Matthew Woods
From:
California, USA
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Posted 14 Sep 2017 3:18 pm |
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A cool new, very large, hardback book for sale with tons of information about vintage mandolins, guitars and banjos. At 770 pages, Vintage Fretted Instruments, A Compendium and Guide to Collecting is a hefty tome full of eye candy photography, instrument history and the science of tone. Topics are wide ranging including construction differences between makes, historical overviews of the different instrument manufacturers and helpful information for amassing and maintaining a collection. Suggested tunings, string types and gauges for a host of unusual instruments are also furnished. Portraits of mandolin, guitar and banjo family instruments are provided along with detailed photos, including x-ray and infrared images where needed, to illustrate finer construction details. Psychological motivators for collecting are discussed along with a summary of recent research on the effects of age and long term playing on the tone of vintage instruments.
There is one large chapter dedicated to steel guitars with Weissenborns, Hilos, Dobros plus examples by Knutsen, Martin, Gelas, Regal, Oahu, National, Scheerhorn, Asher and Bear Creek. Sample pages and reader reviews are available at my website. Comments and questions are welcome.
https://www.vintagefrettedinstruments.com/
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Matthew Woods
From:
California, USA
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Posted 15 Oct 2017 9:58 pm Reader Reviews
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1) A host of classic fretted instruments plus some surprising oddities. The guitar, mandolin and banjo families come alive in the gorgeous color pictures, not to mention the studies on wood structure, acoustic tone, the psychology of collecting plus info on building and maintaining a collection. An invaluable resource! Robert C. Hartman, Author, The Larsons’ Creation Guitars and Mandolins
2) Matt Woods’ stupendous tome sets a new precedent for what can be achieved by the passionate and serious fretted stringed instrument collector in the private sector. While it presents a highly personal collection, the collecting methodology is part and parcel of the presentation and forms a unique component rarely discussed so openly. On a perhaps more vital topic, Woods has painstakingly analyzed and documented seemingly every physical and aural inch of nearly 200 different instruments. Equal parts eye candy, scientific study and invaluable history this is a stunning labor-of-love “overachievement†that makes my brain overdose with every turn of the page! Gregg Miner, Grove contributor and curator of the Miner Museum of Vintage, Exotic & Just Plain Unusual Musical Instruments
3) Wow, this book is hours of fun. Tremendous eye candy for those that love vintage instruments and the detailed analysis of their histories, structures and tonal characteristics make it more than just a beautiful coffee table book: the amount of useful information in this book is encyclopedic. Wake Clinard, Steel Guitarist for “The Grand Ole Uproarâ€
4) The lovely last page of this remarkable compendium explains a lot about the odd obsession that drives a few of us to guitar acquisition. It is a stunning picture of the Milky Way Galaxy and a not so subtle reminder of what a small and insignificant little planet we live on, how short life is, and the obvious implication: follow your dreams. This is something that Matt Woods has done. It differs from other books of this ilk, not just the standard coffee table book full of instrument pics, but also the story of their creation, derivation and the musical time periods that inspired them. It is these stories that truly make collectible things fascinating, and elevates them beyond the category of just 'stuff' or investments. The author’s obvious curiosity and fascination with vintage instruments has rewarded us with an informative and very entertaining guide. The bottom line: playing, collecting and studying old guitars and the like can be one mark of a life well lived, and here is a blue print to go about it! Kennard Machol, Intermountain Guitar and Banjo
5) I have a number of books and resources of, for, and about acoustic instruments but nothing even close to your work. This book needs to be in the hands of every serious acoustic player, collector, or admirer. Frank D. Ray, mandolin player, singer, songwriter and recording artist with Cedar Hill
6) This book is a blast. Good information and great photography. The writing is excellent and very easy to understand. The quality of the book is outstanding. Definitely presentation grade, and would make a fantastic gift for any acoustic instrument geek. If you love acoustic instruments, it is a must have for your library. This book is not an exhaustive treatment on every manufacturer by any means, but it has examples from many with interesting details and background. It also features great ephemera, such as brochures and catalog entries. Buy the danged thing and have fun with it (or let someone know what a great gift it would make for you). It will give you many hours of enjoyment and will remain on your shelf as a great reference for years to come. Brian Murphy, Greer, South Carolina
www.vintagefrettedinstruments.com |
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