“A guitar nerd’s dream . . . more than 700 photos of some of the most famous guitars in the world.” —Alternative Press
These are the guitars so famous that fans know their names: 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. This is the first-ever illustrated history of the actual guitars of the stars that made the music. Other 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. Musicians buy guitars to emulate the stars—Clapton’s Strat, Slash’s Les Paul—and this book explains the stars’ modifications, showing how others can recreate those famous tones.
“Aside from being a thoroughly captivating read, it’s fully stocked with superb photos, tour posters, and artwork.” —Guitar & Bass Magazine
Dave Hunter is an author, musician, and journalist. He is the author of several popular books about guitars, amps, and effects, including Star Guitars, The Fender Stratocaster, The Gibson Les Paul, and 365 Guitars, Amps & Effects You Must Play, as well as Fender: 75 Years. A regular contributor to Guitar Player and Vintage Guitar magazines, he resides in Kittery, Maine.Billy F Gibbons, co-founder and lead guitarist of ZZ Top, is also a renowned guitar aficionado and collector.His iconic, 1959 Gibson Les Paul, nicknamed "Pearly Gates," is among the famous guitars featured in Star Guitars.