BOOK: ‘The Guitar Collection’ by Tony Bacon
There will always be room in the world for guitar-reference books. The Guitar Collection by Tony Bacon is new, but already may be one of the better ones out there. Whether it’s music history, the makeup of a guitar, or just something pretty to look at you’re after, The Guitar Collection has you covered.
The book is broken up into four chapters: Flattops, Hollowbodies, Solidbodies, and Information. The first three cover the histories their titular guitars, from the early days (occasionally as early as the 16th century) to modern times. The Information chapter includes an index of the guitars listed and artists, each listed alphabetically and include pictures of the guitars for added convenience.
Each page features one or two pictures of a guitar and a paragraph explaining each of them. Almost every guitar is associated with a notable guitar act — ranging from the classical guitar greats to the Jimi Hendrixes — and Bacon delves into both the instrument itself and its association with music history. Even better, it’s not just Eric Clapton, though he in particular does show up a lot; everyone from Charlie Christian to Dimebag Darrell gets a few moments to shine. The history is quite in-depth in the small space given and provides a reason to care about the guitar for more than just what makes it sound pretty. The photography — both of the guitars themselves and of the acts playing the guitars — is gorgeous, and any reader can get plenty of enjoyment out of the pictures alone.
The book isn’t just limited to the Fenders and Gibsons of the guitar world, though it does include those — it goes deep and brings up unusual models of guitars as frequently, if not more so, than popular models. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the Manzer Pikasso II. Google it and look at it for a while, I’ll wait.
It’s so weird, right? Back to the review.
As with most of Tony Bacon’s writing, this tends to get technical. Between a half to two thirds of the average description covers details such as pickups, bridges, and headstocks. While the pictures and histories alone are worth a look, this book as a whole will best be appreciated by people with intermediate knowledge of a guitar’s construction.
As a bonus, The Guitar Collection includes a 10-inch vinyl — and corresponding digital download code — featuring some of the best rock musicians in the world (David Gilmour, Brian May, Bruce “Iron Maiden, Not Christopher Walken” Dickinson, and many more) performing “Smoke On The Water” by Deep Purple. Anyone who has played guitar for more than a day — and I mean that literally, a day is all it takes at most — can play “Smoke On The Water.” Anyone with even the most rudimentary understanding of music theory can pluck it out on any instrument, familiar or unfamiliar. It’s like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat — we all know the trick, and it’s Been Done. It takes a lot to make “Smoke On The Water” sexy again — and the versions contained in the vinyl do exactly that. If anything, this makes it more air-guitarable. (Is that a word? It is now.)
The Guitar Collection is a worthy addition to any guitar lover’s collection. The vinyl just makes it better.
Get your copy of The Guitar Collection on Amazon!
