Santa brought me some vintage guitars (books and DVD)

[Classic71]

Firstly, the Tom Wittrock Guitar Collector DVD (a must have for your collection, a real slice of vintage guitar porn, I just wish there could be a series of these. Kudos to Tom!).

And a couple of Tony Bacon books, "Million Dollar Les Paul", and "The Ultimate Guitar Book". Thanks for the recommendations Mike Bowen.

I can'r recommend the TW DVD enough, it's excellently priced and arrived within days, which is amazing considering the UK Postal service at Xmas. The UK distributor is top notch.

One day I'll own of the guitars in these books, but in the meantime this is the next best thing! :salude Merry Xmas

 

[mbowen]

Glad you had a good Christmas and glad you like the books.I have to get TW"s video yet but i will this week.Mike B.

 

[Kris Ford]

Me too! my sister got me the Billy F. Gibbons "Rock and Roll Gearhead" book...great pics!

 

[zorglub!]

You will also like "Million Dollar Les Paul"... some familiar names in it...!

 

[Nihon Jim]

You will also like "Million Dollar Les Paul"... some familiar names in it...!

+1 -- a very good read.

 

[sapi]

I have the TW dvd it's nice and as for the book MDLP, thank you, I've just ordered it! Spend, spend, spend!

 

[Classic71]

You will also like "Million Dollar Les Paul"... some familiar names in it...!

Yeah, I'm hardly yet into it but already there's some interesting "speculation" on who was responsible for the burst come back. Not too mention a heap of good info on the origins of the guitar and I'm only on page 55 of 281.

Lots of interesting stuff about why the burst never sold - in the words of the book, a goldtop had a kitsch kind of bluesy charm that would add sparkle to the frontline of an any electric band. But a conservative sunburst, with a finish similar to those big boxes the jazz guys used? No thanks. That seemed to sum up the general response from the growing ranks of rock and rollers. As the '60s dawned, Fender's Strats and Teles were just the job for the pros is that world.

Which leads me to think more about why people didn't go "holy shit!" when they saw a flametopped Les Paul back then. To the "hipsters" of that time, flamed maple was a throwback to the music their moms and dads listened to. It was old fashioned and unfashionable too boot. The jazzers maybe appreciated it, but the hipsters probably wanted a Fender Strat, or at least not something made out of "furniture wood". Hence the SG.

But maybe the Brit players like Clapton and Richards had none of those pre-conceptions, and when they were exposed to a proper pickup (the PAF) and compared it to what was standard fare in the UK at the time, then the demise and subsequent comeback of the Les Paul becomes more understandable.

 

[Doc Sausage]

"But maybe the Brit players like Clapton and Richards had none of those pre-conceptions, and when they were exposed to a proper pickup (the PAF) and compared it to what was standard fare in the UK at the time, then the demise and subsequent comeback of the Les Paul becomes more understandable."

Thank goodness for black root blues and white blues Brits! (to bring some color to the discussion, so to speak)