Every vintage guitar has a story to tell – especially if they've been in the hands of players like Jeff Beck, Jack White and Mike Bloomfield. In her new photography book, Eleanor Jane is sharing 50 remarkable vintage instruments with the world, all with stunningly detailed photography and insight.
The Guitar Chronicles follows UK-based pro photographer Eleanor's acclaimed Superstar Guitars and Gallagher's Guitars books. She's spent years travelling, meeting guitar icons and their beloved vintage six-strings, plus charted dealer and private collectors. So it's no surprise The Guitar Chronicles is filled with a dream roster, including golden-era Les Pauls, acoustic guitars, Teles and semi-hollows.
"I’m beyond thrilled with how this project turned out, the stories I’ve been able to tell, and all the beautiful new work I have to share,” Eleanor says.
Those stories include close looks at the 1958 Jazzmaster gifted to Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore by Patti Smith, Jeff Beck's historic 'Yardburst' '59 Les Paul and Jack White's battle-scarred '50s Kay K6533 Value Leader.
Eleanor's world-class photography gets into the granular detail of these unique instruments, with tireless research and details uncovered about their pasts.
Alongside resurrected and wonderfully worn Gibsons owned by Jared James Nichols and Greta Van Fleet's Jake Kiszka, plus the idiosyncratic likes of Jeff Tweedy's Dinette/Kay Solo King and Mike Bloomfield's brutally modded 1963 Tele, there are key milestones in guitar-building history.
The original Fender Mary Kaye Strat and 1951 Precision Bass prototypes featured in The Guitar Chronicles make for essential viewing. And on the subject of Fender, the rarely seen early design era of Leo Fender, before he changed the electric guitar world, is showcased with a rare 1945 K&F lap steel and amplifier. This is a beautifully crafted book brimming with guitar treasures.
The Guitar Chronicles by Eleanor Jane is out now and published by Welbeck. It's available to order from Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones or your local bookseller.
