The Gibson 335 Guitar Book

Great Photography! Tony Bacon knows guitars!

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.

Could be much better. Hard to follow the chronological events. The presentation of the es335 evolution is a bit confusing. The historical references presented are printed way too small and cannot be read easily (if at all). See photo. This is too bad as otherwise it would have been a better book. With some work on the presentation, more order and better images, it could be a book to consider. Hard cover would also be good as it looks cheap. However, the paper quality and the print is very good. Nice photos of great guitars. Also bought “The Les Paul Guitar Book” by the same author. Better.