Good Vibrations

Historic Resonator Guitars and American Life

Darcy Kuronen

John Troutman

IMPRINTScala

FORMAT

HARDBACK ISBN 9781785516474

HARDBACK PUBLICATION DATE 29 October 2026

CATEGORY Art & Illustration

HARDBACK PRICE £ 36.00

Pre-order Hardback

Unrivalled catalogue of classic American resonator guitars.

In 1927, a small Los Angeles company created a startlingly new kind of guitar. Featuring three aluminium cones inside a shiny metal body, the ‘tricone’ made by the National String Instrument Company sounded and looked like no other guitar. For a short period, until amplified electric guitars became viable in the late 1930s, resonator guitars were at the vital centre of American popular music, a legacy that has fascinated musicians and fans ever since. Featuring essays by two musical instrument experts, colour plates documenting these guitars as no other publication has, and additional illustrations that link these guitars to broader themes in American history and culture, this book provides a rich account of an iconic American object.

About the Author

John Troutman is the Curator of Music and Musical Instruments at the National Museum of American History. He is the author of Indian Blues: American Indians and the Politics of Music, 1879-1934

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