Photo Gallery: '108 Rock Star Guitars' Offers Up-Close Look at Axes Owned by Jimmy Page, Slash, Zakk Wylde, Jeff Beck and More
On October 8, Glitterati Incorporated will publish 108 Rock Star Guitars, a new book by photographer/author Lisa S. Johnson.
It's a collection of intimate portraits of cherished guitars owned by the gods of rock.
The 396-page hardcover book lets readers get up close and personal with an impressive assemblage of 108 guitars belonging to Les Paul, Eric Clapton, John Petrucci, Jimmy Page, Carlos Santana, Joe Satriani, Brian May, Eric Johnson, Rick Nielsen, Slash, Zakk Wylde, Billy Gibbons, Steve Vai, Steve Howe, Alex Lifeson, Ace Frehley, Jeff Beck and many others.
Below, you can check out Guitar World's gallery of 12 of the book's 300 photos.
108 Rock Star Guitars is the culmination of Johnsonʼs 17-year journey that began when she photographed Les Paulʼs guitar during one of his regular Monday-night sets at New York Cityʼs Iridium Jazz Club. Les Paul even wrote the bookʼs foreword a few months before he died in 2009.
“I remember the first black-and-white pictures Lisa took of my guitars. They were wonderfully evocative,” he wrote. “I never could have guessed she would one day produce the extensive, impressive collection of photographs presented here.”
A portion of the proceeds from book sales will benefit the Les Paul Foundation.
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The book (SRP: $108) is available at 108RockStarGuitars.com.
Glitterati also will issue a deluxe, limited edition of 540 signed and numbered copies, packaged in a die-cut collectorʼs box (SRP: $540). Those books will include a hand-woven, silk chiffon scarf in deep purple, featuring the book cover design. Both editions will include a 16-page booklet, “The Inspiration Behind 108 Rock Star Guitars,” with additional behind-the-scenes photos and stories as well as a guitar pick printed with one of three custom holographic foil designs.
For details about both editions of the book, visit 108RockStarGuitars.com/the-book.
Photo: Lisa S. Johnson
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
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