Centennial Edition-Les Paul In His Own Words celebrates the life of the legendary guitarist Les Paul who passed away in 2009 at the age of 94. This book capturing Les Paul's own reflections on his remarkable inventions and Guitar playing was published as a high-end collector's edition. In 2015 Les Paul reached his centennial and Backbeat Books is pleased to celebrate the legend once more in t…

All You Need to Know About Collecting Essential Music from Cylinders and CDs to LPs and Tapes-An in-depth and comprehensive guide to - and history of - music collecting The Ultimate Guide to Vinyl and More traces the hobby from its beginnings over a century ago. The book features informative and entertaining sections on every significant format in which recorded music has been released - and som…

“1-2-3-4!”With that quick count-off four hoppin' cretins from Queens who called themselves the Ramones launched the 1970s musical revolution known as punk rock. And ever since popular music hasn't beenthe same. Perhaps the most imitated band of all time the Ramones stripped rock 'n' roll down to its bare bones and beating heart and handed it back to the people making it fun again a…

50 Years of Gibson's Stylish Solid Guitar-To many vintage Guitar fans it seems inconceivable that Gibson dumped the Sunburst Les Paul in 1960 and during the following year introduced a completely new design the one that we know now as the SG (?solid Guitar?). At the time however it made good business sense. Sales of the Les Paul were faltering and Gibson decided to blow a breath of fresh a…

The Life and Music of Roy Orbison. Roy Orbison emerged as an artist alongside his Sun Records contemporaries in the early days of rock 'n' roll. He did not possess the good looks of Elvis Presley or the everyman toughness of Johnny Cash, nor did he conduct wild-child stage antics like Jerry Lee Lewis. But he did possess a magnetic

The Taylor Guitar Book. Growing from a small custom shop in the early 1970s to the only new brand to have challenged the traditional Big Three of American acoustic Guitars (Gibson, Guild, and Martin), Taylor has effectively changed the marketplace for acoustic steel-string Guitars and influenced every other maker of acoustic stringed instruments. But Taylor's influence in the Guitar market goes f…

Until the launch of the Flying V and Explorer in 1958 electric guitars were supposed to look like...guitars. Suddenly Gibson turned conventional design upside down almost literally by using straight lines and angular body shapes changing the way electrics could look and in the process creating a set of rare future collectables.Flying V Explorer Firebird tells the story of those first pecu…

This do-it-yourself guide to owning and maintaining an Electric Guitar explains the ins and outs of choosing the right Guitar; cleaning tools and basic maintenance; personalizing and improving on a ?factory setup;? troubleshooting; basic Guitar electronics; choosing and installing replacement pickups pots switches and capacitors; setups of the pros and much more. This second edition is overh…

Everyone knows the success stories of the music industry – how Michael Jackson's Thriller blew the roof off and how Clive Davis helped orchestrate Carlos Santana's stunning comeback. But now you'll find out aboutpeople who were dead wrong. This book details some of the most expensive blunders ever made by artists and by record executives managers and producers who've worked with stars such …

This indispensable handbook helps players of all levels produce better more creative and more varied bass lines. Divided into two sections – Playing Your Bass and Knowing Your Bass – it covers everything from tuning reading music scales and chords and advanced techniques to tips on buying and upgrading a budget bass and troubleshooting. Along with a list of suggested listening and …

If the Beatles wrote the soundtrack of the swinging '60s then the Eagles did the same for the cynical '70s. The story of the Eagles is also the story of most artists of their time the drugs the music the excesses and the piles of cash. But the Eagles took it to the limit. And in Don Henley and Glenn Frey they had two songwriters who intuitively understood and accurately portrayed the changin…

Setting the scene with America's traditional folk of the early '60s this book describes the sea of change that began in 1964 when the social consciousness of folk met the energy of rock. It concentrates on 1964-66 when the best most popular and most controversial folk-rock was created. The book explores the dizzyingly fast cross-fertilization of such giants as The Beatles The Byrds and Dylan;…

There's a huge amount of hype and mythology surrounding tube amplifiers in the guitar world. For years experts have argued over the tiny details of exactly how they do what they do and how their various components interact.What's undeniable is that far more than being just a “loudness booster ” the unique combination of tubes capacitors resistors and transformers in these amps ca…

In the 1950s rock and roll was played on simple instruments with simple audio equipment. But today rock music can be as technically complex as any Hollywood blockbuster. Rock Hardware uncovers how the instruments and technologyof rock have evolved giving new insight into the mechanics of rock music's most famous moments on stage and in the studio. The book explores the range of instrumental and…

A Complete Illustrated History of Bass Guitars Updated Edition-In California in the early '50s the Fender company introduced the world's first electric bass guitar. They couldn't have known known it then but the Precision Bass would start a revolution in the sound of popular music. This book explains how that revolution happened and how its reverberations are still felt today. The two-guitars-ba…