Walter Carter

Chet Atkins is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential and universally admired guitarists of all time. The high standards he set as a performer, session player, solo recording artist, record producer, and label executive have inspired, comforted, and gladdened the hearts of generations. Published as a companion to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum exhibition Chet Atkins: Certified Guitar Player, this book examines the fascinating career of one of America’s most influential musicians. In addition to images of many rare treasures saved by Atkins and his family, the book includes words from, among others, three of Atkins’s four fellow Certified Guitar Players: Tommy Emmanuel, John Knowles, and Steve Wariner.

The story of Epiphone one of the oldest and most famous guitar companies is told by former staff historian Walter Carter. It's an epic story spanning three centuries from Old World roots in the 19th century to the golden age of American makers in the 20th century and onward into the global market of the new millennium. It's the story of America's business from an individual luthier to a family business and on to corporate ownership. And it's the story of American popular music powered by Epiphone guitars from big-bodied Emperor that drove the swing bands of the 1930s to the electric hollowbodies of the 1960s used by The Beatles and studio ace Howard Roberts to custom solidbody models for such modern rockers as Noel Gallagher (Oasis) Jeff Waters (Annihilator) and Frank Iero (My Chemical Romance). Beautifully illustrated with photos of all the important Epiphone instruments and the extraordinary musicians who played them this is a fascinating history of an iconic name in the world of the guitar.

Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars is the most extensive and detailed list of specifications ever published for identifying, dating, and establishing the authenticity of an instrument. This new edition is enlarged and updated, making it once again the essential guide enabling collectors, dealers, players, and fans to determine the authenticity, rarity, and relative value of vintage acoustic and electric guitars, basses, mandolins, banjos, and amps. Gruhn's Guide's thoroughness, detail, and clear organization have made it without peer, the must-have tool for discerning an instrument's manufacturer, model, and date-and most importantly, whether it is in original condition. “You will not find a better guide, nor one that is so easy to use.” – Vintage Guitar magazine

The name C.F. Martin and Company is synonymous with the highest standards of American acoustic guitar making. This book chronicles the history of an instrument that mirrors the development of the acoustic guitar and acoustic music in America. 130 color photos.