I don't play the guitar. I'm not sure I've ever even picked up a guitar and strummed it (odd, that). But I love guitars. Their sound, of course, acoustic or screeching metal. More so their mere presence and craftsmanship, the many forms and artistic impressions they carry. All of which is what prompted me to read David Schiller's Guitar: The World's Most Seductive Instrument. I came for the pictures and good stories and I found them.

Some of the writing was over my head. This is a book for guitar aficionados, which we have already confirmed I am not. But boy is it a beauty. An encyclopedia of guitars, a photo of each accompanied by the name, model, builder, and type. Then, the stories. Stories of Elvis, Eddie Van Halen (who boils his strings, who knew?) and his "Frankenstrat," Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, the Beatles, Prince, and on and on.

Schiller's love of the guitar shines through in his writing: "[W]hat's most special about a guitar is the physical bond it creates. A guitar has a body. A voice. It has a look we can admire, show off, modify, identify with. Players can spend hours, days, a lifetime with it, cradled in our arms. We pack it up and carry it everywhere, and when we meet a fellow guitar lover, we can geek out and speak about guitars for hours. It's both universal and deeply intimate, as ubiquitous as any other consumable...and yet , transcendent. It even falls prey to the most believed-in romantic myth: 'The one' is out there, just for you. But unlike said myth, no guitar lover ever needs to settle for just one! So turn the pages, and maybe you'll find your next true love."

Despite not knowing or understanding the technical nature of the guitar ("it looks like an archtop, with its f-holes, but also like a flattop, with its familiar pin bridge. Yes those are pickguards hugging the f-holes..." Wha?) this book was a joy to flip through and would be a great gift for any guitar lover.

I can't wait to see the print edition of "Guitar: The World’s Most Seductive Instrument" by David Schiller because it's difficult to judge the book by its ARC, but from what the PDF showed me, I saw fascinating vignettes about musicians and the tools of their trade and color photos of axes as bold and beautiful as love, a play on Hendrix words.
The ARC gave me the chance to see George Harrison's "Rocky" Fender Stratocaster for the first time and now I can't stop looking at it. Schiller writes that it was "decorated by its famous owner with gloppy Day Glo paints and some of Pattie Boyd's nail polish."
The guitar, customized in 1967, is a psychedelic masterpiece worthy of display in a world-class art gallery.
Thanks to Workman Publishing Company and NetGalley for the ARC and props to David Schiller, who is the god of guitar books.

#Guitar #NetGalley

GUITAR: THE WORLD’S MOST SEDUCTIVE INSTRUMENT is a stunning book from David Schiller that is filled with beautiful photos of legendary and one-of-a-kind historic pieces, as well as rare oddball or just beautiful one-offs that merit inclusion in this collectible reference that should be a must-add to any guitar aficionado’s collection of reference material, or just as a beautiful coffee table book always available.

I enjoyed seeing many guitars here that I hadn’t previously, even though I’ve pored over books on guitars throughout my life going back to the early seventies as a teen.

Especially of interest to me was several from the Scott Chinery collection, in particular the “Blue Guitar” project where he commissioned 22 prominent modern day luthiers to produce what they thought was the ultimate archtop guitar with one stipulation; it must be blue. Wonderful examples of what this project produced alone make this book worthwhile, but there is so much more.

5 stars.

A fascinating, insider-y look at famous guitars. Each page has a beautiful photograph of a guitar, most on bright white backgrounds to let the instrument shine, and a description of its origin. Even if you're not a guitar enthusiast, you'll find something interesting about pop culture, history, famous musicians, woodworking, etc., from Prince's "cloud" guitar to Willie Nelson's beloved Trigger.

My one concern: hopefully the final print edition will have an introduction and some context, because right now the book just kind of starts, and it took me a few pages to figure out what I was reading.

Great photos and history of an enormous amount of guitars. Lots of famous ones too. Will make you want to empty your bank account and buy some new axes.

Guitar by David Schiller is an awesome history of guitars and guitarists. There are stories about each as well as color photographs.
My son plays anything with strings and has 14 guitars of his own ship I plan to purchase this book for him.
This book will make a good gifty for any enthusiast.

Whether you are a guitar enthusiast, a professional musician, or just starting out, Schiller's 'Guitar' is an essential guide contained within a gorgeous coffee table art book. With lush photography and approachable origin histories, this type of piece is a must for every collection.