50 Years of the Gibson Les Paul

The guitar of choice for countless successful and aspiring rock musicians, the Gibson Les Paul is arguably one of the great rock& roll icons, its thick, solid tone ideal both for soloing and for grinding out monolithic slabs of sound. With the aid of some mouth-watering photographs of models both ancient and modern (the Les Paul made its debut in 1952), Tony Bacon explores the origins and development of the instrument, from its eponymous innovative designer's early experiments with semi-solid bodied guitars he called clunkers, to the sleek, classic shapes of the present day. He itemizes the subtle changes in design over the years, relating the stories of the different models' origins, and the widely differing musical styles of the artists for which they were created, including Jeff Beck, Marc Bolan, Freddie King, Sting, and Johnny Thunders. In equal parts useful informational resource and drool-worthy display of the unobtainable, 50 YEARS OF THE GIBSON LES PAUL will provide hours of fascination for guitar enthusiasts and novices alike. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.