No comments about 2009 Official Vintage Guitar Magazine Price Guide.

5 comments about Blue Book of Electric Guitars.

1. I've used this book for years for all my guitar buying and selling needs along with the Vintage Guitar Guide. My only complaint is that they have yet to add many of the smaller niche guitar makers over the years and the burgeoning market in house brands is not well covered ( Airline, Supro, etc). Otherwise it has most of the information you'll ever need. Don't take the pricing as the absolute word though, the market fluctuates a lot and prices can be dramatically above or below what is quoted in this book. Use it as a baseline and you're fine, at least you'll always know if that guitar your friend or neighbor wants to sell you is junk or of some value.



2. Needed reference if you have anything to do with guitars. Well done and helps to peg odd guitars.



3. This is an excellent guide for serious buyers & sellers of musical instruments, and gives a fair appraisal of their market's value (in this case, electric guitars) together with historical information & background.



4. Some prices are above what they actually sell for (priced too high) well some prices are below market on EBAY anyway.
   Also they need to expand some area's such as Harmony,Yamaha,Taylor and Blueridge,excellent overall guide to Acoustic Guitars aand there prices.
   Blue book has set the standard for all.
   They do an excellent job on Gibson and Martin both but too little info on small names.
   Maybe i should write a book of Yamaha Acoustic Guitars?
   These are very popular on EBAY and are considered the poor man's Martin,which includes me by the way.
   Good amount on the history of companies that Manufacture Guitars which i find interesting,facts most people do not know or realize.
   Gives buyer's the uphand on what price to pay for what condition,as well as an very good examples shown in pictures.
   I would rate this a 5 but there is too much info missing in there guide which forces me to use several.I wish some day they could make this more complete so i only need to buy one.But otherwise i depend on it.
   If you do not own this you are either a genius with one of the best memories on this planet or you are operating in the dark ages.



5. My Friend has an addiction to guitars so I purchased this book as a birthday gift three days ago and he hasn't put it down. Great book, very informative and apparently addictive too.

5 comments about Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars : An Identification Guide for American Fretted Instruments (2nd Ed).

1. I am a collector of vintage stringed instruments. I purchased George Gruhn's first volume in 1991, which was called the "Guide to Vintage Guitars". As I used it, I found that it corraborated, expanded and corrected the many other sources I use. The 2nd edition is greatly expanded, and now includes "American Fretted Instruments". It continues to be the most usable, informative and authoritative guide to vintage stringed instruments I am aware of. This is my "go to" guide. All other sources are used for additional detail and corraboration. A must have reference for anyone interested in vintage stringed instruments.



2. I bought this second edition hoping to find more information than I found in the old edition, but beyond expanding the breadth of models, the book is still not extremely helpful. Its basic setup is to use a one-line description of a change that occurs to a guitar model and note the year that this happened in. That's fine of course, but it sure would be helpful if the lines referred to illustrations or pictures. the result is an extremely dry text summary - and it doesn't even really go far enough. for example, the area on Fender Stratocasters lists every model throughout the 20th century, yet the initial list entries of changes seem to stop in the 70s, and while it does make mention of the shoulder on the control cavity routing changing in 1959, it doesn't mention changes in pickup routing in 1970 or so, nor the addition of a ground screw shoulder in the control cavity in 1979-81. it mentions how many patent numbers are on the headstock during which year, but no mention of what they are nor illustration of where they are placed. no mention of logo design changes.
   the list of fender serial numbers is sort of accurate, but the lowest and highest numbers per year listed are just plain wrong. they might look in Duchossoir's book for more information!
   I think it might help people to have more information on Norlin-era Gibsons as well, explaining which were made in Kalamazoo and which in Nashville and how to tell... one thing i noticed was that they say how the reintroduction of Les Paul Standard/Deluxe models had 4 piece pancake bodies, but in my experience I've seen more very early 70s whose bodies were two pieces of mahogany with a maple top and had (3-piece) mahogany necks prior to 1975 when they became maple, and some even had bodies that were one piece of mahogany.
   also since people on ebay seem to be making so much money peddling parts of old guitars, it might be nice for someone to take on the description of how to correctly identify potentiometers, capacitors, even knobs, pickup covers and tuners!
   all of these suggestions would make this a very useful guide! but - especially pictures.... describing how a screw position changes on a pickguard from one year to another is not nearly as comprehensible as an illustration!



3. This is a vast improvement over the older version of Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars. I would like the next version to include vintage Sunn amps, heads and cabinets, as well.



