The Strat in the Attic: Thrilling Stories of Guitar Archaeology Hardcover – June 10, 2013

For any of us who have found THAT guitar (mine is a 64 Stratocaster) this book is a must read. Deke has taken us on a journey most of us can only dream about!

Cool stories....well written. I'd like to see a 3rd volume released!

I am neither a guitarist or guitar collector but decided to pick up this book due to the positive reviews, my previous experience with Deke's music/writing and my general love of classic California country music. I'm not suprised about the wide spread on the reviews posted because (as many have mentioned) this isn't really a guitar book. Instead it a compliation of stories about notable guitar finds told through the lens of Deke's life with a heavy does of music history mixed in. Knowing Deke's leanings as a classic country/rockabilly freak, it should be obvious that most of these "notable guitars" aren't Strats....in fact, many of these guitars and musicians aren't very well known...unless you are a fan of Classic Californa Country and roots music in general...IF YOU ARE, I think you will find this book an extremely enjoyable read.its fun accessible and very easy on the eyes....the book itself is a beauty...it's sort of a mini coffee table book...it's the size of a normal trade hardcover, but there is no dust cover (the cover you see is printed directly on the binding) and it is CHOCK FULL of great pictures...it is perfect for just picking up and reading one chapter at a time...it has been my go to book for Sunday readings the past two weeks...so unless you are digital dominant, I wouldn't opt for the Kindle edition...PS: Volume 2 is coming out in a few weeks and I plan to pick that one up too!

Let's talk books. You know -- those bound paper stacks with words printed in ink? This is a gorgeous little book! The cover has the photos and artwork beautifully printed - no need for a dust jacket. The size is about 11 inches by 7 inches - a welcome and usefully holdable size compared to the normal coffee-table book sizes most guitar books gravitate toward. The paper is semi glossy and robust. Each page is lovingly adorned with a high quality rare photo or long forgotten ad copy or logo from guitars long ago, and the text flows around the graphics. It's a beautiful presentation and a wonderful way to mix a modest amount of graphic content with lots of text content. I wish more collector books were in this style and size.Ok, so the stories: There's scads of absorbing, exciting and interesting short stories, all true, about rare old guitars and their lucky discoverers. Dickerson has a simple, clear writing style that suits the subject matter and never distracts from the story. Tons of personality in these stories -- I love how the author gets into the personalities of the folks who had kept these rare guitars, often not knowing quite what they owned, GREAT Christmas gift for that guitarist in the family.

Got the book first in digital for kindle, found it to be very good reading and very entertaining, but the pictures are to small and black and white, so I decided I wanted to see the pictures and went to order the book, apparently the book is not made anymore and the prices are nuts, found this copy at an acceptable price bought it, very happy with condition and seeing the photos. The second book is very good also. But I still only have it in kindle for now. Great fun!!!!

The title is misleading. A title like “Strat in the Attic” is an immediate draw to guitar enthusiasts and collectors because it is what many hope to find. So from the title one is given to suppose that is about signature guitars like, Strats, Teles, Le Pauls that were hidden gems and turned up in some unexpected place. There are few examples of this in the book. Several sections of the book concerns the Author’s own experience tracking or finding obscure guitars made by individuals who made them as a hobby in garages before and at the beginning of mass produced guitars such as Fenders and Gibsons. In many cases these hobbyist made only a handful of guitars and often used parts from other makes. Have you heard of a Jim Harvey guitar? Do you want to know who he married? How many children he had? Do you want to read 33 pages about the life of Jim Harvey and who had his guitars? The guitars are quirky but did not contribute to the current design of electric guitars. In several cases more time is spent on the life history of the maker than on the guitars themselves. Many other stories come from the Author’s luthier friend Steve Soest and again often involve obscure instruments. In the few cases where notable guitars, like Bob Dylan’s Stratocaster are described, and indeed throughout the book, the Author is very circumspect about saying what prices these guitars were bought or sold for.The book is well written and there are interesting sections such as the chapters on the de Torres and the Benedetto and others, but a title that reflects that a large part of the book deals with amateur makers of the 40’s and 50’s and obscure makes such as the “Murph” and “Grand Letar” would be more honest. Calling the book “Strat in the Attic” with a picture of a Strat on the cover looks like false advertising.If you like reading about lesser known guitars, this is a 4 star book. My 2 star rating reflects my feeling of being duped. I know, I should have done more research before buying, caveat emptor.

