The Bass Book/a Complete Illustrated History of Bass Guitars: A Complete Illustrated History of Bass Guitars

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Summary: Not sure what year your bass is?
Review: I found this book a while back and is a great source for finding the year and model of your bass through the serial numbers. I have an old Les Paul bass and didn't know much more about it until I found this book. It was a 71-75 Triumph, the twin to the Les Paul Recording Guitar.

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Summary: Leo changes the face of music.
Review: The Bass Book was very informative as to the process at which the bass guitar came to fruition and it's evolution. I couldn't put it down. Any one who plays the bass or is thinking of playing will enjoy reading this book. It also gave me a sense of pride that I belong to a sort of "brotherhood" of bass guitarists. Although it's history is not that old, it certainly made a great impact on modern music. I highly recommend this book to bass enthuiasts as well as anyone who likes music in general.

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Summary: Not Just for Bassists - It's Great for Any Rock Fan!
Review: This book follows the format of Mr. Bacon's other books (including The Fender Book and The Gibson Les Paul Book), and like his other books, it is a treat for the eyes. The photography is absolutely fantastic, with amazing detail. What is especially impressive is his inclusion of instruments owned by the stars who made them famous. It's not just a picture of a Hofner "Beatle Bass", it's one of Paul McCartney's Beatle Basses; it's not just a picture of an Alembic bass, it's John Entwistle's famous Alembic "Spider" bass from his days with The Who (and the list goes on and on...). Like Mr. Bacon's other guitar books, there's a pretty good identification guide in the back. Is this book REALLY a complete story of the electric bass with minute detail about every instrument of note (how's THAT for a pun)? Nah. If that's what you want, then consider this a "3 star" book at best (although you WILL learn something if you read it). On the other hand, is it a nice addition to one's own music library or a great gift book? Absolutely! (By the way - the ONLY reason I didn't rate it five stars is that the author tries, in my opinion, to cover too broad a subject matter in too short a space.) This is one of those books that's a lot of fun, even if it's just to "look at the pictures".