4. You can get all information quick and without doubt !! I had the first edition, but this second edition is a lot more complete and updated !!!



5. This book was very limited as far as various makes of guitars. It didn't have any price guides on any of the things listed.
   I would think that would be the main information anyone owning a vintage guitar or other musical equipment would be most interested in. This book was useless to us. I wish we could return it. Thank goodness we ordered "The Offical Vintage guitar Magazine Price Guide 2003" It included everything any collector would want to know!!!

3 comments about Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars: 11th Edition (Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars).

1. Just the best book for anyone with G.A.S.(Guitar acquisition syndrome) Has the price for a variety of conditions for most of the acoustic guitars out there. Excellent!



2. When I tried to look up several models of Alvarez Yairi listed on EBay, none of them were in the book.
   When I wanted to determine the value of my Dauphin classical guitar (for which there are plenty of references on the Web), it wasn't there.
   Clearly, while it is good for what it is, its applications are limited



3. This is my first book on guitar prices. I bought it hoping that I would learn more about vintage prices and model availability.
   
   It is a thick and heavy book. Paper quality is average. Also there are little pictures considering the amount of models listed. For some models (which are very special) I would have liked to see a picture.
   I checked a few non-Martin brands and found that a lot is still missing. Gurian is only described very short, one price is given for all models (which is just nuts because they had simple mahogany models up to BRW models or very limited classical guitar models). Hanika (a very good German builder with a similar production size as Lowden) is not included.
   
   I noticed very quickly already that the suggested (Martin) prices are very related to the American market. So it makes it a little harder to use it for the European market. I think that assuming 1 USD = 1 Euro comes closer to European prices for the higher end models. For the lower end models (or models which are less collectable or not so interesting) I would say European prices are twice as high as indicated (so let's say 1 USD = 1.5 Euro). Just my thoughts.
   Back to the book itself: I have looked up numerous Martin models and found it very hard sometimes to find them. The Martin chapter has been divided into the usual series (like Special Edition or Golden Era), but that means for instance that the original OM-28 and the recent OM-28V are listed together but the OM-28 GE is listed under Golden Era section. I can partly understand why they did this, but I found it is typically the point of view from the manufacturer (think in series) opposite to the view of buyer/player (think in a specific model and its variations).
   
   A link to the internet providing updated information is not provided. I assume that if you buy the CD-ROM version there will be the possibility of updates.

5 comments about Star Wars Super Collector's Wish Book: Identification & Values (Star Wars Super Collector's Wish Book).

1. I bought this book awhile ago and also bought "Tomart's Price Guide to Worldwide Star Wars Collectibles" by Steve Sansweet. I found the super collectors wish book to be the better of the two. Far better. This book is easy to read, up to date and has sections that are in colour. The Sansweet book is none of that. This is the better of the two books to spend your hard earned republic credits on. I hope this reveiw was helpful.



2. I own the other wish books by G. Carlton. I find them to be really helpful, informative and I love the pictures he has for reference too. Great job! Anyone collecting Star Wars should own a copy of this book.



3. Values for both common Star Wars items and rare collectibles are presented under one cover in the weighty 4th updated edition of Star Wars Super Collector's Wish Book, a reference packed with some 900 categories of merchandise from around the world. From guitar straps and gum holders to pins and memorabilia, over 16,000 color photos - many small, but big enough to easily help in identification - pack this reference. Any library catering to Star Wars fans in particular will find it a popular pick.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



4. This publication just goes from strength to strength.
   A true must for any collector, serious or beginner alike.
   
   Filled with great pictures & loads of information as a resource book you just can't fault this item. Doesn't matter if you collect action figures, cloth badges, books, posters...whatever...this book has the lot.
   
   If you are only going to do yourself one favour this year, make sure you buy yourself a copy of this book.
   
   OUTSTANDING STUFF.



5. This book had a lot of information I was looking for but not all.

No comments about The Compleat Talking Machine.

2 comments about Glock Exotic Weapons System.

1. ....To make a glock full-auto. It is a 58 page book that gives you step by step instructions on how to turn a glock fully automatic including blue prints and schematics, its rather user friendly and easy to do. There is nothing else in this book other than directions to do what I mentioned above.



2. I was VERY disapointed with this book. If all you want to know about is converting the glock to full auto, you might like it, that is all it covers.

No comments about 80 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards.

4 comments about 60 Great Sci-Fi Movie Posters (Illustrated History of Movies Through Posters, Volume 20).

