In this spectacular full-color deluxe volume, Guitar Aficionado magazine — today's preeminent luxury guitar publication — presents the world's most epic guitars, the stories behind them, and the people who own them. Inside is an exclusive look into the incredible collections of the world's most illustrious players, including Eric Johnson, Jimmie Vaughan, Elliot Easton of the Cars, Robbie Robertson of the Band, Joe Bonamassa, Joe Perry and Brad Whitford of Aerosmith, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, Randy Bachman, Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac, Steve Earle, and many more. All instruments are photographed in meticulous detail and are accompanied by descriptions and recollections in the artists' own words. Guitar Aficionado: The Collections also features special chapters devoted to the iconic, historic, and often priceless instruments employed by the likes of Eddie Van Halen, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Ace Frehley of Kiss, Peter Frampton, John Lennon — artists who changed not only the face of music, but of popular culture itself. With gorgeous color photography and rare and exclusive images throughout, this book is a must-have for any fan.

These are the guitars so famous that their names are often household words: B. B. King's Lucille, Eric Clapton's Blackie, Stevie Ray Vaughan's First Wife, Billy F Gibbons' Pearly Gates, Neil Young's Old Black, and many more. Here's the first-ever illustrated history of the actual guitars of the stars that made the music. Other best-selling guitar histories look at the rank-and-file models, but this book is unique in profiling the actual "star guitars"--the million-dollar babies, such as the 1968 Stratocaster that Jimi Hendrix burned at Woodstock, which sold at Sotheby's auction house in 1993 for $1,300,000. Amateurs buy guitars to emulate the stars--Clapton's Strat, Slash's Les Paul--and this book explains the stars' modifications, thus showing how others can recreate those famous tones.

A one-stop resource to the essentials of owning and playing the guitar If you’ve just bought a guitar, or you’ve had one for a while, you probably know it takes some time and effort to learn how to play the popular instrument. There’s so much to know about owning, maintaining, and playing a guitar. Where do you even begin? In Guitar All-in-One For Dummies, a team of expert guitarists and music teachers shows you the essentials you need to know about owning and playing a guitar. From picking your first notes to exploring music theory and composition, maintaining your gear, and diving into the specifics of genres like blues and rock, this book is a comprehensive and practical goldmine of indispensable info. Created for the budding guitarist who wants all their lessons and advice in one place, the book will show you how to: Maintain, tune, and string your guitar, as well as decipher music notation and guitar tablature Understand guitar theory, sounds and techniques to help you learn new songs and add your style to classic tunes Practice several popular genres of guitar music, including blues, rock, and classical Access accompanying online video and audio instructional resources that demonstrate the lessons you find in the book Perfect for guitar players at any skill level, Guitar All-in-One For Dummies is a must-have resource for anyone who wants to get the most out of their own guitar and make great music.

Do you wish you could play your favorite blues music on guitar? Even if you don’t read music, it’s not difficult with Blues Guitar for Dummies. With this hands-on guide, you’ll pick up the fundamentals instantly and start jamming like your favorite blues artists! Blues Guitar for Dummies covers all aspects of blues guitar, showing you how to play scales, chords, progressions, riffs, solos, and more! It’s packed with musical examples, chords charts, and photos that let you explore the genre and play the songs of the great blues musicians. This accessible guide will give you the skills you need to: Choose the right guitar, equipment, and strings Hold, tune, and get situated with your guitar Play barre chords and strum to the rhythm Recognize the structure of a blues song Tackle musical riffs Master melodies and solos Make your guitar sing, cry, and wail Jam to any type of blues In addition to this must-have book, a bonus CD is included so that you can listen to famous songs, practice your riffs and chords, and develop your style as a blues musician. It also features a quick guide to musical notation and suggestions on albums, artists, and guitars for further enjoyment. With Blues Guitar for Dummies, you can re-create the masterpieces of the blues legend without the expensive lessons!

Make your guitar sing with insight on music theory brings your instrument to life There’s a universe of incredible music living in your guitar. You just need to discover how to let it out. In Guitar Theory For Dummies, expert guitarist and instructor Desi Serna walks you through the music theory concepts you need to understand to expand your musical horizons. From deciphering the mysteries of the fretboard to adapting chord progressions to a song’s key, you’ll master techniques that will help you move past simple, three-chord songs to more complex and creative pieces. Build on your existing knowledge of open and barre chords and simple progressions with practical instruction that demystifies scales and chord voicings and shows you how to bring them together to create impressive music. You can also jump over to dummies.com to hear audio samples of the examples featured in the book. You’ll also learn: How chords, keys, and scales are built and how they interact with one another Powerful concepts, like intervals, chord extensions, modes and modal scales, that grant access to a world of musical possibilities How popular songs apply elements of guitar theory and how you can apply the same techniques Free yourself from the confines of tab sheets and simple chords and start enjoying all the musical potential of your guitar. Guitar Theory For Dummies is for anyone who wants to unlock the next stage of their musical journey.

Celebrate the world’s most seductive instrument. An obsessive, full-color book in the irresistible format of Shoes and Handbags—which together have over 700,000 copies in print—guitarS delivers a feast of 500 guitars in vibrant color, plus players, makers, legends, myths, and more. Here are guitars that made history, that changed the course of music, that inspired new generations of players and listeners. Here are milestones in the guitar's search for its true self—Torres's classical, the amazing Gibson L-5—and experiments that ushered in a new world of sound—Rickenbacker's "Frying Pan" and Les Paul's "Log." Plus B. B. King's Lucille, Willie Nelson's Trigger, Eric Clapton's Brownie, the J-160E that John Lennon played during his 1968 "bed-in" with Yoko, Jimi Hendrix's hand-painted Flying V in full psychedelic regalia. And the far-out Gittler—no body, no neck, no peghead, yet every inch a guitar. Also here are profiles of famous builders, including C. F. Martin, Orville Gibson, Leo Fender—the Henry Ford of guitars—and the mad genius Lloyd Loar. And individual luthiers, like Linda Manzer (her Pikasso II has 42 tunable strings), the maverick Ken Parker, and old-world artisan John D'Angelico, staring at skyscrapers from his Lower East Side shop and creating the ultimate art deco masterpiece, "The New Yorker." Marrying visual pleasure with layers of information, Guitars captures the soul, the significance, history, magic, and the raw mojo of this most beloved of instruments.