Dickerson is clearly a collector who really knows his stuff, and has a network of friends and contacts who do too. This is really a compendium of stories about lucky finds and eager detective work tracking down rare guitars, with some longer pieces explaining just what's so special about these instruments. You will learn something as well as being entertained.I found it especially interesting that he focussed so much on obscurer brands that I wasn't really aware of. Anybody with a bit of knowledge of vintage guitars knows that a '59 Les Paul or a `50s Broadcaster/Telecaster is a valuable object, but it was really interesting to learn about the makers who didn't become huge corporations, and produced only handfuls of unique, sought-after instruments. In fact, I now really want a Bigsby guitar, which is unfortunate as less than 30 were ever made and the last one on the open market sold for over a quarter of a million dollars. The book is full of oddities like this. And it's great that Dickerson so often tracks for the reader exactly where the instrument fits into guitar history and why it is significant. It turns out, in fact, that both Les Paul and Leo Fender were copying Bigsby guitars more than they liked to admit.The downside is that a book like this can be a little bitty. At times it jumps from one short tale of garage sales and pawn shop finds to another, and I found the longer chapters where the author really delves into the past of a maker much more interesting. The book could have done with more of that, perhaps, including a bit more profile of some well-known guitars brands: the section on lap steels and amps made by Leo Fender in the 1940s was fascinating, but Dickerson doesn't delve into the early history of Teles, Strats, or Gibson, because he seems to assume it's all covered elsewhere and we'll know it already. I'd still like to have heard it from him!Thoroughly enjoyable for the guitar geek in you, so long as you don't mind coming away with an even longer fantasy shopping list.

The first few pages almost put me off. Here was the usual 'old guitars good, new guitars bad' spiel (debatable), and then stuff about how important 'tone woods' are on electric guitars (seriously debatable), and a few other superstitions, myths, and opinions that divide guitar geeks.But then we get to the guitar hunting, and the author's knowledge and enthusiasm take you on a terrific page-turning journey. The guy can string a sentence together, too, which always helps. And this book is not just about strats and Les Pauls - there are some amazing instruments in here that I'd never heard of, some custom made by unassuming amateurs who could shame the big manufacturers with their skill and vision.I found the financial side of the book fascinating, too - the shennanigans involved in getting hold of a rare guitar seems to border on the downright immoral at times. But that just makes the book more intriguing.There are a lot of disappointing guitar books out there that claim so much in the blurb but are just rehashed coffee table brochures in the end. But this isn't one of them. It's a gem.

i really enjoyed this book, like a great song/concert it was over and i wished for more. (thats not to say this is a short book because its not) its just the content was gripping and well writen.Deke Dickersons musical tastes do not match mine but the love of the guitar is where myself and thousands of other readers will surely touch base and have that common bond.Deke uses the word "Geek" to describe himself and others for their love of the instrument (which goes way beyond just playing it!!)This is a well researched book by a man who already knows so much about the history of the guitar but his story telling is wonderful.Deke if you read this how about a 2nd book because you must have more tales to pass on mate!!

This is a great book for the old guitar obsessive. It is not really spotters guide so there is no " '56 Strats have V shaped necks and '63 Strats C shaped necks" detail. But it is packed with intriguing stories of old guitars, their backgrounds and how they were found. There are Stratocasters and Les Paul's in the book but the most interesting tales are of the more obscure brands. Fortunately Deke Dickerson, as well as being a guitar nut and serious collector, writes in an interesting and entertaining way. My only complaint, on the Kindle edition, is that there are a few typos. Nevertheless I'll give it five stars.

Excellent book, and well researched. The author certainly knows his stuff, and there is a lot of information about obscure guitars that is infomative. Reading some of the stories made me smile - I played in a band in Germany in 1970, and had a 1959 LP 'Burst - it wasn't very expensive to buy, as at the time, it was only a (good!) used guitar. And I sold it on cheaply too..... If only I knew then.... But there are quite a few stories similar to my experience, so that makes me feel better! Well worth the purchase price I think.