Gibson's Fabulous Flat-Top Guitars: An Illustrated History & Guide Paperback – Illustrated, December 1, 2009

When it comes to steel-string acoustic guitars, two names stand out - Martin & Gibson! Martin were the pioneers & Gibson became their closest competitor. Both companies made superb instruments and still do so today. There are plenty of excellent books available about the history of Martin Guitars, and now we have a definitive book on the history of Gibson acoustic guitars and it is a must-have volume if you love and/or play acoustic guitars. It is well illustrated and starts at the beginning of the Gibson story and chronicles their progress to today. It is an essential resource if you are trying to identify a vintage Gibson flattop. Well-written, it is an entertaining read as well as being an essential reference tool. Very highly recommended!

Thank you kindly!

A solid resource all the way around on the world of Gibson acoustic guitars. I read the other reviews of my fellow amazoners and cannot really disagree with any of them and the points they make. I certainly learned lots by reading it and will definitely keep it handy as a reference as years go by.The book itself makes a great point of reminding readers that this work cannot compare to those written about Martin guitars. Martin has never changed hands as a company and keeps impeccable records. The same cannot be said of their Gibson counterparts. The book is a nice summary of some early models too with some pretty sweet pictures to boot (e.g. "The King Biscuit Flour Hour"); my major complaint is that it does truly need to be updated given all the good stuff that is coming out of Bozeman on a daily basis - take the new J-35 as an example. You'll find very little/none of that here. I'd wager that a 3rd edition is in order.But hey, all in all, a great resource. Each well-made Gibson guitar (I am NOT talking about the bad years of the late 60's to early 80's) stands out as a true individual. Their variability makes them a wonderful thing, and I'd take the Pepsi challenge with a good Gibson any day.

The book arrived quickly in excellent condition. It contains a wealth of information about Gibson’s legendary flat top guitars.

A very useful source of information. I was able to identify an old Gibson flattop guitar with the information provided. Extremely well illustrated. Thanks & Regards.--Geoff.

The content of the book is great, but it's not a hardbound as ordered. Most of the photos are black and white and grainy. I still enjoyed reading the book. It very informative and fairly well written.

I purchased "Gibson Guitars: 100 Years of an American Icon" a number of years ago and was extremely disappointed. Not that there wasn't a lot of information in there but because the author was kind of all over the place in presentation and really didn't give very specific information on any one guitar.But "Gibsons Fabulous Flat-Top Guitars An Illustrated History & Guide' is the exact opposite of that book. It gives great detail on each flat top's construction and history. I highly recommend this book for any aficionado of Gibson flat tops!

If you are a Gibson acoustic fan and owner, this is about the best book you can own. I was astounded at all the history documented in this and not all of it good. Dan Erlewine is a master repair guy and they consulted many players and repair folks in the book's research. I hope they decide to update this in a few years. This is the 2009 edition, the latest. GIbson Montana appears to be turning out some very fine new acoustics using better bracing techniques , thermal aging and PLEK setups. Interesting to see how the experts see that in a few years.