Music Book Review: A Perfectly Good Guitar by Chuck Holley

A Perfectly Good Guitar: Musicians on Their Favorite Instruments
by Chuck Holley (Music 787.87 Hol)

 

This is an engaging book of short interviews with 46 guitar-playing artists from a wide range of backgrounds. Some are well-known performers, while others are studio musicians and journeyperson-type players who work with many artists as support musicians. Most interviewees have enjoyed long musical careers, during which many start to gravitate toward one or two particular guitars over years of playing. This book asks them to riff about those favorite instruments: where they came from, why they love them, what kinds of music they’ve been inspired to play with them. There’s quite a variety of guitars represented: some are well-loved vintage guitars, lap steels from the dawn of electrified instruments, or handmade acoustics designed to perfectly fit their hands. But sometimes their favorite guitars turn out to be more sentimental in nature. Maybe they’re inexpensive or common instruments, but they take their owners back to the place where they were first inspired to become musicians. Sometimes they’re reminded of dear friends who gave these instruments to them, or who used to own them and have since passed on.

 

That’s the real beauty of A Perfectly Good Guitar: ultimately it’s not about the guitars at all, but the relationships and musical growth they represent. At the end of the day they’re simply tools, even when we ascribe a little mystical mojo to certain instruments. What’s really happening is these guitars remind their owners of the mojo that’s been inside of them all along.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Strat in the Attic by Deke Dickerson (in print) or The Strat in the Attic 2 also by Deke Dickerson (but only as an E-book).] [ publisher’s official A Perfectly Good Guitar web page ]

 

Recommended by Scott S.
Polley Music Library

 

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