The Devil Is In It: A History of the American Acoustic Guitar

University of Texas Press

With the release of The Devil Is In It, guitar maven and author John Stubbings has created one of the definitive histories of the origins, evolution, and acceptance of the acoustic guitar and its rise to prominence in American music. Scholarly in its approach, but deeply readable and engaging, the book reads like a detective novel at times as he delves into the deepest realms of the history of major builders like C.F. Martin and Gibson, as well as smaller American brands including Stella, Washburn, and more.

Along the way, Stubbings reveals a cache of fascinating historical detail on how the acoustic guitar came to be integrated across so many American regions and musical genres. For example, many of the first rural stores that carried acoustic guitars that could be sampled before purchase, unlike catalogue shopping, were furniture stores. 

Why? Because they first started selling phonographs due to their heavy, ornate wooden cabinetry. Once the players were in stock, furniture stores naturally added phonograph records to their inventory. That prompted local musicians, many of whom were guitarists or wannabes, to hang out listening to the recordings and jam. It was a logical step from there to adding acoustic guitars to the store’s sales line and further build their customer base.

The Devil Is In It was published initially as a very limited edition of 500 handbound volumes that included not just the text, but handwritten notes, and individual drawings and paintings, creating a work that was more objet d’art than history book. The original run sold out in days and is now a treasured collector’s item. But ongoing demand for the project prompted Stubbings to revise, expand, and update the text and republish it here in standard hardcover book form.

As with many works of this scope, there are a few errors, like the reference to “Bill Malone and the Blue Grass Boys” on Page 134. Englishman Stubbings also goes all in on British folk and fingerstyle guitarists, who lusted for guitars by American makers like C.F. Martin. But the material here gets quite arcane, as his deep dive into rural acoustic blues guitar and guitarists also does, and may be of little interest to Bluegrass Unlimited readers. 

However, while not focused exclusively on bluegrass, Stubbings includes detailed information on builders like the late Stuart Mossman, C.F. Martin, Bourgeois Guitars, Collings, and more, catering to a flatpicking guitar clientele. 

One might have nit-picked over the exclusion here of gypsy jazz guitars and the boom in American and Canadian luthiers catering to that unique style. But that topic really doesn’t belong here, as those Selmer guitars are not of American origin, but French. One serious omission, however, is the lack of any glossy photography of memorable instruments and acoustic guitar ephemera to highlight the excellent text.

But minor quibbles aside, John Stubbings has produced a guitar history book that reads like a Ken Burns documentary on acoustic guitar. Exhaustive in its research, detailed in its presentation, and comprehensive in its scope, The Devil Is In It belongs on the bookshelf of anyone interested in acoustic guitar history. Most highly recommended.