Dangerous curves

Dangerous Curves presents 400 years of guitar design and history, from ornamental Italian and Spanish models of the 17th century to the five-neck electric used by the rock band Cheap Trick. The 180 full-color photographs by Carl Tremblay show this most versatile and enduring of musical instruments in all its shapes, sizes, and mutations: jazz behemoths to minimalist "sticks"; guitars shaped like bells, frying pans, rocket ships, Cubist sculptures, and functioning crutches; guitars made of chrome steel, aluminum, plastic, graphite, and fiberglass; guitars that stand on pedestals, sit on laps, fit into backpacks, or inflate. The book features 110 guitars, each accompanied by a brief discussion of its history and manufacture, while the introductory essay by music historian and legendary punk guitarist Lenny Kaye places the guitar in its historical context -- as one of the most potent cultural icons of our time. Included throughout are comments -- many of them new to this book -- by thirty notable modern guitarists, including Julian Bream, John McLaughlin, Bonnie Raitt, Pete Townshend, Lucinda Williams, Ani DiFranco, and Leo Kottke, providing a more personal view of the guitar and its music. Published in conjunction with a major exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Dangerous Curves is an essential work for anyone who has ever experienced the insistent, sometimes unsettling, always powerful seduction of a beautifully fashioned and well-played guitar.