of other projects, and nationally acknowledged expert on musical and vintage instruments; the book is literally filled with high quality color photos of vintage instruments dating back to the early 1900's.on through the 40's, 50's and 60's, to the present, thanks to George Gruhn's extraordinary collection of vintage instruments. I was blessed with playing excellent Gibson instruments since the early 1960's, and own a number of their electric guitars, and having play