Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars: An Identification Guide for American Fretted Instruments

Versão de capa dura é bem impressa, bonita. Não é um guia ilustrado com muitas fotos, em bastante informação, por isso se assemelha mais a um dicionário.

Correspond à mon attente

Gift for partner. Really pleased with it.

Usage personel

If you're looking for a book to read about vintage instruments Gruhn's Guide is probably not what you're looking for.This is a reference book full of data and specifics intended to help collectors and dealers identify, date and verify the authenticity of vintage American instruments. Not every manufacturer is represented in this book but it's amazing how much information Mr. Gruhn has compiled in one place. As reference material I give it five stars. I've seen a number of reviews stating they would rather the book be laid out by date of manufacture but I wonder if some of those folks are putting the cart before the horse. What I mean is if you "know" that the guitar in your hands is a 1991 Gibson Les Paul Classic, why do you need to look it up in a book? If on the other hand you're trying to verify what the guitar in your hands actually is, then structuring the book as Gruhn does, by Maker and model is a way better approach.Imagine you are like me and you've been playing guitar for forty years and at some point you decide that after all the time invested and love for the instrument you are worthy of a true vintage instrument. An investment grade masterpiece "tool-of-the-trade' that might just give you the inspiration to elevate your playing to the next plateau. You've got your heart set on a 1962 Stratocaster like the one your hero played when you were a kid sitting in the cheap seats of that sold out show. The thing is, you're not a kid anymore and while your heart is longing for the dream guitar you couldn't have way back when, your grown up brain is rationally saying:"That's a serious investment. How am I ever going to convince the wife that I know what I'm doing!???...."So you comb the internet looking for slab rosewood fret boards and sunburst finishes until you find just the right one but the sticker price is $17K.... Gulp!... Being level headed you realize that you need to do some checking to authenticate that this holy grail is not actually a counterfeit so where do you start? Do you start by assuming that the guitar in question is in fact a 1962 Stratocaster and work your way backwards? Or do you start with no assumptions and compare what the guitar in hand actually is to what a 1962 Strat is supposed to be? For my $17K and my wife's peace of mind, I'll go with the latter approach and any deviation for what "should be" to "what is" will peg my BS detector. That's what Gruhn's Guide is for.As I stated in the beginning of this review, this book isn't meant to be a story book. It's a reference guide. That matters to you if you're considering the purchase of the book because it is laid out in a way that assumes the reader has some basic knowledge. Much like a dictionary requires the user to understand spelling, Gruhn's Guide requires a basic knowledge of manufacturers, model names and features. If terms like "p-90", "Split-Coil" and "1-Ply 5 Hole Guard" are Greek to you, this book might not be of much use. Then again, if you're considering the purchase of this book, you're probably well along the rabbit trail of "guitar geek" and those requirements are not an issue.Overall, Gruhn's guide is the finest reference available to vintage guitar enthusiasts. If you are looking for deep dive information about Fender Telecasters or Gibson Les Pauls, there are plenty of books available you can read and enjoy. Gruhn's guide is meant to be "used" not "read".Enjoy!