1. War of the worlds, This Island Earth and Star Wars! Every big name movie or B-movie poster you could think of. And a few I've never heard of. Only one point away because some of the posters look like they were unfolded after being left in somebody's basement for a dozen years. Surly they could have found better copies or used computers to take out the flaws. But still, its cheap and holds a lot of poster images, so I really should not complain. Can't help but love the half naked women. Many of which were not in any of the films. Just there to hook the people.



2. With the exception of the more recent movie posters, I thought it was a fairly good collection of 54 classic science fiction posters.



3. All of Bruce Henderon's books are worth a dozen times what he sells them for; flawless, stunning reproductions of great movie posters. Buy them ALL! this is my favorite, though.



4. This is a TERRIFIC book, at a terrific price, filled with - you guessed it - terrific, clean, sharp, colorful images of some of the best science fiction and fantasy movie posters ever created. In that respect, it meets and exceeds a five-star rating.
   
   Alas... I'm still disappointed by it. Here's why. I already have a lot of the Bruce Hershenson books, as well as a number of other movie poster books. This book is Volume 20 in Hershenson's series, yet to those who have earlier volumes, it's a bit misleading to call it that. For earlier volumes, Hershenson took care to try not to duplicate images that had already appeared in the volumes that preceded it. There were occasional duplications, but even those were sometimes welcome to get the images in various sizes (for earlier volumes, the reproduction size would vary from 1 poster on a page to as many as 9 posters on a page). One of the great advantages of this volume is that ALL the posters are presented at full page size, 1 per page. There's even a wide margin at the spine side of the page so you don't have to force the book open wider to see the inside edge of the poster art. (Two thumbs up for that design feature!) My complaint is that the selection in this book - 60 posters - is almost entirely duplicated from earlier Hershenson volumes, AND are generally the same posters for the same movies that all the other poster books have printed ad nauseum over the years.
   
   In that respect, the "60 Great" movie poster books are really "Best Of" collections, which is why I think they should not have been numbered as part of the continuing series. Like a "Greatest Hits" collection from a band, these are spectacular collections, just don't be expecting anything other than the most familiar titles.
   
   Bottom line - it's unquestionably well worth having, but if you're an old hand at movie poster books, don't expect anything out of the ordinary.

4 comments about Who Goes There?: 1950'S Horror & Sci-Fi Movie Posters & Lobby Cards.

1. All of Bruce Hershenon's books are worth a dozen times what he sells them for; flawless, stunning reproductions of great movie posters. Buy them ALL!
   
   The one star setback is the tininess of the lobby cards; they deserved better treatment.



2. I used this book for a slightly different use: I cut out the pictures to use for decoupaging a table. It served its purpose excellently as the pictures were just the right size. My one complaint is that there were too many instances in which the same movie had quite a few posters, each one looking just barely different.



3. I guess the other reviewer has no concept of art, or probably has no idea these posters are worth thousands of dollars each, at least. If you don't believe me, check out the author's background, as he used to run Christies auctions, as well as his own eBay auctions, to the tune of a lot of money since 1989. So, if you're a movie buff, have an appreciation for this art, and can afford it, then great! If not, go whine somewhere else!



4. A collection of movie posters for the well-remembered science
   fiction films of 1950 - 1964? And sets of lobby cards to
   sweeten the pot? Well, the problem is that most of the
   science fiction films from this period were ultra-low budget,
   which translates as to "no money for art for posters," and
   "no colorizing of stills used as lobby cards." And that
   translates further to, "of very little visual interest."

   Not that there are not some good posters, but the good ones
   are all familiar. THE THING (7) features giant letters carved
   apparently out of gobbets of raw flesh! INVASION OF THE BODY
   SNATCHERS (38) features tiny images of running pairs of
   people on a half-red, half-yellow background with a
   superimposed hand print. The beautifully painted poster for
   ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN is not only a fine portrait of the
   sultry Allison Hayes, but depicts the largest "squirrel shot"
   in the history of urban civilization! But you've seen 'em.

   There is so little of real interest here that you'll find
   yourself killing time by counting the number of posters that
   feature monsters or robots carrying girls in a scandalous state
   of undress. Having done that you may find yourself reduced
   to looking for posters in which the monsters or robots carry
   (or sort of brandish!) boys and adult males (all fully clothed,
   I am happy to say).

   If none of this sounds appealing, I suggest you save your money,
   and I wish that I had.