History of the electric guitar

I just finished a book called " Play It Loud: An Epic History of the Style, Sound, and Revolution of the Electric Guitar".

This was a true eye opener for me and a must read for anybody who wants to know more about the instrument we all love.

The history of Fender, Rickenbacher (now Rickenbacker), Gibson, etc…
Guitar models and brands i’ve never heard of before, but i’m now looking at or searching for, just to see if they’re still around…

Artists are covered as well and when and how they became what they are known for now…

Really a very very good read.

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Sounds interesting. Is it a “real” book or more like an album/coffee table book with the text taking a back seat?

As for brands, I think most of them have survived or been taken over by other bigger brands. It would be interesting to know if there have been any moderately/well-known instrument manufacturers who went out of business without any sort of successors.

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this looks like it.

Play It Loud: An Epic History of the Style, Sound, and Revolution of the Electric Guitar: Tolinski, Brad, di Perna, Alan, Santana, Carlos: 9780385540995: Amazon.com: Books

Looks like it’s heavy on stories and interviews.

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@Jozsef : It’s very much a real book. It’s not an album or coffee table book.
The book provides a clear overview of the origins of the electric guitar, along with anecdotes from artists and manufacturers, from the relevant times.

@Mustela : indeed, it is told as a story, without breaking down the facts and/or timeline.
In any case, it did not bore me at any time.

I bought it as an e-book. (lower price, smaller storage, because my wife has told me a long time ago that i couldn’t buy any more books, as we ran out of space to place them… :grin:)

My list of artists/albums to listen to, has grown exponentially. :slight_smile:

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I read The Birth of Loud a couple years ago, which focused on the Leo Fender - Les Paul rivalry as electric guitars were being developed…if you need additional reading now that you’ve finished that one :slightly_smiling_face:

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There is a good documentary about this subject I am sure it is called this could get loud it was really good cheers Hec

I guess you’re thinking of ‘It Might Get Loud’ which featured Edge, Jimmy Page and Jack White among others. Years since I watched it so don’t remember much about it, will maybe have to watch it again soon

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Thank you for the tip. That’s going into the library… :grin:

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Thats the one Mathew its a really good documentary it is worth watching again cheers HEC

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