The Gibson 335 Guitar Book: Electric Semi-Solid Thinlines and the Players Who Made Them Famous

I recently bought a 335, having lusted (I use the term advisedly: this is a guitar we're talking about) after one since the nineteen sixties. I have several of Tony Bacon's guitar books and, inevitably, snagged this one as a reading accompaniment to my new baby. It is excellent. It comprises a pretty detailed history of all the variants of the 335 that Gibson produced between 1958 and 2016, including the whys and wherefores of the various changes made over the years (for instance, the switch to a narrower fingerboard in the mid sixties was the results of a single, completely misunderstood conversation...); reports on and interviews with famous and some not so famous 335 owners, some of which make great reading if you like that kind of biographical angle; a ton of excellent photos of 335s and all their brethren, marred only slightly by the fact that some of them run horizontally across the page gutter; some fascinating reproductions of Gibson advertorial, flyers etc.; and a guided as to how to tie your serial numbers to a specific instrument, batch and location of production. If there is one minor complaint that some might make (not me!) it is that, with the exception of the serial number section, the book is designed to be read cover to cover rather than dipped into. A great read about an outstanding guitar.

If you have a 335 you need this book. Excellent.

Thoroughly good read and even though I have read several other books on the subject I managed to learn some new things. Well recommended!

Great Read, covers a lot of new material and facts, also some great artwork.

Great book but, there are better publications on the Gibson 335.

Don’t usually review but as a long time Gibson nut want to say this book is a great read, fantastic picx, brilliant reference. I think previous reviewer (“CAUTION!”) is wrong: this new 335 book is better than the earlier one. highly recommended

Eagerly awaited this book and found it disappointing. Very well produced but content-wise it is no better than the only previously-published Gibson 335 book which I (and most other people apparently) thought was mediocre. Not a very informative book.